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There has been much debate about whether cannabis use is still acceptable for those in treatment for substance abuse, or whether those folks would be triggered by the use of cannabis. While everyone is different, there is now a new study supporting the idea that cannabis use is connected to a decrease in alcohol consumption by alcoholics.
The study, titled “Effects of cannabis use on alcohol consumption in a sample of treatment-engaged heavy drinkers in Colorado,” and published in the Addiction journal and conducted by the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University, reveals this connection, which many have suspected, but had yet to be solidified by science.
“Cannabis is commonly used among people who drink alcohol, but evidence suggests a nuanced relationship between alcohol consumption and cannabis use,” the study explained. “We aimed to test the effects of within-day cannabis use on total drinks consumed and likelihood of binge drinking on a given day across all participants and compare these relationships between males and females and between individuals who reported infrequent and frequent cannabis use.”
“Several previous studies have examined whether cannabis is more likely to act as either a substitute or as a compliment for alcohol and, thus far, they have yielded mixed results,” said NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano. “This study’s findings are an important addition to this growing body of literature and offer strong evidence that cannabis can act as an intervention for certain persons seeking to reduce their alcohol consumption.”
Cannabis and Alcohol Use By Those in Treatment
The study, which was carried out by both the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University in collaboration, looked at 96 different people who used cannabis and were also enrolled in an alcohol treatment program. Researchers found that, on days when those being surveyed consumed cannabis, they consumed less alcohol. The trend was present whether the person was a light cannabis user or a heavy user. If they used cannabis at all, they tended to consume less alcohol.
There’s been a lot of talk about how, and whether, cannabis can be used in place of antibiotics. Centuries of natural medicine traditions tell us ‘yes’ already, but now the Western medicine world is finally catching up. New research highlights how cannabis antibiotics are a likely and reasonable answer to the issue of disease-resistant bacteria.
If you haven’t tried delta-8 THC yet, then you’re using cannabis the old-fashioned way. Delta-8 provides a new way to use cannabis with less anxiety, and less psychoactive effects. This makes it the optimal form of THC for many people. Check it out to see for yourself. We’ve got all the best Delta-8 THC deals for you to get acquainted with this new form of cannabis medicine.
Let’s go back in time first
There are tons of natural medicine traditions that have existed on the planet through the history of man. Two of the more well-known, which are still in existence today, are Ayurvedic medicine out of India, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) out of China. In Ayurveda, medical cannabis was used since 1000 b.c., with one of the reasons being as an antibiotic. This included topical use for skin infections, as well as for ailments like tuberculosis. Imagine that, information was figured out 1000 years before Jesus was supposed to have walked the earth, and researchers of today are only now catching up? Perhaps we should look at history more often.
When it comes to Traditional Chinese Medicine and cannabis, there’s a striking lack of information published, and not because it doesn’t exist. While most sites cite the lack of translation to Western languages for the void in information, this explanation sounds suspect. This is a popular topic, it goes against logic to assume that no one has bothered to translate for the English speaking world.
My guess is that as the pre-eminent natural medicine tradition, it bodes better for Western medicine practitioners to keep this information out as it tends to threaten the pharmaceutical industry (highlighted by this very article and the use of a natural medicine to combat bacterial infections). It is understood that cannabis has been written on within the medical tradition for at least 1800 years, and that all parts of the plant were used. Some publications say that hemp has been cultivated in China for as many as 4000 years. Again, there seems to be a block in getting this information to the Western world. You can draw your own conclusions as to why.
Most people know fibromyalgia as a health condition that can cause pain all over the body. That's true, but it also can lead to other issues, such as lack of sleep, chronic fatigue, and emotional and mental health issues.
Fibromyalgia patients (at least four million of them in the United States) always search for treatments that can help combat the pain and reduce the risk of these other issues. They may have found something in medical marijuana.
A new study published in the journal Pain Medicine reports that fibromyalgia patients who used cannabis oil had lower (i.e., better) scores on a Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) given before, during, and after an eight-week study period.
The study concluded that THC-rich cannabis oil "can be a low-cost and well-tolerated therapy to reduce symptoms and increase the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia."
The findings mirror a previous study from Israel that found patients experienced less pain over six months when they used cannabis as a treatment.
Funding has been made available for a new programme providing cannabis-based medical products to patients to begin later this year, the Department of Health has announced.
Use of products licensed under the Medicinal Cannabis Access Programme can apply where conventional treatments are unsuccessful.
The types of conditions that might benefit from such an approach include spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis, intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and severe, treatment-resistant epilepsy.
On Thursday, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly announced that the programme would be added to the HSE Service Plan 2021.
Prescribe
“Ultimately it will be the decision of the medical consultant, in consultation with their patient, to prescribe a particular treatment, including a cannabis-based treatment, for a patient under their care. It is important to state that there are no plans to legalise cannabis in this country,” he said.
Like many chronic lifestyle-related diseases, inflammation is at the core. Obesity may be no different.
When it comes to obesity, doctors oftentimes prescribe medications to treat the accompanying co-morbidities, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and dysregulated blood glucose. Some note, however, that inflammation is at the root of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar.
Substances called cytokines can create other health issues, including insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a precursor of Type 2 diabetes, which is frequently, but not always, related to obesity.
Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, can happen over time as a result of less-than-optimal lifestyle habits. A diet high in sugar and processed food raises blood sugar, which signals the body to make insulin to clear glucose from the bloodstream. Chronic consumption of these foods forces the body to produce increasing amounts of insulin to keep up with the influx of sugar.
Eventually, the body becomes desensitized and insulin stops responding. The result can be high blood sugar, which causes more inflammation, further exacerbating insulin resistance.
Those who have undergone a liver transplant may not have to fret about using cannabis after the procedure, according to a new study published this month.
The research, published in the journal Clinical Transportation, was based on the examinations of 900 patients. Researchers examined the patients both prior to and after the liver transplantation, ultimately finding “no statistical differences in post-operative outcomes” between cannabis users and non-cannabis users, though the researchers did note “significant differences” elsewhere between the two patient cohorts.
“These findings may help guide future policies regarding marijuana use in [liver transplant] candidates, although confirmation utilizing larger cohorts is warranted,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion, as quoted by NORML.
It is not the first study to suggest that cannabis use does not impose added risks in the event of an organ transplant. All the way back in 2009, in fact, there was a study that found liver transplant patients “who did and did not use marijuana had similar survival rates.”
In 2019, another study found “[n]o significant differences in inpatient respiratory complications, reintubation” in cannabis users and non-cannabis users who had undergone a liver transplant.
It’s important to really monitor your symptoms rather than trying to lock in a particular milligram that you think is beneficial to you.
I think sometimes we put a little too much work into really thinking about what the starting serving size is and making sure that we’re very exact with this. Remember that CBD and other cannabinoids are plants and oftentimes you’re administering to the point that you’re seeing a return on the administration, a result rather than looking at a particular number of milligrams in the serving size.
I just wanted to bring a couple of samples to show you from my own cabinet. I get so many samples of CBD given what I do for work, and here are three different products that I just pulled up quickly before I came to speak with you today.
If I were to tell you to choose a product and then take a half a dropper full as your first serving size, you can see how that’s a completely ridiculous thing to suggest because there is such a wide variability.
And in these different bottles there’s 4,000 milligrams in one bottle, just 500 milligrams in another and 1,000 milligrams in the next.
Finding the right medical marijuana doctor might take some time and patience. Here are some things you should consider when looking for one.
Doctors who will prescribe you medical marijuana are just as important as primary care physicians. What works for one person may not work for another; it all depends on personality, the conditions you’re treating, the state where you live and more.
Knowing that there’s no “one size fits all” approach may help you experience less stress when looking for your ideal medical marijuana doctor, especially since it’s still such a foreign process. Here are 4 things you should consider during your search:
Qualifying conditions
Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
The internet is a great source of knowledge, if you know where to look. Don’t trust random Facebook, Twitter or other types of blog posts; make sure that the information you’re reading is verified and belongs to a trusted source.
Atherosclerosis, often referred to as a hardening of the arteries, is a major issue across the globe.
According to at least one study, roughly half of individuals 40-54 years old have hardened arteries.
That is obviously a significant number and includes people that do not smoke and/or are of normal weight.
Hardening of arteries happens when fat and cholesterol (and other substances) build upon the walls of people’s arteries. It’s most common in the heart, but can occur elsewhere.
The deposits, commonly referred to as plaques, narrow the artery’s blood flow over time and in some cases completely block the blood flowing through the arteries.
New Mexico’s largest medical cannabis producer is asking a state District Court to enforce a judge’s 2018 order for the Department of Health to ensure medical cannabis patients have an adequate supply.
New Mexico Top Organics-Ultra Health alleges in a motion filed Wednesday in First Judicial District Court the state agency has not only failed to ensure an increasing number of patients have enough legally grown cannabis but also has failed to develop a sound method to determine the state’s supply needs and has made decisions on producer limits in a “retaliatory” manner.
“Producers are attempting to meet the needs of 104,000 + patients with the same supply intended for 75,000 patients,” Ultra Health says in its complaint.
The department’s failure to respond to increasing enrollment in New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program “has provoked a crisis” in which producers are unable to consistently meet patient demand, which keeps prices high, the complaint says.
A spokesman for the Department of Health declined to comment.
A survey conducted on stress and burnout says that a large percentage of Americans have turned to cannabis as a source of relief.
It’s barely 2021 and already we’re comparing its stress levels to 2020, which was filled with a record number of stressors. But if a recent survey is any sort of pulse check, many of us have found a source of relief: cannabis.
Compiled by cannabis company Verilife, the survey acquired data by looking into the most Googled terms related to burnout according to each state. Burnout, if you haven’t experienced it, is defined as “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” Researchers asked 2,000 Americans about their experiences with burnout, what was causing it, their symptoms and how they cope with the ensuing stress and exhaustion.
Photo by GRAS GRÜN via Unsplash
According to the results, 37% of respondents turned to CBD to cope with burnout and 39% of them turned to cannabis for the same purpose. For millennial cannabis users, these results were even more pronounced, with 93% of them using the drug to treat their symptoms of burnout. When talking to respondents who didn’t use cannabis, 29% of them considered giving it a shot in order to cope with stress and exhaustion.
A team of investigators affiliated with Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine assessed the relationship between marijuana use and the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in a nationally representative cohort of nearly 57,000 adults. Authors identified no independent relationship between marijuana exposure and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease after adjusting for potential confounders, such as body mass index, tobacco smoking, and alcohol use.
Researchers determined: “After controlling for several confounding variables, we found that there was a decrease in the prevalence of cardiovascular events with marijuana use (Odds Ratio: 0.74).”
They concluded: “Our study found that there is no link to marijuana use and an increase in cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, there may be a link between marijuana use and lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, but the data was not statistically significant when adjusting for confounding variables. This study does, however, implicate the need for future studies with other methods and/or larger sample sizes to provide more insight into this potential association.”
The findings are consistent with several other studies – such as those here, here, and here – concluding that cannabis use is not independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disorders. Separate data published last month in the same journal similarly reported that subjects with a history of marijuana use possess no greater elevated risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The results of a systematic literature review of 67 studies published in November in The American Journal of Medicine concluded, “[M]arijuana itself does not appear to be independently associated with excessive cardiovascular risk factors,” although authors did caution that “it can be associated with other unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol use and tobacco smoking that can be detrimental” to cardiovascular health.
Clinical data has previously established that THC administration can influence heart rate and blood pressure, particularly in more naïve subjects. However, subjects typically develop a rapid tolerance to these effects. NORML has previously cautioned that those persons either predisposed to or at high risk of cardiovascular issues, such as heart attack or stroke, may be at elevated risks from cannabis inhalation.
Aside from the euphoria, probably the most common effect of cannabis is — to avoid using a medical term — munchies. The substance has shown good results treating patients suffering from wasting diseases, such as AIDS, by reducing nausea and increasing appetite. It has promising potential treating Anorexia Nervosa, one of the most common and dangerous eating disorders, but it isn’t a cure and the science isn’t complete
Anorexia is a mental illness. It kills more than 12 percent of sufferers with 6 percent committing suicide. Psychotherapy is the usual treatment as there are no medicines approved to combat it.
But that may be why some patients report that cannabis helps. Anorexics may be hungry, but will themselves not to eat. Anxiety and depression are commonly associated with the disease. It may be marijuana’s anti-anxiety effect that helps more than its appetite stimulating properties.
Most states that allow the use of medical marijuana don’t consider Anorexia to be a qualifying condition. And New Mexico only considers it suitable for “Severe Anorexia” which has no medical definition.
As with many proposed medical uses for cannabis, actual clinical testing its application on Anorexia sufferers has been hindered by its status as a Schedule I Drug. In addition to being legal, the designation means it has no medical use.
The state of Mississippi is set to roll out its medical marijuana program this summer.
The Mississippi State Department of Health, which is in charge of regulating the program, is currently building rules and a framework for the program. Those are scheduled to be released sometime in July, WJTV reported.
On August 15, licenses will be distributed and then the program will officially start.
Ken Newburger with the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association told the news agency it was a smart move getting the health department to regulate the program.
“Because it’s a medical program and everything about it needs to be handled from a health medicine perspective, the State Department of Health was the best choice,” he said. “Most other states that have good, functioning medical marijuana programs chose the State Department of Health as their regulatory body. So that’s really why we felt like it was the right place.”
A new study shows cannabis smokers have higher concentrations of dangerous toxins like naphthalene, acrylamide and acrylonitrile in their system than non-smokers.
One exciting development that the United States could see this year in terms of marijuana is a less restrictive attitude toward medicinal use. As part of the party’s campaign platform in the 2020 election, the Democrats, which are set to control the majority in Congress, revealed that “we will support legalization of medical marijuana.”
Although the statement is vague and could mean many things, the federal government is expected to make moves this year to further medical cannabis. Only we wouldn’t hold our breath on Americans being able to consume it by smoking.
Smoking is, by far, the most common consumption method for a lot of cannabis users. Rolling a joint or packing a bowl is just how medicating was done before legalization began to take hold across the country and bring to life a wealth of new products. Still, even with the advent of edibles, drinks and capsules, many people still enjoy smoking. And most don’t think it poses a significant health risk either. They believe that smoking marijuana is far safer than smoking cigarettes because it doesn’t contain all of the harsh chemicals used by the tobacco companies. However, recent studies show this claim is more myth than fact. Marijuana smoke may be just as harmful.
Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston recently determined that marijuana smokers are putting themselves at just as much risk as those who use tobacco. Their study, published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, shows cannabis smokers have higher concentrations of dangerous toxins like naphthalene, acrylamide and acrylonitrile in their system than non-smokers. These chemicals have been linked to anemia, liver and neurological issues, not to mention cancer.
These days, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t using some type of cannabis product – either recreationally, therapeutically, or both… but have you ever wondered how everyone seems able to afford it?
Although many industries are struggling amid the ongoing pandemic, 2020 has been a record year for cannabis with prices and demand both at an all-time high. Everything from smokables to edibles, THC and CBD, dispensary and mail-order – everywhere you look there is a trending cannabis-based product.
What’s also holding firm, and increasing in many markets, is the prices for all the aforementioned items. In addition to cannabis being portrayed more favorably by the mainstream media, COVID-driven demand over the last year coupled with bottlenecks in supply has caused a surge in prices. And according to the U.S. Cannabis Spot Index Report, the average wholesale price per pound has reached its highest point in three years.
So, again that begs the question, how does it seem that everyone can afford these products so easily; considering high quality comes with an equally high price tag, and these products aren’t covered by insurance. We know they’re effective and safe, but are cannabis products an affordable alternative to prescription medication?
Benefits of medical cannabis
I believe this is an important staring point, because it’s the therapeutic aspect of cannabis that’s really behind this burgeoning demand. It has been used recreationally for decades, but it wasn’t until word got out about the safety profile and medical benefits that cannabis products really saw a surge in popularity.
In the United States, the most common use for medical cannabis is pain management. Although it isn’t really strong enough for very severe pain, post-surgical for example, it’s highly effective in controlling various forms of chronic pain that effects millions of Americans. Cannabis is frequently endorsed as a safer alternative to opiate medication, which are dangerously addictive and responsible for an alarming number of overdose deaths in the states.
Women who consumed cannabis while trying to conceive were less likely than non-users to conceive or to become pregnant over the study period, notes new research from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
NIH researchers considered women who were trying to conceive and had used cannabis or hash in the weeks before pregnancy or had THC-positive urine tests.
Published this week in Human Reproduction, the study found that cannabis users were 41 per cent less likely to conceive per monthly cycle than non-users. “Similarly, a smaller proportion of cannabis users than non-users became pregnant during the study — 42 per cent versus 66 per cent,” notes a statement from the NIH.
There was a lower chance of conceiving “despite an increased frequency of intercourse,” the study abstract states.
If pregnancy was achieved, however, study authors found no differences in miscarriage rates between cannabis users and non-users.
Roughly five months. That is apparently when Mississippians can expect their newly approved medical marijuana program to begin to take shape.
Two months after voters in the Magnolia State approved a measure legalizing medical cannabis, officials in Mississippi are previewing what the program’s implementation will look like in the new year.
According to local television station WJTV, the next few months will see the Mississippi Department of Health examine best plans for implementation. By July, according to the station, the department “will outline the rules and framework”; on August 15 of this year, “licenses will be distributed, and then the program would officially start.”
WJTV reported that “all medical marijuana” in Mississippi will be regulated by the department, something Ken Newburger, the head of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, told the station was an ideal arrangement.
“Because it’s a medical program and everything about it needs to be handled from a health medicine perspective, the State Department of Health was the best choice. Most other states that have good, functioning medical marijuana programs chose the State Department of Health as their regulatory body. So that’s really why we felt like it was the right place,” Newburger told WJTV.
More than half of people who use medical marijuana products to ease pain also experience clusters of multiple withdrawal symptoms when they're between uses, a new study finds.
And about 10% of the patients taking part in the study experienced worsening changes to their sleep, mood, mental state, energy and appetite over the next two years as they continued to use cannabis.
Many of them may not recognize that these symptoms come not from their underlying condition, but from their brain and body's reaction to the absence of substances in the cannabis products they're smoking, vaping, eating or applying to their skin, says the University of Michigan Addiction Center psychologist who led the study.
When someone experiences more than a few such symptoms, it's called cannabis withdrawal syndrome - and it can mean a higher risk of developing even more serious issues such as a cannabis use disorder.
In the new research published in the journal Addiction, a team from the U-M Medical School and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System reports findings from detailed surveys across two years of 527 Michigan residents. All were participating in the state's system to certify people with certain conditions for use of medical cannabis, and had non-cancer-related pain.
Results from a recently published study suggest U.S. consumers perceive CBD as more of an over-the-counter pain reliever and less like prescription opioid medicines.
The study was carried researchers Trey Malone and Brandon R. McFadden from the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware.
Based on data from a national survey conducted in 2019 of 1,050 U.S. adult respondents, the study found more than half perceived CBD (cannabidiol), THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), hemp and marijuana as having medical use and also significantly less potential for abuse compared to commonly prescribed anti-anxiety and pain medications.
There was also a majority view that THC and marijuana had less potential for abuse than alcohol – this has become quite apparent in many states where the push for legalization for recreational use is gaining more support; and not just at a state level, but nationally as well.
Of the approximate 32% of respondents who had consumed CBD and/or THC, between 31% and 49% had used the cannabinoids as a replacement for other medications. Of those who replaced a conventional medication with CBD, 37% to 56% replaced an over-the-counter medication while only 21% to 23% replaced a prescription opioid.
