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The Alabama Political Reporter spoke at length with Dr. Jan Roberts on Alabama’s pending medical marijuana legalization program. Roberts is an Alabama native and an internationally recognized psychotherapist, educator, and speaker, as well as a founder of Holistic Integrative Psychotherapy, and The Cannabinoid Institute.

APR: Alabama has an epidemic for opioid abuse. Have Alabama doctors been over-prescribing opioids and would medical marijuana make more sense for many of those patients rather than being prescribed opioids or any hard narcotics?

Roberts: “Well you bring us an important point, I know historically just from my own experience with family members down in Alabama. Unfortunately, a relative that passed away from opioid abuse, this has always been something on my radar. I know some of the efforts that the state has made in regulating opioid prescriptions.”

“When you look at medical cannabis, we know a few things around medical cannabis,” Dr. Roberts explained. “We know that cannabis is absolutely effective in treating certain types of pain. We also know that if someone uses cannabinoids appropriately, they can actually reduce the amount of opioids that they consume because there is a synergistic effect that happens with cannabinoids, especially THC, along with opioids. There is this modality, this effort to try to use THC is a way to wean people off opioids.”

“We had this come up in Delaware and actually our research showed that you really have to look at what the regulations are,” Dr. Roberts continued. “So physicians oftentimes right now are holding on to this kind of antiquated notion that cannabis is the same thing and will create a dependency issue the way opioids do. And the data doesn’t really support that. And the data shows that depending on what the laws are of that State as well as the physician buy-in to the products, those are the two key elements that will actually be successful in getting people off of opioids and using a medical cannabis product.”

Every now and then I’ll hear about some new “dangerous aspect” of smoking cannabis, whether it’s your brain shrinking or having more risks of going insane – these reports have been circulating since the dawn of prohibition.

Today we’ll be talking about the latest “SCARE STUDY” where researchers allege that smoking cannabis as young adults nearly doubles your risk of a heart attack.

That’s right. According to this CNN article, the science is clear and if you’re a young adult you may suffer a heart attack. Except, the science isn’t clear, and if you poke this study long enough, it dissolves quite easily.

How the study was done?

This was a “cross-sectional” study meaning it’s an observational study that analyzes data of a particular population at one particular point in time. The major problem with cross-sectional studies is that the way you frame the question vastly influences the results. The parameters you choose to test also plays a major role.

This means with a cross-sectional study, you can literally prove that Heavy Metal can lead to increased suicidal tendencies. You can also frame it so that the opposite is true. This is one of the first points we need to address prior to jumping into the “science” behind the study.

In just a few weeks, licenced veterinarians in the US state of Nevada will be able to recommend and administer hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products for the treatment of animals.

While CBD pet products are widely available in the USA, in many states veterinarians are not permitted to administer them or even discuss cannabidiol with pet owners. In other states laws are unclear, which makes vets nervous about the potential for prosecution or other action.

But back in May this year, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak signed Assembly Bill 101 into law, which permits veterinarians in that state to administer products containing hemp or CBD with not more than 0.3 percent THC. Aside from the legal side of things, animals such as dogs and cats are particularly sensitive to THC and too much can cause health problems.

From the beginning of next month – when the Act comes into effect – veterinarians will also be able to freely discuss such products with pet owners and the Nevada State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners is prohibited against taking action against a licensed veterinarian, or the facility in which he/she operates, for such activities.

It not as though the NVMA was opposed to CBD. It helped write AB 101, which the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association also supported. Before the Bill hit the Governor’s desk, it faced zero opposition – not a single “no” vote.

I encountered the whiff of marijuana (aka Igbo, ganja, cannabis) very early in life though I never even smoked a cigarette. Was I seven years old or nine? I can’t be sure, can’t remember really. But I was in primary school and as we walked to school every day, we encountered some ragged red-eyed young men in some corners of the town puffing away as if it was the greatest thing to do in the world at that time of the day and no one could do anything about it. Hmmm! How did I know it was Igbo they were smoking? Well, some peers knew better than others and volunteered the information to neophytes like us. In the boarding house while in secondary school students knew the Igbo smokers, the very bad boys who often sneaked out to the cinema house and returned at midnight. These days I hear it is routine for teenagers to smoke that hard stuff! A pity, if you asked me!

Very early too, it was drummed into our small heads at home and at school that if we as much as took a whiff of Igbo we would run mad and parade the streets like those vagrants we used to see in the streets of Sapele or Warri or Port Harcourt or Ovu junction; you know those guys who never took ill though they lived harsh unsheltered lives. That it was only a question of time those ganja-smoking boys would run mad, not insanity, just run mad. Run mad carried a stronger warning than insanity. To be sure, one also grew up in a home where positive thoughts about marijuana were never entertained, in fact, banned and considered an act of taboo!

All these thoughts flooded my memory when as a guest of the Association I attended a scientific session of Association of Community Pharmacists (ACPN) in Abeokuta last week piloted by the calm, energetic and level-headed Pharmacist Samuel Adekola, Chairman of the Association. I was one of those given an award of excellence by the Association on the recommendation of former students of mine, led by the ebullient Hon Segun Adedipe whom I taught some 35 years ago, who opined that I made a significant contribution to their lives. Of course I was grateful. It is one of the few awards in Nigeria that you do not pay for!

I was intrigued by the arguments; especially the ones put up by Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), a man whom I respect for his firm commitment to the welfare of the people of Ondo State through his bold stance on grazing, using the platform of Southern Governors Conference. He had argued earlier in the year that ‘cannabis is a multi-billion naira industry that can help diversify the Nigerian Economy if judiciously utilised”. There is sound logic to legalizing marijuana for economic purposes. In other words, let us legalize the export of marijuana; let us make it available to foreign and local pharmaceuticals for producing medication instead of the millions of dollars spent on importing drugs made from the product. If it is a goldmine for the people of Ondo and Delta States (Abbi town) and Nigeria, why not legalize it for export and medicinal purposes?

Stereotypical “stoner” speech and cadence have long been the butt of well-intentioned joking, but an Australia-led team of researchers wondered if weed consumers actually speak differently than non-consumers.They decided to collect speech samples from 31 adults with a history of cannabis use, low to moderate and with no illicit stimulant drug use, and 40 non-drug-using controls.

Researchers found some differences between those who had used cannabis and those who had not, but perhaps not as much as some may have expected.

“Subtle differences in speech timing, vocal effort and voice quality may exist between cannabis and control groups,” study authors write, but “data remain equivocal.”

After investigators controlled for lifetime alcohol and tobacco use and applied a false discovery rate, they report that the only difference between the two groups was spectral tilt, namely vocal effort and intensity.

A recent report about a sharp rise in Wisconsin’s alcohol sales got a lot of attention. But it didn’t answer the question of who was consuming all the beer, brandy and wine that’s leaving store shelves at a faster clip than it has since 1972.

It appears it might be mom and dad, along with grandpa and grandma, who are doing all the drinking. It's not young adults, at least not college students.

A new national report sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found "a substantial and significant drop" in current alcohol use among college students between 2019 and 2020.

The Monitoring the Future study, however, found marijuana use among college-age adults in 2020 across the nation was at a historic high not seen since the 1980s.

Wisconsin is no exception.

Cannabis edibles are undoubtedly one of the most popular products to consume these days. Many people are trying to get their hands on some cannabis edibles because of a rewarding experience. Many users say that they are moving away from smoking cannabis in the traditional way. There are a few reasons why cannabis edibles are becoming increasingly popular. Not only are cannabis edibles easy to store and consume, but they are also easy to carry around. Taking cannabis edibles can also have many recreational and medicinal benefits that can treat many issues. If you want to try cannabis edibles, you can Get Kushto satisfy your needs. Let us look at how cannabis edibles affect you.

What are Cannabis Edibles?

A popular way of taking cannabis these days is by consuming cannabis edibles. Manufacturers take the marijuana plant, and they use it to make edible products such as cannabis brownies and cannabis gummies. A recent trend is motivating many people to move away from the traditional way of smoking cannabis. Cannabis edibles are arguably the most popular alternative for smoking cannabis, and there are good reasons behind this. The first attractive quality when talking about cannabis edibles is how users can highly customize their experience. Users have the option to go for a variety of cannabis edibles. You can get cannabis brownies, cannabis cakes, cannabis gummies, cannabis chocolates, and many other popular products. The excellent quality of cannabis edibles is that they are available in stores, and you can also make them at home. When users take cannabis edibles, they are in complete control of the experience. Many users do not enjoy the raw taste of cannabis. Therefore cannabis edibles prove to be an excellent alternative.

Another key reason behind the popularity of cannabis edibles is how discreetly users can consume them. Many cannabis users report that it is much easier to take cannabis edibles rather than smoke cannabis regularly. Smoking can be a significant inconvenience for users and even for people around them. There are also a lot of restrictions regarding where users can smoke. The struggles of finding a lighter or a matchstick do not make the experience any better.

When it comes to cannabis edibles, there is little to no preparation needed. There are also no restrictions as to where you can consume cannabis edibles. You can discreetly carry your cannabis edibles without anyone finding out. Especially if your cannabis edibles are in the form of brownies or gummies, no one will ever be suspicious of you.

What are the Benefits of Taking Cannabis Edibles?

Cannabis edibles can help you experience all the benefits of consuming cannabis. These benefits can range from recreational to medicinal. For example, you can get help with treating chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and several other health conditions. You can also get help with clearing your mind and relaxing. In the modern world, there are so many different issues that we face daily. It can understandably be overwhelming to tackle everything at once. When you consume cannabis edibles, you can take a step back and relax. Taking cannabis edibles will give you some much-needed space, and you will end up making better decisions. Taking cannabis edibles can also help you treat inflammation, and in some cases, it can also address some symptoms that arise due to cancer.

The German process is unlike anything foreigners have ever experienced before—with twists and turns at every step that frequently defy logic.

The German medical cannabis market is one of the largest in the world. Indeed, as of 2021, it is not only the largest market in Europe, but also responsible for driving cultivation plans across many sunnier and lower labor cost locales. This is true of both countries in the European Union (EU) and further flung spots, all hoping to export cannabis to a country, which so far has not, by design, been able to domestically source the medical cannabis consumed in the country. 

All well and good—but this is the good news. 

In fact, the pharmaceutical infrastructure that faces medical cannabis companies is far from either clear cut or easy to navigate. Here is why.

Cannabis is Defined by Law as a Controlled Narcotic Drug

The first issue facing all distributors in the German market, is that cannabis, legally, is defined as a narcotic at a federal level. To date, despite a decision on the European level last fall, this also includes low THC hemp—which has led to a number of lawsuits and embarrassing contretemps of late even on the non-medical, commercial level. 

Beyond this, however, cannabis as medicine is clearly now present in the system—but merely importing and or registering strains and brands (no matter who makes them or where such flower or products come from) is far from enough to get sales.

Seventeen pharmacies in San Diego County will soon begin distributing leaflets to patients warning of potential interactions between prescription drugs and cannabis.

The pilot program not only provides patients with information about possible cannabis-drug interactions, but also seeks feedback through online research to assess whether such information is useful to patients.

Lev is also the Chief Medical Officer of the Center for Community Research, the non-profit organization that leads this effort. The center operates local substance abuse prevention initiatives, including the Marijuana Prevention Initiative, whose mission is to reduce youth access to cannabis.

Dr. Seung Oh, a pharmacy supervisor at Sharp Rees-Stealy Santee, said the group “says nothing about cannabis use” but is “simply aware that cannabis can interact negatively with important prescriptions. I’m here to enhance. “Medicine — just like Consuming grapefruit can cause bad interactions with a specific drug.

“Cannabis can potentially do the same,” Oh said.

Medical and recreational marijuana programs have been enabled across the U.S. But is it okay to you use your medical marijuana card in other states?

The culture surrounding cannabis is changing fast. As more and more states legalize the recreational and medical use of the plant, what was accepted a year ago might now be totally different in your state of residence, prompting many to ask questions. For example, can you use your medical marijuana card in other states?

While crossing state lines with cannabis remains illegal — even if it’s medical — using your medical cannabis card in another state is possible if you’re informed about the local regulations. The answer depends on where you’re purchasing the cannabis and on that state’s medical cannabis reciprocity rules.

Photo by Dino Reichmuth via Unsplash

Medical cannabis reciprocity basically allows patients to carry and use their medical cannabis while outside of their state without fear of punishment. The list of states with cannabis reciprocity includes: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, and more, according to this list published by Cannabis Doctors of New York.

Still, it’s a little more complicated than simply grabbing your medical marijuana card and buying some weed in these states. Each of these states has independent rules and regulations, with states like New Jersey having lax rules and others, like Arizona, having a more limited set of conditions, requiring patients to have specific conditions in order to meet the state’s medical marijuana program.

Why more education and research is needed to get the medical community on board.

Barely a quarter of cannabis users trust their doctor to provide them with reliable information about medical cannabis and how to use it to treat their medical or health conditions, according to a recent survey. 

Carried out in May and April, the survey polled 167 cannabis users – half male and half female – to gauge their thoughts and behaviors regarding medical and recreational cannabis. The survey found that only 26% of the respondents would trust their doctor to provide information on using cannabis for medical reasons, while 36% say they would trust dispensary staff, and 30% said they would trust their friends. 

At the same time, 80% of those surveyed said that they would be willing to use medical cannabis to treat a medical condition if it was recommended by their physician. 

The poll was carried out by People Science, a tech-enabled science company that describes its mission as bringing together “health minded people, research scientists, and healthcare providers in an effort to unlock the potential of alternative medicines.”

Trusting your doctor

People Science co-founder and co-CEO Dr. Belinda Tan told The Cannigma that she found it an intriguing contrast that most respondents said they could not depend on their doctor to provide them with information about cannabis, but most still would trust their doctor enough to follow a recommendation they made about medical cannabis. 

An Australian university has started a clinical trial investigating if an over-the-counter cannabidiol (CBD) product can assist with sleep disturbances.

Since February this year, certain cannabidiol products can be sold over-the-counter in Australia without a prescription by pharmacists. But given the stringent criteria associated with a Schedule 3 (S3) pharmacist-only classification, none are available as yet.

However, the race is on to be the first to market to tap into the pent-up demand in Australia for OTC CBD.

Targeting restless sleepers, Southern Cross University researchers have commenced a Phase IIb double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multi-site clinical trial funded Australia’s Ecofibre. Ecofibre subsidiary Ananda Hemp’s CBD extract in the form of a low-dose botanical CBD soft gel will be used in the trial and compared to a placebo.

“Approximately 33-45% of Australians currently suffer from sleep disturbances which can impact both our physical and mental health, when left untreated,” said lead investigator Dr Janet Schloss.

A guy who hurts his back working in a warehouse in Cleveland can get a prescription and use medical marijuana to manage the pain. A guy who hurts his back playing for the Cleveland Browns can't.

During his acceptance speech this past summer at the NFL Pro Football Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony, former Detroit Lions’ star Calvin Johnson explained why he retired after his ninth season in 2015 at age 30.

It was the pain he had to deal with—the reliance on the prescription pain medication by league policy to keep going—that caused him to quit.

“In my first year in the NFL I suffered a serious back injury,” Johnson said in Canton. “It was so bad at the moment [that] I couldn’t feel my legs. And I thought my career would be over.” Over time, “The pain began to take a toll on my body and my quality of life, and it wasn’t getting any better.”

“When I got to the league [in 2007], [there] was opioid abuse,” he said in a 2019 interview. “You really could go in the training room and get what you wanted. I can get Vicodin, I can get Oxy[contin]. It was too available. I used Percocet and stuff like that. And I did not like the way that made me feel. I had my preferred choice of medicine. Cannabis.”

Today, the NFL has a marijuana problem. But not the one you’d think.

There is no better place in Florida to hold a Sacred Mushroom Summit than Gainesville.

The city gave rise to the famed Gainesville Green marijuana strain. People gladly squished through pastures mined with cow patties in search of mind-altering fungi. Joints were regularly smoked at college football games. And ecstasy-fueled raves at Simon's downtown drew elite techno DJs from Europe.

The summit, set for Friday through Sunday at the Thomas Center, will feature lectures and presentations on the use of hallucinogens of the Americas including ayahuasca, cannabis and peyote.

Topics will include medical use, psychological, anthropological and historic aspects of the drugs, religious freedom and legal issues.

“There is a whole lot going on right now in this area,” said organizer Tom Lane, who has written books on historic use of psychoactives. “This type of medicine pre-dates the colonial days. Indigenous sages were using this in Mexico way before the colonials got here.”

Hallucinogens are going through a revival. They were widely studied through the mid-1900s for medical and therapeutic value but got ground up in the war on drugs later in the century after LSD, marijuana and mushrooms were used recreationally.

Cannabinoids overall are likely to be helpful for headache sufferers due to their ability to penetrate the part of the brain involved in migraine pathophysiology.

Did you know that 23 million Americans suffer from severe migraine headaches, and 25% have four or more episodes per month?

In fact, this epidemic costs businesses between 1.2 billion to 17.2 billion dollars annually, through lost productivity and sick time.

But can cannabis provide relief?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

Though the United States classifies medical cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug (meaning it has the high potential for abuse and has no accepted medical use and lack of safety for use under medical supervision), there have been numerous case studies surrounding the use of medical cannabis for headaches. And it would be a natural derivation of those studies to at least consider CBD oil, another closely related cannabinoid.

This woman experienced resolution of her headache within five minutes of smoking cannabis. Though anecdotal, case studies such as this suggest further evaluation be considered for headache sufferers.

A South Dakota legislative subcommittee recommended on Wednesday that the state’s medical marijuana regulations prohibit the home cultivation by patients.

A recommendation from the South Dakota Legislative subcommittee comes from a group of lawmakers working to draft rules to limit provisions of Initiated Measure 26 (IM26), a ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana that was passed by nearly 70 percent of South Dakota voters in the November 2020 general election.

The announcement came from a subgroup of the South Dakota Marijuana Summer Study Committee, a panel of lawmakers that was assembled to make changes to IM 26. In addition to eliminating home cultivation, the panel is considering proposals including repealing legal protections for marijuana businesses and their attorneys and another that would allow local governments to prohibit cannabis businesses to operate in their jurisdictions.

“We’re not here to say no to marijuana,” said Republican state Representative Carl Perry. “What we’re here doing is making sure it’s good [policy].”

South Dakota Voters Approved Medical Marijuana in November

Following the passage of IM 26 and a separate ballot measure to legalize cannabis for use by adults, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem announced that implementing the medical marijuana initiative would be delayed. The delay came despite provisions of state law that approved ballot measures take effect on July 1 of the year following passage, which would have been this year.

“We are working diligently to get IM 26 implemented safely and correctly,” Noem said in a statement released by her office. “The feasibility of getting this program up and running well will take additional time. I am thankful to our legislative leaders for helping make sure that we do this right.”

With all the tech advancements in grow ops, and a valiant attempt to eliminate the stoner stereotype from dispensary storefronts, the American pot market has become a bit bougie.

Everyone is ranting and raving these days about medical marijuana. Depending on who you ask, it can prevent, treat and even cure various health conditions from anxiety to cancer. Some believe in the powers of the herb so much that they have tossed all of their prescription drugs in the trash and kicked it into high gear down the path of pot. But a lot of these people are learning that with all of the legal discrepancies associated with this crop, it’s a rather expensive trip.

In Ohio, a survey conducted by the state found that nearly 60% of patients and caregivers are unnerved about the price of medical marijuana. The poll found that most program participants pay around $300 out of pocket every month for cannabis products. And many are complaining about it.

Photo by CasarsaGuru/Getty Images

But while Ohio patients grumble about the state’s prices being unreasonable and unaffordable, expensive is just the nature of the beast when it comes to medical marijuana. In states like Michigan and Illinois, the average cost of an ounce of medicinal herb is between $265 and $380.

A December 2020 report from The Philadelphia Inquirer shows that the state is one of the country’s most expensive medical marijuana markets. The high cost has been attributed to everything from profiteering to supply issues, but no one really has any clear answers. The consensus is that the state’s cannabis industry is a wild west business model, and everyone involved is charging whatever they want because they can. Officials with the state’s medical marijuana advisory board say program participants are always complaining about the price of weed. And probably always will.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri opened its first medical marijuana dispensary last October, and now there are more than 140 across the state, with more to come. 

The state’s medical cannabis industry also employs roughly 5,000 people.

Earlier this summer, Gov. Mike Parson vetoed a bill that would have allowed medical marijuana business owners to deduct their expenses, but the head of the state program said that won’t stop the multi-million-dollar industry. 

“The sales revenue is pleasantly surprising,” said Lyndall Fraker, director of medical marijuana section of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. “At the end of July, we surpassed $91 million in sales.”