WeedLife News Network

Martha Stewart, the 78-year-old entrepreneur who built a wildly successful media empire and lifestyle brand, turned her attention last year to cannabis. Stewart is now working with Canadian company Canopy Growth to develop a line of CBD products for pets.

That partnership is expected to bear fruit by September when Canopy Growth plans to launch a line of CBD products for pets designed with Stewart as a consultant. The project with Stewart is part of a wave of new products from Canopy Growth, including a host of cannabis-infused beverages such as Tweed Houndstooth & Soda and Tweed Bakerstreet & Ginger. 

But the CBD for pets venture could rank among the company's biggest endeavors yet. Stewart still commands a massive audience as a household name, with about 7.3 million readers of her publication Martha Stewart Living. Her fans are 90 percent women with an average age of 55 and a median household income of $82,175. That’s a powerful demographic.

Stewart’s friendship with Snoop Dogg brought her to cannabis.

Stewart’s move into cannabis was not entirely unexpected. She has championed CBD on her website and is now friends with cannabis aficionado and businessman Snoop Dogg, who also has partnered with Canopy Growth, as have other celebrities. He owns the cannabis publication Merry Jane and also has his own line of products, Leafs by Snoop.

Stewart and Snoop work on the show “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” for VH-1. Her co-star’s use of cannabis is legendary, but Stewart said it never bothered her. “I'm quite egalitarian and liberal when it comes to stuff like that," Stewart told the Hollywood Reporter.

Luc Springinsfeld of leading investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co explores the European medical cannabis market and the rise of medical cannabis investment in Europe.

Since the beginning of 2019, there have been a dozen mergers and acquisitions or private placement deals with values above €5m involving companies focused on medical cannabis in Europe. In total, north of €100m of new money has been invested in medical cannabis-focused companies across Europe over the past 18 months. While this represents a sharp increase compared with the period before 2019, we are still far from the levels experienced in North America, where more than $3bn was invested in the medical cannabis market through more than 450 deals in 2019.

In the early days of the industry, most investments were from high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and family offices, or from exclusively cannabis-focused funds. However, the past 12 months have seen increasing interest from traditional venture capital (VC) firms. While many remain barred from investing in cannabis-related companies by the constraints of their limited partnership agreements, we expect more dedicated funds and a wider base of investors to emerge, attracted by the high growth potential of the cannabis market.

A strong focus on Germany

In Europe, 80% of deals concerned Germany-based companies, all of which are active in the distribution of medical cannabis products within the country.

One notable example is the €20m fundraising by Sanity Group, which saw the US-based cannabis-focused VC firm Casa Verde invest in the company alongside more traditional VCs such as Holtzbrinck, Cherry and TQ Venture. This round had a first close announced in August 2019 and a second close in February 2020.

Pioneering medical product distributor Cannamedical also recently announced a capital increase of €12m, funded by US-based traditional healthcare investor Steve Wiggins, which brought the total amount invested in the company to EUR27m. The deal was closed in April 2020, in the midst of Germany’s government-imposed lockdown, demonstrating the continued appetite of investors for the space despite the Covid-19 crisis. CanPharma, another leading German medical cannabis supplier, is also currently raising a double-digit million-euro round. Other companies involved in the German cannabis sector and likely to raise additional funds in the coming months include Emmac Lifesciences, Foliumed and Wundr/iuvo.

Eczema is a condition that targets a large percentage of people across the U.S. Known for irritating the skin and leaving it patchy and red for stretches of time, eczema occurs because of a combination of genetics and environmental situations.

Among other things, flare-ups of the condition can result as a result of pollen in the air or the types of foods and drinks that one ingests.

Could CBD provide some relief for this type of skin inflammation?

Referring to a group of skin conditions that can manifest in different ways, eczema is traditionally treated by managing its most prevalent symptoms to prevent flare-ups. The condition is not contagious and can be very different from person to person, with the most prevalent symptom manifesting as patches of itchy skin.

There is no cure for eczema, which is why people experiencing this ailment have to be careful, moisturizing their skin often, while also looking for effective ways to avoid triggers. The ways in which people treat their eczema are varied and personal, ranging from warm baths and gentle soaps to wearing cotton clothes that won’t irritate the condition or cause they discomfort.

Since its rise in popularity, CBD has garnered some acclaim within the beauty and skincare industry. Although there’s as yet a lack of scientific research on CBD, many experts are hopeful regarding its promise on eczema.

The link between cannabis and a heightened risk of stroke has been studied multiple times as THC turns “on” the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the central nervous and cardiovascular systems.

“As these products become increasingly used across the country, getting clearer, scientifically rigorous data is going to be important as we try to understand the overall health effects of cannabis.” — Robert Harrington, M.D., president of the American Heart Association 

In late 2019, a report was published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) that found, “frequent cannabis (marijuana) use among young people was linked to an increased risk of stroke” as well as an increase on heart rhythm disturbances, or arrhythmias. Published by the American Heart Association, the study did not look into the direct connection between stroke and cannabis use, rather it discovered it as a potential link.  

The study found that younger cannabis users had a heightened risk of stroke, compared to individuals that didn’t use cannabis. Interestingly, the study also cited that, “The cannabis users were also more likely to be heavy drinkers, current cigarette users and e-cigarette users, which may have also influenced their risk, even though the researchers adjusted for those factors in their analysis.”

Study author Tarang Parekh, M.B.B.S., M.S., a health policy researcher at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia had this to say: “Young cannabis users, especially those who use tobacco and have other risk factors for strokes, such as high blood pressure, should understand that they may be raising their risk of having a stroke at a young age.”

Less than a month after Governor Northam signed the bill to legalize medical marijuana, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy voted to deny MedMen's request for an extension and rescinded their conditional license to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in Staunton. 

The Board of Pharmacy voted to move forward with a Request For Applications with the timeframe to be announced, according to Virginia NORML's website. This means medical cannabis companies can once again apply for a license in the state.

But this also means the location for the facility can be anywhere in our health service area. Staunton is located in health service area one, which encompasses the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville. The Staunton location was tied to the facility that was awarded the conditional permit in 2018. Originally, this facility was PharmaCann. 

"As with the initial round of applications to the Board of Pharmacy, I hope Staunton is still a point of interest for other potential entities," said Billy Vaughn, Staunton's Community and Economic Development director. "Maybe the PharmaCann/MedMen site in Green Hills comes in to play."

In May 2019, PharmaCann Virginia purchased the land at 3 Industry Way in Green Hills Industry and Technology Center for $212,352, according to city records.

While the city of Denver, and the state of Colorado as a whole, has been on the forefront of recreational and medical cannabis, Denver just issued the first official research and development license this past Tuesday. Med Pharm, the group granted the license, will be looking at how cannabis could potentially provide relief for Alzheimer’s patients. 

Although it has been approved on a local level, the group still needs to submit their study plan to the state. But the researchers at Med Pharm are feeling good about the venture. They have already decided that they will host a trial in which 150 Alzheimer’s patients will be administered either cannabis or a placebo. Those in the non-placebo group will take cannabis orally once daily. 

“It’s really exciting,” explains Dr. Tyrell Towle, Director of Chemistry and Research at Med Pharm. “We’re finally doing research that we should have been doing decades ago, quite frankly. “We’ll be giving caregivers surveys. The caregivers of these patients will be filling out “are they sleeping better, are they easier to deal with, are they experiencing less agitation, are they maybe forgetting fewer names”.”

“We really want to understand how these Cannabinoids and the compounds we put together can help people,” adds Albert Gutierrez, CEO of Med Pharm.  “We’ll be monitoring that throughout the study so that we can see if the symptoms that are improving, are correlating to an improvement of blood flow in certain areas of the brain.” 

“We are excited for the possibilities for this type of medical research to find effective research for a whole host of illnesses,” says Ashley Kilroy, director of Excise and Licenses and Office of Marijuana Policy for Denver. “Also, we really see this license-type in particular, a license that could attract some of the best and brightest to Denver to attract this type of work.”

The hype surrounding the use of CBD all over the world has been attributed to the fact that it is very potent. Scientists have done a great job of enlightening people with every new finding that they discover. Additionally, CBD does not have side effects since it is free of THC, a cannabinoid responsible for intoxicating the brain and giving people a euphoric feeling.

CBD has a close connection with the health of the liver. It has been found to boost its health by preventing or mitigating various liver illnesses. When people consume the compound, it interacts with the endocannabinoid system, particularly the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are connected with the functionality of the liver.

Apart from the liver, CBD is also used to manage other health conditions such as cancer, arthritis, epilepsy, anxiety, and schizophrenia, just to mention a few. However, we will focus on its benefits on the liver for now. Without further ado, let us dive deep into great insights that you should know on how CBD helps in dealing with liver diseases.

How the Liver Works

The liver is a very active organ in the body. First, it is involved in the detoxification of the body. A couple of biological metabolisms of the body also occur in the liver. That is why a lot of medications, supplements, steroids, and alcohol take a toll on the liver. Furthermore, the organ plays a role in the production of digestive enzymes in the body.

The liver is prone to a plethora of illnesses such as hepatitis, cancer, cirrhosis, and many others. Current research shows that CBD oil or extract is medically used by doctors in the management of some of these diseases.

A study by researchers in Israel has shown that prolonged treatment with medicinal cannabis may reduce the frequency of migraines. Results of the study, “Migraine Frequency Decrease Following Prolonged Medical Cannabis Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study,” were published this month in the journal Brain Sciences.

The goal of the research was to assess the impact that prolonged use of medical cannabis may have on the frequency of monthly migraine attacks. To conduct the study, 145 migraine patients aged 34 to 54 who had been using medical cannabis for a median duration of three years were surveyed. The subjects included 97 women, or 67% of the study group. All patients who participated in the research had been licensed to use medical cannabis. The data collected for the study included a self-reported questionnaire from the study group and information on the characteristics of the medical cannabis treatment used.

Monthly Migraines Reduced By Half

The researchers found that 89, or 61%, of the test subjects reported a 50% or more reduction of monthly migraine attacks following medical cannabis treatment. This sub-group of the study, classified as responders for further data analysis, also reported lower current migraine disability and a lower impact of migraine attacks. Responders also reported better sleep quality and lower rates of consumption of opioids and triptans compared to non-responders, the sub-group of test subjects that reported a less than 50% reduction in monthly migraine attacks with medical cannabis treatment.

“These findings indicate that MC [medical cannabis] results in long-term reduction of migraine frequency in [more than] 60% of treated patients and is associated with less disability and lower antimigraine medication intake,” the authors of the study wrote.

The researchers offered a possible explanation for the effect of medical cannabis reported by responders, noting that “migraine is classified as a pain condition. Mechanistically, endocannabinoids have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on serotonin receptors in vivo, which is shown to modulate pain and emetic responses.”

Michigan retailers sold more recreational marijuana products than medicinal for the first time last week.

Since the sale of recreational marijuana became legal back in December, the weekly sales of adult use cannabis have been creeping up and up. But the sale of medical marijuana was always higher.

Until last week.

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency reports last week state retailers sold just over $10 million worth of recreational marijuana products compared with $9.9 million in medical marijuana. 

Michiganders voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2018. State regulators spent most of 2019 crafting rules for the adult use industry, before allowing retail sales to begin in December.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Lebanon County policy that banned the use of medical marijuana by those on probation or parole, even if they have a state-issued identification card authorizing them to do so. The unanimous decision was handed down by the court on Thursday morning and applies to all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

“This decision provides further validation that cannabis is medicine and that those Pennsylvanians who rely on it should not be treated any differently or be denied any rights under the law,” Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said after the decision was handed down.

The case stems from a Lebanon County policy issued in 2019 by Judge John Tylwalk that prohibited those being supervised by the county’s probation department from using medical marijuana, even with a doctor’s recommendation and an identification card from the state. Tylwalk cited the federal prohibition on cannabis as rationale for the policy, writing that the probation department “should not knowingly allow violations of law to occur.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, representing three medical marijuana patients affected by the ban, sued to have it overturned. The plaintiffs use medical marijuana for a variety of conditions, including epilepsy, nausea, and chronic pain. The ACLU lawyers argued that the 2016 law establishing Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program gave registered patients “sweeping immunity” from prosecution and other penalties.

The justices agreed with the plaintiffs, writing in their opinion that in enacting the state’s medical marijuana statute, “the Pennsylvania Legislature proceeded pursuant to its independent power to define state criminal law and promote the health and welfare of the citizenry.”

Over the course of the past decade, a large number of scientific studies have analyzed the effects of CBD for nausea. 

Some focused on nausea resulting from chemotherapy, while other studies were dealing with how CBD works for nausea in general. 

This collection of works conclusively showed that CBD is a very promising compound for both nausea and vomiting.

Let’s check out some of the most important research. 

According to this 2011 review, considerable evidence suggests that the manipulation of the endocannabinoid system is capable of regulating nausea and vomiting in humans and other animals.

Cannabis has been pinned as a treatment option for many different disorders lately, many of them seeming completely unrelated. Everything from physical pain to mental disorders and even cancer are said to respond to cannabinoid treatments, but how exactly is that possible?

When you first start hearing about all the different conditions that medicinal cannabis is being used for these days, it almost seems like a gimmick to legalize. Can one plant, not to mention it’s a plant that gets you high, seriously have so many therapeutic benefits? Although it may seem like a stretch, if you have an understanding of the Endocannabinoid System, it makes a lot more sense why cannabis actually works so well in the human body.

What is the Endocannabinoid System?

The only reason cannabis actually works and has an effect on us at all is because of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). Simply put, the ECS is a network of receptors that exists in the bodies of all mammals, plus the endocannabinoids that bind to them. As a whole, the ECS regulates numerous different functions and processes in our bodies and maintains internal balance and homeostasis.

Researchers have discovered two different endocannabinoids so far, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA). 2-AG is made from omega-6 fatty acids and is present in fairly high levels in the central nervous system, but it has also been detected in human (and bovine) milk. 2-AG is a full agonist of both the CB1 and CB2 receptors, but it has a stronger influence over the CB2 receptor. Because of this, 2-AG is thought to have a substantial impact on the immune system.

Anandamide (AEA), also commonly referred to as the “bliss molecule”, is believed to play a major role in the in all of our basic daily physiological functions including sleep/wake cycles, appetite, mood, and even fertility; but we’ll get more in-depth on the benefits of this cannabinoid a bit later.

In addition to the naturally produced cannabinoids, there is also a large web of receptors that allow AEA and 2-AG to function the way they do. The two receptors that have been studied most extensively are CB1 and CB2. Cannabinoid receptors sit on the surface of cells and monitor conditions on the outside. Once they sense changing conditions and the body falling out of a state of homeostasis, they signal the appropriate cellular response to restore balance.

Although there’s a lack of scientific research on CBD due to the compound’s strange legal standing, many experts are hopeful in the effect it could have on eczema.

Eczema is a condition that targets a large percentage of people across the country. Known for irritating the skin and leaving it patchy and red for stretches of time, eczema occurs due to a combination of genetics and environmental situations. Flare ups of the condition can occur from pollen in the air or the types of foods and drinks you ingest.

Could CBD provide some relief for this type of skin inflammation?

Eczema, which refers to a group of skin conditions that can manifest in different ways, is traditionally treated by managing its most prevalent symptoms in order to prevent flare ups. The condition is not contagious and can be very different from person to person, with the most prevalent symptom manifesting as patches of itchy skin.

There is no cure for eczema, which is why people who suffer from this ailment have to be careful, moisturizing their skin often, while also looking for effective ways of avoiding triggers. The ways in which people treat their eczema are varied and personal, ranging from warm baths and gentle soaps to wearing cotton clothes that won’t hurt them.

It’s well-known smoking cigarettes during pregnancy can increase the risk of harm to the baby and is best avoided.

But in our research, published today in the Medical Journal of Australia, we show using cannabis during pregnancy is also associated with poorer outcomes for babies.

Are pregnant women using cannabis?

While we don’t have data on how common cannabis use is during pregnancy, results from the 2016 Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed 10 per cent to 20 per cent of women of reproductive age had used cannabis during the preceding 12 months. Recent literature from overseas shows the number of women who become pregnant while using cannabis increased by as much as double from 2002 to 2017.

This is likely driven in large part by the legalization of cannabis in many parts of the world. In turn, increasing social and medical acceptance of its use has led to an overall perception cannabis is a safe drug.

In places where cannabis is legal, cannabis dispensaries sometimes promote it for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. But there are no studies evaluating whether it’s effective in this context, let alone whether it’s safe.

It’s another step towards lessening our dependency on the pharmacological use of opioids and opioid-derivatives.

Medical professionals and researchers throughout the U.S. are seeking to steer patients away from opioids and other severely addictive medications. The University of New Mexico released a study in May, published in the scientific journal Life, with positive long-term results in the expanded use of hemp oil to treat chronic neuropathic pain. 

Researchers seek to rely on increasingly natural and organic ways to treat chronic pain.  The biggest takeaway from this UNM study is the increased efficacy of hemp oil, which  means an opportunity to move away from dependence on the pharmacological use of opioids and opioid-derivatives. 

Conventional pharmacological drugs are ranking high as one of the leading forms of causing preventable deaths, and conventional medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S..

“Cannabis plants with low THC are still psychoactive, but tend to result in less psychedelic experiences, while still offering profound and often immediate relief from symptoms such as pain, anxiety, and depression,” says co-researcher Dr. Jacob Miguel Vigil, an associate professor in the UNM Psychology Department. 

In the last decade, we’ve learned a lot about how cannabis affects digestion. Thanks to the numerous studies that have been done over the years, we’ve gotten valuable insight on how this ultra-beneficial plant can be used to treat a range of diseases and conditions. Although a lot of anecdotal evidence and multiple studies exist on the topic, we’ve still only scratched the surface of unlocking its full potential.

But before we delve into what it can treat, how exactly does cannabis affect our digestive system? Like many of our body’s processes, including our mood, sleep, immune function and reproduction, the regulation of our digestion, appetite, and metabolism are done by the endocannabinoid system (ECS_. To understand how cannabis affects our digestion, the ECS is a crucial part of the puzzle.

Active compounds in cannabis, called phytocannabinoids such as THC and CBD, interact with the body through the ECS via cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that are distributed throughout the digestive system and in regions of the brain that are considered essential for the gut-brain axis. It takes the phrase ‘going with your gut’ to a whole new level.

Both CB1 and CB2 receptors can be found in the digestive tract, with the former of the two the more abundant. The ECS plays a number of roles in digestion, including regulating stomach acidity, motility (the speed in which matter passes through the intestines), satiety, inflammation, pain, as well as visceral sensation, which affects our ability to perceive bodily organs. High levels of endocannabinoids are found throughout our digestive system and also contribute to stimulating our appetite.

Hunger pangs aren’t actually generated in the stomach but in the brain. When our stomach is empty, the hormone ghrelin is released, which stimulates the GI tract’s vagus nerves, which then travel up to the brain along the gut-brain axis to reach the brain’s hypothalmus, where hunger pangs originate.

Fresh research is out that suggests oil extract derived from hemp may bolster your levels of the so-called “good cholesterol.” 

The study comes courtesy from researchers at The Center for Applied Health Sciences in Ohio and Lindenwood University in Missouri who sought to determine “the effects of a commercially available, GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) by independent conclusion, CBD-containing hemp oil extract on stress resilience, perceived recovery, mood, affect, body composition, and clinical safety markers in healthy human subjects.”

They did so by conducting a double-blind study involving “65 overweight, but otherwise healthy men and women” who ingested Hemp Oil Extract or a placebo every day for “six weeks while continuing to follow their normal diet and physical activity patterns.” 

The Results of The Study

The results showed that, among those in the hemp group, “HDL cholesterol significantly improved.” HDL cholesterol, which stands for “High-density lipoprotein,” is recognized in the medical community as the “good cholesterol” because “it helps remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream” and is “associated with a lower risk of heart disease,” according to the Mayo Clinic. 

The researchers said that no other significant interactions were observed in either group. 

But some business owners tell 41 Action News they were caught off guard by an additional hurdle imposed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which oversees the industry, before growers can put seeds in the ground.

After each of the 338 medical marijuana license holders is verified by the state, they have to go through an additional verification process.

"Once those 338 were were chosen by merit, then the department of health did a verification process where they go through the application with a license holders then they prove that everything they put on the application was accurate, correct and conforms to the department’s rules," MoCannTrade spokesman Jack Cardetti said.

But there's a final step, called a commencement inspection, before cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries can start up "where they actually come on site, look at your facility, make sure it has all the security that you said it was going to have, make sure it has all the promises that were made in the application were followed through on," Cardetti said.

Only two of 60 cultivators have made it through that process so far near St. Louis.