WeedLife News Network

There are still very limited studies of the efficacy of CBD products in equines; here is a look at what a few have discovered.

CBD, also knowns as cannabidiol, is a compound found in the plant Cannabis sativa, commonly referred to as marijuana. Cannabis actually produces two compounds of interest, tetra-hydro-cannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

THC is popular with some people for its psychoactive effects, while CBD has shown to have some therapeutic benefits. Also of note, is “hemp”, which is the same plant, but a different cultivar, which mean the same plant is bred for specific qualities. In this case, hemp is grown and used largely for its commercial or industrial use, and is bred to only have 0.3% of THC (based on the USA Federal Farm Bill Act 2018 Sect 297A, hemp must have less than 0.3% delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and usually around 3% CBD, but some varieties may contain up to 25% CBD. In Canada, all cannabinoids are regulated under the Cannabis Act of 2018. Industrial hemp must have less than 0.3% THC, but there is no legal limit to the amount of CBD.

Because hemp is a fast-growing plant, it is also of interest as a potential useful product for horses, as either bedding and/or a high-fiber feed source. A byproduct of hemp is hemp seed oil, which generally only contains marginal amounts of CBD. It should be noted that hemp (or its oil) is not currently approved as a feed ingredient for horses in the US or Canada, although the Hemp Feed Coalition hopes to change that.

Cannabidiol has demonstrated numerous therapeutic benefits in people, including helping those with anxiety, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and others. In fact, the FDA of the United States recognizes CBD as a pharmaceutical drug for humans. In Canada, it is a controlled substance and Health Canada oversees its production and use for humans. If CBD is sold with a health claim, it needs to go through Food and Drug Regulations.

However, this becomes more complicated for its use with animals. CBD is not approved as a pharmaceutical therapy for animals, and yet it is also non-nutritional, often being called a nutraceutical. As we know, much of the nutraceutical industry is unregulated.

“The nature of cannabis is it opens your mind. It got me thinking differently.”

Former National Football League (NFL) star Ricky Williams recently sat down with FOX Sports to talk about how cannabis impacted his mental health during his storied football career.

Williams, one of the greatest college football players of all time, played 11 seasons in the NFL. After his fourth violation of the league’s drug policy, Williams was suspended from the league for a year and went on to play the 2006 season with the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts.

Williams’ northern detour drew the ire of football legend Joe Theismann, who derided Williams as “a disgrace to the game.”

Williams addressed those comments in his interview with FOX.

“It was a little bit confusing. But the nature of cannabis is it opens your mind. It got me thinking differently,” Williams told FOX.

What misconceptions surrounding cannabis use would you like to dispel?

There are some misconceptions I would like to point out.

First, it is often said that cannabis is not addictive or that it is psychologically addictive but not physically addictive. While it’s true that it is not very addictive, you can become addicted to it.

Second, it would be extremely difficult to die from an overdose. However, like any other drug, it is possible to use too much, either tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)- or cannabidiol (CBD)-heavy strains, which may lead to serious side effects.

Third, CBD will not produce the psychoactive effects of THC, but it may alter your mood, which is why CBD should be described as non-intoxicating, but not as non-psychoactive.

Fourth, pure CBD products still contain 0.3% THC, which can result in a positive drug test.

Understand the pros and cons.

A few weeks ago, New Jersey became the latest state to allow recreational marijuana dispensaries. Customers stood in line for hours for their first chance to legally purchase a substance many said helped them with various things from relaxation to the relief of chronic medical conditions. There is evidence that marijuana can be medically beneficial. But marijuana, like every substance, affects people differently. Here are five things that smoking marijuana every day may do to your body. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

"The most common use for medical marijuana in the United States is for pain control," writes Peter Grinspoon, MD, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

"While marijuana isn't strong enough for severe pain (for example, post-surgical pain or a broken bone), it is quite effective for the chronic pain that plagues millions of Americans, especially as they age." Cannabis may be effective for nerve and muscle pain. It has also been studied for the relief of headaches, insomnia, and fibromyalgia.

Marijuana is renowned for being a relaxant, but in some people, it can have the opposite effect,  causing anxiety, paranoia, and even panic attacks, or exacerbating other mental health issues.

"Marijuana use can cause cognitive impairment and should be used with caution if you have a mental health condition," says the Mayo Clinic.

It’s been more than five years since Australia first introduced a medicinal cannabis program, and a new study has shed light on who exactly gets those scripts.

As reported by The Guardian, researchers from University of Sydney revealed a bunch of juicy statistics around who is being given prescriptions, and for what conditions. It found that chronic pain was the most common reason for medical cannabis being recommended to patients, accounting for 61 percent of prescriptions. Anxiety made up 16 percent of scripts, and sleep disorders 5.6 percent.

The study also shows that pre-pandemic, the age group receiving prescriptions ranged from 45 to 52-years-old. But since 2020, prescriptions are predominantly going to a much younger group, aged 20 to 31.

Queensland was the site of over 51 percent of medical cannabis prescriptions, despite Queenslanders only making up about a fifth of the population.

Sara MacPhail, who authored the study, says that further research is needed to work out why a disproportionate number of scripts were being written in the Sunshine State, and why it’s mostly younger people that are being prescribed the medication.

Interestingly, doctors are generally prescribing flower-based cannabis to patients with anxiety, even though there isn’t a robust body of research showing the flower-based form of the cannabis plant effectively treats the condition.

Rising anxiety and worsening chronic health conditions led to a surge in demand for cannabis that businesses have capitalized on. But thanks to state law, the industry is dominated by just 22 companies.

The pandemic has triggered a medical marijuana boon in Florida.

Over the past two years, the number of people with medical marijuana cards has more than doubled, hundreds more doctors have become licensed to qualify patients, new dispensaries have opened almost weekly and a wide variety of new products have become available.

With anxiety levels rising and chronic health conditions deepening during the numerous COVID-19 waves, more Floridians are seeking cannabis as a medical treatment and the industry has found a way to get it to them.

“We have a lot more people coming in and asking for medical marijuana, but I am also seeing an uptick in the severity of underlying problems,” said Dr. Paul Weisman, who operates ZC Concierge Cannabis Centers in South Florida.

“People have a lot of disabling anxiety right now, a lot of severe sleep disturbance from their anxiety and a lot of chronic pain for conditions that weren’t treated during the pandemic.”

A new study claims to erase and manage conditions like anxiety and alcohol abuse via gene editing.

The brain has control over most things in our body. This pivotal organ is responsible for our moods, memories, thoughts, and so much more. Now, a new study suggests that it could be possible to give your brain a “factory reset,” as if it were an iPhone, and that this could help get rid of conditions like alcohol abuse and anxiety.

The study, published in the journal Science, focused on localizing the region of the brain responsible for the development of alcohol abuse and anxiety, showing how gene editing can erase or control people’s predisposition to these diseases.

Researchers from the University of Illinois based this study on previous findings that linked binge drinking in adolescence to altered brain chemistry, which could impact the way these people regulate their emotions, resulting in higher odds of having anxiety or alcohol abuse. The goal of their study was to use modern gene editing and figure out if these effects could be reversed.

The study was conducted on rats that were exposed to alcohol in their adolescence. Once the rats reached adulthood, researchers measured their levels of anxiety and their desire for alcohol by conducting different tests, including maze experiments and having them choose between different liquids.

Researchers highlighted the importance of adolescent drinking, which can lead to alcohol abuse later on and, more concerning, psychiatric disorders. They found that those who drink during their adolescence have less of a protein known as Arc. The gene-editing process is called CRISPR-d Cas9, and consists of cutting out DNA and allowing it to naturally replenish itself.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) is prepping to grant funds to researchers who are studying cannabis treatment for cancer.

Grant funds will soon be available to researchers who are working to treat cannabis. 

A “Notice of Special Interest” (NOSI) (entitled “Basic Mechanisms of Cannabis and Cannabinoid Action in Cancer”) was posted on May 5 by NIH’s National Cancer Institute, with the intent “to promote research in understanding the mechanisms by which cannabis and cannabinoids affect cancer biology, cancer interception, cancer treatment and resistance, and management of cancer symptoms.”

In the notice, NIH explains that the reasoning behind this effort is due to the growing number of cancer patients seeking relief with medical cannabis, but that there are not enough studies to verify its effectiveness.

“Cancer patients use cannabis and cannabinoids to manage symptoms of cancer and cancer treatment including anorexia, nausea, and pain,” the NOSI states.

“Recent survey evidence suggests that a quarter of cancer patients have used cannabis for symptom management. Despite the increase in cannabis and cannabinoid use, research about their health effects, including potential harms and benefits, remain limited.” 

A modern approach to delivering small doses of psilocybin for the treatment of mental conditions is coming to fruition in Israel.

Israeli biopharmaceutical company Madrigal Mental Care will unveil novel nanotechnology to deliver psilocybin via nasal spray for the treatment and prevention of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at Biomed Israel 2022, on May 10-12, 2022, at the David InterContinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to a May 9 press release.

Biomed Israel is a broad celebration of the life science and technology industries. At past events, the event attracted over 6,000 attendees, with 1,000 attending internationally from over 45 countries.

The novel nasal spray system enables nose-to-brain delivery of organic nanoparticles that encapsulate molecules of psychedelic substances—in this case, psilocybin. This nasal spray delivery system can also be used to deliver ketamine, mescaline, MDMA, and other psychedelics.

The nanotechnology was invented by Prof. Amnon Sintov, Department of Biomedical Engineering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) with licensing from BGN Technologies, the Technology Transfer Company of BGU.

“An increasing number of studies point to the advantages of using psychedelic drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and even addiction, with low doses,” Professor Sintov said.

There are several studies on the topic of cannabis concentrates and psychosis expected this year.

Cannabis legalization has picked up speed in the U.S. over the last few years. The topic has become one of those unlikely things that people with differing political parties agree on, a substance that is now accepted, if not embraced, by many.

Still, popular opinion differs on policies, an issue made strikingly clear by the amount of research there is to date on the drug.

U.S. states that have enabled marijuana programs are now finding themselves rushing to study the drug and its possible side effects. Its long-term influence is not known, especially in relation to potent versions of THC and the effect that may have on the brain.

Marijuana’s potency has increased over the years, particularly in concentrate products such as wax and shatter, which in the U.S. can have THC levels as high as 85 per cent. For reference, a joint with a high potency may have about 20 per cent THC.

Several studies have found links between THC and mental health conditions, including psychosis. While not wholly understood, the association is concerning, with one study suggesting that people who consume cannabis on a daily basis are five times more likely to have a psychotic episode.

Food and Drug Administration ‘concerned’ about unproven health claims and packaging that appeals to children

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warnings to companies selling products including delta-8 THC, a cannabis compound, for making unsupported claims about the health benefits of the items.

The FDA said even though there is very little research on delta-8 THC, a substance found in the cannabis sativa plant, online retailers and cafes are claiming products containing the compound will reduce anxiety or help with sleeping.

Delta-8 can induce a “high” in users but is derived from a similar part of the marijuana plant to CBD, a non-psychoactive and legal compound, which makes the legality of delta-8 unclear.

The FDA said several people had been hospitalized after taking delta-8 and sent warning letters to five companies – ATLRx, BioMD Plus, Delta 8 Hemp, Kingdom Harvest, and M Six Labs – for allegedly making false claims about its benefits.

“The FDA is very concerned about the growing popularity of delta-8 THC products being sold online and in stores nationwide,” said Janet Woodcock, deputy commissioner of the FDA. “It is extremely troubling that some of the food products are packaged and labeled in ways that may appeal to children.”

Smoking weed during pregnancy significantly can increase the risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery and requiring neonatal intensive care, according to a recent study published in JAMA.

The tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in marijuana will pass through your system to your baby and may harm your baby’s development. If you are planning to get pregnant, have learned you are pregnant or are breastfeeding, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends stop smoking weed, using marijuana edibles or exposing yourself to secondhand marijuana smoke.

“More research is needed on the harms of marijuana use during pregnancy, but we know there can be significant risks,” said Kathryn R. Bradley, M.D., OB/GYN with Norton Women’s Care. “Those who are pregnant, planning to get pregnant or breastfeeding can protect their own health and that of their baby by not using marijuana.”

Possible risks of smoking weed for your fetus or while breastfeeding

There is no evidence that marijuana eases morning sickness. Your OB/GYN can recommend alternative ways to help your symptoms.

The study in the journal, “Birth Outcomes of Neonates Exposed to Marijuana in Utero,” analyzed the results of 16 other studies that included a total of nearly 60,000 patients. The authors concluded that educating patients about the risks of marijuana could improve neonatal health, especially in light of increased marijuana legalization and use.

The study compared pregnancies and outcomes for those who said they used marijuana versus those who said they didn’t. The authors wrote that enough data exists to rule out tobacco use along with marijuana as a factor in outcomes such as low birth weight and preterm delivery.

Throughout the past decade, the phrase “Cannabis is Safer Than Alcohol” has become the official slogan for why the average stoner should damn well be able to appreciate the same freedom as those who enjoy a stiff drink. After all, pot is arguably less risky than the sauce Americans pour down their gullets during sporting events, weekends, or any other day where it becomes absolutely imperative to either celebrate the good times or drown out the bad. But no matter how tightly the bottle is woven into the puke-stained fabric of civil society, alcohol remains one of the most savage serial killers of any inebriating substance, legal or not.

The nation’s affinity for all things beer, wine, and spirits snuffs out roughly 95,000 diehard drinkers from ills such as liver failure and cancer every year. Meanwhile, the most horrendous consequence that the average cannabis fan might endure, at least as far as we can tell, is perhaps putting on a few extra pounds after stuffing their face with everything in the kitchen once the munchies kick in. But we digress. Considering what we know about both substances, the plant does appear to be a safer alternative to alcoholic beverages. A legion of advocates even claim that legalization may assist in pulling the great, slobbering drunkard out of the nation’s gutter of destitution and despair, ultimately putting them on the path of the straight and narrow.

Fast forward some years, and cannabis legalization for adults 21 and older has taken hold across more of the country. Yet, alcohol-related harms continue to increase. In Colorado, one of the first states to legalize the leaf in a manner similar to alcohol, booze continues to wreak havoc.

A recent study from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) finds that alcohol-related deaths increased by nearly 30% in the Centennial State during 2020. Despite having the option of using cannabis as opposed to alcohol for the past eight years, Colorado residents are evidently still drinking themselves to death at alarming numbers. Liver disease, alcohol poisoning, unsafe behavior under the influence, mental health conditions, and alcohol-induced damage to other organs are turning up on coroner’s reports like wildfire. This uptick in booze-related death isn’t just happening in Colorado either. In other legal states, the statistics are similar. Overall, with or without pot, people are still drinking in excess and paying the price.

Nevertheless, some cannabis supporters still believe that legal weed could be a saving grace for an inebriated nation.

“Bliss,” “Bombay Blue,” “Genie,” “K2,” “Spice” — those aren’t fragrances or happy hour cocktails. They’re names for synthetic cannabis, or marijuana or weed. While products like K2 synthetic marijuana are often marketed as safe alternatives to natural marijuana, they’re anything but.

How dangerous is synthetic marijuana and what can it do to your body? Psychiatrist and addiction specialist Akhil Anand, MD, explains what synthetic marijuana is and answers those questions.  

What is synthetic weed? 

Before we get into that, Dr. Anand says it’s important to understand one thing: Your body already has cannabis-like molecules called “endocannabinoids” that mainly work on the “endocannabinoid system” (ECS), which is a very important brain system.

“We need the ECS because it helps with things like fertility, appetite, memory, pain and inflammation,” says Dr. Anand.

“There are two primary endocannabinoid receptors as well. They’re known as cannabinoid receptor one (CB1) and cannabinoid receptor two (CB2).”  

For those that end up unproductive with THC, even at small doses, you can also try CBD products which has been shown in studies to fight daytime sleepiness.

Adults are extremely prone to fatigue. With so many things that cause it in our daily lives, ranging from lack of sleep to parenting, lack of exercise, stress, and much more, it’s not uncommon for people to constantly seek more ways we can get more energy in our daily lives. In fact, a study shows that up to 45% of the general population struggle with fatigue.

For this reason, it isn’t surprising to see that coffee has become our number one drug. Coffee is the substance most of us look for upon opening our eyes to give us that much-needed jolt of alertness both physically and mentally. There is also a growth of energy-boosting products on the market ranging from beverages to pills and everything in between.

However, the answer to fatigue may have been lying in front of our very eyes: cannabis.

A new study conducted by researchers at the University of New Mexico involved using a mobile software application to gauge the real-time effects of various common marijuana flower on fatigue levels. The study, entitled, “The Effects of Consuming Cannabis Flower for Treatment of Fatigue”, was the first large-scale experiment and it revealed that people have a good chance of seeing improvements in fatigue after smoking cannabis flower.

For the study, the researchers studied data taken from 3,922 self-administered cannabis sessions from 1,224 participants. The app, called Releaf, is a renowned mobile application that is designed to help individuals take note of the effects of the different cannabis types they buy while being able to record real-time changes in their symptoms. It’s a common issue for cannabis consumers to struggle with identifying which strains help them feel their best or which may have undesirable side effects for them, due to changing chemical compositions and availability of strains and batches, which is what the app aims to solve.

CBD of Denver, Inc. (OTC Pink: CBDD), a distributor of CBD and unique CBD products sold in Switzerland and throughout Europe, is pleased to announce its expansion into the German medical cannabis market with the hiring of Bijan Hezarkhani to lead CBD of Denver's growth in this fast growing European market. Bijan has extensive experience in the cannabis industry, including building out a medical cannabis franchise in Germany. He was the business development manager for Khiron Life Sciences for the last three years, visiting doctors and pharmacies in Germany to build Khiron's medical cannabis business. Previously, he spent time at Canopy Growth as a business analyst covering Europe. Bijan will be the head of the Company's medical cannabis sales in Germany and will be based in Frankfurt.

Germany officially approved medical cannabis in 2017. Germany is the largest medical cannabis market in Europe at 15 tonnes annually and generated approximately US$300 million of revenue in 2021. According to Forbes Magazine, over a million patients in Germany will have access to medical cannabis by 2024, with the German medical market worth €7.7 billion by 2028.

The German market appears to be moving closer to adult-use legalisation, a market estimated at 400 tonnes annually, making it critical to have the infrastructure in place in country. With 83 million people, Germany is the most attractive market in Europe for cannabis. CBD of Denver believes the leaders in the German adult-use market will be those companies already having exposure to the legal market.

The medical market in Germany is import driven and requires an experienced sales force to facilitate the education process around different products.

"This is a seismic moment in the history of our company. Our expansion into the German medical cannabis market is a key part of our new strategy to diversify our revenue streams. This gives our company exposure to the largest cannabis market in Europe and allows us to expand out of our core in Switzerland," said CBD of Denver CEO Paul Gurney.

Products like wax and shatter can have THC levels up to 90 percent, and states like Washington and Colorado are looking at potency caps and product warnings.

With national cannabis legalization poised to be introduced in the Senate, states that legalized recreational marijuana 10 years ago are now studying the public health implications of a variety of new high-potency products amid questions about a possible link to psychosis.

The newer products are called marijuana concentrates and are commonly known as wax and shatter. They can have levels of THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, as high as 85 percent to 90 percent. By comparison, researchers say, the marijuana level in a typical joint 20 years ago was closer to 5 percent. States like Washington and Colorado are now considering product warnings or potency caps to limit access.

At a January forum, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkow, raised concerns that teens are increasingly vaping high-potency cannabis.

Volkow said she worries that “huge concentrations” of THC could have serious consequences.

“We are seeing a very significant rise in psychosis associated with the consumption of marijuana,” she said.

No matter how old you are, cannabis is a fantastic aid that will help make the aging process much simpler for both men and women.

Seniors are part of the fastest growing demographic of cannabis consumers. The growing population of older cannabis users find great relief in the natural benefits offered by cannabis, whether they choose CBD products or those with THC. It makes sense, as cannabis is a wonderful natural solution for many ailments that afflict the elderly.

According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, seniors use marijuana mainly for treating medical conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and pain. “Surprisingly, we found that nearly three-fifths of cannabis users reported using cannabis for the first time as older adults. These individuals were a unique group compared to those who used cannabis in the past,” explains the study’s co-author, Kevin Yang.

“New users were more likely to use cannabis for medical reasons than for recreation. The route of cannabis use also differed with new users more likely to use it topically as a lotion rather than by smoking or ingesting as edibles. Also, they were more likely to inform their doctor about their cannabis use, which reflects that cannabis use is no longer as stigmatized as it was previously,” he adds.

Aside from that, cannabis use can also help you age gracefully. It can also be part of a holistic wellness regimen that will keep inflammation and disease at bay, or at least slow it down the way it works with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Whether you choose to get high or not, use it as medicine or for recreation, there are some things that seniors should keep in mind when using cannabis for the first time:

From a strictly prohibited substance to a so-called ‘miracle drug’, clinical and cultural interest in CBD is on the rise.

As the data in favour of its healing power continues to trickle in, the list of the medical conditions in which CBD could offer therapeutic relief is only getting longer.

Some researchers even believe that CBD could help to manage one increasingly prevalent and potentially life-threatening condition: diabetes. The hard evidence is lacking, but the testimonials are there; could CBD really help people living with diabetes?

Diabetes: an overview

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects blood sugar levels. It occurs when the body doesn’t make enough (or any) insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that helps the body to break down sugar for energy. This results in the blood glucose levels being too high, which causes a range of uncomfortable symptoms, including:

Diabetes affects over 4.9 million people in the UK. There are two major types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the cells that produce insulin, meaning the body is unable to produce insulin. Around 8% of people with diabetes in the UK have type 1.  

Type 2 diabetes is far more common; it accounts for over ​​90% of UK diabetes cases. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas still releases insulin, but it either isn’t enough or doesn’t work properly. According to the NHS, you can manage type 2 diabetes with healthy eating, regular exercise and achieving a healthy body weight.