WeedLife News Network

Irish Revenue officials have once again intercepted packages containing cannabis from the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Spain thanks to the Baileys, two drug-detecting dogs whose sole mission is to sniff out contraband.

In all, packages received at both the Dublin and Athlone mail centres contained 141,000 euros (just shy of $213,000) in illicit weed.

Arriving at the Dublin Mail Centre, the innocuously declared packages — including those labeled as “art supplies,” “coffee pods,” “action figures” and “toys” — were destined for different addresses across the county, according to a statement from Revenue.

Specifically, the packages intercepted on Mar. 3 contained more than four kilograms of cannabis, and 27 grams of cannabis oil and butane honey oil products. Combined, the weed and products have an estimated value of almost 88,200 euros ($133,182)

Just two days earlier at the Athlone Mail Centre, Revenue officers seized almost seven kilograms of illegal drugs and psychoactive substances. This time, the contraband originated from the U.K. and declared as “hair bows,” “football memorabilia” and “photos.”

The full plant profile and all of its compounds are considered important in creating the experiences consumers seek.

Today, it isn’t uncommon to hear about the potency or strength of a cannabis product. Typically, the discussion centers on the percentage of THC or CBD found in a plant strain or its products. Advancements in cultivation and tech allowed potency to balloon over the decades, particularly in recent years as legalization spread across the globe.

However, experts in the space tend to agree that potency is far from the be-all-end-all indicator that far too many make it out to be. Instead, most suggest that the full plant profile and its numerous compounds each play an integral part in creating the plant’s true healing potency and quality.

Much More Than THC And CBD Content

Sources say that potency, while important, does not equate to the quality of the plant or its products. Instead, the full plant profile and all of its compounds are considered important in creating the experiences consumers seek.

Today’s flower can reach up to or above 30% potency, a staggering leap from a few decades ago when the plant’s strength was often in the low- to mid-single digits. But many, like High Life Farms Co-Founder Ben Celani, notes that plants with a potency of around 18% can still provide a more effective, robust experience than a 30% plant if it has the right plant profile makeup, which includes its terpene content.5

Terpenes, or the oily compounds found in cannabis and other plants, are critical in producing the unique aroma, flavor and effects in each cultivar. “There is also plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that switching strains to vary the terpene profile consumed can give a user the feeling of having “reset” their tolerance, requiring less consumption to achieve the same level of effect,” reported Celani.

For decades now, cannabis has been treated as a joke medicine, or worse. Fortunately, since 2020, we’ve seen several groundbreaking studies that have begun dispelling cannabis’s negative reputation.

In a December 2020 study by the University of New Mexico published in the Journal of Cannabinoid Research, researchers reviewed data collected from 2306 self-administered doses of cannabis flower by 670 participants via a cannabis tracking app called Releaf.

From that data, researchers found that decreases in symptom intensity were reported in 95.51 percent of cannabis sessions. Additionally, higher CBD concentration was not associated with changes in intensity of symptoms while higher THC concentration was associated with reductions in negative symptoms. Yet, cultivars labeled indica provided better results than cultivars labeled sativa. While the labels sativa and indica have been discounted, this study used them to match the consumer’s market options.

Although paranoia has commonly been associated with cannabis, this study found that people were much more likely to report positive effects after ingesting cannabis than negative ones. Due to this, the authors have hypothesized that the classic paranoia may have more to do with the illegality of cannabis than the inherent effects of the plant. They also hypothesize that this positive profile is why many patients choose to substitute cannabis for traditional pharmacological substances such as benzodiazepines, atypical antipsychotics, SSRIs, beta-blockers, and other medications meant to treat negative affect.

In contrast to the idea that THC causes anxiety, the study found that: “…the fact that higher THC appears to confer greater anxiolytic effects in our study at higher THC levels suggests that the whole natural Cannabis plant may act very differently on the brain as compared to synthetic or derived THC isolates.” While there was a lack of absolute control over the experiment, Releaf represents an innovative solution that allows for reliable and comfortably supplied information to be reported.

Some reports indicate the cannabis component is on its way to becoming the next rockstar cannabinoid of the legal weed movement.

There have been several reports over the past year or so suggesting that people all over the country who use hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products are failing drug tests. This is apparently happening as the lack of FDA regulations has allowed cannabis companies to be inconsistent in their manufacturing process.

So, while these products are only supposed to contain no more than 0.3% THC (not enough to get you high or cause a failed drug screen), some have more. But a 2019 study suggests that CBD users really don’t have much to worry about when it comes to the possibility of failing a drug screen. However, if they are using another emerging, cannabis-derivative known as cannabinol (CBN), they might be putting themselves at risk.

Photo by pxfuel

Researchers at the University of Utah Health Science Center say that CBN users could have a difficult time passing a drug test. It seems that while examining a handful of cannabinoids to determine which of them, if any, might react with immunoassays — the most common type of drug test available — they found that CBN was more likely to cause a false positive for marijuana than other cannabinoids, such as CBD or cannabichromene (CBC) and cannabigerol (CBG).

Specifically, the study shows that the Beckman Coulter Emit II Plus Cannabinoid test can register a positive for pot with as little as 100 ng/ml CBN. Researchers say drug testing pros should keep this in mind.

Hemp is technically legal, but proving that it’s not illegal marijuana can be a hurdle, requiring testing in a licensed laboratory.

When a truck carrying thousands of pounds of hemp was recently detained by law enforcement near Amarillo, Texas, the driver spent weeks in jail awaiting confirmation that the cargo was legal.

Stories like that inspired a team of Texas A&M AgriLife researchers to create a “hemp scanner” that could easily fit in a police cruiser and distinguish hemp and marijuana instantly, without damaging any of the product.

In 2019, Texas lawmakers made a distinction between hemp and marijuana based on the level of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, in a plant. If a plant has less than 0.3% THC, it is designated hemp.

Both federal and state restrictions on hemp have loosened in recent years. As a result, the value of hemp has skyrocketed, said Dmitry Kurouski, assistant professor of biochemistry and biophysics, who led the study.

A proposed bill in the Minnesota state senate would make it legal for medical cannabis patients in the state to use marijuana flower for treatment.

The legislation cleared its first hurdle earlier this month, with the bill getting passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee on March 1. According to local television station KSTP, current law in Minnesota only allows medical cannabis to be distributed in pill or liquid form.

Such restrictions have been decried by cannabis advocates, who argue that patients ought to be able to receive treatment in its most common form. Consumption methods like tinctures and oils are also generally more expensive for both the producer and consumer. Former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the state’s medical marijuana law in 2014, which has gradually expanded in the years since to include more qualifying conditions. 

Criticism of The State’s Current Medical Cannabis Program

The state’s restrictions have prompted some to call Minnesota’s medical cannabis program one of the most conservative in the country. And those restrictions also prevent many patients from turning to cannabis rather than more dangerous painkillers. 

One member of the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, state Sen. Matt Klein, expressed tepid support for the bill.

Colombia is a country that’s been at the forefront of drug markets for quite some time, with a government ready, willing, and able to make updates to laws as needed. In its newest turn, Colombia is building its international cannabis export market, and creating new legislation to bring in more revenue.

In today’s world of cannabis, you can choose the THC you like the most. There’s delta-9 which is the standard THC. And then there’s delta-8 THC, a newer version which causes less psychoactive reaction, and less overall anxiety. Which THC is better? Check out our sweet Delta-8 THC deals and figure out which one works best for you.

Cannabis and Colombia

Colombia has been one of the more lax countries when it comes to cannabis use, partly because the country has had so many drug issues and drug violence, that it has made laws specifically to try to combat these issues. One of them was to decriminalize most drugs in 1994. This decriminalization wasn’t as precise as it should have been, and in 2012, a specification was made to clarify just how much a person could have for personal use and/or possession without being arrested. The amount was set at 20 grams or less to avoid prosecution. This was still only intended for private use, and did not decriminalize public use.

Things got a little sticky in 2018, when then president Ivan Duque signed a decree giving law enforcement the ability to confiscate personal use quantities if caught. The decree did not break with decriminalization in that it didn’t threaten criminal sanctions, but it did instate a fine of up to 208,000 pesos. The following year (2019) the Constitutional Court ruled that parts of the decree were unconstitutional and abolished punishments for up to 20 grams, while still allowing law enforcement to confiscate contraband.

Sale, supply, and trafficking crimes are all predictably illegal. Having more than 20 grams can be considered possession with an intent to sell. The maximum prison sentence is 20 years, which is a stricter penalty in the country than for rape. Being caught trafficking can land a person in prison for up to 30 years.

A proposed bill in the Minnesota state senate would make it legal for medical cannabis patients in the state to use marijuana flower for treatment.

The legislation cleared its first hurdle earlier this month, with the bill getting passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee on March 1. According to local television station KSTP, current law in Minnesota only allows medical cannabis to be distributed in pill or liquid form.

Such restrictions have been decried by cannabis advocates, who argue that patients ought to be able to receive treatment in its most common form. Consumption methods like tinctures and oils are also generally more expensive for both the producer and consumer. Former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the state’s medical marijuana law in 2014, which has gradually expanded in the years since to include more qualifying conditions. 

Criticism of The State’s Current Medical Cannabis Program

The state’s restrictions have prompted some to call Minnesota’s medical cannabis program one of the most conservative in the country. And those restrictions also prevent many patients from turning to cannabis rather than more dangerous painkillers. 

A proposed bill in the Minnesota state senate would make it legal for medical cannabis patients in the state to use marijuana flower for treatment.

The legislation cleared its first hurdle earlier this month, with the bill getting passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee on March 1. According to local television station KSTP, current law in Minnesota only allows medical cannabis to be distributed in pill or liquid form.

Such restrictions have been decried by cannabis advocates, who argue that patients ought to be able to receive treatment in its most common form. Consumption methods like tinctures and oils are also generally more expensive for both the producer and consumer. Former Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the state’s medical marijuana law in 2014, which has gradually expanded in the years since to include more qualifying conditions. 

Criticism of The State’s Current Medical Cannabis Program

The state’s restrictions have prompted some to call Minnesota’s medical cannabis program one of the most conservative in the country. And those restrictions also prevent many patients from turning to cannabis rather than more dangerous painkillers. 

When Silicon Valley tech workers didn’t invent microdosing, they may be responsible for turning it into a trend: The practice is often touted as a biohack for creativity, inspiring new ways to pump out code, design interfaces, or harness the entrepreneurial spirit. But, microdosing psychedelics may have real benefits that go beyond the reflective walls of San Francisco high rises. 

A “microdose” is a dosage of a psychoactive substance that is too low to produce a noticeable intoxicating effect. Psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and cannabis are the three most commonly micro-dosed substances. Anecdotally, the reasons why consumers microdose are many: Anxiety, creativity, and depression all make the list. 

Yet, while consumers report many benefits to microdosing, the topic has long eluded the scientific community that’s responsible for putting these reports to the test. The 1971 Controlled Substances Act criminalized the possession, cultivation, and processing of many drugs, psychedelics included. The act, however, does a lot more than criminalize the possession of these substances. It also forces scientists to jump through immeasurable hurdles to access psychedelics for research.

But that doesn’t mean that some researchers don’t try. 

Microdosing for Anxiety

Every once in a while, researchers are given express permission to move forward with psychedelic studies. Fortunately, the rising popularity of microdosing is spurring a push for real scientific research on the topic. Five years ago, there were virtually no studies on microdosing psychedelics. Yet, in the time since, academic journals published nearly 400 different papers on the topic. 

Despite more Americans supporting federal legalization of cannabis, many people still don’t know about the industry’s potential to harm the environment.

Just like other agricultural commodities, there are environmental impacts involved when growing cannabis. But many consumers don’t know, or simply don’t care how their cannabis was grown or even if it was sprayed with harmful chemical pesticides.

Tons of carbon is emitted into the atmosphere too just to grow a single cannabis plant. However, there is a growing number of people who do care how their cannabis was grown, and if they are produced with care to reduce its impact on the environment.

With climate change the number one issue our earth faces today, it’s important for you to help make a positive change by looking for products — your cannabis included — from brands or manufacturers that work to reduce their carbon footprint.

Cannabis is one of the oldest agricultural commodities out there, and more grow operations continue to sprout because of demand for the product. However, growing it using modern techniques especially in indoor grows requires massive amounts of energy and water, which have a major carbon footprint. Despite more Americans supporting federal legalization of cannabis, many people still don’t know about the industry’s potential to harm the environment.

As the COVID-19 crisis persists and many industries suffer while businesses are forced to close their doors, the cannabis market is just getting started.

Over the next year, legislation vital to the emerging business sector is on the docket.

Key bills pending before Congress include the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, the SAFE Banking Act, Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States Act, House Amendment 398, Further Health Extenders Act, The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act, and the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, said recently “we have seen the war on drugs be a war on people, and particularly Black, brown, and low-income people.”

Teton County Representative Mike Yin along with 13 other Wyoming lawmakers are sponsoring a bill outlining the regulation of marijuana in the state of Wyoming. The bill number, HB0209 was assigned yesterday, March 2.

The bill will allow for the sale, purchase, possession, and cultivation of marijuana, regulated by the state of Wyoming. If the bill passes, a person in Wyoming over the age of 21 may possess up to three ounces of retail marijuana, 16 ounces of solid marijuana retail product, 72 ounces of retail liquid product, and 30 grams of retail marijuana concentrate.

Wyomingites over the age of 21 would also be permitted to grow marijuana for personal consumption, with up to 12 flowering female plants and possess up to 16 ounces of retail marijuana in their homes, “provided that any amount more than two and one half (2 1/2) ounces shall be stored in a container or area with locks or other security devices that restrict access to the container or area”

Reps. Jared Olsen (R-Laramie), Mark Baker (R-Sweetwater) Eric Barlow (R-Campbell/Converse), Landon Brown (R-Laramie), Marshall Burt (L-Sweetwater, Cathy Connolly (D-Albany), Karlee Provenza (D-Albany), John Romero-Martinez (R-Laramie), Pat Sweeney (R-Natrona), Cyrus Western (R-Sheridan), Mike Yin (R-Teton) and Dan Zwonitzer (R-Laramie) and Senators Cale Case (R-Fremont) and Chris Rothfuss (D-Albany) sponsored the bill.

HB0209 seeks to establish licensing requirements, production procedures, testing, taxing, and the sale of marijuana. It also generally provides regulations for marijuana-related activities and prohibiting discrimination based on marijuana activities. The bill will outline specific privacy rights, amend criminal penalities, establish civil penalties for the possession of specified amounts, define terms, repeal obsolete provisions, and establish additional offenses related to marijuana.

Despite more Americans supporting federal legalization of cannabis, many people still don’t know about the industry’s potential to harm the environment.

Just like other agricultural commodities, there are environmental impacts involved when growing cannabis. But many consumers don’t know, or simply don’t care how their cannabis was grown or even if it was sprayed with harmful chemical pesticides.

Tons of carbon is emitted into the atmosphere too just to grow a single cannabis plant. However, there is a growing number of people who do care how their cannabis was grown, and if they are produced with care to reduce its impact on the environment.

With climate change the number one issue our earth faces today, it’s important for you to help make a positive change by looking for products — your cannabis included — from brands or manufacturers that work to reduce their carbon footprint.

Cannabis is one of the oldest agricultural commodities out there, and more grow operations continue to sprout because of demand for the product. However, growing it using modern techniques especially in indoor grows requires massive amounts of energy and water, which have a major carbon footprint. Despite more Americans supporting federal legalization of cannabis, many people still don’t know about the industry’s potential to harm the environment.

Is it possible to trick a drug-sniffing dog? Enthusiastic members of high society have, for decades, told toker tales about how they avoided getting narced out by a K-9 unit during a roadside shakedown. Some have argued that these stories are only urban legends, while others swear that they know a guy who has a cousin whose best friend once smoked weed with an old man that actually did trick the high-powered sniffer of a canine cop.

The stories circulating the scene often suggest the scent of marijuana was masked with a more pungent substance. Other accounts imply that the secret to fooling law enforcement hounds is all in the packaging. But there is too much at stake to leave pot smuggling to chance.

Although marijuana is now legal in over half the nation, there are still plenty of cowboy cops out there ready to nail your balls to the wall for even thinking about transporting weed into their God-fearing community.

Therefore, it is crucial that we get to the bottom of the science behind drug-sniffing dogs once and for all.

Dogs Are King Sniffers and Narcs

The best CBD oil for pain really depends on your condition. Whether you have an injured back or chronic migraines, let us help you find what you need.

If you have never experienced chronic pain, it is difficult to imagine how much a sensation can impact your life. Pain has a way of making itself known in every occasion, taking the limelight in the middle of the night and forcing your attention during quality time with friends and loved ones. This intrusive feeling is the single most common reason people use medical cannabis. Yet, accessing the herb is still difficult around the globe. Fortunately, patients now have another natural option that can help them feel their best: CBD oil for pain.

CBD for Pain: How It Works

Along with emotion, temperature, and pleasure, pain is one of the few ways that the human body communicates with the brain. While there are many different types of pain, the uncomfortable sensation, first and foremost, acts as a signal for tissue damage. When cells in a particular area experience damage, they release chemical compounds that trigger inflammation and sound the alarm to the nervous system that something is wrong.

If everything goes according to plan, pain signals stop when tissue damage stops. However, it doesn’t always pan out that way. Chronic pain occurs when nerves continue to send distress signals to the brain and spinal chord, even if the painful stimuli or tissue damage has stopped.

Here’s where CBD for pain comes into play. Short for cannabidiol, CBD is a non-intoxicating compound found in the cannabis plant. Over the past decade, a growing body of evidence has found that the cannabis compound may act as a strong anti-inflammatory, reducing triggers for pain at the site of injury. However, that’s not the only superpower behind CBD for pain. The molecule may also trigger the release of feel-good neurotransmitters, which not only improve mood but may counteract negative pain signals to the brain.

Could recreational marijuana become legal in Missouri? There are several efforts in the works to make it happen, from legislation to petitions. But not everyone is on board.

Running a dispensary is more than a full-time job.

"It's a lot. It's just 24 hours a day, that’s all we do," said Bianca Sullivan.

Sullivan and her husband, Rob, opened the first medical marijuana dispensary in the Kansas City area. Now, they want to expand to the recreational market.

"We're all for the full legalization of marijuana that nobody goes to jail for and it's not a crime," said Rob Sullivan.

More people are embracing the Adderall and weed combination, but we don’t know much about how they really interact.

A way to level up, or a dangerous drug cocktail? There’s lots of enthusiasm and skepticism out there about the weed and Adderall, aka “weederall,” combination, and plenty of misleading and concern-trolling information about taking the two together.

And that makes learning actual, useful, credible info about the combo difficult. But don’t worry, we’ve done the digging for you. Depending on who you ask, Adderall and weed are an ideal combo, a perfect pair of stimulant and depressant. Yet others who’ve combined the two have had unpleasant and sometimes distressing experiences involving racing hearts and shallow breathing.

Both experiences are true and possible. Complex drugs lead to complex effects, especially when combined in experimental ways. Everyone’s results will vary, but knowing how and why those effects can be so different is important. So if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the Adderall and weed combo, read on.

Why Do People Mix Adderall and Weed?

So what’s behind the cannabis and Adderall combination that’s so attractive to the people who consume and take the two drugs?

Weed trim is a common term used to describe the excess parts a cultivator must trim from their plants post-harvest in order to fully maximize a plant’s bloom and, in turn, get more desirable crystals. In short, a good trim will get the grower a bigger, higher quality plant yield.

With a varying amount of states now allowing marijuana-users to legally grow their own crops, cultivation and harvesting techniques are, arguably, more important now than ever before. When it comes to the excess scraps that come from a fruitful harvest, an inexperienced (or in some cases, even an experienced) grower might not know what to do with weed trim. Luckily, there are several ways you can utilize your weed trim, rather than simply dump it in the garbage and call it a day. So let’s go through and look at what to do with trim leaves after a successful harvest.

What To Do With Trim Leaves — What Are Trim Leaves?

First, let’s go into a little more detail about weed trim, before getting into how to best utilize it.

Typically, weed trim is collected after harvest. In fact, it plays an important role during the growing process, as it serves as an indicator for your plant’s health. The leaves, which are commonly referred to as fan leaves before they are trimmed, can help a cultivator determine if the plant is lacking nutrients, water, or even sunlight depending on the colors of the leaves.

Removing trim helps make the plant’s buds achieve the classic nug look, but it also helps remove some unnecessary parts of the plant, at least in terms of smoking. But some of these parts, although low in potency, can still be consumed. And yes, you can still get high. Or, at the very least, achieve a higher level of physical and mental wellness.