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Researchers of a new study note that CBD plays an important role in risk reduction for users of high THC cannabis.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article solely belong to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Fresh Toast. 

A U.K. think tank has published as study called Changes in delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) concentrations in cannabis over time: systematic review and meta‐analysis.

A meta-analysis is a fancy word for studying studies, and generally speaking, the larger the sample, the more reliable the results will be, and the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath “analysed data from more than 80,000 cannabis street samples tested in the past 50 years in the US, UK, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Italy and New Zealand.”  

However, the very long time span for the sampling may be more of a problem than an asset. Fifty years ago, none of these countries were major producers of hashish.  

Would you smoke cannabis if it meant you might consume less alcohol, tobacco, or prescription drugs? A recent study examining a group of patients adds more convincing evidence to the idea that marijuana is an “exit” drug rather than a gateway drug.

Published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, the study compared survey results of 973 patients who answered questions about how they used alcohol before and after receiving medical cannabis authorizations from their doctors. Among them, 44 percent reported drinking less frequently on a monthly basis, 34 percent consumed fewer standard drinks per week, and eight percent said they drank no alcohol at all in the 30 days prior to completing the survey.

The study’s data is derived from the Canadian Cannabis Patient Survey 2019, a survey of patients registered with licensed producer Tilray, and led by the company’s VP of patient research and access and University of Victoria researcher Philippe Lucas.

Greater Success With Intention

Lucas says the study’s most interesting finding was that when patients had a deliberate intention to use medical cannabis to reduce their alcohol consumption, their odds of drinking less or ceasing drinking altogether were significantly higher.

“About 13 percent of participants cited that they deliberately used medical cannabis to reduce the use of alcohol. Conversely, fewer than one percent worked with their physician to do so,” Lucas says.

While sales of cannabis edibles in general have grown steadily in legal marijuana markets, the cannabis candies segment has seen very strong sales, with cannabis-infused gummies making up 84% of cannabis candy sales so far in 2020 across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon.

BDSA Consumer Insights data from the beginning of 2020 shows that gummies are the most widely used and most popular ingestible product for recreational (adult-use) cannabis consumers in the United States and Canada. Nearly 60% of America’s cannabis edibles consumers report past 6-month use of gummies.

The benefits of offering a convenient, discrete method of marijuana consumption with an array of flavors to suit any consumers’ taste are key factors leading to the success of marijuana-infused gummy products.

Overall cannabis gummy sales among Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon have seen major growth in recent years, from $20 million in July 2017 to almost $64 million in July 2020. This growth rate far exceeds that of other cannabis edibles.

Marijuana Measures Fall Short of Providing Free Development of Personality 

The crux of Rivera and his team’s demands are simple: to ensure the right to freely develop one’s personality, on equal terms as tobacco and alcohol. To do that, you need to end prohibition and discrimination in the system. . In my interview with him, Rivera describes how the lack of free homegrown cultivation suggests these new laws are meant to support a big business instead of all of Mexico’s citizens who are asking for non profit cultivation that is free from unjustified limitations of differentiated treatment before the law.

Furthermore, Rivera adds that since possession isn’t “free” and requires one to have purchased their cannabis instead of being able to carry cannabis grown at home, that these measures are actually discriminatory. Finally, the measure completely lacks any and all efforts to provide reparations for those marginalized communities deeply affected by the drug war to begin with. In Rivera’s words, the government is simply “changing the address of prohibition”–and this simply isn’t enough.

November was a huge month at the ballot box for marijuana legalization as voters in multiple states approved new medical and recreational measures. In Mississippi and South Dakota, voters overwhelmingly approved new medical marijuana laws – with Mississippi voters expressly rebuking their political leaders and endorsing an expansive decriminalization bill.

“Republican” officials in the Magnolia State had advocated on behalf of a far more restrictive medical marijuana bill – demeaning proponents of the broader proposal as “stoners.”

“Most non-stoners say we should be careful and deliberate,” Mississippi governor Tate Reeves tweeted just days before the election, urging his state’s voters to reject what he called “the most liberal weed rules” in the nation.

Mississippians didn’t listen – with 73.7 percent of them embracing the more expansive decriminalization option.

Voters in South Dakota also approved the legal possession of marijuana by adults – as did voters in Arizona, Montana and New Jersey.

Zimbabwe sees export earnings from cannabis outstripping those of tobacco by almost three times after last year legalizing the cultivation of the plant for medicinal use.

There were hopes a (positive) TGA decision would be published last week in relation to over-the-counter cannabidiol (CBD) in Australia. Here’s what’s happening.

First, a recap of the road to this point.

Cannabidiol is a non-intoxicating (i.e., it doesn’t create a high) cannabinoid that can be extracted from hemp. CBD has been the focus of significant research into its potential for the treatment and/or management of a wide range of conditions.

In April 2020, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) kicked off a consultation relating to proposed amendments to the Poisons Standard. Among these was the potential for altering the Schedule 4 listing for cannabidiol to one that would enable CBD formulations meeting certain criteria to be made be available from pharmacies without needing a prescription.

The Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling (ACMS) and Advisory Committee on Chemicals Scheduling (ACCS) met back in June to make an interim decision that wasn’t made public until September. The interim decision stated certain low dose CBD products will be downscheduled from Schedule 4 to Schedule 3. Further detail on how the Schedule 3 listing may look for cannabidiol is here.

The United States will soon be sandwiched between two nations with federally legalized marijuana. Just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, Mexico moved forward with legislation legalizing the cannabis plant for a variety of uses.

This comes on the heels of Canada's historic legalization several years ago, which has created a viable international marketplace, channeling funds through the Canadian markets and effectively mobilizing the global cannabis industry.

When Canada legalized, the U.S. missed an opportunity to ensure that NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange would have a role in controlling the financial markets and dollars funneling into cannabis. This was expected since Jeff Sessions was in control of the Department of Justice (DOJ). We didn't necessarily have a pro-cannabis Administration under Trump and certainly not under the leadership of Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, no friend to marijuana. Despite this, what are the implications for America doing business with partners directly to the north and south? 

At first, you might think none of this matters as the U.S. has legalized adult-use marijuana programs state-by-state. While this dispensary models still violates federal law, it has garnered bipartisan support from American politicians to prevent the DOJ from interfering with legal, state marijuana businesses. But the issue is much larger.

We’re talking about a global cannabis economy, with Mexico as the largest country in the world, by population, to legalize marijuana. Mexico will boast the biggest consumer market for cannabis products — with a population of more than 125 million people - representing an enormous leap forward for the developing international cannabis marketplace. 

If you’re a cannabis user, your most important consideration is the flower itself.

However, how one ingests the substance is a close second.

The physical and mental benefits largely depend on how you absorb the herb.

Today, we’ll take a look at the most prominent methods, discuss the positive and negative aspects of each, and end by busting some common myths and misconceptions. 

Inhalation Method

There are three primary ways to consume cannabis: oral, inhaled, and topical.

Will Cannabis Reform Happen Before The New Year?

As the world of cannabis becomes more regulated having better cannabis reform in place is a must. During the election, Vice president-elect Karmala Harris made a promise to legalize cannabis on a federal level. Now that promise may come true in the near future. With that being said in the upcoming week a bill to federally legalize marijuana will be up for a vote. This bill is known as Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement or the (MORE) Act. Which was set to be voted on before the end of the year. The MORE Act would not only expunge past criminal records for those with cannabis charges it would remove marijuana completely from the list of federally controlled substances.

In addition to this, the MORE Act would also provide a tax on sales that would be reinvested into areas that were impacted most by the war on drugs. Which would be a big help to redevelop some of those communities. Federal legalization would be a long-overdue victory for those who have been on the frontlines of cannabis reform in America. During this time the MORE Act will go before the House Rules Committee for any changes the bill may need before making its way to the floor for a vote. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer stated that this bill was supposed to be voted on back in September. However, due to certain political issues, this matter was postponed.

How Effective Will The MORE Act Be?

“I’ve been working on this issue longer than any politician in America and can confidently say that the MORE Act is the most comprehensive federal cannabis reform legislation in U.S. history,” Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said in a press release. “Our vote to pass it next week will come after people in five very different states reaffirmed the strong bipartisan support to reform the failed cannabis prohibition. National support for federal cannabis legalization is at an all-time high and almost 99 percent of Americans will soon live in states with some form of legal cannabis.”

When the pandemic began last Spring, Mary Jane’s Medicinals, which sells CBD and cannabis-infused topicals, took a big hit. April was “one of our worst months of sales ever,” said chief executive and founder Dahlia Mertens. A rebound soon followed though and by August sales were as high as they had ever been. The company’s growth this fall has been dramatic she said, doubling to $100,000+ in income for the month November. Now the holidays are approaching.

2020 might be a very green Christmas for the cannabis industry.

Mitch Baruchowitz, managing partner at Merida Capital Holdings, a New York-based private equity fund working in the sector, believes more cannabis products will be sold this holiday season than any before. Several diverse factors contribute he said. Acceptance of cannabis has continued to grow along with legalization, evidenced by recent ballot wins in both right and left-leaning states. That opens new markets to millions of potential consumers. Cannabis production and sales were deemed essential businesses in the pandemic, keeping sales from dropping. And cannabis purchases do have some seasonality, with holiday purchases growing over the past few years according to Headset, an industry research group.

Still, the complicated and regulation-laden industry isn’t a money-printing machine. Customer loyalty and name recognition play a large role, so building a strong brand is important Mertens said. “People want to spend money on a product that they already know works,” she said. As “one of the OG topical producers in the cannabis space,” the company benefitted from this. She said success of their recently launched Super Strength Nano Salve product has helped too.

While brand is important, a strong company requires more than high quality products, good prices and attractive packaging said Greg James, publisher of Marijuana Venture and Sun Grower magazine. The business mechanics – how reliable the company is at fulfilling orders quickly, how efficient their back office operates, matters just as much. “It’s no different than Proctor and Gamble,” he said.

(image: credit GKUA Ultra Premium)

If you’ve listened to the music of groundbreaking rapper and entrepreneur Lil Wayne, his love of cannabis shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Now, Wayne is making a lasting impact in the cannabis space with his cannabis brand GKUA Ultra Premium. 

“I used to just want to get high, now I smoke to get inspired…with GKUA, I’m sharing a feeling that I love,” explained Lil Wayne in an interview with NME Magazine. 

(image: Study: In search of preventive strategies: novel high-CBD Cannabis sativa extracts modulate ACE2 expression in COVID-19 gateway tissues. Image Credit: Dmytro Tyshchenko / Shutterstock)

Researchers in Canada have conducted a study suggesting that novel Cannabis sativa extracts may decrease levels of the host cell receptor that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) uses to gain viral entry to target tissues.

SARS-CoV-2 is the agent responsible for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that continues to sweep the globe threatening public health and the worldwide economy.

The team – from the University of Lethbridge and Pathway Rx Inc., Lethbridge – developed hundreds of new C. sativa cultivars and tested 23 extracts in artificial 3D human models of the oral, airway and intestinal tissues.

As recently reported in the journal Aging, 13 of the extracts downregulated expression of the SARS-CoV-2 host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

(image: Delta 9 Cannabis Inc.)

A Canadian cannabis Company is rolling out a new take on its growing technology that may help the fight to contain the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 350,000 Canadians and killed more than 11,000. Worldwide, those numbers have surged to 60.6 million cases and more than 1.4 million deaths.

Winnipeg-based Delta 9 Cannabis Inc.(TSX: DN, OTCQX: VRNDF, Forum) has developed and validated new proprietary decontamination equipment, called the “Decontamination Pod”, which can be used to decontaminate medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE), and other equipment.

In a media release detailing this news for investors, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, John Arbuthnot called this technology, also branded as a D-Pod, a likely game changer for governments, hospitals, and care-facilities in the fight against COVID-19, allowing them to decontaminate large amounts of PPE and other equipment, increasing the availability of existing PPE inventories and preventing potential exposures to the virus.

“We are extremely proud of our employees and partners for bringing this technology to this point and look forward to continuing to do our part in providing solutions to this health crisis.”

(image: Cresco Labs)

As the industry standards continue to be defined, this is the packaging every weed company should focus on.

It may come as a shock to you, but most people don't know much about cannabis. A Science Daily study about THC levels in edibles found that most consumers aged 16—30 could not identify if an edible had low or high THC levels based on the label. Add to that the fact that roughly 30% of Americans consume cannabis, which leaves a sizable audience who can benefit from cannabis if they knew more about it. 

(image: Image: Wikimedia - CC BY-SA 3.0)

A new study on the long-term effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on roundworms has been published. Here’s why it has some significance.

Canada’s Canopy Growth announced recently announced its medical division, Spectrum Therapeutics, carried out a study focusing on toxicity and lifespan effects of CBD in Caenorhabditis elegans – roundworms. However, unlike some roundworms, C. elegans is a non-hazardous, non-infectious, non-pathogenic, non-parasitic organism according to the University of Minnesota College of Biological Science.

Caenorhabditis elegans is often used in preclinical lifelong drug toxicity studies given an estimated 60–80% of its genes have a human ortholog (evolved from a common ancestral gene).

While cannabidiol is already in wide use around the world, there had been no life-long toxicity studies conducted to date to determine the impact either way or potential for same of long-term exposure to CBD. Given C. elegans short lifespan of 2-3 weeks, this made it a good candidate for such a study.