WeedLife News Network

Every day, people across the United States demonstrate how legal cannabis could save the nation’s economy from the virus-caused downtown. They do so by buying record amounts of weed.

Almost all legal cannabis states made medical and adult-use dispensaries essential businesses that could stay open as lockdowns began. The lone exception, Massachusetts, has since changed course. This is good news for industry workers in the state since it now has more cannabis industry employees than hairstylists and cosmetologists. Most legal cannabis states release numbers each month that prove how right they were in making the choice to keep dispensaries open.

Oklahoma provides a great example. Only in the last year becoming a hotbed for cannabis advocates, the state clocked its fourth month in a row of record sales in May. Consumers spent $73.8 million on medical marijuana in April. The sharp rise in sales started with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Oklahoman.

And sales could have risen even more in future months. In May, state lawmakers from both parties voted for a bill that allowed dispensaries to deliver weed and for people from out of state to buy cannabis with a 90-day temporary card. 

Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, vetoed the bill.

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.

Last week was Hemp Week across the USA, but in the state of Colorado a special local event was officially proclaimed by the state’s government.

As we recently mentioned, a national Hemp Week was held last week – an initiative of the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) that is now in its 11th year. Colorado’s state government took things a step further by issuing an official proclamation declaring Colorado Hemp Week; with a slightly different timeline – June 7 – 13.

“Colorado was the first state in the nation to bring back the cultivation of hemp after 75 years of prohibition and we lead the nation in industrial hemp production acreage,” said a post on Governor Jared Polis’s Facebook page. “Hemp is a necessary agricultural commodity to promote conservation and hemp products can provide sustainable solutions and options for consumers and businesses.”

The Proclamation also states Colorado was the first state in the nation to recognize hemp as a food product.

Colorado voters authorized hemp production in 2012, and the first experimental crops were planted the following year. This was before the federal 2014 Farm Bill that contained provisions for growing hemp for research purposes.

Long-known as a cannabis mecca, Nepal would establish a formal program to develop medical cannabis and the hemp sector under a bill that has been proposed in the country’s parliament.

The Cannabis Cultivation Act, put forth by MP Sher Bahadur Tamang and signed by 40 legislators, would require no license for growers of hemp destined for foods, including but not limited to seeds, honey, oil and drinks, and use of the hemp stalk for industrial purposes. Sales and distribution of those products also would not require special license under the proposal.

Research and production of CBD would presumably be licensed under medical cannabis provisions in the bill, but the measure is intended primarily to advance that compound for Ayurvedic and allopathic healing, according to Nivedita Bansal Shah, COO and a co-founder at Janakpur-based Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures (SHIV), Nepal’s leading hemp company.

THC limit is troublesome

However the bill’s recommended THC limit of 0.2% – which follows the current European standard – would challenge those who want to farm hemp, likely requiring years of breeding to develop cultivars that would come in under that benchmark.

“Setting THC limits is not relevant in Nepal unless and until we study our genetic landraces,” said Dhiraj K. Shah, SHIV’s CEO and co-founder. “This law would lead to the import of certified 0.2% THC seeds, destroying our genetics even before we could discover their potential,” Shah said. “This is what happens when underdeveloped countries make laws under the influence of developed countries.”

Six months after the decriminalization of cannabis in Trinidad and Tobago, some early results are in. 

Among other things, the nation has seen a significant drop in cannabis-related arrests. A somewhat confusing rollout and COVID-related delays have, however, pushed back the establishment of a fully regulated medical cannabis industry and fueled an apparent spurt in illicit cultivation.

When amendments to the country’s Dangerous Drugs Act were pitched to the population and members of Parliament six months ago, Faris Al Rawi, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, said it would be  the country’s most aggressive realignment in the area of drug policy and criminal justice reform in decades. Indeed, the Act allows persons to possess up to thirty grams of cannabis and five grams of cannabis resin without penalty, and it makes possession of between thirty grams and sixty grams of cannabis and up to 10 grams of cannabis resin a ticketable offense. Previously, any amount of cannabis resulted in a criminal penalty. 

So far, some results are significant. An analysis of data from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service by Cannabis Wire shows that between January and December of 2019, a period before the Act was in force, the country’s Police Service arrested and charged 3,630 individuals for offenses related to cannabis: 3,254 for possession, and 376 for possession with the intent to sell. Since the passage of the Act in December, however, up until the end of April 2020, only 192 arrests have been made: 117 for possession, and 75 for possession with intent to sell. 

Still, parts of the decriminalization rollout have been “flawed,” Nazma Muller, a cannabis legalization activist, told Cannabis Wire. She pointed out, for example, that citizens still have no legal access to seeds, which the Ministry of Agriculture has said they will provide, although the Act has granted them the right to cultivate cannabis since December. Muller has again begun to protest the delays and announced plans to form a union to represent cannabis farmers in their dealings with the Government.

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.

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.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. says co-founder Steve Dobler will retire as president and as a director of the company at the end of the month.

Dobler has held the roles at the cannabis company since December 2014.

With the retirement of Dobler, the board will have nine directors.

The move follows the departure of founder Terry Booth, who stepped down as chief executive earlier this year.

Aurora announced in February that it was taking $1 billion in writedowns and would lay off 500 employees as part of a shakeup to its spending plans.

At the end of May, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). The announcement came on the heels of a Trump threat to permanently cut off all U.S. funding for the organization (the U.S. is the largest individual national contributor) because of a supposedly “China-centric influence.”

But beyond squabbles about politics or supposed “foreign” influence, what will this decision have, if any, on the international or domestic cannabis industry?

A Brief History of The WHO and Cannabis

In a nutshell, the WHO is the health arm of the United Nations (UN). It is by definition, an intergovernmental organization created in the aftermath of WWII in 1948 to foster international responses to global health threats. The WHO has, as its primary function, a global coordinating role in developing international public health policy and coordinating global responses to epidemics and pandemics, as well as other diseases. Their responses to diseases, beyond the current crisis, include those for SARS and ebola, as well as smallpox, polio, and measles.

The WHO, named in the three global narcotics control treaties that are now up to sixty years old next year, also has the authority to make scheduling determinations. And that currently is where the friction, if not the debate, lies when it comes to cannabis.

The WHO And Cannabis Reform

Despite expanding reform on a country-by-country basis over the last five years, the WHO has not budged on considering reclassification, although the entity has considered the question for the last three years. Indeed, the WHO recommended that cannabis be rescheduled in 2019, but delayed the vote yet again in early March 2020, about a week before declaring COVID-19 a global pandemic. The decision about the reclassification of the plant as well as the cannabinoids within it, is expected to happen this December. The outcome is widely expected to change THC at least to a legitimate (Schedule II) drug and potentially deschedule hemp. 

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 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.

On Monday, Compassionate Care by Design opened the first drive-thru medical marijuana dispensary in Southwest Michigan.

Drivers could pull into the location off Stadium Drive to pick up their marijuana prescription, just like picking up a prescription at a drive-thru pharmacy, said store manager Vanessa McKenzie.

McKenzie said this concept is to provide customers with safety, security and convenience.

"They can come through here. They can place an order, they can do a pre-order, then pull up, and grab their medicine like you’re visiting a CVS pharmacy pick up," said McKenzie.

Compassionate Care by Design has three locations in Kalamazoo County, and offers curbside pickup at the the location off Sage in Kalamazoo.

We soon got used to cooking and eating exotic proteins and grains like chickpeas, couscous and quinoa. Now, attention has turned to hemp in the search for other productive, environmentally friendly food crops.

Hemp has had a slightly shady image, which is undeserved. It’s a type of cannabis plant but "industrial" hemp has miniscule levels of the psychoactive THC component – officially less than 0.35 per cent.

The legal impediment to growing hemp for food has largely been removed, though to the annoyance of growers, they still have to apply for a licence to cultivate it.

Hemp’s small oily seeds are high in protein and the fibre from its stalks can be used for an astonishing range of goods from concrete to clothing.

Its environmental credentials may be second to none. It absorbs four times more carbon dioxide than the same acreage in trees, and it matures quickly. So in sunny New Zealand, between October and March, it is possible to harvest hemp in rotation with another crop.

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.

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.

Relief appears to be available for cannabis companies

The cannabis industry rarely looks to the federal government for support. Yet the raft of fiscal relief addressing COVID-19 has caused some in the industry to wonder what options, if any, might be available for them.

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. 

Budding weed entrepreneurs will have to wait at least another month to learn if they’ve won one of 75 coveted dispensary licenses from the state.

The licenses were supposed to be awarded May 1, but Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order at the end of April indefinitely suspending the decision, citing difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic and glitches in processing the applications.

Originally, all 75 licenses were to be awarded at the same time, but now some applicants could be awarded a license next month while others will have to wait until at least early August.

Former state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, who oversees the state cannabis program, told the Cook County Cannabis Commission the delay is necessary to make sure licenses are issued correctly and to avoid lawsuits that may arise from applicants that lose out. Hutchinson acknowledged the delay hurts those waiting on the decision.

“My biggest worry is that any delay … makes it very hard for the people, who are the entire intent of this, to weather,” Hutchinson said.

In response to stay-at-home orders and nighttime police curfews, three marijuana nonprofits are finding creative ways to fulfill their missions. In an exclusive story with Green Entrepreneur, all have agreed to reveal their strategies for successfully managing the stresses of the pandemic and protests during these unprecedented times. 

#1 Last Prisoner Project (LPP)

Andrew and Steve DeAngelo founded the Last Prisoner Project alongside other industry leaders to help those imprisoned for cannabis-related charges. LPP’s mission is to “get every cannabis-charged prisoner out of prison,” says Andrew DeAngelo, longtime cannabis advocate and co-founder of Harborside Health Center

Freedom and rehabilitation

LPP advocates for and educates about marijuana incarceration, pushing to improve living conditions for prisoners and helping them reintegrate into society by supplying access to an apartment, job, and professional training courses.

Their service programs include pro bono legal services, including efforts to secure prisoners’ release and executive clemency to expunge their records. This is often a complex problem, requiring support from the governor or the federal level, according to DeAngelo.

Once prisoners are out of jail, LPP offers further guidance with re-entry programs where they can find help.