WeedLife News Network

The cannabis plant is one of the oldest medicines on earth, with humans having used it for medical purposes for thousands of years.

It wasn’t until the better part of a hundred years ago that medical cannabis became prohibited on a global scale.

Cannabis is medicine, as proven by tens of thousands of peer-reviewed studies and countless personal experiences of patients that have successfully treated their condition(s) with cannabis.

Fortunately, more countries have legalized cannabis for medical use than ever before in the post-prohibition era, including in the United Kingdom.

Limited Program

As of November 1, 2018 the United Kingdom has allowed ‘expert doctors’ to prescribe the use of medical cannabis products to patients they feel would benefit from it.

Cannabis is returning to its former glory by bagging an unusual place in the medical world. While many parts of the world remain skeptical of its medical benefits, several states in the US have approved the use of cannabis for medical purposes. Most people look for holistic and effective remedies to manage their health problems. Cannabis can come to the rescue as it may help address several health issues. Off late, many cannabis products have gained rapid popularity. Cannabis-infused coconut is one such product. It is a plant-based, dairy-free infusion used as the base for self-care products and recipes. Why should you believe these claims? Read ahead to know why this potent infusion is stealing the hearts of people.

About Cannabis Coconut Oil

Cannabis has always received flak due to its ability to make people high. But, do you know that consuming raw or dried cannabis flower buds may have little to no intoxicating effect? Without decarboxylation, you will only get the benefits of THCA or CBDA, the non-intoxicating compound. But, heating THCA compounds can convert it into THC, the potent cannabinoid with many properties. Before buying baked edibles canada, you need to understand that to experience the potent effects, THC must bond with fats. Bonding of THC with fats can offer highly potent products such as cannabis butter.

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Interestingly, coconut oil has a specific fat content that allows effective binding with THC compared to butter. This fact resulted in making cannabis-infused coconut oil. Due to better binding with THC, cannabis-infused coconut may have more potent effects. Several manufacturers are turning to coconut oil for creating strong marijuana topicals, infusions, and medicinal edibles. Wondering why? It is because coconut oil has high saturated fat content with the ability to absorb high THC levels, flavonoids, terpenes, and cannabinoids compared to other types of oil or butter.

7 Health Benefits Of Cannabis-Infused Coconut Oil

Coconut oil itself possesses several health properties beneficial for your health. Hence, combining it with cannabis can result in a truly desirable oil. This oil may offer several health benefits such as:

A survey by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy indicates many in Texas using medical cannabis sourced illicitly are experiencing benefits.

Texas has a medical cannabis program – of sorts. It’s among the most restrictive in the USA and currently there are only a few thousand Texans registered. The program only allows for the use of cannabis extracts high in CBD and low in THC among those with few qualifying conditions and prescribed by physicians registered to do so.

Given the Compassionate Use Program (CUP) is rather lacking on the compassion side, it’s little wonder illicit medical cannabis use in the state is so prevalent – and this comes with significant legal and other risks.

The Baker Institute for Public Policy’s survey was designed to gain insight into the needs and experiences of this population. 2,866 Texas residents participated in the survey, which was conducted online between Aug. 11 and Oct. 6, 2020.

Among the findings:

With CBD shampoo, you get an effective yet gentle product that repairs your hair and revives your skin follicles.

There’s so much to say about cannabis; from being a great treatment option for pain relief to its mood relaxation properties and lots more. Cannabis has been described as the “new gold” in the health and wellness sector because of its endless potentials. The potential has now extended to the prevention of hair loss and treatment of psoriasis.

Why do people experience hair loss?

Before getting to the solutions, we must talk about the problem and try to understand why it happens. For anyone to fully appreciate the value of CBD shampoo and other CBD products, one must understand the problem.

When people grow older, they experience a natural change with their hair that leads to hair loss. While some lose hair at a slower pace, others lose hair much faster (this happens for different reasons).

Hair loss cab also be hereditary, if older members of your family also lose hair, there is a greater chance that the same will happen to you. Stress and hormonal deficiencies are also major causes of hair loss. If you are experiencing hair loss you will agree that it is the most worrisome experience. If you haven’t experienced hair loss, you should actively think about how to prevent it from happening.

Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development says crops associated with its latest round of industrial hemp trials are in the ground.

The trials, now in their second year, will examine the potential for growing hemp in the state for grain production. This year, the research has been expanded beyond the Manjimup Research Facility to include a site at Busselton in the southwest of the state and another site much further north at the department’s Kununurra Research Facility.

The trial is comparing sowing on the first day of the months of October, December, January and March at the first two sites to ascertain the best time and environments for planting. Planting won’t occur at Kununurra until next month – that trial will delve into time of sowing and crop performance in a tropical environment.

Various varieties from Australia, France and Canada are being tested. Sown into clay loam soil, all the plots are irrigated and planting has occurred at a density of 100 plants per square metre. However, the Department states the site at Manjimup has additional plantings of 200 and 300 plants/m2 as part of a continuation of a 2019 sowing rate trial.

After maturity, which will occur in 100 – 160 days, the seed will be harvested and measured for grain, protein and oil content.

In 2016, 28.2 million adults in the U.S. were diagnosed with heart disease with a heart attack occurring every 40 seconds, according to the American Heart Association.

As the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups, new research is being released every year that explores ways to eradicate the one in every four deaths that are heart disease-related, notes information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heart health truly matters, not just because of the importance of the body’s ability to pump blood and gain oxygen, but because it is directly tied to overall health and aging.

Conditions such as high cholesterol, angina and heart disease often occur because of a heart not functioning at its proper capacity.

Understanding cholesterol

Cholesterol often has a bad reputation. Needed inside the body to make vitamin D, it’s a waxy substance found in all cells. With a healthy diet and exercise, many people can stave off high cholesterol levels. However, for those with a genetic history of high cholesterol, other recommendations come into play.

CBD is saturating the market. You can drink it, eat it, vape it, or even use it on your skin. Many people are finding CBD cream a helpful supplement in combatting arthritis, inflammation, or itchy skin.

If you suffer from chronic pain and are looking for a natural solution, you might want to try CBD cream. Keep reading to learn how CBD cream can help you manage pain.

What is CBD cream and how does it work?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a cannabinoid present in cannabis plants. It is a non-psychoactive compound, which will not get you high. Manufacturers extract it from hemp plants, which have an abundance of CBD, but a negligible THC level. They use the extract to make different products, like CBD cream. It is a topical that contains CBD, and you can apply it directly to your skin.

CBD topicals like creams work by interacting with the endocannabinoid system. It is a highly complex cellular structure that primarily governs feelings of pain and pleasure. The system produces neurotransmitters called cannabinoids that bind with receptors to initiate change. When you use CBD cream, the cannabinoids communicate with the receptors present on the skin and can bring relief from pain and skin disorders.

How can they help with pain management?

Here are five compelling ways CBD cream can help your body with pain management:

A new study refutes what many claim is a danger of legal cannabis, as the findings showed that, while alcohol can have an impact on cortical thickness in younger users, cannabis does not. 

The study, titled “The effects of alcohol and cannabis use on the cortical thickness of cognitive control and salience brain networks in emerging adulthood: A co-twin control study,” was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry and conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota.

These researchers looked at the relationship between alcohol and cannabis exposure when it comes to the brain morphology of young adults. It considered a population-based sample of 436 twins, all 24 years old. By looking at frequency, density, quantity, and level of intoxication from both alcohol and cannabis, the researchers were able to gather data about how cannabis impacts cortical thickness. The cortical consistency was measured using magnetic resonance imaging. 

When conducting this research, the team kept in mind that other studies often assume that even casual substance exposure can have an impact on brain structure. However, until now, this was a largely untested theory, and one that does not take other factors like familiar risk into account. By studying the twins who were using alcohol and cannabis, the study was able to directly measure how the two different substances can affect people.

The study explained,  “Greater alcohol, but not cannabis, misuse was associated with reduced thickness of prefrontal and frontal medial cortices, as well as [the] temporal lobe, intraparietal sulcus, insula, parietal operculum, precuneus, and parietal medial areas.”

As a pain specialist, I often have patients asking me whether they should try medicinal cannabis. There’s a common perception it can be an effective way to manage chronic pain.

But two expert groups have recently recommended against medicinal cannabis for people suffering persistent non-cancer pain.

The International Association for the Study of Pain published a position statement last week after its presidential taskforce summarised the evidence on the topic.

And yesterday the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists published guidance for health practitioners in the form of a Choosing Wisely recommendation. (Choosing Wisely is an initiative of NPS Medicinewise which aims to highlight low-value health care.)

A new study from the Department of Neuroscience at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, published in Nature Neuroscience and titled “Spinal astroglial cannabinoid receptors control pathological tremor,” shows how cannabis could help those who suffer from pathological tremors. 

According to the study, cannabinoids can interact with a certain type of star-shaped cell, called an astrocyte, in the spinal cord to help with tremors. Cannabinoids do this by regulating the release of purines and metabolites and regulating the transmission of electrical signals to the synapses. 

The Study and Its Impact

In order to conduct the study, the research team used a mouse model to show how cannabis can help with tremors, conditions often brought on by trauma or neurodivergent disorders, that can cause uncontrollable shaking of the head or limbs. These conditions impact more than 200,000 people per year just in the U.S., so relief is much-needed.

“We have focused on the disease, essential tremor. It causes involuntary shaking, which can be extremely inhibitory and seriously reduce the patient’s quality of life. However, the cannabinoid might also have a beneficial effect on sclerosis and spinal cord injuries, for example, which also cause involuntary shaking,” said Jean-François Perrier, PhD, who worked on the project. 

“We discovered that an injection with the cannabinoid WIN55,212-2 into the spinal cord turns on the astrocytes in the spinal cord and prompts them to release the substance adenosine, which subsequently reduces nerve activity and thus the undesired shaking. These findings may result in the development of targeted treatment with little or no side effects. In probing astrocytes to understand the biological effects of cannabis, the researchers take a novel approach as earlier studies have focused primarily on neurons.”

Two Maine legislators are coming to the defense of Maine’s medical marijuana program with a bill that would place a moratorium on a set of proposed regulations and require greater input from the industry before any further rule changes are implemented. 

Co-sponsored by Rep. Lynne Williams, D-Bar Harbor, and Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, the bill would require that in order to amend the rules governing the medical cannabis program, the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy must consult “caregivers, registered caregivers and patients and physicians and certified nurse practitioners with significant knowledge and experience certifying patients under the laws governing the medical use of marijuana.”

The proposed bill comes just days after medical marijuana patients and providers, known in the industry as caregivers, slammed the proposed rules in a seven-hour public hearing, claiming that the medical program would not survive the changes. 

Speakers repeatedly asked officials from the Office of Marijuana Policy to go back to the drawing board and, this time, give caregivers, patients, cultivators and manufacturers a seat at the table. 

The newly proposed legislation would do that and more. 

Unfortunately, the results of the latest study do not bode well for the immediate future of cannabis medicine.

Cannabis advocates have been screeching and screaming for the past decade about how marijuana is more effective in taming post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than any other drug known to man. But, a long-awaited, FDA-approved study dedicated to learning more about the efficacy of cannabis against this affliction shows that isn’t necessarily true. It finds that while weed is a safe and commonly used treatment option for those marred by this condition, it isn’t as effective as initially believed.

Now, before you go off the deep end and start drumming up wild conspiracy theories about how the federal government’s health agencies are holding back the truth concerning the power of cannabis, you should know that this study was overseen by Dr. Sue Sisley of the Scottsdale Research Institute. Sisley has been a massive proponent of medical marijuana for years, doing everything in her power to fight for answers to whether cannabis can help military veterans suffering from PTSD. She fought for nearly a decade to get permission from Uncle Sam to launch this research, and her team spent the past three years in the trenches digging for answers.

All for unimpressive results.

The $2 million study, funded by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), was as legit as they come. Researchers selected 76 vets with PTSD, giving them a mix of cannabis with THC levels between 8-12%.

Australian medical cannabis company Bod Australia Limited (ASX:BDA) has entered into an agreement with Drug Science UK involving a trial of Bod’s MediCabilis product in managing symptoms associated with long-COVID.

“Long-COVID” is a phenomenon where symptoms continue for weeks or months beyond the initial illness. Far from being isolated cases, it appears long-COVID is quite common; but as with the initial illness the impacts vary patient to patient. Even asymptomatic people who had relatively mild cases are reportedly experiencing long COVID.

At the time of writing, there have been more than 122 million cases of COVID-19 globally. It’s estimated 10% of those testing positive will have symptoms for 12 weeks after diagnosis.

Common reported symptoms are lethargy, muscle aches, loss of smell and taste and shortness of breath. For some, it can be debilitating and prevent them from engaging in a normal level of activity. As well as the physical effects, there’s also the psychological impact that may manifest as anxiety.

With the illness remaining a mystery and more people experiencing it as time goes on, there needs to be ways to manage long-COVID.

Suzette Meyers is easy to label. Idaho native. Stroke survivor. Registered Republican.

But the Coeur d’Alene resident is also charging ahead with another label, one she repeats loudly and proudly: medical marijuana advocate.

“I look at people from my hometown in Salmon,” she said. “How many of them have had to suffer from debilitating conditions while people in the states around us have the freedom to choose what goes in their medicine cabinets?”

Meyers returned to Idaho from her lobby work in the Phoenix area last year, where she championed for medical marijuana in the Arizona Legislature, to continue her efforts in Coeur d’Alene. As North Idaho spokesperson for Kind Idaho, the emerging advocacy group that lobbies for medical marijuana legislation, Meyers said she’s eager to get the issue in front of Idaho voters in 2022.

“When you look at these communities so close to the borders, all they’re doing is stimulating economies in other states,” she said from a comfortable couch in Cloud Vapor, a vape shop in Post Falls, less than 5 miles from the Idaho-Washington state line. “We’re stimulating their economies and their agendas. Why shouldn’t we be doing that with our own economy or our own agenda?”

Cannabis helps to mitigate some of the symptoms associated with chemotherapy while helping the body fight back cancerous cell growth.

Yes, it is possible to combine cannabis with chemo and radiation, but you must speak with your oncologists first before taking this step. Cancer is a life-threatening illness that scares many people; it’s why several works of research and scientific tests on potential medicinal solutions are being conducted.

Many cancer patients get excited when they discover that a particular plant or drug holds the promise of relieving them of chemotherapy’s pain — particularly with cannabis because there have been studies that show the positive impact of cannabis on severe ailments.

The idea here is not that cannabis cures cancer. The discussion here is on combining cannabis with chemo to minimize radiation’s impact on a cancer patient. So let’s discover why it is possible to combine both treatment options.

Cannabis and chemo

During chemotherapy, cancer patients experience a range of unpleasant side effects and symptoms ranging from dizziness to nausea and vomiting. These patients need chemotherapy because it is a powerful treatment that kills the body’s growing cancerous cells, however, these side effects often make it a gruesome experience.

The 2020 elections not only brought the U.S. a new president, but the electorate in four states also approved recreational marijuana.

Two more okayed medical marijuana, bringing the number of jurisdictions with those programs to 34. 

While CBD is legal on the federal level, states can legislate it themselves.

With cannabis illegal under federal law, and various states implementing their own guidelines about it, rules regarding CBD are murky.

Considerations complicating CBD’s legality are its intended use and source, as well as whether it should be used recreationally or medically.

It is time that we stop treating cannabis like a street drug and start treating it like any other medicine or commodity in society.

Colorado has long been a shining beacon on how to legalize cannabis. Since they have officially gone green in 2012, they have been pioneering cannabis legislation and showing the world that if you legalize drugs — the apocalypse won’t come.

With some of the most inclusive and relaxed cannabis laws on the books, it’s no surprise that a new bill in Colorado would require schools to store cannabis-based medicines for students. Currently students may consume cannabis for medical purposes on school grounds as long as a legal Guardian provides them with the doses.

However, for working parents this is definitely a difficult thing to achieve. Especially when we’re talking about kids that require multiple doses during the day in order to manage their symptoms. For example, a child suffering from a seizure disorder requires multiple doses throughout the day in order to pacify any potential episodes.

This would completely inhibit any Guardian the ability to sustain any type of occupation other than that as the caregiver of the patient. In the instance of a parent that is working, it would be simply detrimental to the overall health and Wellness of the child. Especially if it’s inhibits the caretaker to earn a living.

 Little Green Pharma has agreed to acquire two properties underlying its South West WA cultivation and manufacturing facilities as well as two adjacent properties.

IT'S been a big week for South West-based Little Green Pharma, with the medical cannabis company signing a binding agreement to acquire land for expansion and delivering its first shipment of medicinal cannabis oils into a French national medicinal cannabis trial.

LGP has agreed to acquire two properties underlying its South West cultivation and manufacturing facilities, as well as two adjacent properties, with a total land area of about 16,000 square metres.

The purchase is intended to help service higher-than-expected international market demand for LGP cannabis flower medicines, as well as the continued strong growth in demand for LGP's cannabis medicines in domestic markets.

Managing director Fleta Solomon said LGP had the ability to double its indoor cultivation capacity with 3000m2 available within its existing high-security fencing line.

Almost 25% of patients with Parkinson’s disease reported that they had used cannabis in the prior six months in a survey from the Parkinson’s Foundation. A report on the survey, “Weeding through the haze: A survey on cannabis use among people living with Parkinson’s disease in the US,” was published last week in the journal NPJ Parkinson’s Disease.

In the report, the authors note that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting more than 1 million Americans at a cost to society of more than $50 billion dollars. The disease causes a variety of motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and an unstable posture. Less well-known symptoms include sleep disorders, cognitive changes, pain, anxiety, depression, and hallucinations.

Parkinson’s disease patients typically use pharmaceutical medications to treat their condition with varying degrees of success. However, common treatments do not address the non-motor symptoms and can sometimes cause side effects including dyskinesia, an abnormality or impairment of voluntary movement. 

As a result, many patients turn to complementary or alternative treatments for their disease. 

“The medicinal use of cannabis represents a novel, alternative approach toward PD symptom control,” the authors note. “Preclinical evidence suggests that cannabinoids could be widely beneficial to neurodegenerative diseases, including PD.”