WeedLife News Network

A lot of athletes take weed. Far more than you know. But when you read that an athlete was suspended for failing a drug test on the news, it is easy to assume that all drugs are bad. To clear the air, two major drugs used by athletes are opioids and cannabis. 

While there are tons of studies that loudly proclaim the negative effects of these drugs, there are just as many that talk about the benefits of cannabis. Pot not only has recreational benefits, but it also has medicinal benefits. 

As a matter of fact, the marijuana industry has grown so much that companies that are involved in marijuana and its derivatives are popping up all around. These companies even have public stocks with tradable shares.

The ban on cannabis for recreational and medicinal use has been lifted in about 8 states in the United States, while some have lifted the ban on medicinal uses of the drug alone. 

In Canada, you can take your weed without fear of getting caught because it is completely legal. But the use of cannabis by athletes has been under a heavy cloud of debate for a long time. 

Dr. Lester Grinspoon, one of the most vocal champions of marijuana legalization in the United States who promoted his advocacy in both best-selling books and Congressional testimony, died on Thursday. He was 92. 

A native of Massachusetts, Grinspoon studied at Harvard Medical School, and later joined the faculty there as a professor. His interest in cannabis began in the 1960s, when he said its use in the U.S. “increased explosively.”

“At that time I had no doubt that it was a very harmful drug that was unfortunately being used by more and more foolish young people who would not listen to or could not believe or understand the warnings about its dangers,” he later wrote.

Grinspoon said his “aim was to define scientifically the nature and degree of those dangers,” but he ultimately discovered that his perception of marijuana had long been off the mark.

“I came to understand that I, like so many other people in this country, had been misinformed and misled,” Grinspoon said. “There was little empirical evidence to support my beliefs about the dangers of marihuana.”

Despite the fact that we have made dozens of medical advancements in the last few hundred years and we can solve so many of our health issues and cure so many of the illnesses that used to mean unavoidable death for humans, we still haven’t cracked hair loss.

And it’s not for lack of trying. There are many ways to give the illusion that you’re not suffering from hair loss and, as we’ll be discussing below, there are of course some methods of slowing it down and some which seem to stop it entirely in select cases, but there is no bonafide cure.

If you start losing your hair, you are more than likely just going to have to accept that fact, like so many others have done before. Because the truth is, it’s really not something that will inhibit your life all that much.

Yes it is a bit of a blow to self-esteem. For men, most of whom will probably go bald at some point in their lives, losing your hair is considered a sign that you are getting old, despite the fact that it can happen at any age.

Some men start to go bald as early as in their 20s and there are even some unfortunate few out there who will lose their hair even earlier than that, as teenagers. It’s rare but it has been known to happen. 

Fireworks can trigger a dog’s nervous system, quickly overwhelming their senses. Here’s what we know about CBD and your furry BFF.

People have been noticing a lot of fireworks lately. Maybe it’s due to the fact that we spend most of our time bored indoors, that cities are quieter than usual, or that people just don’t care anymore.

According to the New York Times, there are lots of conspiracy theories floating around regarding the origins of these nightly airshows: “The flood of illegal fireworks, heard in nightly booms, bangs and fizzles across the city and the country, has intensified to such a degree that some people are desperately seeking explanations for the chaos, with many suggesting government complicity.”

One thing is certain: Dogs don’t care about your junk theories.

Fourth of July is fast approaching, so we have to be prepared. Here’s where CBD might come in handy.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, we’ve heard a lot about resetting the economy and the need to focus on sunrise, not sunset, industries. At the same time, during the Alert Level 4 lockdown in April, the Ministry of Health pushed play on New Zealand’s Medicinal Cannabis Scheme.

The regulations are now in effect, enabling local commercial cultivation of cannabis and the manufacturing of THC and CBD products. New Zealand GPs can now apply their professional discretion to prescribe medicinal cannabis.

Estimated to reach $55 billion by 2025, the medicinal cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing in the world.

In New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment forecasts a strong market opportunity in the next 10 years. The pharmaceutical cannabis segment is expected to reach $320 million - $50m from within New Zealand and $250m in export sales. The broader cannabis health product segment could represent a $1b market opportunity per annum.

Medicinal cannabis reforms took effect in Australia in 2016, with its success hindered by higher hurdles for patient access. But, in recent months, its government has awoken to the potential of medicinal cannabis to lift GDP and aid Australia’s economic recovery.

Medicinal cannabis as a treatment for acute illnesses and ailments such as chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, liver disease and cancer is still in its infancy, but already the prospects for this emerging scientific field look promising.

As a sector, the global cannabis extract market is expected to be worth $23.7 billion by 2025, thanks to legislation becoming more relaxed in major economies around the world, the rising popularity of “lifestyle” CBD products, and increased public and medical awareness around cannabis’ therapeutic powers.

However, like traditional medicine, cannabis-based treatments can be potentially life-threatening if a child accidentally ingests concentrated doses.

In this article, Rich Quelch, global head of marketing at Origin, a designer and manufacturer of pharmaceutical packaging, looks at the role that packaging is currently playing in the field of medicinal cannabis to keep young children safe.

The first line of defence

Medical cannabis dispensaries can begin delivering products to their patients at home, a long-awaited move that intends to ease patient access and allow them to stay away from dispensaries to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The state Department of Health announced Thursday it has issued a waiver that allows for home delivery.

“The Department continues to prioritize patient access during this unprecedented pandemic,” Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in a statement. “This new waiver will allow [alternative treatment centers], once they have submitted a plan to the Department for approval, to deliver across the state.”

Jake Honig’s Law, which Gov. Phil Murphy signed last summer to expand the state’s medical marijuana program, included provisions for home delivery. But the service never launched.

But when hours-long lines backed up dispensaries in March, the program began to talk about ways it could better serve patients — many of whom have pre-existing conditions that make them vulnerable — in the midst of a public health crisis.

Researchers believe they’ve uncovered another antibiotic element that cannabis offers, creating an additional tool in the weapon against healthcare associated infections.

“An interdisciplinary team of McMaster researchers found that the chemical compound, or cannabinoid, called cannabigerol (CBG) is not only antibacterial but also effective in mice against a resilient family of bacteria known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).” — McMaster University

Could cannabis have a hand in treating Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections? Researchers at McMaster University believe they’ve uncovered another antibiotic element that cannabis offers, creating an additional tool in the weapon against the rise of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), which are costing hospitals and clinics billions of dollars.

Looking at 18 commercially-available cannabinoids, the team identified a “non-psychoactive cannabinoid” called CBG, which offered the most promise. After synthetizing and recreating the element in mass quantities to study, the research team “found that CBG had antibacterial activity against drug-resistant MRSA,” targeting the cell’s membrane and eliminating the bacteria.

Study lead Eric Brown, Professor of Biochemistry & Biomedical Sciences, says:

Martha Stewart, the 78-year-old entrepreneur who built a wildly successful media empire and lifestyle brand, turned her attention last year to cannabis. Stewart is now working with Canadian company Canopy Growth to develop a line of CBD products for pets.

That partnership is expected to bear fruit by September when Canopy Growth plans to launch a line of CBD products for pets designed with Stewart as a consultant. The project with Stewart is part of a wave of new products from Canopy Growth, including a host of cannabis-infused beverages such as Tweed Houndstooth & Soda and Tweed Bakerstreet & Ginger. 

But the CBD for pets venture could rank among the company's biggest endeavors yet. Stewart still commands a massive audience as a household name, with about 7.3 million readers of her publication Martha Stewart Living. Her fans are 90 percent women with an average age of 55 and a median household income of $82,175. That’s a powerful demographic.

Stewart’s friendship with Snoop Dogg brought her to cannabis.

Stewart’s move into cannabis was not entirely unexpected. She has championed CBD on her website and is now friends with cannabis aficionado and businessman Snoop Dogg, who also has partnered with Canopy Growth, as have other celebrities. He owns the cannabis publication Merry Jane and also has his own line of products, Leafs by Snoop.

Stewart and Snoop work on the show “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” for VH-1. Her co-star’s use of cannabis is legendary, but Stewart said it never bothered her. “I'm quite egalitarian and liberal when it comes to stuff like that," Stewart told the Hollywood Reporter.

Luc Springinsfeld of leading investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co explores the European medical cannabis market and the rise of medical cannabis investment in Europe.

Since the beginning of 2019, there have been a dozen mergers and acquisitions or private placement deals with values above €5m involving companies focused on medical cannabis in Europe. In total, north of €100m of new money has been invested in medical cannabis-focused companies across Europe over the past 18 months. While this represents a sharp increase compared with the period before 2019, we are still far from the levels experienced in North America, where more than $3bn was invested in the medical cannabis market through more than 450 deals in 2019.

In the early days of the industry, most investments were from high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and family offices, or from exclusively cannabis-focused funds. However, the past 12 months have seen increasing interest from traditional venture capital (VC) firms. While many remain barred from investing in cannabis-related companies by the constraints of their limited partnership agreements, we expect more dedicated funds and a wider base of investors to emerge, attracted by the high growth potential of the cannabis market.

A strong focus on Germany

In Europe, 80% of deals concerned Germany-based companies, all of which are active in the distribution of medical cannabis products within the country.

One notable example is the €20m fundraising by Sanity Group, which saw the US-based cannabis-focused VC firm Casa Verde invest in the company alongside more traditional VCs such as Holtzbrinck, Cherry and TQ Venture. This round had a first close announced in August 2019 and a second close in February 2020.

Pioneering medical product distributor Cannamedical also recently announced a capital increase of €12m, funded by US-based traditional healthcare investor Steve Wiggins, which brought the total amount invested in the company to EUR27m. The deal was closed in April 2020, in the midst of Germany’s government-imposed lockdown, demonstrating the continued appetite of investors for the space despite the Covid-19 crisis. CanPharma, another leading German medical cannabis supplier, is also currently raising a double-digit million-euro round. Other companies involved in the German cannabis sector and likely to raise additional funds in the coming months include Emmac Lifesciences, Foliumed and Wundr/iuvo.

Eczema is a condition that targets a large percentage of people across the U.S. Known for irritating the skin and leaving it patchy and red for stretches of time, eczema occurs because of a combination of genetics and environmental situations.

Among other things, flare-ups of the condition can result as a result of pollen in the air or the types of foods and drinks that one ingests.

Could CBD provide some relief for this type of skin inflammation?

Referring to a group of skin conditions that can manifest in different ways, eczema is traditionally treated by managing its most prevalent symptoms 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 experiencing this ailment have to be careful, moisturizing their skin often, while also looking for effective ways to avoid 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 irritate the condition or cause they discomfort.

Since its rise in popularity, CBD has garnered some acclaim within the beauty and skincare industry. Although there’s as yet a lack of scientific research on CBD, many experts are hopeful regarding its promise on eczema.

The link between cannabis and a heightened risk of stroke has been studied multiple times as THC turns “on” the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the central nervous and cardiovascular systems.

“As these products become increasingly used across the country, getting clearer, scientifically rigorous data is going to be important as we try to understand the overall health effects of cannabis.” — Robert Harrington, M.D., president of the American Heart Association 

In late 2019, a report was published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) that found, “frequent cannabis (marijuana) use among young people was linked to an increased risk of stroke” as well as an increase on heart rhythm disturbances, or arrhythmias. Published by the American Heart Association, the study did not look into the direct connection between stroke and cannabis use, rather it discovered it as a potential link.  

The study found that younger cannabis users had a heightened risk of stroke, compared to individuals that didn’t use cannabis. Interestingly, the study also cited that, “The cannabis users were also more likely to be heavy drinkers, current cigarette users and e-cigarette users, which may have also influenced their risk, even though the researchers adjusted for those factors in their analysis.”

Study author Tarang Parekh, M.B.B.S., M.S., a health policy researcher at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia had this to say: “Young cannabis users, especially those who use tobacco and have other risk factors for strokes, such as high blood pressure, should understand that they may be raising their risk of having a stroke at a young age.”

Less than a month after Governor Northam signed the bill to legalize medical marijuana, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy voted to deny MedMen's request for an extension and rescinded their conditional license to operate a medical marijuana dispensary in Staunton. 

The Board of Pharmacy voted to move forward with a Request For Applications with the timeframe to be announced, according to Virginia NORML's website. This means medical cannabis companies can once again apply for a license in the state.

But this also means the location for the facility can be anywhere in our health service area. Staunton is located in health service area one, which encompasses the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville. The Staunton location was tied to the facility that was awarded the conditional permit in 2018. Originally, this facility was PharmaCann. 

"As with the initial round of applications to the Board of Pharmacy, I hope Staunton is still a point of interest for other potential entities," said Billy Vaughn, Staunton's Community and Economic Development director. "Maybe the PharmaCann/MedMen site in Green Hills comes in to play."

In May 2019, PharmaCann Virginia purchased the land at 3 Industry Way in Green Hills Industry and Technology Center for $212,352, according to city records.

While the city of Denver, and the state of Colorado as a whole, has been on the forefront of recreational and medical cannabis, Denver just issued the first official research and development license this past Tuesday. Med Pharm, the group granted the license, will be looking at how cannabis could potentially provide relief for Alzheimer’s patients. 

Although it has been approved on a local level, the group still needs to submit their study plan to the state. But the researchers at Med Pharm are feeling good about the venture. They have already decided that they will host a trial in which 150 Alzheimer’s patients will be administered either cannabis or a placebo. Those in the non-placebo group will take cannabis orally once daily. 

“It’s really exciting,” explains Dr. Tyrell Towle, Director of Chemistry and Research at Med Pharm. “We’re finally doing research that we should have been doing decades ago, quite frankly. “We’ll be giving caregivers surveys. The caregivers of these patients will be filling out “are they sleeping better, are they easier to deal with, are they experiencing less agitation, are they maybe forgetting fewer names”.”

“We really want to understand how these Cannabinoids and the compounds we put together can help people,” adds Albert Gutierrez, CEO of Med Pharm.  “We’ll be monitoring that throughout the study so that we can see if the symptoms that are improving, are correlating to an improvement of blood flow in certain areas of the brain.” 

“We are excited for the possibilities for this type of medical research to find effective research for a whole host of illnesses,” says Ashley Kilroy, director of Excise and Licenses and Office of Marijuana Policy for Denver. “Also, we really see this license-type in particular, a license that could attract some of the best and brightest to Denver to attract this type of work.”

The hype surrounding the use of CBD all over the world has been attributed to the fact that it is very potent. Scientists have done a great job of enlightening people with every new finding that they discover. Additionally, CBD does not have side effects since it is free of THC, a cannabinoid responsible for intoxicating the brain and giving people a euphoric feeling.

CBD has a close connection with the health of the liver. It has been found to boost its health by preventing or mitigating various liver illnesses. When people consume the compound, it interacts with the endocannabinoid system, particularly the CB1 and CB2 receptors, which are connected with the functionality of the liver.

Apart from the liver, CBD is also used to manage other health conditions such as cancer, arthritis, epilepsy, anxiety, and schizophrenia, just to mention a few. However, we will focus on its benefits on the liver for now. Without further ado, let us dive deep into great insights that you should know on how CBD helps in dealing with liver diseases.

How the Liver Works

The liver is a very active organ in the body. First, it is involved in the detoxification of the body. A couple of biological metabolisms of the body also occur in the liver. That is why a lot of medications, supplements, steroids, and alcohol take a toll on the liver. Furthermore, the organ plays a role in the production of digestive enzymes in the body.

The liver is prone to a plethora of illnesses such as hepatitis, cancer, cirrhosis, and many others. Current research shows that CBD oil or extract is medically used by doctors in the management of some of these diseases.

A study by researchers in Israel has shown that prolonged treatment with medicinal cannabis may reduce the frequency of migraines. Results of the study, “Migraine Frequency Decrease Following Prolonged Medical Cannabis Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study,” were published this month in the journal Brain Sciences.

The goal of the research was to assess the impact that prolonged use of medical cannabis may have on the frequency of monthly migraine attacks. To conduct the study, 145 migraine patients aged 34 to 54 who had been using medical cannabis for a median duration of three years were surveyed. The subjects included 97 women, or 67% of the study group. All patients who participated in the research had been licensed to use medical cannabis. The data collected for the study included a self-reported questionnaire from the study group and information on the characteristics of the medical cannabis treatment used.

Monthly Migraines Reduced By Half

The researchers found that 89, or 61%, of the test subjects reported a 50% or more reduction of monthly migraine attacks following medical cannabis treatment. This sub-group of the study, classified as responders for further data analysis, also reported lower current migraine disability and a lower impact of migraine attacks. Responders also reported better sleep quality and lower rates of consumption of opioids and triptans compared to non-responders, the sub-group of test subjects that reported a less than 50% reduction in monthly migraine attacks with medical cannabis treatment.

“These findings indicate that MC [medical cannabis] results in long-term reduction of migraine frequency in [more than] 60% of treated patients and is associated with less disability and lower antimigraine medication intake,” the authors of the study wrote.

The researchers offered a possible explanation for the effect of medical cannabis reported by responders, noting that “migraine is classified as a pain condition. Mechanistically, endocannabinoids have been shown to have an inhibitory effect on serotonin receptors in vivo, which is shown to modulate pain and emetic responses.”

Michigan retailers sold more recreational marijuana products than medicinal for the first time last week.

Since the sale of recreational marijuana became legal back in December, the weekly sales of adult use cannabis have been creeping up and up. But the sale of medical marijuana was always higher.

Until last week.

The Marijuana Regulatory Agency reports last week state retailers sold just over $10 million worth of recreational marijuana products compared with $9.9 million in medical marijuana. 

Michiganders voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in 2018. State regulators spent most of 2019 crafting rules for the adult use industry, before allowing retail sales to begin in December.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Lebanon County policy that banned the use of medical marijuana by those on probation or parole, even if they have a state-issued identification card authorizing them to do so. The unanimous decision was handed down by the court on Thursday morning and applies to all of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

“This decision provides further validation that cannabis is medicine and that those Pennsylvanians who rely on it should not be treated any differently or be denied any rights under the law,” Paul Armentano, the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said after the decision was handed down.

The case stems from a Lebanon County policy issued in 2019 by Judge John Tylwalk that prohibited those being supervised by the county’s probation department from using medical marijuana, even with a doctor’s recommendation and an identification card from the state. Tylwalk cited the federal prohibition on cannabis as rationale for the policy, writing that the probation department “should not knowingly allow violations of law to occur.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, representing three medical marijuana patients affected by the ban, sued to have it overturned. The plaintiffs use medical marijuana for a variety of conditions, including epilepsy, nausea, and chronic pain. The ACLU lawyers argued that the 2016 law establishing Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program gave registered patients “sweeping immunity” from prosecution and other penalties.

The justices agreed with the plaintiffs, writing in their opinion that in enacting the state’s medical marijuana statute, “the Pennsylvania Legislature proceeded pursuant to its independent power to define state criminal law and promote the health and welfare of the citizenry.”

Over the course of the past decade, a large number of scientific studies have analyzed the effects of CBD for nausea. 

Some focused on nausea resulting from chemotherapy, while other studies were dealing with how CBD works for nausea in general. 

This collection of works conclusively showed that CBD is a very promising compound for both nausea and vomiting.

Let’s check out some of the most important research. 

According to this 2011 review, considerable evidence suggests that the manipulation of the endocannabinoid system is capable of regulating nausea and vomiting in humans and other animals.