How Hemp And The Farm Bill May Change Life As You Know It

[roots69]

I hope kats are making sum plans for the rebirth of HEMP & CANNABIS!! If you are, good luck!! If your not, enjoy standing in line!!


How Hemp And The Farm Bill May Change Life As You Know It

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• United States' hemp prohibition has suppressed potential jobs for farmers, products for consumers, and medicine for patients.

How hemp and the Farm Bill may change life as you know it.

IMAGE FEATURE: KLARA MAROSSZEKY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN HEMP MASONRY COMPANY | TARA JONES/FLICKR
The 2018 US Farm Bill has now legalized commercial production of hemp. But what is hemp, and why should you care?

What is hemp?

Imagine a sweater softer than any fabric you've ever felt before, and more durable than cotton.

Imagine a car built with something lighter than steel that could stand 10 times the impact without denting.

Imagine if you could save four acres of trees by making paper from a single acre of a rapid-growing plant, instead.

Imagine biodegradable Legos.

Now imagine all this possibility actually exists but you can't enjoy any of it because people in power once decided the plant from which it's all derived has a scorned cousin named "marijuana." If you can wrap your mind around this dereliction of logic, only then can you begin to understand the painfully silly policies America's had in place that have kept hemp from coating our farmland with hues of pale yellow and light green.

That longstanding logic has been costly for our country. United States' hemp prohibition has suppressed potential jobs for farmers, products for consumers, and medicine for patients.

Cousin or not, the reality is, hemp can't get you high just as near beer can't get you drunk (P.J., Squi, and I tried back in college and it just doesn't work). Despite all that--and while near beer takes up three spots in every Walmart in America--hemp has been largely banned in the United States, until now.

To understand the differences between hemp and marijuana it's critical to know what each distinctly different plant is capable of doing. The Ministry of Hemp offers the most comprehensive and easily-digestible explanation of hemp versus marijuana

With all the talk about the #FarmBill, what is #hemp anyway? And why can't it get me high? The chemical difference between hemp and #marijuana explained. https://youtu.be/PkmWS3ghXYU
https://twitter.com/SocialMktgFella/status/1073492595039383554

Here's what happened.

Way back when, an angry and lobby-influenced Congress passed the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, which effectively outlawed the possession of cannabis—including hemp—after hundreds of years of growth and use from the time of British colonization onward. While that law was repealed in the late 1960s, cannabis was quickly included as a Schedule 1 drug (the most “dangerous” class of drugs including heroin) in the Controlled Substances Act, a designation which continues to this day.


After 81 years, the 2018 Farm Bill represents the largest step towards undoing the racist and scientifically-baseless legacy of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937.

The 2018 Farm Bill officially reclassifies hemp for commercial uses after decades of statutes and legal enforcement conflating hemp and marijuana, the Farm Bill distinguishes between the two by removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. (While the two are closely related, hemp lacks the high concentration of THC that is responsible for the high from smoking marijuana.) This would effectively move regulation and enforcement of the crop from the purview of the Drug Enforcement Agency to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The 2018 Farm Bill expands upon provisions in the 2014 version of the annual bill, which created Hemp Pilot Programs. These Hemp Pilot Programs “created a framework for the legal cultivation by states of ‘industrial hemp’ without a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration.” The 2014 Hemp Pilot Programs were a success for farmers and consumers across the U.S., from Colorado to North Carolina.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to be ardently anti-marijuana, despite the success of these programs and the fact that 62% of Americans say recreational marijuana should be legal. Nevertheless, McConnell and Senate Republicans read the political tea leaves and will now recognize the important differences between marijuana and hemp. In doing so, they’re creating an exciting time for entrepreneurs, CBD advocates, and farmers across the country.


A major change to the farm bill compromise is the legalization of industrial hemp –– a boon for the increasingly popular CBD oil industry.

Farm Bill Compromise Reached With SNAP Changes Out, Industrial Hemp In
While much of the farm bill draft mirrors current law, there is a major change coming for farmers: Industrial hemp will be legalized. Forestry and food stamps became sticking points.

Why this makes political sense

President Trump’s trade wars are hurting farmers to the tune of billions of dollars. Wheat, soybean, and corn farmers have been targeted by China as the potent measure in its escalating tariff battle with the U.S.

In 2017, China imported more than $24 billion in agriculture products from the U.S. The world’s top wheat consumer, China and purchased 1.6 million tons of U.S. wheat worth $391 million. At the same time, China bought $14 billion in soybeans for personal and animal consumption from the U.S. last year--more than any other agricultural commodity, and the country's corn imports from the U.S. were worth $160 million.

All that's changed with the high trade tariffs Trump's levied on countries who import our products. Analysts and existing evidence suggest the soybean trade conflicts will be in favor of fellow exporters, Brazil and Argentina, rather than the U.S. The tariff could drop China’s imports of soybeans by 69% on average. The estimated effect of China’s 25% tariff on U.S. soybean imports would cut income for a midsize Illinois grain farm by an average of 87% over four years, prompting a loss of more than $500,000in the farm’s net worth by 2021.

It's a messy situation. Trump needed a win, and farmers did too. Distinguishing between commercial hemp and marijuana, legalizing the former, is that much-needed reprieve.

“We’re so pleased farmers across America now have the freedom to consider integrating this important crop into their production, particularly with the trade concerns around other crops such as soybeans, corn, and wheat," said Elizabeth Hogan, VP of Brands at GCH Inc., the company behind Willie Nelson’s cannabis brands. Hemp legalization will transform it from niche interest and return it to cash crop status.

Hemp is a farmer's friend because compared with cotton, corn, and soybeans, it requires little water, isn't picky when it comes to poor soil. It grows tightly spaced, thus crowding out weeds, and boasts a deep, soil-aerating root system. Despite all its advantages, and because growing it is illegal with the exception of limited licenses, the U.S. imports approximately $60 million worth of hemp from overseas countries like China.

Political leverage

This Farm Bill gives Trump Administration a powerful tool in their bargaining with China. As I wrote earlier this year in Forbes, China produces 50% of the world’s cannabis supply, with a large majority of that supply being the THC-lacking hemp variety; this gives China “massive economic potential” which “poses a threat to cannabis interests around the world and particularly in the U.S. market.”

Studies at Bejing's Hemp Research Center revealed the variety of plant uses, prompting China to expand its hemp production which is a mere fraction of its world-leading cotton production. China not only has the product, but they have the cultivation techniques and commercial technologies to capitalize on that supply. And they are ramping up to leverage their competitive hemp advantage, expecting an eager demand from U.S. manufacturers given hemp's rise in popular applications.

By contrast, U.S. farmers grew merely25,000 acres of hemp in the entire country in 2017. To give that context, that's the same amount of landBill Gates boughtin Arizona to create a small, futuristic city.

That's cool for a retirement project if you're a billionaire, but hardly enough land to launch any sort of industry. And of that, about 70% of which was used to make CBD oil. Only recently have we seen an increase in manufacturers using hemp fibers to make fabrics, construction materials, health products, and other consumer goods.





With over 50K commercial, medical, and personal ways it can be used, #hemp is poised to shake the nation with #legalization. #FarmBill18 #FarmBill18 @NatHempAssoc


With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, America will have a chance to counter China’s massive influence in the cannabis hemp industry. But it will mean playing catch-up for the foreseeable future. Currently, hemp cultivation techniques in America lag far behind other crops—it still has to be harvested by hand even. Even though marijuana is legal in China, the country has funded research into the plant and its cultivation, placing it miles ahead of other countries.

The Farm Bill will help hemp farmers and entrepreneurs

The 2018 Farm Bill will radically overhaul America’s relation to hemp and could unleash a hemp renaissance in the coming years that will close the gap between the U.S. and China. As a Schedule 1 substance alongside marijuana, hemp farmers and entrepreneurs in the U.S. have faced many barriers to doing business. Interstate commerce for hemp products was almost non-existent and financing was difficult to come by. But all that is set to change.

According to the American Agriculturist, the 2018 Farm Bill will allow hemp to be regulated by the USDA, including the labeling of American-grown hemp as certified organic; interstate hemp commerce will be legalized; financing and research opportunities will open up; hemp farmers will be guaranteed water rights; the definition of hemp will be altered to make it a non-drug commodity.

Hemp has hundreds of uses, many of which are yet to be discovered or fully realized thanks to the lack of available research funds. From textiles and plastics to livestock feed and home cooking, hemp has many applications that can reduce our dependence both on other countries and fossil fuels. Driven by explosive growth in hemp-based consumer products, the global hemp market is expected to jump to $10.6 billion by 2025. Everything from our vodka to our cars is waiting to be reimagined in the future with legal hemp. Many people won’t even realize how much their lives are affected by cannabis-based products.

One of the most exciting applications of hemp lies in the extracted cannabinoids or CBD oil. According to the Washington Post, “dozens of studies have found evidence that the compound can treat epilepsy as well as a range of other illnesses, including anxiety, schizophrenia, heart disease, and cancer.” With the legalization of hemp, CBD can be regulated and researched much more than before to truly understand the medical efficacyfor a wide range of diseases.

View image on Twitter


This statistic shows the total U.S. consumer sales of CBD (cannabidiol) from 2014 to 2106, and estimates until 2022, in million U.S. dollars. It is estimated that in the year 2020 CBD consumer sales will total around 1.15 billion U.S. dollars.


“We continue to see great progress towards a new perspective on cannabis within the US. Within healthcare, several conditions and certain patient profiles rely heavily on CBD-only products of which the proposed Farm Bill will work to dramatically improve access to patients – not only in the US but globally,” said Prad Sekar, CEO of CB2 Insights in a written interview.

All of those uses make hemp a profitable cash crop for suffering farmers, with some early commercial growers reporting $100 per-acre more profit on hemp than canola. Hemp grown for CBD oil, on the other hand, can take in $8,000 per acre versus $600 per acre for corn. In particular, hemp can be a boon for arid western states. According to Pacific Standard,

Hemp can be grown to harvest on about half as much water as corn can, for example. Hemp also tolerates a wide variety of soils and temperatures, requires no pesticides, and grows extremely fast, soaring to as much as 20 feet in 100 days.

Thus, if hemp eventually replaces other crops across large acreages, it could free up precious water supplies in the arid West for other uses. This could become especially important with climate change expected to shrink Western mountain snowpacks.

Hemp is thus profitable and sustainable, two words which have eluded many U.S. farmers as of late. Hemp cultivation could provide much-needed relief as farmers struggle to find markets for millions of bushels of cropsduring the trade wars. Now, instead of importing an estimated $100 million of hemp products every year, that money will go to American farmers and entrepreneurs.

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc, (OTC: HEMP), believes hemp legalization will drive disenfranchised farmers "back-to-the-land" now that they'll have a solid economic basis in industrial hemp to rely on. "Our strategy has been to partner with farmers across the country in states where hemp cultivation and manufacturing is legal to provide them with the infrastructure needed to make a profit off this incredible crop, and this bill will be an incredible boon for the American small family farm," Perlowin told me. "The health and wellness industries are in for a major overhaul with the massive research and development and exploration into CBD‘s, CBGs, CBN’s and 113 other cannabinoids as well as some 300 terpenes found in the industrial hemp plant."

 

[lowlite]

In NC, they already cock blockin black folks from getting in at trial stages. You have to already grow another type of crop for profit in previous years. If I buy some farm land TODAY, I couldn't plant hemp until I plant another crop for sale for 2yrs to be considered a "farmer". Meanwhile, 20 minutes up the road from me, a new cbd processing facility has been COMPLETED! They are trying to lock small farmers and black and Hispanic folk out. I'm gon see what I can to though. This shit is going to be a major come-up for those who can overcome this barrier.

 

[roots69]

In NC, they already cock blockin black folks from getting in at trial stages. You have to already grow another type of crop for profit in previous years. If I buy some farm land TODAY, I couldn't plant hemp until I plant another crop for sale for 2yrs to be considered a "farmer". Meanwhile, 20 minutes up the road from me, a new cbd processing facility has been COMPLETED! They are trying to lock small farmers and black and Hispanic folk out. I'm gon see what I can to though. This shit is going to be a major come-up for those who can overcome this barrier.

Damn, you aint kidding.. They are always trying to keep us outta the game for sum bullshit reason!! Like my dad would say theres a 1000 ways to get around an obstacle, you just have to find one that works for you!! I would suggest you get a copy of their law they a using and read it and read it some more.. In all their laws they have loopholes in there for their buddies or family member.. You just have to find it and make it work to your advantage!! I wish you the best of luck and when you do get your hemp/cannabis grow going. Come back and share it with us..

 

[roots69]

Hmm



Carl’s Jr.’s First CBD Burger Hits on 4/20 in Denver
DAVID DOWNS
April 17, 2019

New High: Carl’s Jr.’s sells a CBD-infused “Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight” on 4/20. (Courtesy of Carl's Jr, Leafly)
Has the craze in cannabidiol—or CBD—finally jumped the shark?

The latest evidence comes from fast food leviathan Carl’s Jr., which announced Wednesday it will sell hamburgers in Denver, CO, on April 20 featuring CBD in the sauce. That’s right, the 4/20 special sauce at Carl’s Jr. includes CBD!

A Carl’s Jr. spokesperson told CNN today that the CBD burger is not a stunt. Rather, it’s a test of demand that is limited to one Carl’s Jr. in Denver on one day, April 20—which has become a cannabis holiday of sorts worldwide.

Hey, How Do You #FindYour420? Share Yours With the Leafly Community!
“It is something that feels right for the brand,” the senior vice president of brand marketing told CNN Business. “We are all about innovation.”

Carl’s Jr. and sister brand Hardee’s has 3,800 locations in 44 states. It hopes to attract younger fast food eaters with novelties like meatless burgers—and now a CBD burger, CNN reported.

Cannabidiol is the second most common active ingredient in cannabis. It does not cause euphoria but can reduce pain, inflammation, and anxiety. Those pharmacological properties have made it the subject of renewed FDA scrutiny. The FDA holds that CBD is legal so long as it comes in the newly approved prescription drug Epidiolex.



However the FDA and many state health agencies disallow the sale of foods with added CBD, which the FDA has not yet deemed “generally recognized as safe.” The recent US farm bill added legal complexity to the issue. The bill legalized hemp—defined as cannabis with less than .3% THC. That move seemed to open the door to hemp-derived CBD, though agencies such as the DEA maintain that cannabis extracts, including CBD, remain Schedule I controlled substances. Hemp farmers also need state and federal sign-offs on legal hemp, and those don’t exist yet.

Carl’s Jr. is not the only company forging ahead by offering CBD to the masses. Major drugstore chain CVS already stocks hemp-derived CBD products. So do many smaller health food stores. Carl’s Jr. is getting its CBD from Bluebird Botanicals in Colorado — a state where cannabis, hemp, and CBD are all legal. The product is also not crossing state lines, which decreases legal risks a bit.



4/20 only: We're dropping our Rocky Mountain High Cheese Burger Delight with CBD-infused Santa Fe sauce at one Denver location only. #rockymountainhigh


The cheeseburger includes two beef patties, topped with pickled jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, fries, and a CBD-infused “Santa Fe sauce” with 5 milligrams of CBD.

Would you take a bite of Carl’s Jr.’s “Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight?” It’ll cost $4.20 and goes on sale at 6 a.m. Saturday at the Carl’s Jr. at 4050 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, CO. Limit two burgers per person, ages 18 and older.

Initial reactions have been mixed, but in terms of press—it’s already a coup for Carl’s.

 

[roots69]

Wake up or stay in the trance!! The choice is yours and only yours!!!


Using CBD to Tame a Cannabis High? Small Doses May Have the Opposite Effect
BAILEY RAHN
February 28, 2019

Take some CBD, they said. You’ll feel less high, they said.

This common piece of advice fed to THC-shy consumers can effectively bring someone back down to earth. It works—sometimes. But new research shows there’s likely more nuance in the solution than we initially thought.



Scientists found that a high dose of CBD dampened the effects of a THC high, but participants reported a stronger high when combined with low doses of CBD.
CBD can either dampen an out-of-control high or boost it. Described in a 2019 study in the European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, this paradoxical effect of CBD is dependent upon an often overlooked factor: dosage.

Scientists found that a high dose of CBD (400mg) curbed the intoxicating effects of a THC (8mg) high, but participants reported a stronger high when combined with low doses (4mg) of CBD.



CBD’s Up & Down Button
Because CBD is non-intoxicating, many consumers pay little attention to the dose. Sure, there’s a big difference between a 10mg and a 500mg THC-infused edible, but why worry about the potency of a CBD product that’s non-impairing, even in very high doses?

With evidence that CBD can affect us at different doses, suddenly, these numbers matter. And it’s not only important for the over-enthusiastic adult who ate too many infused cookies—it matters for medical patients, too.



If you’re looking to tame a wild THC ride, try larger doses of CBD-packed oils and concentrates. A small dose might not cut it—and could even launch you even higher.
In an interview with Leafly’s in-house neuroscientist, Nick Jikomes, we learned that there’s still much research to be done in understanding the “right” dose of CBD for various medical conditions and symptoms.

Adding to that, prominent cannabis clinician Dr. Dustin Sulak explains that the ideal CBD dose may be different from person to person.

“As with any other medication, it is best to start on a low dose and increase gradually over weeks,” he says in Leafly’s guide to pediatric epilepsy. “When the optimal dose is exceeded, there may be a point at which you see the benefits start to diminish (increased side effects or increased seizures).”



Above, you’ll find the illustrated results of the 2019 study comparing CBD’s effect on a THC high when administered at high and low doses. Participants vaporized cannabis, unbeknownst to them which dose and CBD:THC ratio they were receiving.

Those who consumed THC and a little CBD reported feeling the most high, followed by the THC-only reports. Those who vaporized THC with a hefty dose of CBD seemed to get just as high initially, but the euphoric effects wavered within one hour.

So, if you’re looking to tame a wild THC ride, try larger doses of CBD-packed oils and concentrates. A small dose might not cut it—and could even launch you even higher.





How Useful Is This Info?
While the results of this study shed light on the importance of THC:CBD ratio, there are still questions to consider when taking this information and applying it to your own smoke session.

The first consideration is, do the doses administered to study participants accurately reflect what you’re smoking, vaping, or ingesting?



It’ll take some trial and error to find the perfect THC:CBD ratio for your perfect experience, even knowing the results of this study.
“The THC+CBD (low) dose was equivalent to proportions found in some strains of cannabis plant matter while the high dose of CBD was selected to approximate therapeutic oral doses from the literature,” the study’s authors wrote.

What isn’t yet clear is whether or not maintaining proportionate ratios will have the same effect if the dose itself is different. In other words, would you need an astronomical 800mg dose of CBD to similarly temper 16mg of THC?



This study controls for variables like tolerance, but there are still questions left to answer. It’ll take some trial and error to find the perfect THC:CBD ratio for your perfect experience, even knowing the results of this study.

Luckily, experimentation is part of the fun.

Get a Little Higher
You can try and replicate the results above by dialing in a perfect 8mg THC to 4mg CBD, but let’s be real—a dose this precise can be hard to come by.

Instead, let’s experiment with some practical scenarios, knowing that a little CBD may enhance that THC high:

• Find a high-THC strain and add a little high-CBD flower to your bowl. See how different strains harmonize together best.
• Try mixing 2-parts high-THC tincture with 1-part CBD tincture. Tap into your inner mixologist and get creative with different flavors, too.
• Roll CBD oils into your dab collection. While it might be a bit tricky to conjure a precise dose or ratio, you might still find adding CBD to your alchemy to be rewarding.

For a Balanced High
In order to achieve CBD’s grounding effect, you’ll have to experiment with larger doses of CBD—doses achievable through cannabis concentrates like distillate and RSO.

For even-keel effects out the gate, fill your life with balanced THC/CBD products—edibles with 5mg of both THC and CBD (or maybe 10mg of each, whatever floats your personalized boat).

Remember, this study was researching how lower and higher doses of CBD affect the same baseline THC intake. So what’s the easiest solution for a mild, comfortable high out the gate? Less THC to begin with.



An Intoxicating Tingle
On its own, CBD is a non-intoxicating compound, so why are people in the study reporting feelings of intoxication compared to the placebo group?

“It is likely that these dissociating effects were rapidly induced by vaporization of this compound, delivering CBD with high bioavailability to the bloodstream and hence central nervous system, although this is likely also confounded by dose,” the researchers wrote. “The high-dose CBD condition induced significant coughing; as such, participants were aware that they were being administered an active condition (as opposed to the ease of inhalation of ethanol-flavoured air in the placebo condition). The changes in intoxication might, therefore, be surmised to be a placebo effect.”



So if you’re concerned about any degree of intoxication, consider utilizing ingestible CBD products instead of inhaling CBD strains and concentrates. Conversely, if you’re seeking the slightest tingle of intoxication, give vaporization of CBD-rich oils a try.

 

[roots69]

Why CBD Works Better With a Little THC (Even If You Don’t Want to Get High)
DAVID BIENENSTOCK
February 12, 2019

(Grav/Unsplash)


Way back in 2014, I wrote an article called Desperately Seeking CBD that profiled several families who either broke the law or moved clear across the country to access cannabidiol (CBD)—a non-intoxicating compound found in the cannabis plant that’s proven effective in treating pediatric seizure disorders that don’t respond to more conventional therapies. At the time, the father of a two-year old epilepsy patient explained that they’d uprooted their entire existence and moved to Colorado just to try the treatment.

The best available science makes clear that whole-plant cannabis preparations are quantifiably superior to single compounds.
Five years later, you can buy CBD ice cream in Texas. Cannabidiol is officially “trendy.” Capsules, tinctures, ointments, and oils containing the compound can be readily purchased online (as well as at gas stations and hair salons nationwide), and the legalization of hemp farming this December via the most recent US Farm Bill means that this rapidly growing market segment will likely expand exponentially over the next five years.

All good news, even if the recent media focus on shiny objects like CBD-infused cocktails has threatened to crowd out significant research showing cannabidiol has tremendous promise in treating cancer, diabetes, head trauma, chronic pain, neurodegenerative disease, depression, anxiety, and addiction.

But unfortunately, along the way, there’s been a lot of shady operators selling CBD in a largely unregulated grey market, and as a result, a ton of misinformation has attached itself to this potentially life-saving cannabinoid.



In fact, Project CBD—a non-profit dedicated to boosting science-based understanding of cannabidiol—has compiled an extensive list of pervasive misconceptions, one of which is “CBD is medical, THC is recreational.”

On the contrary, even small doses of THC combined with CBD can improve the efficacy of your cannabis medicine.

THC Is TLC for Your CBD
Originally, cannabis contained far less THC than it typically does now, and a lot more CBD. But over time, breeders have created ever more potent strains, as that’s what fetches the best price in the underground market. These breeders certainly understood that selecting for greater potency meant maximizing THC output, but just ten years ago few had even heard of CBD, never mind realized it was steadily getting bred out of existence.



Project CBD was founded in 2009, a time when CBD had almost entirely vanished from the cannabis gene pool. The organization’s founders recognized that while there’s long been evidence of CBD’s medical efficacy, unlike THC, it wasn’t reaching actual medical cannabis patients in appreciable amounts. So they worked directly with cannabis labs in California (then a new phenomenon) to identify the few remaining CBD-rich strains in circulation and make them available to growers, researchers and patients.

Which means you can put them down as big fans of CBD. Just don’t put down THC while you’re doing it.

Project CBD receives many inquiries from around the world and oftentimes people say they are seeking “CBD, the medical part” of the plant, “not THC, the recreational part” that gets you high. Actually, THC, “The High Causer,” has awesome therapeutic properties… [but] diehard marijuana prohibitionists are exploiting the good news about CBD to further stigmatize high-THC cannabis, casting tetrahydrocannabinol as the bad cannabinoid, whereas CBD is framed as the good cannabinoid. Why? Because CBD doesn’t make you feel high like THC does.

Project CBD categorically rejects this moralistic, reefer madness dichotomy in favor of whole plant cannabis therapeutics.

The best available science makes clear that whole-plant cannabis preparations are quantifiably superior to single compounds because the plant’s complex mix of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids interact synergistically to create an “entourage effect” that enhances each other’s therapeutic effects.

• A study conducted at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco found that combining THC and CBD produces more potent anti-tumor effects when tested on brain cancer and breast cancer cell lines than either compound alone.
• A 2010 study found that patients with intractable cancer-related pain tolerated medicines that combined THC and CBD notably better than a pure THC extract.
• A 2012 study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that CBD “inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment”

Finding the Sweet Spot

Products with a balance of THC and CBD are becoming more commonplace in cannabis shops as consumers realize the value of cannabinoid synergy. (Elise McDonough for Leafly)
Lots of people (like yours truly) enjoy the psychoactivity of cannabis and find it mood elevating and healing in and of itself, but rest assured that you don’t need to get high AF to reap the benefits of THC.



However, finding your optimal dose will involve some trial and error.

According to Project CBD:

The successful use of cannabis as a medicine depends to a great extent on managing its psychoactive properties. The goal is to administer consistent, measurable doses of a CBD-rich cannabis remedy with as much THC as a person is comfortable with… Preclinical science lends credence to the notion that a small amount of THC can confer health benefits. Oral administration of a low dose of THC (1 mg/day) resulted in “significant inhibition of disease progression” in an animal model of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), according to a 2005 report in Nature, which noted: “This effective dose is lower than the dose usually associated with psychotropic effects of THC.”

In a feature called We Asked a Scientist: What’s the Right Dose of CBD?, Nick Jikomes, Leafly’s in-house neuroscientist, explored the complicated process involved in optimizing the benefits of cannabis without going one toke over the line, including managing the complex interplay between THC and CBD.

CBD is essentially getting in the way of THC’s ability to bind the CB1 receptor, which is why the presence of CBD has a significant impact on the psychoactivity of THC-containing products, [and] why the ratio of the two compounds is important for anticipating the effects of cannabis products… While THC and CBD have different pharmacological properties, they can both have similar physiological effects, probably acting through different mechanisms. For instance, both compounds can have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects; they may act through different mechanisms, so having THC and CBD could potentially enhance an outcome surrounding pain relief.

If you’re fortunate enough to have access to a legally operating cannabis dispensary, you should have no problem finding flowers, concentrates, topicals, and edibles with a wide range of THC-to-CBD ratios. But patients and consumers still sourcing their cannabis from the underground market will encounter more difficulty.

Browse Menus Near You For CBD/THC Products
One suggestion is to try combining whatever form of CBD you can access locally with the best whole-plant cannabis you can lay your hands on. Perhaps this means swallowing a CBD capsule and then taking a few puffs off a joint an hour later.

As always with cannabis, start with small doses and work you way up until you find the sweet spot.

 

[roots69]

6 Common Myths and Controversies About High-CBD Cannabis
DR. DUSTIN SULAK
March 12, 2018

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an exciting focus of medical research, popular media, and legislation related to cannabis. Its presence is becoming ubiquitous on the shelves of health food stores and search engine results for numerous medical conditions, but don’t believe everything you hear. While CBD is an incredibly safe and therapeutic component of cannabis, there are many myths and misconceptions associated with it. Let’s take a look at a few.



Myth #1: CBD is non-psychoactive and medical; THC is recreational.
Both lay and scientific literature have classified CBD as a “non-psychoactive” substance, meaning that it does not alter one’s consciousness. But how could CBD fail to impact consciousness when it’s been shown to have anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic, anti-craving, alerting, and mood-elevating effects in human studies?

CBD clearly impacts our psyche, often in beneficial ways. It does not, however, impair mental or physical function in most consumers, even very high doses. Thus, CBD can be considered psychoactive, but “non-impairing” or “non-intoxicating.”https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/separating-cbd-facts-from-myths#_edn1

One doesn’t need to treat a serious medical condition in order to benefit from the use of CBD and to enjoy sharing it socially.
Most Leafly readers have already recognized and overcome the false dichotomy that CBD is the medical part of the plant and THC is for recreation. THC is clearly medicinal–hundreds of clinical trials have demonstrated that THC has remarkable and very relevant medicinal properties.

If THC is both medical and recreational, can the same be said about CBD? Likely not. While CBD clearly has medicinal benefits, very few people would want to use it for recreation. CBD does not produce a “rewarding” or strongly pleasurable effect. Its use in animal and human studies is not associated with euphoria, craving, compulsive use, or any other sign that would indicate it has recreational uses or drug abuse liability.



But this begs the question–where does recreation end and therapeutic use begin? If a group of friends shares a CBD-dominant spray or vape pen, they’re not likely to start giggling and telling long stories punctuated by periods of wondering what they were talking about. But they may be more likely to feel relaxed, focused, and resilient to stress. One doesn’t need to treat a serious medical condition in order to benefit from the use of CBD and to enjoy sharing it socially.

Myth #2: CBD is sedating.
While some early studies attributed a sedating effect to CBD-dominant cannabis preparations, CBD itself is not sedating; it is actually alerting. CBD has been shown to counteract the sedative effects of THC, delay sleep time, and reduce THC-associated “hangover.”[ii] Even very high doses of pure CBD, such as 600 mg in a single dose, have not produced a sedating effect in healthy subjects.[iii] Why the confusion? It may be that varieties of cannabis that contain high levels of CBD often also contain significant amounts of myrcene, a potentially sedating terpene.

I occasionally see patients who report that CBD can disturb their sleep. More often, patients tell me that CBD makes them feel awake, but when they lay down and close their eyes, they have no trouble sleeping.

Myth #3: A little CBD is enough.
I’ve been known as a strong proponent of using very low doses of cannabis to treat medical conditions, enhance the endocannabinoid system, avoid side effects, and prevent tolerance to cannabis. So, it may surprise you that I often support using high doses of CBD, especially when it is used in the absence of significant quantities of THC.

Milligram for milligram, CBD is much less potent than THC at relieving symptoms.
Why? Milligram for milligram, CBD is much less potent than THC at relieving symptoms. For example, one of my patients who experiences pain or anxiety relief with 3 to 5 mg of THC may require 30 to 200 mg of CBD to produce similar results, if they can be achieved at all. And while there is significant overlap in the symptoms that can be treated with either THC or CBD, the way in which they relieve these symptoms and the individual responses to these two agents varies significantly.

Studies that have used pharmaceutical-grade CBD to treat anxiety, schizophrenia, and seizures have used hundreds of milligrams per dose. This would be simply unaffordable for most consumers. But could lower doses of CBD provide some benefit? The answer is likely yes. Some of my patients report feeling more alert, focused, and clear-headed after using as little as 2 to 20 mg of CBD by mouth, or after a couple inhalations of CBD-dominant cannabis.



Myth #4: CBD is the same from hemp, medical cannabis, or isolate.
A molecule of CBD is the same regardless of its origin in medical cannabis, hemp, or a laboratory. But do the various CBD products on the market have the same effects regardless of their origin? Likely not.

While CBD is a remarkable medicine, it clearly works best in the context of its phytochemical brothers and sisters from the plant cannabis, especially THC. When used together, CBD can enhance the therapeutic effects of THC while reducing the adverse effects. Even very low levels of THC, plus additional components of the cannabis plant, seem to enhance the benefits of CBD on pain and inflammation, at least in one rodent study.[iv]

While the distinction between medical cannabis and hemp varieties continues to blur, it is still likely that hemp is a less efficient source of CBD–much higher amounts of hemp starting material, compared to medical cannabis varieties, may be needed to extract CBD. This may increase the risk of contaminants in the final product. Furthermore, the hemp-based CBD industry is rampant with mislabeling. A recent study found that only 31% of 84 CBD products purchased online were accurately labeled for CBD content.



So, what’s the best source of CBD? Whenever possible, I recommend locally grown, artisanal produced, laboratory-tested products acquired through a legal medical cannabis program. I realize that this is not possible for all readers. If you’re purchasing online, it can be hard to know what retailer to trust and, unfortunately, there’s no good solution unless you have access to third-party laboratory testing for cannabinoid potency and contaminants. I encourage hemp-based CBD consumers to ask for detailed answers about quality control–some companies will provide copies of a laboratory analysis that correlates with the batch in question.

Myth #5: Cannabidiol works by activating cannabinoid receptors.
We all have an endocannabinoid system as an essential part of life. It helps us respond to illness and injury, restoring balance at a cellular level, and is always functioning in all of our organs and tissues to keep us healthy. This system is thus a natural target for therapeutic interventions, including herbs, drugs, and lifestyle modifications, in almost every disease known to man. The hard-to-believe efficacy of medical cannabis in the treatment of neurologic, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, psychiatric, infectious, and metabolic conditions is justified by the widespread presence and healing effects of the endocannabinoid system.



The therapeutic effects of CBD are similar in many ways to those of its close relative, THC. Both relieve pain, spasticity, nausea, anxiety, and seizures, and both decrease inflammation.[v] We know that THC works like our bodies’ endocannabinoids; both turn on the cannabinoid receptors and lead to cellular activities that restore physiologic balance.

One would assume that CBD works in a similar manner, but this is, in fact, a misconception. CBD does not directly stimulate the CB1 or CB2 receptors. Instead, when CBD comes into contact with these receptors, it actually turns down their activity level, causing a mild to moderate decrease in the effects of THC and endocannabinoid signaling at the CB1 receptor.[vi]

Despite its ability to directly decrease cannabinoid signaling, CBD also has the ability to indirectly increase cannabinoid signaling. It does this by inhibiting the breakdown and transport of our most abundant endocannabinoid, anandamide.[vii] One clinical study showed that patients with schizophrenia who were treated with 800 mg of CBD daily had significant increases in their levels of anandamide over 28 days.[viii]

If it’s hard to make sense of these two opposite properties of CBD, welcome to cannabinoid science, a field riddled with opposites and paradoxes. If you take CBD, is it going to inhibit or stimulate your endocannabinoid system? The answer is probably both, and it likely depends on your needs and the amount of CBD you take.


Myth #6: CBD is legal in all 50 states.
Just because everyone says that CBD is legal, it’s for sale at your health food store or tobacco shop, available on Amazon, and has no abuse potential, you might think that it probably is legal. If you ask the DEA, however, you’ll find that they disagree.



Take a look at this 2015 memo from the Drug Enforcement Administration.[ix] According to the Controlled Substances Act, CBD is considered a member of the group of “tetrahydrocannabinols.” The FDA has also stated that a CBD product cannot be considered a “dietary supplement” because it has been “authorized for investigation as a new drug for which substantial clinical investigations have been instituted and for which the existence of such investigations has been made public…” This language can be found in the numerous letters the FDA has been sending to online CBD retailers.[x]

Fortunately, I don’t believe there is any real danger of legal consequences to the CBD supplement consumer. Retailers and producers of hemp-based CBD products still may face some risk, which depends on how motivated our federal agencies are to enforce these regulations that do nothing to protect public health.

Now that we’ve cleared up a few of the misperceptions about CBD, you might want to look at more myths about cannabis. Also, for more information on how to use cannabis therapeutically, you can access Healer’s free programs for new consumers, existing consumers looking for more benefits, and health providers needing support.

https://www.leafly.com/news/cannabis-101/separating-cbd-facts-from-myths#_ednref1 Russo EB. Cannabidiol claims and misconceptions. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2017;38(3):198-201.
[ii] Nicholson AN, et al. Effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on nocturnal sleep and early- morning behavior in young adults. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2004;24:305-313.
[iii] Borgwardt SJ, et al. Neural basis of delta-9-tetra-hydrocannabinol and cannabidiol: effects during response inhibition. Biol Psychiatry. 2008;64:966-973.
[iv] Gallily R, Yekhtin Z, Hanuš LO. Overcoming the bell-shaped dose-response of cannabidiol by using cannabis extract enriched in cannabidiol. Pharmacol Pharm. 2015;6:75-85.
[v] Russo E, Guy GW. A tale of two cannabinoids: the therapeutic rationale for combining tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol. Med Hypoth. 2006;66(2):234-246.
[vi] Laprairie RB, et al. Cannabidiol is a negative allosteric modulator of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(20):4790-4805.
[vii] McPartland JM, et al. Are cannabidiol and Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabivarin negative modulators of the endocannabinoid system? A systematic review. Br J Pharmacol. 2015;172(3):737-753.
[viii] Leweke FM, et al. Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry. 2012;2(3): e94.
[ix] https://www.dea.gov/divisions/hq/2015/hq122315.shtml
[x] https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm484109.htm

 

[roots69]

Dont let these people mislead you!! Educate yourself!!


Marijuana Myths, Cannabis Facts

Here are some of the common myths about marijuana, many of which have been sponsored by industries that benefit from the prohibition of marijuana, along with the facts:



Marijuana kills brain cells and lowers IQ:
Interestingly, numerous studies have proven cannabis does just the opposite – it promotes the growth and development of new brain cells1. No other class of compounds has demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of cannabis. Very promising animal studies show that treating brain injuries, including newborn babies lacking oxygen2, victims of stroke, and head trauma, all sustain less damage and heal faster if they are given cannabinoids, the substances found in cannabis, or their synthetic counterparts3. Cannabinoids also protect the brain from slower forms of injury, like Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis4, especially when used in the correct dosage.

How does marijuana work therapeutically? Dr. Sulak explains…

Get Started

While cannabis can cause some temporary cognitive changes such as a decrease in short term memory, these changes are reversible when an adult stops using cannabis5.

Marijuana makes you “stoned” or “high”:
Smoking or ingesting marijuana can cause a psychoactive effect, which most people describe as a pleasant euphoria and enhancement of the senses, but it can include less desirable features like sedation and paranoia. Pleasant or uncomfortable, a growing number of patients want the medical benefits of cannabis without any intoxication or impairment in function – they want to use it while working, safely driving, and more. This is both possible, and practical. After decades of selective breeding to produce the most intoxicating strains of cannabis, sought after by recreational users and dealers in the underground market, medical cannabis breeders are now producing strains that emphasize the health benefits and reduce or eliminate the psychoactivity6.

Smoking marijuana causes cancer:
A large study in 2006 showed that heavy cannabis users have an equal or lower rate of lung and respiratory tract cancers than non-users7, even though cannabis smoke has been proven to contain cancer-causing products of combustion. How is this possible? The therapeutic substances in cannabis actually have strong anti-cancer properties. This has been known since the 1970’s8 but more recently cannabinoids have become a major focus of the pharmaceutical industry’s anti-cancer drug development9.

While smoking cannabis is unlikely to cause cancer, it can irritate the respiratory tract, especially in sensitive individuals. Most patients and responsible adult cannabis users are turning to non-smokable delivery methods: vaporizers allow users to inhale the medicinal component of the herb without any smoke; tinctures and liquid extracts are safe and convenient, and topically applied cannabis salves are reported to reduce pain and inflammation.

Marijuana is addictive and is a gateway to other drugs:
Marijuana dependence does exist, but is not common. One study found that only 9% of those who try marijuana develop dependence compared to, for example, 24% of those who try heroin10. Furthermore, marijuana dependence is much safer11 – the withdrawal effects are mild and similar in intensity to caffeine withdrawal. Most people don’t have any trouble stopping using cannabis, when and if they need to.

Recent research demonstrates that cannabis actually serves as an exit drug, not a gateway drug. One study of 350 medical cannabis users in California found 40% percent of the subjects used cannabis as a substitute for alcohol, 26% as a substitute for illicit drugs and 66% as a substitute for prescription drugs12. Any time a person can replace a safer substance, like cannabis, for a more harmful substance, such as alcohol, it is a step in the right direction.

Marijuana makes people hungry and fat:
We’ve all heard that marijuana causes “the munchies,” and it’s widely known that cannabis can help AIDS and cancer patients reduce nausea and promote appetite, to their great benefit. Most users report enhanced taste and pleasure while eating under the influence of cannabis. Surprisingly, a 2011 study of 52,000 participants in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed people who smoke cannabis at least three times a week, compared with those who don’t use it at all, are one third less likely to be obese13. While cannabinoids affect brain centers related to pleasure and eating, they also affect the hormones of metabolism, and if used correctly, can potentially restore balance to individuals who are both underweight and overweight14 15.

Marijuana makes people mentally unstable:
Some evidence points to marijuana use being associated with the onset of psychosis or schizophrenia, with the highest risk group being young men. However statistics show that to prevent one case of psychosis, 2,000 young men would need to stop using marijuana16. While scientists debate whether or not cannabis can actually cause or trigger the onset of mental illness, if it does, it’s extremely rare.

It is much more common for cannabis to actually help mental illness such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, and even schizophrenia, especially when used appropriately under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Cannabis or Marijuana:
Over all, marijuana has gotten a bad name due to decades of prohibition and reefer madness-like thinking – in fact, the word “marijuana” was first used in U.S. policy during an effort to marginalize mexican immigrants in the early 1900s. As our society works to help this misunderstood plant find its appropriate place in our laws , I recommend using its real name that dispels the myths about this incredible plant and invokes the truth made available by thousands of scientists and researchers: cannabis. Cannabis has a lot to offer humanity, and you deserve to know the truth.

By Dustin Sulak, DO

…………………………………………………………………………………..

[1] Reviewed in Galve-Roperh, Ismael, et al. “The endocannabinoid system and neurogenesis in health and disease.” The Neuroscientist 13.2 (2007): 109-114.

[2] Alvarez, Francisco J., et al. “Neuroprotective effects of the nonpsychoactive cannabinoid cannabidiol in hypoxic-ischemic newborn piglets.” Pediatric research 64.6 (2008): 653-658

[3] Baker D, Pryce G, Giovannoni G, Thompson AJ. The therapeutic potential of cannabis. Lancet Neurol.2003; 2:291 -298

[4] Ramírez, Belén G., et al. “Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease pathology by cannabinoids: neuroprotection mediated by blockade of microglial activation.” The Journal of Neuroscience 25.8 (2005): 1904-1913.

[5] Tait, Robert J., Andrew Mackinnon, and Helen Christensen. “Cannabis use and cognitive function: 8‐year trajectory in a young adult cohort.” Addiction 106.12 (2011): 2195-2203.

[6] http://www.projectcbd.org/

[7] Hashibe, Mia, et al. “Marijuana use and the risk of lung and upper aerodigestive tract cancers: results of a population-based case-control study.” Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 15.10 (2006): 1829-1834.

[8] Munson, A. E., et al. “Antineoplastic activity of cannabinoids.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute 55.3 (1975): 597-602.

[9] Velasco, Guillermo, Cristina Sánchez, and Manuel Guzmán. “Towards the use of cannabinoids as antitumour agents.” Nature Reviews Cancer 12.6 (2012): 436-444.

[10] Anthony JC, Warner L, Kessler R. Comparative epidemiology
of dependence on tobacco, alcohol, controlled substances and inhalants: basic findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 1994; 2: 244–68.

[11] Reviewed in Budney, Alan J., et al. “Review of the validity and significance of cannabis withdrawal syndrome.” American journal of Psychiatry 161.11 (2004): 1967-1977.

[12] Reiman, Amanda. “Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs.” Harm Reduction Journal 6.1 (2009): 35.

[13] Le Strat, Yann, and Bernard Le Foll. “Obesity and cannabis use: results from 2 representative national surveys.” American journal of epidemiology (2011): kwr200.

[14] Harrold, Joanne A., and Gareth Williams. “The cannabinoid system: a role in both the homeostatic and hedonic control of eating?.” British Journal of Nutrition 90.04 (2003): 729-734.

[15] Osei-Hyiaman, D., et al. “The role of the endocannabinoid system in the control of energy homeostasis.” International Journal of Obesity 30 (2006): S33-S38.

[16] Hickman, et al. If cannabis caused schizophrenia—how many cannabis users may need to be prevented in order to prevent one case of schizophrenia? England and Wales calculations. Addiction, 104, 1856– 1861. 2009

 

[roots69]

The Endocannabinoid System

As you learn more about the potential therapeutic effects of cannabis, and its most active constituents, the cannabinoids, one thing will become quickly evident: cannabis has a profound influence on the human body. This one herb seems to affect every aspect of our bodies and minds. How is this possible?

At our integrative medical clinics in Maine and Massachusetts, my colleagues and I treat over 18,000 patients with a huge diversity of diseases and symptoms. In one day I might see cancer, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, insomnia, Tourette’s syndrome and eczema, just to name a few. All of these conditions have different causes, different physiologic states, and vastly different symptoms. The patients are old and young. Some are undergoing conventional therapy. Others are on a decidedly alternative path. Yet despite their differences, almost all of my patients would agree on one point: cannabis helps their condition.

How can one herb help so many different conditions? How can it provide both palliative and curative actions? How can it be so safe while offering such powerful effects? The search to answer these questions has led scientists to the discovery of a previously unknown physiologic system, a central component of the health and healing of every human and almost every animal: the The endogenous cannabinoid system, also known as the endocannabinoid system or ECS.

The ECS has three basic components: endocannabinoids, cannabinoid receptors, and hydrolytic enzymes that break down endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are molecules produced by cells that have activity similar to THC and the other phytocannabinoids (plant-derived cannabinoids). They are synthesized on the cell membrane from omega-6 fatty acid precursors. Both endo- and phytocannabinoids act on cannabinoid receptors, known as CB1 and CB2, found throughout the body. Stimulating the CB receptors leads to a variety of physiologic processes inside the cell. Finally, enzymes responsible for the breakdown and recycling of endocannabinoids, MAGL and FAAH, modulate the activity of the ECS.

Sea squirts, newts, rodents, and all vertebrate species share the endocannabinoid system as an essential part of life and adaptation to environmental changes. By comparing the genetics of cannabinoid receptors in different species, scientists estimate that the endocannabinoid system evolved in primitive animals over 600 million years ago, long before the cannabis plant evolved 34 million years ago.

The ECS is perhaps the most important physiologic system involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Endocannabinoids and their receptors are found throughout the body: in the brain, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. In each tissue, the cannabinoid system performs different tasks, but the goal is always the same: homeostasis, the maintenance of a stable internal environment despite fluctuations in the external environment. Cannabinoids promote homeostasis at every level of biological life, from the sub-cellular, to the organism, and perhaps to the community and beyond.

Endocannabinoids are found at the intersection of the body’s various systems, allowing communication and coordination between different cell types. At the site of an injury, for example, cannabinoids can be found decreasing the release of activators and sensitizers from the injured tissue, stabilizing the nerve cell to prevent excessive firing, and calming nearby immune cells to prevent release of pro-inflammatory substances. Three different mechanisms of action on three different cell types for a single purpose: minimize the pain and damage caused by the injury.

The endocannabinoid system, with its complex actions in our immune system, nervous system, and all of the body’s organs, is literally a bridge between body and mind. By understanding this system we begin to see a mechanism that explains how states of consciousness can promote health or disease.

In addition to regulating our internal and cellular homeostasis, cannabinoids can influence a person’s relationship with the external environment. Socially, the administration of cannabinoids (especially THC) can alter human behavior, often promoting sharing, humor, and creativity. By mediating neurogenesis (the growth of new brain cells), neuronal plasticity (forming new connections between brain cells), and learning, cannabinoids may directly influence a person’s open-mindedness and ability to move beyond limiting patterns of thought and behavior from past situations. Reformatting these old patterns is an essential part of health in our quickly changing environment.

As we continue to sort through the emerging science of cannabis and cannabinoids, one thing remains clear: a functional cannabinoid system is essential for health. From embryonic implantation on the wall of our mother’s uterus, to nursing and growth, to responding to injuries, endocannabinoids help us survive in a quickly changing and increasingly hostile environment. A body of evidence is now emerging that links endocannabinoid deficiency to a variety of diseases, including migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and even infant colic. As I realized this, I began to wonder: can an individual enhance his/her cannabinoid system by taking supplemental cannabis? Beyond treating symptoms, beyond even curing disease, can cannabis help us prevent disease and promote health by stimulating an ancient system that is hard-wired into all of us?

I now believe the answer is yes. Research has shown that small doses of cannabinoids from cannabis can signal the body to make more endocannabinoids and build more cannabinoid receptors. This may be why many first-time cannabis users don’t feel an effect, but by their second or third time using the herb they have increased cannabinoid sensitivity and are ready to respond. More receptors increase a person’s sensitivity to cannabinoids; smaller doses have larger effects, and the individual has an enhanced baseline of endocannabinoid activity. My clinical experience has lead me to believe that small, regular doses of cannabis might act as a tonic to our most central physiologic healing system.

 

[roots69]

Why Is CBD Illegal If It’s Non-Intoxicating?
EMILY EARLENBAUGH
August 8, 2018

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been getting a lot of press lately for being safe, non-intoxicating and helpful for treating a variety of medical issues. So why is it illegal and classified as a “Schedule 1” drug? Experts say the answer is simple: marijuana prohibition continues to create huge barriers to researching and producing this valuable cannabinoid.

What is CBD and How Did It Become Illegal?
CBD is one of the most plentiful cannabinoids in marijuana, second only to THC — the main, active ingredient in cannabis. Like THC, CBD has a wide range of medical benefits, helping with issues like epilepsy, depression, anxiety, pain, inflammation and addiction. Unlike THC, CBD has no intoxicating effects. CBD doesn’t get users ‘high’.

As CBD’s popularity has grown, so has the CBD market. Everyone from cannabis producers to hemp farmers are creating products to meet the demand. From tinctures like Charlotte’s Web, to high-end products like Dirty Lemon’s infused drinks, many hemp-based CBD products can be found online and in stores throughout the US.



But technically, many of these hemp-based CBD products are illegal, and bringing any of them across state lines still raises complicated legal questions. The government is cracking down on those bypassing these laws, in some cases, raiding stores and seizing products. Recent raids include Green Gorilla vape shop in Texas, and Peace of Mind stores in Missouri. Scott Micke, Peace of Mind co-owner, says the hemp-based CBD products seized from his store are carried by Wal-Mart and Target and he thought they were legal. “The laws are so worded and presented in ways that business owners like myself and even the lawmakers don’t know what is legal and not legal,” explains Micke.

Indeed, some lawyers say hemp-CBD’s legality is open to interpretation, and future court cases — or a DEA scheduling change — will add clarity.

The California Department of Public Health is certainly trying to make things clear. They recently put out a statement clarifying that industrial hemp is not allowed in California food products. Period.

So how did this beneficial and non-intoxicating medicine become illegal? “It’s kind of simple,” says Martin Lee of Project CBD “It’s marijuana prohibition — that’s why it’s illegal…and it’s built on a mountain of lies.”

Marijuana prohibition, started in the 1930’s and ramped up during the Nixon presidency, was pushed through by politicians to make it easier to arrest people of color and anti-war activists. These politicians told all kinds of lies about cannabis to make their case. John Ehrlichman, a top advisor to Nixon even admitted that criminalizing marijuana was a way of disrupting these communities, saying “Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

Misinformation from these anti-marijuana smear campaigns have lead to deep-seated fears and misunderstandings that continue to confuse the issue — both for cannabis in general and for CBD.


Mounting Evidence CBD Should Be Legal
CBD is Schedule 1, a classification for drugs with no medical use and high risk for abuse. Still, the evidence that CBD should be descheduled has been piling up. The World Health Organization’s recent report on CBD found it to be safe and without potential for abuse. And recently Epidiolex, GW pharmaceuticals’ CBD-based medicine for epilepsy, became FDA-approved.

FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb praised Epidiolex’s success in a press statement , saying that the FDA’s drug approval process was “the most appropriate way to bring these treatments to patients” and that “it’s a path that’s available to other product developers who want to bring forth marijuana-derived products.”



Passing these rigorous trials gives evidence that CBD has medical potential, and since the CBD medicine will soon be available to patients throughout the country, there is pressure on the DEA to reschedule CBD within the next 90 days. “We don’t have a choice on that,” commented DEA public affairs officer Barbara Carreno. “It absolutely has to become Schedule 2 or 3.”

Even NIDA has taken a pro-CBD stance, with Director Dr. Nora Volkowpledging that “NIDA will do what we can to … expedite the study of this potentially valuable compound, as well as other components of the marijuana plant.”

Reason Why People Think CBD Has Stayed Illegal

(OlegMalyshev/iStock)
With all this evidence and support behind CBD, why has it stayed illegal for so long?

“Ultimately it’s a matter of misconceptions still held by a lot of decision makers at the federal level,” explains Mason Tvert of the Marijuana Policy Project. “There’s a question of its source and whether it’s coming from plants that could be also producing other cannabinoids.”

Being sourced from cannabis is not an easy problem to overcome. The Controlled Substances Act has tight regulations on anything coming from cannabis, and while Epidiolex has made it through FDA testing, that isn’t an easy road. “It’s very, very expensive,” Martin Lee explains “and GW has been a pioneer in this regard…To get those two things to fit together — an herbal medicine and FDA approved clinical trials — it’s not an easy thing to do.”


In addition to the cost, regulatory barriers make it difficult for researchers to study the plant. Shawn Hauser, an attorney specializing in hemp and cannabis laws, says one big obstacle is regulations that only allow cannabis from one facility to be used in cannabis research. “The Obama administration attempted to address this issue by expanding the number of federally authorized cultivation facilities,” explains Hauser. “But Attorney General Sessions has continued to block the program and has not acted on any of the 26 applications received in the last few years.”

Still there is reason to hope. Hauser says there are substantial constitutional grounds for challenging theControlled Substances Act based on medical necessity. Between the pressure being put on the DEA to reschedule, and the cases being heard at the supreme court, we may see CBD descheduled in the near future.

 

[Mrfreddygoodbud]

Hey roots I don't know if u heard but they passes a law in nyc where they could no longer test

For THC.... For job interviews

 

[roots69]

Hey roots I don't know if u heard but they passes a law in nyc where they could no longer test

For THC.... For job interviews

Man, thats a good start.. I believe once NY and FLA come online with cannabis, that will be the end of the war on cannabis!! After that, we need to focus on ending the whole war on drugs and reforming the justice system.. Until that day comes, Im going to keep putting out info on the whole hemp/cannabis trade!! Bruh, Im not sure if kats on here are really into this movement or not..

 

[blackbull1970]

Good Info!!!!!!

I live in Nevada where Medical and Recreational Cannabis is fully legal.

 

[roots69]

SCIENCE & TECH
The Endocannabinoid System and CBD’s Role in Stress, Anxiety, and Fear Responses

This article is sponsored by PlusCBD Oil, a product line from CV Sciences (formerly CannaVest). CV Sciences is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of agricultural hemp-derived CBD bulk and finished products.



The biological mechanisms that control mood, anxiety, stress, fear, and other emotional behavior have been focused almost exclusively on the role of certain neurotransmitters called monoamines. While monoamines like dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine play an important role in controlling mood and anxiety, the vast majority of drug-based therapies that target those “monoaminergic” systems are limited in their efficacy.

More recently, research has begun to highlight other neurochemical systems, including cytokines, peptides, and bioactive lipids. By diving deeper into the science of bioactive lipids, we begin to unearth the potential role of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in stress and fear responses.



The Endocannabinoid System’s Role in the Human Body
The ECS has been described in our previous article as a complex physiologic network within the human body comprised of cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2). There are endogenous cannabinoid compounds such as anandamide and 2-AG, and their respective enzymes responsible for maintaining balance in the system by regulating the synthesis and breakdown of the active endocannabinoid compounds.

Not surprisingly, cannabinoid receptors and the biochemical machinery necessary to synthesize and generate cannabinoids are present within areas of the brain known to control emotional behavior, mood, stress, and fear. These structures include the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and periaqueductal gray (PAG) of the midbrain.



What Happens in the Brain When Cannabinoid Receptors are Activated?
Preclinical studies in mice have clearly shown that activation of cannabinoid receptors within the PAG via direct injection of anandamide reduces panic and anxiety behavior, or the “fight or flight” phenomenon. Other studies using a similar model in animals have shown decreased fear-avoidant and conditioned responses to pain or punishment.

However, before we jump the gun and feel like we have fear, anxiety, and stress responses all figured out, it’s not as simple as activating receptors through cannabinoid administration. Other animal studies utilizing systemic injections of Δ9-THC (not directly into the PAG of the midbrain) have demonstrated mixed responses, eliciting either anxiogenic (promoting increased levels of anxiety) or anxiolytic (decreasing levels of anxiety).

This bidirectional or paradoxical response appears to be dose-dependent, where lower doses seem to reduce stress, anxiety, and panic, while higher doses may promote increased feelings of stress, panic, and fear. These opposing effects are likely a result of the involvement of other neurotransmitter circuits within the brain that, when inhibited, actually create a hyper-excitable response of stress, anxiety, and fear.



Striking a Balance Within the Cannabinoid System
To illustrate what neuroscientists currently feel is happening, think of being in a car with the brake pedal and accelerator. When the cannabinoid system is functioning to decrease fear, stress, and panic, the foot is being taken off of the accelerator in the areas of PAG-midbrain centers.

On the other hand, when dosing is too high, or there is an imbalance in the endocannabinoid system, whereby CB1 receptors are being over-activated in lieu of CB2, that’s like taking the foot off the brake pedal, thereby removing inhibition that was normally in place and allowing the engine to rev higher—increased fear, anxiety, and stress from activation of other circuits in the brain that are normally applying the brake.

More recently, other preclinical research has demonstrated the important role of maintaining a healthy endocannabinoid system “tone” for improved stress resilience and reducing the residual post-traumatic anxiety, fear, and panic behaviors in mice that were chronically exposed to stress. Interestingly, the greater the exposure to stress, the greater the magnitude of the response to treatment (by improving the ECS and cannabinoid signaling).



Are Cannabinoid Compounds the “Gatekeepers” to Healthy Stress Levels?
One theory is that anadamide and 2-AG are acting as “gatekeepers” to keep the stress response and high emotional loads at bay and improving recovery to pre-stress levels once the stress burden is reduced to baseline. Moreover, there is evidence from preliminary human studies that disrupting endocannabinoid signaling and regulation has important impacts on the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis by increasing signs of anxiety and depression.

There is an emerging role in the interplay between the immune system and the neuro-endocrine system, such that the field of psychoneuroimmunology has exploded with new basic and preclinical research over the past 5 years. The crosstalk between the immune system, cytokine signaling, and the nervous system influencing behavior, anxiety, and mood has been proposed by numerous preclinical studies. A number of recent studies have demonstrated a role of CB2 receptors classically associated with the immune system in anxiety and depression-related behavior in animal models and human clinical studies.

In this context, it’s interesting to note that a balanced ECS appears to be pivotal to a healthy stress response and mitigating fear, anxiety, and panic that tend to accumulate with dysfunctional responses to stress.



CBD and Anxiety Reduction in Humans
A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial in 15 humans demonstrated that up to 600 mg of CBD (cannabidiol) reduced measured anxiety compared to increased levels with a 10 mg dose of Δ9-THC. CBD appears to activate other receptors outside CB2, including 5HT1A and TRPV1, both of which are involved in the anxiolytic and mitigating panic/fear responses to stress.

The totality of the best available scientific evidence points to the importance of balancing the tone of the endocannabinoid system for supporting a healthy stress response. This preclinical and emerging human clinical data support the use of a CBD-rich or CBD-overweighted extract of cannabis for modulating fear, anxiety, and a healthy stress response.



Addressing Your CBD Questions
If you have questions about CBD, send them to social@leafly.com or share them via Facebook or Twitter. Our goal is to spread awareness of and education about hemp-derived CBD products, so send us your questions and we’ll address them in future installments!

References:

Campos AC, Ferreira FR, Guimarães FS. Cannabidiol blocks long-lasting behavioral consequences of predator threat stress: possible involvement of 5HT1A receptors. J Psychiatr Res. 2012 Nov;46(11):1501-10.

Campos AC, Guimarães FS. Evidence for a potential role for TRPV1 receptors in the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray in the attenuation of the anxiolytic effects of cannabinoids. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2009 Nov 13;33(8):1517-21.

Fusar-Poli P, Crippa JA, Bhattacharyya S, et al. Distinct effects of {delta}9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol on neural activation during emotional processing. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Jan;66(1):95-105.

Hill MN, Patel S. Translational evidence for the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in stress-related psychiatric illnesses. Biol Mood Anxiety Disord. 2013 Oct 22;3(1):19.

Saito VM, Wotjak CT, Moreira FA. Pharmacological exploitation of the endocannabinoid system: new perspectives for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2010 May;32 Suppl 1:S7-14.

Witkin JM, Tzavara ET, Nomikos GG. A role for cannabinoid CB1 receptors in mood and anxiety disorders. Behav Pharmacol. 2005 Sep;16(5-6):315-31.

 

[roots69]

Government-Run Cancer Institute Quietly Acknowledges That Cannabis Kills Cancer Cells

The National Cancer Institute is an organization mandated by U.S. law to educate Americans about cancer and the latest research efforts. According to its website, NCI is touted as “the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research.” And recently, it quietly admitted that cancer cells have been killed by cannabis in a lab setting.



NCI’s website has a section that provides a basic overview of what cannabis is and how cannabinoids affect the human body. Included in this section is a surprising bullet point:

“Cannabis has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory (see Question 6).”

“Question 6” refers to whether any preclinical studies have been conducted using either cannabis or cannabinoids. The website references studies conducted on mice and rats that allude to cannabinoids inhibiting tumor growth by causing cells to die, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels tumors rely on for growth. It also linked to additional studies which are summarized below:

• Cannabinoids can potentially reduce the risk of colon cancer due to its anti-inflammatory effects on the colon;
• Delta-9-THC was found to damage or kill liver cancer cells;
• Delta-9-THC had anti-tumor effects;
• CBD caused breast cancer cell death while having little effect on normal/healthy breast cells;
• CBD, when used with chemotherapy, may help make chemotherapy more effective and increase cancer cell death without adversely impacting normal/healthy cells.

Furthermore, NCI acknowledged that cannabis can help with the following:

• Stimulating appetite
• Pain relief
• Relieving nausea/vomiting
• Treating anxiety
• Improving sleep quality

Despite all of this promising research, NCI clarified that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved cannabis for use in treating cancer, and only two cannabinoids (dronabinol and nabilone) are approved for treating nausea and vomiting as a result of chemotherapy treatment.

How can the U.S. government keep cannabis federally illegal, throw nonviolent drug offenders in jail, and instruct the DEA to raid cannabis businesses while at the same time acknowledging through its own cancer institute that cannabis may possess cancer-killing properties? We have a potentially powerful cancer-fighting agent at our fingertips — shouldn’t we allow for more cannabis research in an effort to save as many people from this devastating disease as possible?

 

[roots69]

Which Cannabis Strains Are High in CBD?

CBD cannabis strains are hitting the market so fast, it’s impossible to keep track of them all. The list below will familiarize you with the most common CBD varieties, but keep in mind that your dispensary probably stocks many others. If these popular strains aren’t in stock or you’d like to try something new, ask your budtender to point out other standout CBD strains and products.

What is CBD, you might ask? CBD stands for cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating cannabis constituent with a variety of studied benefits such as:

• Pain relief
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-epileptic
• Anti-anxiety

A strain can be high in THC, CBD, or a combination of the two. Both compounds have unique medicinal properties, some of which are amplified when both compounds are present (e.g. pain management). High-CBD or mixed strains tend to be the best choices for consumers prone to anxiety. But ultimately, you’ll be the one to decide which strain works best for you.

Note that these strains tend to express consistent THC:CBD profiles, but you may encounter variations (e.g. ACDC may be found with little to no THC, or exhibit a balanced THC:CBD ratio). Always check each product’s tested cannabinoid profile to be certain of its THC and CBD levels.

To see if one of the below CBD strains is available nearby, click the strain tile and scroll down to its Finder map.

Common High-CBD/Low-THC Strains
Popular Uses: Epilepsy, severe anxiety, inflammation, fatigue



Common Mixed THC/CBD Strains
Popular Uses: Pain, mild anxiety, insomnia, inflammation



You can search Leafly’s strain database for more CBD strains, or contact your local dispensary to explore more options near you.

 

[roots69]

5 Promising Cannabis Studies That Explore How Cannabinoids Interact With the Human Body

This article is sponsored by PlusCBD Oil, a product line from CV Sciences (formerly CannaVest). CV Sciences is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of agricultural hemp-derived CBD bulk and finished products.

International Cannabinoid Research Society’s (or ICRS) recent 25th annual symposium proved to be a great place to share ideas and learn from a wide variety of highly accomplished scientists in the area of cannabinoid research. The 4-day conference was highly diverse, covering everything from novel chemical cannabinoid entities, to quality control methods for cannabis, to non-THC cannabinoids such as CBD (cannabidiol) and CBG (cannabigerol).

Here are the 5 most promising studies that were highlighted. Remember, as with any scientific conference, it’s important to enter with an open mind to accept new ideas or to extend your understanding of previously held beliefs after critical evaluation. As the American writer Alvin Tofler once said:

“The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those that cannot read or write, but those that cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.”



1. Your Endocannabinoid System Could Impact Your Metabolic Health

Dr. George Kunos’ research group out of the NIH/ Section of Neuroendocrinology presented some of their findings on a dual-target CB1r (cannabinoid type 1 receptor) antagonist that was also capable of affecting other receptors involved in liver fibrosis and inflammation. Liver dysfunction often stems from an interplay between alcoholic liver disease, viral infection, and type 2 diabetes/obesity/metabolic syndrome (fatty liver). The research group synthesized a bevy of compounds that essentially perform functional benefits concerning fat loss, improved blood sugar metabolism, and fatty liver, with far less penetration into the brain tissues. These compounds inhibit the action of CB1 receptors strictly in the periphery (liver, fat, muscle), while sparing adverse effects on brain/behavior.

While still in early stage development, the compounds offer hope and open the door to possibilities that naturally occurring compounds may be capable of influencing the endocannabinoid system to improve obesity, metabolic syndrome, abdominal/visceral fat, and carbohydrate intolerance. In other words, we may be able to restore some of that seemingly unstoppable metabolism of our youth that allowed us to eat more liberally while staying “lean and svelte.”



2. Different Cannabis Compounds May Affect CB1 Receptors Differently

D. Lu, HI Ali, et al. from Texas A&M and UConn discussed a new technique of studying and characterizing compounds within cannabis (and beyond) that may affect the CB1 receptor differently than THC. THC is known as an orthosteric agonist or ligand of CB1, meaning THC is the “key” that fits squarely into the CB1 receptor site, or “lock.” However, allosteric ligands are compounds that can bind to the receptor at an alternate site, or locations away from the main “keyhole” to affect the intensity, duration, or character of the biological effect downstream of that receptor.

In other words, using these allosteric sites of receptors instead of orthosteric (traditional docking sites) allow for more nuanced responses that emphasize some effects (e.g., anti-inflammatory, anti-pain, etc.), while avoiding other adverse, side effects (e.g., psychoactivity, anxiety, paranoia, etc.).



3. CBD May Have Anti-Psychotic Properties

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, confusion, and disorganized thinking. Common pharmaceutical treatment for schizophrenia involves the use of drugs that target dopamine receptors. While THC is the major cannabinoid responsible for some of the adverse effects of marijuana-induced anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations, CBD has emerged as having good therapeutic potential in these areas. J. Renard, J. Loureiro, et al from the University of Western Ontario presented novel findings that further support the anti-psychotic properties of CBD, including some of the underlying, molecular signaling mechanisms within specific parts of the brain.



4. CBD Could Also Prove Beneficial for Various Neurodegenerative Disorders

C.E. Herron et al. from University College of Dublin, Ireland explored CBD, the non-intoxicating constituent of cannabis, as a potential therapeutic agent for a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’sdementia. CBD exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects on the toxic beta-amyloid plaques and tau proteins cultured brain cells. This new data was carried over into an animal model, showing that CBD pre-treatment was able to protect and restore the long-term potentiation deficits (LTP) critical to memory function within the hippocampus of the brain. These positive effects were observed despite no change in tau protein or beta-amyloid oligomerization.



5. CBG May Minimize Muscle Loss from Various Diseases

D.I. Brierley et al. from University of Reading, Berkshire, UK presented interesting data on how CBG (cannabigerol) was able to mitigate the muscle wasting typical of cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome that occurs with up to 80% of advanced cancer patients. This co-morbidity not only diminishes quality of life and treatment response, but also increases mortality.

A considerable body of evidence has emerged showing both cancer and chemotherapy induces progressive muscle loss via systemic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy itself. This recent data showed that CBG oral administration in rats treated with cisplatin chemotherapy not only increased feeding behavior, but also partially reversed the bodyweight and muscle mass loss caused by the cisplatin. The ever-important type IIA and IIx muscle fibers (known to be the ones most responsive to loaded exercise that have both high force capacity, growth potential, and fatigue resistance) appeared to be relatively spared in the CBG treatment group.

Further work is necessary to dive into the underlying mechanisms of this protective effect. It could be affecting the pathways that control muscle protein synthesis/anabolism, or protein breakdown/catabolism…or both!

 

[roots69]

Can Cannabinoids Positively Impact Your Body’s Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal Health?

This article is sponsored by PlusCBD Oil, a product line from CV Sciences (formerly CannaVest). CV Sciences is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of agricultural hemp-derived CBD bulk and finished products.

Musculoskeletal symptoms and orthopedic conditions are the second-most common reason for physician visits in the United States at a staggering annual cost of close to $1 trillion. Finding safe, cost-effective therapeutic options is quickly becoming a top priority for those concerned about health and productivity, from practitioners and patients to government institutions.

Cannabinoid compounds and the endocannabinoid system (ECS) have been making waves for optimizing health and restoring balance related to mood, anxiety, sleep, pain management, neuroprotection, and even metabolic health. However, there is emerging science paving the way for the application of cannabinoids such as CBD (cannabidiol) in the world of orthopedic joint, tendon, bone, and connective tissue health.



We’re Not Quite at Adamantium Levels of Bone Strength, But We’re Getting There

A recent study published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal earlier this year by Kogan et al. demonstrated for the first time that phytocannabinoids can help to regulate the biomechanical properties and structure of bone. Interestingly, it had previously been shown that a number of endocannabinoids (produced within the body) acted as ligands, or hormone-like compounds (“keys”), for important receptors (“locks”) that control how the bone repairs and remodels its mineral and protein content.

In this study by Kogan, CBD led to improvements in healing of a rat femoral fracture model and demonstrated increased load-bearing mechanical properties. In other words, the rat leg fractures of the CBD-supplemented group healed faster and more completely with a stronger callus at the injury site than the control group that received non-cannabis treatment.



What Happens When Your Body’s Inflammatory Response is Unregulated?

The inflammatory response is known to be critical for healthy tissue integrity of the joints, tendons, ligaments, and bones. However, if left uncontrolled or unregulated, the chronic inflammatory response can keep injuries in the initial aggressive stage to clear out damaged tissues in a vicious, constant cycle. If the immune system can’t appropriately progress to the stages of resolution, tissue regeneration, remodeling, and healing, the patient can feel like he or she is on a continuous hamster wheel of pain, heat, swelling, and dysfunction.

Numerous preclinical studies have demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory effects via activation of cannabinoid receptors (CB1, CB2, PPARs, GP18, and TRPV1) by both endocannabinoids as well as phytocannabinoids such as CBD. Recently, activation of these receptors has been linked to a powerful family of lipids known as specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs). These are the body’s natural “shut-off” system for inflammation that signals a major shift in the behavior and type of white blood cells to calm down and begin repairing and remodeling the injured site. That site may vary from an area of infection to any joint, tendon, connective tissue, or orthopedic injury that needs to be restored and fully healed.

We expect to see an increase of new clinical research developing in the area of applying cannabinoid science to orthopedics and musculoskeletal health in the near future. Not only can this type of therapy be more cost-effective for both patients and practitioners, it showcases the diversity of benefits cannabinoids can pose on the human body.

References:

Kogan NM, Melamed E, Wasserman E, et al. Cannabidiol, a Major Non-Psychotropic Cannabis Constituent Enhances Fracture Healing and Stimulates Lysyl Hydroxylase Activity in Osteoblasts. J Bone Miner Res. 2015 Mar 19.

Burstein SH. The cannabinoid acids, analogs and endogenous counterparts. Bioorg Med Chem. 2014 May 15;22(10):2830-43.

O’Sullivan Saoirse Elizabeth. Cannabinoid activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors: an update and review of the physiological relevance. WIREs Membr Transp Signal 2013, 2: 17-25.

Gui H, Tong Q, Qu W, Mao CM, Dai SM. The endocannabinoid system and its therapeutic implications in rheumatoid arthritis. Int Immunopharmacol. 2015 May;26(1):86-91.

 

[roots69]

What Does Healing Mean to You, and How Can CBD Help?

This article is sponsored by IrieCBD, an online retailer of premium organic CBD products including vapes, tinctures, skin care, honey sticks and the finest chocolates.

What does healing mean to you? Like a zen koan, it’s a question that can unfold and inform. Regardless of one’s individual answer, there’s power in saying “yes” to healing. Opening ourselves to the possibility can bring adjustments that pave the way for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

When considering the meaning of healing, it’s important to distinguish between healing and a cure. To cure is to make something go away; healing is an expression of greater wholeness. Whether a health challenge, a behavioral change, or a growth point in a relationship, there is always an internal and an external aspect of healing. When we get the internal attitude and the external support right, power to heal is released.

Healing is often about discovering what is holding us back in the first place. We all get in our own way at times; whether it’s constantly staying tied to work via cell phone or sacrificing sleep in favor of getting more done, it’s easy to be resistant and persistent in patterns that aren’t serving us. The internal component of healing is often an allowing, a relaxing, and a willingness to see things differently. The external component can entail many things, one of which is plant medicine.

Plant Medicine and Integrated Healing



If we take into account the amount of stress that most of us are under in a normal day, as well as the lack of good nutrition in the average diet, it’s no wonder that we are experiencing unprecedented levels of diabetes, obesity, autism, anxiety, cancer, autoimmune conditions, and other expressions of imbalance. Medicinal plants could play a much larger role in most people’s lives by helping them maintain a balanced, healthy state.

Plant medicine works through the introduction of nutrients that bind with many sites in the body. These nutrients support proper biochemical processes, many of which increase physical, mental, and emotional resiliency. Plants differ from pharmaceuticals in that they are supportive and therapeutic without being dictatorial. They don’t force a particular function on the body; instead, they offer support in ways that allow greater adaptability and capacity for homeostasis. The body can often use the same medicinal plant to address either a hyper or a hypo state of imbalance, frequently making these plants more effective agents for healing than pharmaceuticals. The same is true of the potential of medicinal plants in helping the body maintain an existing state of wellness.

Of all medicinal plants, cannabis is recognized as one of the most important. It is unique because it is the only plant to contain significant amounts of different cannabinoids. Many doctors and nutritionists claim that cannabinoids should be listed as essential nutrients: whereas deficiencies of certain vitamins can beget specific conditions (vitamin C and scurvy, vitamin D and rickets), a diet low in cannabinoids leaves a person more susceptible to imbalances. Cannabinoids are a big deal.

The Role of Cannabinoids in Maintaining Health



Most people reading this article are familiar with the role cannabinoids play in supporting the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a modulating system that resets the nervous system and helps to protect it from a host of stressors. It also balances the immune system and increases cell-to-cell communication. Cannabis is the closest thing to a panacea of all the plants available: it lowers blood sugar levels, reduces muscle spasms, relieves anxiety, is used to manage psychosis, and features anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. We are still in the infancy of reaching our full potential with this plant.

Products like Irie’s aim to capture the unique healing properties of cannabis with extracts high in one of its primary cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD). In each extract blend, CBD delivers a wide range of benefits of its own, which can figure into maintaining an existing state of wellness as well as addressing a state of imbalance. To augment these benefits, other medicinal plant extracts are added to create specialized blends like Irie’s CBD Calm, CBD Stress Support, CBD Lifeline, and CBD Flex. Each one is meant to accentuate a particular healing quality of CBD.

For example, CBD Calm includes the essential oils of lavender and peppermint, which potentiate and magnify the calming effects of CBD to help soothe the nervous system. CBD Stress Support adds extracts of four adaptogenic herbs: maca, mucuna, ashwaganda, and holy basil, which together are meant to help balance hormones, blood sugar levels, energy levels, and the stress response itself. CBD Lifeline, designed to address more serious health issues, includes frankincense, ginger, and sandalwood – powerful oils chosen based on their long history of helping people with medical conditions. CBD Flex incorporates Celadrin, whose esterified fatty acids create a sort of “fish oil on steroids” intended not only to relieve pain but to address joint healing directly. The same process of blending CBD with complementary medicinal plant extracts and herbs is used in the creation of specialty chocolates, honey sticks, and coconut sticks in Irie’s product line.

True healing often starts with a shift in how one relates to oneself – a willingness to pinpoint where our issues are stemming from, and to address them at their source. This shift is not always easy. CBD products like Irie’s are meant to help provide support at the most fundamental level, when our normal way of operating is not getting it. They are, in a sense, a “yes” to healing.

To explore Irie’s complete product line, visit www.iriecbd.com.

 

[Jumbodicc]

Loads of information in this thread. Much appreciated

 

[roots69]

‘Should I Be Vaping CBD?’: Why Vaporization Works Better Than Ingestion

This article is sponsored by CV Sciences, Inc. CV Sciences is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of agricultural hemp-derived CBD bulk and finished products, namely their PlusCBD Oil and Purified Liquids brands.



“There’s more than one way to skin a cat” is a weirdly morbid saying, but the phrase’s core concept rings true – there are a lot of ways to accomplish the same task. This has never been more true for cannabidiol (CBD). With the rising demand for CBD products, there are a plethora of different ways to get your daily dose. They range from sublingual sprays, to vaping CBD oils, to smoking good old-fashioned joints. Yet most people don’t know that the way in which you ingest CBD can drastically alter its effective dosage.

CBD’s Bioavailability: Understanding Its Variations

In general, not all of the CBD you consume will directly affect your body: only a certain percentage will be able to enter your systemic circulation and produce its active effects. This percentage is referred to in science as “bioavailability,” and it strongly depends on the manner in which CBD is introduced to your system. For example, the oral bioavailability of CBD is roughly 15 percent. That means for every 100 milligrams of CBD that you eat, only 15 milligrams will actually reach your bloodstream.

There are two main reasons why this happens. First, CBD is hydrophobic, meaning that it is not very water-soluble. In the same way that oil does not like to mix with vinegar, CBD does not like to stay in your bloodstream. Instead, it rapidly diffuses out of your blood and accumulates into your fatty tissues. Unfortunately, this significantly reduces the amount of bioactive CBD that can enter your systemic circulation, allowing for less CBD to be carried to its active sites in your body and thus lowering its overall bioavailability.

Second, when an organic compound like CBD enters your gut, it has to pass through the liver before it enters your circulation. During this transition, the liver will actively reduce the amount of CBD, either through absorption or through chemical breakdown by liver enzymes. This phenomenon is called the “first-pass effect,” where passing through the liver reduces the concentration of bioactive compounds.

Maximizing CBD’s Effects: How to Offset CBD Loss by Vaporizing

There are a few different ways to offset these losses of CBD. For one, you can reduce the amount of CBD that dissolves out of your bloodstream by putting the CBD into a form that is more hydrophilic, or water-soluble. However, this can only be achieved by complicated chemical means, such as through the use of cyclodextrins or liposomes. A more practical solution is to bypass the first-pass effect of oral administration entirely by utilizing vaporization.

During vaporization, CBD enters your lungs and diffuses directly into your bloodstream rather than passing through your gut and liver. This avoids the first-pass effect altogether, allowing nearly four times as much CBD to enter your circulation for a maximum bioavailability of roughly 50 to 60 percent. Essentially, this means you can achieve the same beneficial effects with a much smaller amount of CBD.





Not only that, but vaping will greatly decrease the amount of time it takes for the CBD in your body to become active, since you don’t have to wait for it to travel through your gut. By vaporizing a CBD e-liquid or high-CBDconcentrate, you could potentially feel its effects 30 to 60 minutes faster. This makes vaping CBD an extremely efficient delivery method.

Of course, if you’re leaning towards embracing the vape life, make sure you’ve done your research on the concentrate you intend to consume. Without sufficient regulatory oversight in the emerging vape and cannabis industries, few companies have been able to produce a clear and homogenous CBD solution, so the milligram amount in CBD products is often inconsistent with the amount claimed on the label. Be sure to ask for both in-house and third-party test results from your chosen source to ensure you’re getting a quality product!





Andrew Pham currently serves as the Lead Scientist at CV Sciences, Inc. He was formerly the Lead Scientist at SC Laboratories, a prominent third-party analytical testing lab. He is also an executive member of the Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision (CANN) of the American Chemical Society.

 

[HotNixon36]

I heard farmers in NC can make 60K an acre, growing it.

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Thanks for the info!

 

[roots69]

Good Info!!!!!!

I live in Nevada where Medical and Recreational Cannabis is fully legal.

Damn, Im jealous!! Im 7hrs for COLO, so Im close but not close enuf..

 

[roots69]

Cannabis and Its Impact on High Blood Pressure

This article is presented by Made By Hemp, a Michigan-based CBD retailer dedicated to providing customers with high quality hemp-based products to improve their wellness and quality of life.



Given the increasing prevalence of hypertension at a time when states are liberalizing cannabis laws, people want to know: what are the effects of cannabis on blood pressure? Does it lower blood pressure? The answers largely depend on who you ask or what study you read.

One in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, a condition known as hypertension. Left unmanaged, it can lead to cardiovascular disease, which is characterized by an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and even heart failure. A number of factors, including poor diet, stress, physical inactivity, alcohol, and tobacco use increase the risk of developing hypertension.

Some of the effects of cannabis on blood pressure, particularly the acute effects, are well understood and documented. However, research studies describing other effects, especially long-term adverse or positive effects, are limited, and often plagued by poor study design or the fact that findings from animal studies don’t always neatly transfer to human subjects.






Further, many research findings are highly generalized, focusing on THC while neglecting consideration of the numerous other cannabinoids. Logically, a cannabis strain high in the psychoactive cannabinoid THC would yield different results from a strain high in the largely non-intoxicating cannabinoid CBD.

Perhaps most frustrating, published studies investigating differences between consumption methods – such as the effects of smoking cannabis versus ingested edibles – are essentially nonexistent.

With these limitations in mind, here is what we do know.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Effects of Cannabis Consumption

Does cannabis raise blood pressure? Studies suggest shortly after consumption, occasional users will experience a mild to moderate dose-dependent increase in blood pressure and heart rate, followed by a modest hypotensive effect (a decrease in blood pressure). The onset of peak effects like elevated heart rate and blood pressure occur within 10 to 15 minutes after consumption.

Users can develop a tolerance to the initial effects over a period of a few days to weeks, and repeated use has been associated with lowered heart rate and blood pressure immediately following consumption. Anecdotally, many people report that cannabis helps them maintain healthy blood pressure levels, an effect supported by research studies.





Here’s an interesting piece of “non-trivial trivia” you can use to impress friends at your next cannabis-inspired intellectual discussion: posture during consumption may influence blood pressure. Suppose you’re sitting or lying on your couch – your blood pressure will temporarily increase immediately following consumption. Once you stand up, blood pressure will drop. In fact, if you stand up suddenly, blood pressure could drop significantly enough to induce enough lightheadedness to make you feel like you’re about to faint (don’t worry, it’s unlikely you’d actually pass out).

On the other hand, if you’re standing up when you imbibe, blood pressure may decrease without ever initially increasing. However, there isn’t a lot of published data verifying this effect. (If you’ve done your own comparative measurements, feel free to share in the comments section below!)

Cannabis and Stroke or Heart Attack

As far as serious adverse risks, a UC San Francisco longitudinal Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study analyzing data from 3,617 African American and Caucasian adults over a 15 year period found there was no long-term causal link between cannabis consumption and the risk of heart attack or stroke.

However, there are a limited number of animal studies and human case reports that suggest a link between acute intoxication and stroke or heart attack. But, these findings have been called into question by a 2006 reportpublished in the Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology Journal: “Despite the drug’s extreme popularity, reports of cannabis-related stroke and myocardial infarction are so rare as to still be reportable.”





Further, human case reports often don’t take into account that in these rare events, people may have consumed cannabis in conjunction with alcohol, tobacco, or stimulants contemporaneously or shortly before the incident.

Nonetheless, a Harvard Medical School study concluded that for an hour after consuming cannabis (especially in at-risk populations; e.g. seniors), the odds of suffering a heart attack increases by five times. Risk returns to normal within two hours. Notably, sex carries a comparable risk increase. This begs the question: does combining cannabis and sex exponentially increase one’s chances of a heart attack? We’re eagerly awaiting a follow-up study from Harvard to answer this question.

Is There a Link Between Cannabis and Hypertension Treatment?

It’s long been established that the body’s endocannabinoid system (whose naturally occurring chemicals behave similarly to cannabinoids found in cannabis) play an important role in regulating many of the body’s key physiological functions, including cardiovascular function.

A growing body of research shows that anandamide – the body’s naturally occurring version of THC – relaxes blood vessels, the implication being that by allowing blood to flow more freely, anandamide helps lower blood pressure.

Notably, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism published a report concluding “endocannabinoids tonically suppress cardiac contractility in hypertension,” and that “targeting the endocannabinoid system offers novel therapeutic strategies in the treatment of hypertension.”





The degree to which the endocannabinoid system plays a role in regulating blood pressure has long inspired researchers to examine if we could treat hypertension by manipulating the endocannabinoid system.

However, we’re not there yet. Remarkably, despite the fact that cannabinoids have been studied for their potential as antihypertensive agents since the 1970s, no cannabinoid-based medications have been officially approved to treat hypertension. Moreover, despite an ever-growing body of anecdotal evidence and numerous studies suggesting the regular use of cannabis does appear to produce long-term lower blood pressure levels, we lack the sort of rigorous human studies that would allow physicians to confidently say, “Use cannabis to treat your hypertension!”





As we continue to develop a better understanding of the cannabinoid receptor system’s role in cardiovascular regulation, we’ll soon be able to more confidently identify the therapeutic role for cannabinoids in blood pressure control.

 

[roots69]

The 10 Best CBD Cannabis Strains According to Leafly Users

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is the second most common cannabinoid found in cannabis. Unlike its psychoactive sister, THC (or tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD plays it cool, offering relaxing, non-intoxicating effects that lend themselves to a variety of personal and medicinal uses. Because CBD lacks the stoney side effects typical of high-THC strains, it’s a great choice for patients needing to keep a clear head while treating pain, nausea, headaches, stress, anxiety, muscle spasms, epilepsy, and more.

But with so many high-CBD strains hitting the market today, it can be difficult to choose one. These high-CBD strains are the most popular and easy-to-find based on Leafly user-submitted reviews. Just click the strain tile to check if a strain is available near you!

Harlequin

Harlequin is one of the most popular CBD strains available. Typically testing around the 5:2 CBD/THC ratio, it exhibits a sativa-dominant alertness with only mild euphoria. Harlequin has a happy bent that most will find enhances whatever activity they are engaged in.

Find Harlequin Nearby
Ringo’s Gift


Ringo’s Gift—named for activist, CBD specialist, and founder of SoHum Seeds, Lawrence Ringo—is a hybrid cross of Harle-Tsu and ACDC. It keeps on giving to patients seeking a nearly full-on CBD-driven strain, with an average ratio of 24:1 CBD/THC.

Find Ringo’s Gift Nearby
Sweet and Sour Widow


Sweet and Sour Widow lands in the middle ground with a 1:1 CBD/THC ratio. This even split offers first-time cannabis consumers an enjoyable entry point to both THC and CBD without sending them into orbit. It also makes for good medicine while being slightly euphoric and stoney.

Find Sweet and Sour Widow Nearby
Stephen Hawking Kush


Stephen Hawking Kush offers mild, relaxing effects while doling out a healthy dose of CBD, too. This indica-dominant strain is one of the more unique CBD cuts out there, offering both heady and soothing effects.

Find Stephen Hawking Kush Nearby
ACDC


ACDC is easily my favorite CBD strain. The cannabinoid content is usually heavily CBD-dominant, sitting on average at 20:1 in its CBD/THC ratio. An imperceptible amount of THC makes ACDC an outstanding companion for daily medicinal cannabis consumers seeking to relieve tension, pain, or anxiety.

Find ACDC Nearby
Cannatonic


Cannatonic isn’t nearly as sedative as the name implies. This strain usually brings a smaller CBD/THC split, ranging from 5:1 down to 1:1. This even-keeled cannabinoid profile gives consumers a great deal of flexibility to use Cannatonic as medicine or as an enjoyable, mild mannered strain to unwind with.

Find Cannatonic Nearby
Harle-Tsu


Harle-Tsu, one of a few lovingly handcrafted strains created by the late Lawrence Ringo, is an outstandingly functional CBD cut. By combining Harlequin and Sour Tsunami, Harle-Tsu achieves a pleasant disposition without encumbering the consumer with strong sedation.

Find Harle-Tsu Nearby
Canna-Tsu

Canna-Tsu is a more balanced CBD/THC strain that offers a unique bouquet of smells. With aromas of citrus and sweet earth, Canna-Tsu gives the CBD enthusiast a complex palate of flavor and terpenes to enjoy.

Find Canna-Tsu Nearby
Sour Tsunami


Created by the larger-than-life grower and activist Lawrence Ringo, Sour Tsunami was brought into being by combining Sour Diesel and NYC Diesel. This unlikely pair of stimulating plants bred the high-CBD phenotype that has since redefined the medicinal qualities of cannabis.

Find Sour Tsunami Nearby
Pennywise


Pennywise certainly has the scariest of all the names that made this list, or at least it does for those familiar with the Stephen King book responsible for its namesake. But fear not, Pennywise truly gets its name from its genetic cross of Harlequin and Jack the Ripper. It synthesizes Jack the Ripper’s mental clarity and an even 1:1 CBD/THC to make a strain that is functional and enjoyable at almost any dose.

 

[Dannyblueyes]

I'm all for legalization, but I'm wondering if there's something sinister about it.

when the ancient Americans smoked tobacco you never heard anything about lung cancer or addiction. Now tobacco is the most addictive and dangerous drug in the world.

When the Tudors enslaved people and sugar plantations there was no addiction or disease associated with that either. Now type 2 diabetes and obesity kills more than tobacco does.

In the 1940s amphetamine was supposed to be a wonder drug. It was a non addictive cute all for asthma, narcolepsy, depression, dieting, lethargy, and a host of other problems. now we are in the wave of a crystal meth epidemic.

In The last 5 years marijuana has gone from being the devil's weed to being a non addictive pancia that cures everything from cancer to blindness. CBD is even being added into everything from sports drinks to chocolate.

We are on the verge of national legalization, something I have fought for almost half my life. Now that it's here I fear that we are going to repeat the same history we did with all these other substances. If these THC and CBD laced "cures" are just a modern version of heroin cough syrup the druggist would sell a hundred years ago.

 

[roots69]

CBD vs. THC: Why Is CBD Non-Intoxicating?

Why is THC intoxicating and CBD is not? How can one cannabinoid alter the mind so profoundly, and the other seemingly not at all?

When we’re talking about cannabis and euphoria, we’re dealing exclusively with CB1 receptors, which are concentrated in the brain and the central nervous system. The difference between CBD vs. THC comes down to a basic difference in how each one interacts with the cannabinoid 1 (CB1) receptor. THC binds well with CB1 cannabinoid receptors. CBD has low binding affinity for CB1 receptors. That’s where the two diverge.

Think of it like an electrical plug connecting to a wall socket. A THC molecule is perfectly shaped to connect with CB1 receptors. When that connection happens, THC activates, or stimulates, those CB1 receptors. Researchers call THC a CB1 receptor agonist, which means THC works to activate those CB1 receptors.

THC partially mimics a naturally produced neurotransmitter known as anandamide, aka “the bliss molecule.” Anandamide is an endocannabinoid which activates CB1 receptors. Animal studies have taught us that anandamide can increase appetite and enhance pleasure associated with food consumption, and it’s likely responsible for some of the rewarding effects of exercise (e.g. the “runner’s high”). Anandamide also plays a role in memory, motivation, and pain. THC is a “key” that so closely resembles anandamide that it activates CB1 receptors, allowing it to produce some of those same blissful feelings.

CBD, by contrast, is not a good fit with CB1 receptors. It’s categorized as an antagonist of CB1 agonists. This means that it doesn’t act directly to activate or suppress CB1 receptors—rather, it acts to suppress the CB1-activating qualities of a cannabinoid like THC. In other words, when you ingest THC and CBD, the THC directly stimulates those CB1 receptors, while the CBD acts as a kind of modulating influence on the THC. As Project CBD co-founder Martin Lee once wrote: “CBD opposes the action of THC at the CB1 receptor, thereby muting the psychoactive effects of THC.”

Left: THC directly stimulates the CB1 receptor. This interaction underlies the major psychoactive effects of Cannabis consumption. Right: CBD reduces, or “antagonizes,” THC’s ability to stimulate CB1 receptors. This can decrease some of THC’s effects, especially negative effects like anxiety and short-term memory impairment.
How does that work in real life? Let’s say you vaporize cannabis flower with 24 percent THC. If that flower has 0.2 percent CBD, the THC is going to excite your CB1 receptors with almost no interference from CBD. You may feel extremely high, and you might also experience some of the less desirable effects of THC, such as a heightened feeling of paranoia. If you consume cannabis with 24 percent THC and 6 percent CBD, though, the CBD should have a dampening effect on the THC. You’ll still feel high, but perhaps not stupefyingly so—and the CBD should help keep the paranoia in check.

This difference has had profound political implications. As the founders of Project CBD have noted, some have mistakenly labeled THC the “bad cannabinoid” and CBD the “good cannabinoid.” Legislators have passed many “CBD-only” laws in Southern states in an effort to allow patients access to this potent cannabinoid while prohibiting its euphoric sibling. But the pioneering cannabis researcher Raphael Mechoulam has often spoken of the “entourage effect,” the idea that cannabinoids and terpenes may work better together than in isolation. The GW Pharma product Sativex, for example, is a drug approved outside the U.S. for treatment of MS-related muscle spasticity. Sativex contains with a nearly 1:1 CBD-to-THC ratio.

As researchers learn more about CBD and the role of other cannabinoids and compounds in the treatment of conditions like MS, we may be able to more accurately dose CBD in combination with other cannabis-derived compounds.



References
Fuss J, Steinle J, Bindila L, et al. A runner’s high depends on cannabinoid receptors in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2015;112(42):13105-8. PDF
Mahler SV, Smith KS, Berridge KC. Endocannabinoid hedonic hotspot for sensory pleasure: anandamide in nucleus accumbens shell enhances ‘liking’ of a sweet reward. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2007;32(11):2267-78. PDF
Englund A, Morrison PD, Nottage J, et al. Cannabidiol inhibits THC-elicited paranoid symptoms and hippocampal-dependent memory impairment. J Psychopharmacol (Oxford). 2013;27(1):19-27. PDF

 

[roots69]

CBD Tincture for Beginners

This article is brought to you by Populum, a leading provider of CBD tinctures and topicals made from US grown hemp. You can try Populum’s full-spectrum CBD products risk-free for 30 days.

As cannabis–based therapeutic products become more widely available and accepted, it’s natural to have questions. After all, a lot of the treatments on the market today weren’t around just a couple of years ago. While cannabinoids like CBD show a lot of promise in treating a host of conditions, it can be hard to know how to introduce them into an existing healthcare routine. Today, we explore the role CBD tinctures can play in your well-being.

What Is CBD?
Cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD, is one of the many identified cannabinoid molecules found in Cannabis plants. Like all cannabinoid molecules, it interacts with the endocannabinoid system in the human body. But because CBD isn’t psychoactive, it doesn’t produce the “high” commonly associated with its more famous cannabinoid cousin, THC. That means that CBD, which is often derived from hemp, or male cannabis plants, doesn’t produce the high that cannabis products are often associated with.

A field of non-psychoactive, industrial hemp, the male variety of the cannabis plant. (torstengrieger/iStock)
Instead, CBD possesses a wide variety of medical applications. While research is ongoing, studies have already demonstrated that CBD is an effective treatment for epilepsy. But this cannabinoid is what’s known as a promiscuous molecule, meaning that it interacts with many different types of neuroreceptors. That suggests that current studies may just be scratching the surface of CBD’s therapeutic potential.

What Is CBD Good For?
Researchers around the world are investigating CBD’s potential for treating a wide variety of conditions. Near the top of the list is the promise it holds for pain relief. Numerous studies have found that CBD exhibits analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties make it useful in the treatment of both acute pain—like muscle pulls—and chronic conditions such as arthritis.



When taken to relief the symptoms of epilepsy, CBD is typically administered orally. Researchers have found that this same method of dosing may be effective in using CBD to treat social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and related conditions. Evidence also suggests that this cannabinoid could be helpful in treating the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

When it comes to conditions like insomnia, CBD’s clinical research scorecard is more mixed. Some studies have suggested that the substance can actually increase wakefulness. Others, though, have found that a CBD tincture or oil taken a couple of hours before bedtime can help induce a sense of balance that can help sleep come more easily. A 2016 report, for instance, found that a CBD-rich oil, administered orally, helped to alleviate the symptoms of both anxiety and insomnia in one patient suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

What Is a Tincture?
CBD can be administered in many forms, from smoking a cannabis strain that produces a lot of the molecule to consuming it in edibles. Among the most popular methods—especially for individuals trying a cannabis-based treatment for the first time—is through a tincture.

(Courtesy of Populum)
Tinctures are produced by steeping cannabis flowers or isolates in a high-proof grain alcohol, then applying low heat for a significant span of time. This allows the active compounds in cannabis to infuse into the neutral spirit, much of which is then boiled off. The result is a potent liquid that delivers the effects of the cannabinoid molecules without any smoking or other form of combustion. In the growing consumer market, producers will often add carrier oils and other complementary ingredients, such as an orange oil to improve the taste of a tincture.

How to Take a Tincture
Because a CBD tincture is concentrated, it’s designed to be taken in small doses. This is why most tinctures come with a built-in dropper that allows users to take small, carefully measured quantities.

Since the doses are relatively small, tinctures can be administered in a variety of ways. For patients looking to take their CBD with food, a dose of tincture can be mixed into a meal like soup or pasta. It can also be added easily to drinks like coffee and tea; an evening cup of chamomile paired with CBD tincture stands to be even more relaxing than usual.



Tinctures can also be taken sublingually, or by applying them underneath the tongue. This method of delivering CBD tincture is already common in epilepsy treatments. Some research has found that this delivery method makes cannabinoids more easily and consistently available to the body than other oral alternatives.

Where to Start
If you’ve still got questions about CBD tinctures, watch Leafly editor Emily Resling discuss the topic a little further in the review below.

Producers like Populum offer several ways to try CBD, including tried and tested tinctures sourced from Colorado-grown cannabis plants and made in the USA. Populum’s signature tincture is available in a variety of strengths, appropriate for dipping a toe into CBD or stepping up a dose to provide more effective relief.

Populum and others also offer further options for CBD administration, such as gels, ointments, and other topical products, all of which can help curious consumers find out if this curative cannabinoid is right for them.

 

[the13thround]

 

[ORIGINAL NATION]

I have not read all this but I did not know about all these uses of hemp. I know it is better than soy and they try to put soy in everything.

 

[roots69]

I have not read all this but I did not know about all these uses of hemp. I know it is better than soy and they try to put soy in everything.

Bruh, the options you have with hemp alone are damn near limitless!! Theres a reason these corporations are pushing so hard to keep hemp and cannabis illegal!! These corporations talk all that bullshit about competition, but they are scared to death of competition and their scared to death to let the copper color races get into the game!!

 

[roots69]

Which Cannabis Strains Are Highest in CBD, According to Lab Data?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is becoming a mainstay in consumers’ medicine cabinets as it combats pain, inflammation, anxiety, and much more. However, even as CBD strains and products become more readily available, the price tag can often make one flinch. For this reason, it’s worth knowing which products will bring the best value based on CBD abundance.



Looking at data from cannabis testing labs across Washington State, we compiled a list of strains that tend to produce significant amount of CBD. These numbers are derived from the testing samples of cannabis flowers and do not include CBD concentrates.



In the above graph, you’ll find the average cannabinoid contents of ten popular CBD-dominant strains. You’ll notice that many of these strains contain only trace amounts of THC, while others exhibit a more balanced CBD:THC ratio (which means they will be more euphoric in effect). This graph is based on datasets from multiple reliable testing labs across Washington State. However, it’s worth noting that the datasets from each individual lab differ slightly.

Take a look at the cannabinoid data from one lab, and notice how the numbers shift slightly.



Most strains maintain a CBD:THC ratio similar to that in the averaged dataset. However, you’ll also see deviations, like ACDC which exhibits a more balanced CBD:THC ratio according to this lab’s individual testing results.

Now let’s see how the dataset of Lab A compares to a different lab, also represented in the larger, averaged dataset above.



As you can see, the CBD levels from Lab B are much higher on average than those from Lab A. There are a number of possible explanations for this. A lab may manufacture bloated cannabinoid profiles, as we’ve seen some labs do in the past. It could also be that Lab B simply tested samples from growers who achieved higher CBD levels in their harvest.

The main takeaway here is this: the cannabinoid profile printed on your product depends not only on the strain’s genetics and expertise of the grower, but also on the testing methods (and ethics) of the local lab that performed the chemical analysis. The Dancehall you bought on your last trip to the dispensary is likely to reflect the cannabinoid data illustrated in the above graphs–however, if you see deviation, the reason lies in the many layers of strain and data variability.



Cannabis Strains With High Levels of CBD
With this caveat in mind, let’s look at the strains that expressed the highest levels of CBD according to the above lab data.



Find Dancehall Nearby
Dancehall is an upbeat and inspiring strain meant to lift your spirits while coercing creativity. With a CBD:THC ratio of nearly 20:1 on average, this strain delivers little to no euphoric effects that might distract focus or dampen cognition in THC-sensitive consumers.



Find ACDC Nearby
Known for its keen ability to lift anxiety of all shades, ACDC is a godsend to consumers susceptible to the side effects of THC. This strain allows you to harness many of the desirable traits of cannabis, like light-footed physical relaxation and gentle mood elevation, without the cost of a clear, calm mind.



Find Suzy Q Nearby
Suzy Q is a CBD-dominant strain with an extremely modest amount of THC, making it another mellow strain with little to no high. The mild effects of this pine-scented strain help you shed anxious or demotivating mental blocks that stood in the way of creativity and productivity.



Find Ringo’s Gift Nearby
Named in recognition of the CBD pioneer Lawrence Ringo, Ringo’s Giftimbues the consumer with a sense of wellbeing alongside steady relief in the body. Use this strain to take the edge off pain and stress, while allowing the mind to roam free without the shackles of paranoia or distracting euphoria.



Find Charlotte’s Web Nearby
Charlotte’s Web was the first CBD strain to receive media attention, and has achieved legendary status among CBD varieties ever since. Although its reputation is built upon its success in treating epilepsy, this strain has aided patients treating many other conditions including pain, anxiety, and inflammation. Charlotte’s Web is grown by CW Pharmaceuticals in Colorado.



Find Remedy Nearby
Remedy is a high-CBD strain that quietly ushers in easy relaxation without mental fog. For consumers seeking something a little more relaxing than a cup of tea, Remedy offers a solution with effects that rid the mind of anxiety while soothing aches, pains, and inflammation.



Find Sour Tsunami Nearby
Sour Tsunami has become a household name among high-CBD strains. This variety tends to produce less than 1-2% of THC, so you can reap its medicinal benefits without the high. Sour Tsunami is fairly prolific, so keep an eye out for this strain at your next dispensary visit if you’re looking to quell pain or anxiety symptoms without the interference of THC.

Find Hawaiian Dream Nearby
If you’re looking to harness the benefits of THC and CBD but wary of getting too high, Hawaiian Dream is the strain for you. With a THC content of around 5% and a CBD profile stretching between 5-10%, Hawaiian Dream can help abate symptoms with only mild, gentle euphoria. As an added bonus, this strain throws in a little tropical flavor to sweeten the experience.



Find Dance World Nearby
Dance World is a CBD-dominant strain that almost achieves a balanced CBD:THC ratio, making it especially appropriate for consumers struggling with pain, depression, and lack of appetite. This synergy of THC and CBD helps to inspire positivity and more vibrant moods by handing you subdued euphoria on a leash.



Find Nordle Nearby
Nordle offers a balanced abundance of both THC and CBD that makes it especially suitable for patients dealing with pain, insomnia, muscle spasms, and anxiety. If your symptoms are keeping you up at night, Nordle is a great nightcap solution for dialing down pain and worries so you can spend less time tossing and turning.

 

[roots69]

Does Using CBD Hemp Oil Result in a Positive Drug Test for THC or Marijuana?

This article is sponsored by PlusCBD Oil, a product line from CV Sciences (formerly CannaVest). CV Sciences is one of the leading suppliers and manufacturers of agricultural hemp-derived CBD bulk and finished products.



Whether you agree with it in principle or not, testing for illicit drug use is a reality for many workers in the United States. Drug testing is mandatory for federal employees, and although it isn’t required in the private sector, more employers are implementing some kind(s) of drug screening.

When drug testing is mandated, employers almost always follow the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) guidelines because it puts them on solid legal ground. Typically, there is an overlap between testing guidelines and accepted cutoff levels for drugs and drug metabolites in confirmatory testing and screening.

Because THC is widely recognized as being responsible for marijuana’s psychoactivity and euphoria, a routine urine drug screen for marijuana use consists of an immunoassay with antibodies that are made to detect it, and its main metabolite, 11-nor-delta9-caboxy-THC (THC-COOH). SAMHSA has set the cutoff level for a positive urine screen in the immunoassay at 50 ng/mL. When the immunoassay screen is positive at the > 50 ng/mL level, a confirmatory GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) test is performed to verify the positive urine screen. The confirmatory GC/MS has a cutoff level of 15 ng/mL and is specific only to the 11-nor-THCCOOH metabolite.

Fortunately, the urine drug screen for THC-COOH is known to have very little cross-reactivity to other cannabinoids that are not intoxicating, such as CBD(cannabidiol), CBG (cannabigerol), CBN (cannabinol), and others. This is good news for “normal” consumers of CBD/hemp oil.

That said, individuals using unusually large doses of a cannabinoid-rich hemp oil product (above 1000-2000 mg of hemp oil daily) could theoretically test positive during the initial urinary screen. Although very rare, the urine screen in these cases would likely represent a “false positive” due to other non-THC metabolites or compounds, which may cross-react with the immunoassay. When this is the case, the confirmatory GC/MS test would be negative, since CBD and other cannabinoids will not be detected by the more accurate (and specific) GC/MS screen.

Keep in mind that most of the high-quality, reliable CBD-rich hemp oil products contain much less THC than marijuana. For example, hemp contains anywhere from 1/10th to 1/300th of the THC concentration found in marijuana. An individual consuming 1000-2000 mg per day of hemp oil would thus consume approximately 3-6 mg of THC. This exceedingly high dose may result in detection of positive urine screen in up to 11% to 23% of assays.

On the other hand, there is some data demonstrating that at daily doses of 0.5mg of THC from 3-5 servings of most commercial CBD-rich hemp oil products, the positive urine screen rate is < 0.2%. Again, most servings of typical high-quality, high-purity CBD-based hemp oil products contain well below 0.1mg of THC and therefore have over 400-600 times less THC than marijuana products.

What does all this mean? Put simply, a consumer who uses a high-quality, scientifically vetted hemp-based product at the standard serving size is highly unlikely to test positive for THC and/or THC-COOH. However, it’s important to be cognizant that extremely high doses may result in a positive urine screen (that would be subsequently shown to be false via GC/MS). Ultimately, consumers need to be fully informed of the specific regulations posed by their employers and adjust their consumption of cannabinoid products accordingly.

Note: Most research suggests that for infrequent or ‘non-daily’ users of cannabis, a typical high-dose marijuana cigarette (containing about 40mg to 50mg of THC) would result in a positive THC metabolite screen for up to two days at this cutoff level. However, for routine and regular users of cannabis, this same screen could be positive for weeks, but this depends on many factors including, but not limited to:

• how much and how often cannabis is used
• the metabolism of individual being tested
• the route of administration
• other factors such as medications used, liver or kidney disease, etc.

This article is based on SAMHSA standards. Other organizations’ drug testing standards may vary, so keep in mind that the findings presented in this article may differ under alternative standards. If you have any concern about testing positive for THC when using CBD-containing hemp oil, please seek advice from your health care professional.

References:

Gustafson RA, Kim I, Stout PR, Klette KL, George MP, Moolchan ET, Levine B, Huestis MA. Urinary pharmacokinetics of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol after controlled oral delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol administration. J Anal Toxicol. 2004 Apr; 28(3):160-7

Gustafson RA, Levine B, Stout PR, Klette KL, George MP, Moolchan ET, Huestis MA. Urinary cannabinoid detection times after controlled oral administration of delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol to humans. Clin Chem. 2003 Jul; 49(7):1114-24.

Kemp PM, Abukhalaf IK, Manno JE, Manno BR, Alford DD, Abusada GA. Cannabinoids in humans. I. Analysis of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and six metabolites in plasma and urine using GC-MS. J Anal Toxicol. 1995 Sep; 19(5):285-91.

Huestis MA, Mitchell JM, Cone EJ. Urinary excretion profiles of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol in humans after single smoked doses of marijuana. J Anal Toxicol. 1996 Oct;20(6):441-52.

Wall ME, Perez-Reyes M. J Clin Pharmacol. The metabolism of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol and related cannabinoids in man.1981 Aug-Sep; 21(8-9 Suppl):178S-189S.

 

[Give Me 3ft.]

I just need to know where I invest!