This month, The Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act was introduced by Rep. Greg Steub from Florida with Rep. Gil Cisneros from California as a cosponsor. Steub is actually a veteran himself, knowing first hand what our troops go through when they come home and what their needs are. This bill he has introduced is meant to ensure that veterans who use cannabis products following the state law will not lose their federal benefits despite the classification of cannabis being a Schedule 1 controlled substance. This bill will also allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis within the VA.
When it comes to people who dedicate their lives to this country, it only makes sense that they get the care that they need when they return home. These people could have done anything with their lives, but they chose to serve this country and the consequence of that is often pain or brain health issues. For their sacrifice, the least our nation could do is give them access to safe medication that works, like medical cannabis.
Did you know that veterans are 40% more likely to deal with pain than regular civilians? This causes a loss in productivity, higher health care costs, and disability. The VA began disclosing how many opioid painkillers are prescribed through their health care system, reporting that they have decreased their prescription rates. They have started using a multifaceted approach to helping relieve pain. However, many believe that medical cannabis needs to be a part of that methodology.
Studies have shown that medical cannabis is very effective when combatting chronic pain. By reducing the body’s sensitivity to pain, cannabis has a high efficacy rate with one of the most attractive side-effect profiles on the pharmaceutical market. There have been no known overdoses linked to cannabis use, which takes away one significant issue that has been associated with painkillers.
Pain isn’t the only reason that veterans are wishing to get access to cannabis, having medicine that also improves your brain health while combatting pain at the same time is the golden goose of medications. Cannabis has shown in studies to be very beneficial to the brain helping with a wide range of brain health issues, two of the most common being traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
22% of veterans that fought in Afghanistan and Iraq are reported to have brain injuries causing comorbid illnesses that bring on an extreme drop in productivity. Many of the cases of TBI are mild, and the treatment for TBI isn’t invasive. The VA offers different therapies and offers medication to help combat some of the symptoms like nausea and headaches. If the VA was able to utilize cannabis, they might be able to not only help relieve symptoms but treat the TBI altogether.
Going to war isn’t easy. Being away from home in a room full of stressed out comrades can be a recipe for disaster. Between 11-20% of veterans from the Iraqi war reported having PTSD. The Gulf War has reported 12%, and the Vietnam war an estimated 30%. 23% of women in the military have reported sexual assault, an additional fuel to the PTSD fire. PTSD is running rampant in the minds of our soldiers, which can cause a myriad of other brain health issues including anxiety, being susceptible to violent behavior, and devastating depression.
PTSD is a disorder that you can recover from using medication and therapy. Studies have shown that in the cannabis plant, CBD may be the most effective cannabinoid for PTSD treatment. By reducing the overactivity of the amygdala which causes the fear response in patients, cannabis or hemp oil may be able to help veterans work through their therapy treatment with reduced symptoms. The goal with anxiety isn’t to stay on medication forever, but to use it as a tool for treatment.
We aren’t in congress so we can’t pass this bill. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could, though? So what can we do as civilians to help our veterans after all they have done for us?
One thing you can do is donate your time or money to organizations that promote cannabis for U.S veterans.
Another thing you can do is help raise awareness. There is still a negative stigma on cannabis, and this stigma is a huge roadblock when it comes to full access. By sharing stories of people who have gotten their life back using cannabis, studies that show it’s effectiveness or safety, or even articles like this that just talk about why people need it. Getting the word out there may be able to help abolish the stigma and get people the help they need and deserve.
]]>
Cannabis and hemp have been around since before we could record their existence. It’s interesting to see that over the years, there have been many people advocating for the same thing. Here are some cannabis and hemp quotes that expose the common knowledge that is just now being proven by science.
Hemp isn’t just good for medicinal purposes; it could be used as a main component in many manufactured products like clothes, plastic, and even fuel. Here are some quotes about industrial hemp from some individuals who knew what they were talking about.
“Why use up the forests which were centuries in the making and the mines which required ages to lay down, if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?”
Henry Ford
“Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country.”
Thomas Jefferson
“Growing hemp as nature designed it is vital to our urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases and ensure the survival of our planet.”
Jack Herer
“Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
George Washington
Cannabis has been lawful and unlawful over the past 100 years, and we are hoping to come full circle and have full plant cannabis available to everyone. Prohibition has proved time and time again that it doesn’t work, and it is an idea that some of our forefathers weren’t too fond of.
“A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”
Abraham Lincoln
“The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”
Carl Sagan
“It’s not just the over $8 billion that we would be saving in law enforcement; it’s also the over $8 billion that we would be making by taxing marijuana… We are filling our jails with nonviolent drug offenders — predominantly young, predominantly African American… It’s a great beyond left and right issue. It has support across the political spectrum and also the support of the majority of the American people.”
Arianna Huffington
We are, hopefully, on the downhill end of the fight against cannabis and people are starting to realize the benefits of this plant to be used either as medicine or as a recreational substance. Compared to other medication and recreational drugs that are allowed and used regularly, it is no surprise there are these quotes trying to explain where cannabis actually stands on the spectrum.
"Herb is the healing of the nation, alcohol is the destruction."
Bob Marley
“I couldn’t find a single confirmed overdose death.”
“If you substitute marijuana for tobacco and alcohol, you’ll add eight to 24 years to your life.”
Jack Herer
“But, for most health care providers, marijuana is an afterthought.
We don't see cannabis overdoses. We don't order scans for cannabis-related brain abscesses. We don't treat cannabis-induced heart attacks. In medicine, marijuana use is often seen on par with tobacco or caffeine consumption…”
Nathanial P Morris
What is your favorite cannabis quote?
]]>Last year in December of 2018, the new 2018 Farm Bill was passed and the people of the cannabis community have been ecstatic over it. While this bill doesn’t allow cannabis with THC to be sold and grown all over the united states legally, this new farm bill has made hemp and it’s components federally legal to be grown and sold in all 50 states. After living through a time where hemp was a gray area, we are finally going to start to see the impact of a society who appreciates how the hemp plant can better our lives. But to know what we can expect in the future of hemp, you need to know what the new bill allows.
The 2018 Farm Bill doesn’t just cover hemp; it is also changing many things about the industry that could be looked at as good or bad depending on how you are affected by it. One of the most exciting changes to the Farm Bill is the legalization of hemp. In the past, hemp was considered on the controlled substance list even though there was no evidence it belonged in that category. The bill has legalized all forms of cannabis with the legal limit of THC which is .3%. This low percentage of THC isn’t noticeable physically or mentally so you won’t be feeling high or getting the munchies and it won't make you fail a drug test.
Now that industrial hemp has been legalized, tribes, states, and territories can establish regulatory structures that can allow new farmers and ranchers to produce these new crops. In the past, hemp farmers were also not protected, but under the new law, they will be treated like the rest of the farmers. That means if they suffer from crop losses, they won’t be told tough luck and instead they will be helped.
To clarify, full plant medical cannabis is still not legal. Hemp cannot contain more than the .3% of THC. There aren’t laws regarding any of the other hundreds of cannabinoids, just the euphoria-inducing THC. That would be considered non-hemp cannabis which is still federally illegal. You might think that now that industrial hemp is federally legal, all CBD products are now legal. While this logic does make sense, it isn’t accurate. If a CBD product comes from a cannabis plant that contains more than the legal amount of THC, that product is considered a non-hemp cannabis product and not a hemp product.
CBD from cannabis is federally illegal, CBD from hemp is federally lawful. Even though the chemical stays the same, the way the laws have been written prohibit manufacturing from a cannabis plant.
While the laws haven’t made it easy to grow hemp like you could mint in your backyard, the research of the plant and how it can be used as an agricultural material has been extended. It is now recognized that hemp has a lot of potential when it comes to being an agricultural commodity. While people who have been using this plant for a long time know of its benefits, it’s important that there is science to back of claims, so their statements hold validity.
Last year we wrote an article talking about how excited we were for this act because of how it may impact our environment. While it’s not like everyone in the country will be growing this plant, the amount additional farmers are going to make a huge difference in production in the US. By 2022, it is expected to be a $22 billion market. With this boom in hemp production, we may be seeing hemp in places you would never expect. Some of the things that can be replaced by hemp that could help improve our environment are:
On the hemp farm, someone needs to maintain the plants, harvest the plants, and extract from the plant. This is just three jobs that are on the farm. This doesn’t even include companies who are going to need lawyers, janitors, marketers, writers, graphic designers, distributors, accountants, and so much more. By legalizing industrial hemp, there will be jobs in every state growing hemp helping the economy grow. Considering this is a business that is expected to make money, you might want to get in now while we are still in the beginning stages before the boom!
]]>The progression in science has been able to explain some mysteries that we always knew about we just didn’t know how they worked. One of those things is meditation. People have been practicing this for centuries; surely there is a reason. So what does science say about how meditation works?
You may have seen people in movies sitting with their legs crossed and their eyes closed. But what are they doing in their head that makes this process beneficial? Meditation can be defined as thoughtless awareness. It is a balance between your mind being alert but also calm and quiet. With enough practice, you can meditate doing certain tasks. But what is it about meditation that makes it so great and such a staple in many different religions? This is where the science comes in.
One study suggests that doing a short program with mindful meditation changes the way the brain works in a way that improves the immune system. They found that increased the number of antibodies present, which is what helps fight foreign invaders of the body.
While some studies suggest that meditation helps to relieve stress, a particular study has noticed that this has a snowball effect on the immune system. In this study, compassion meditation showed to reduce stress-induced immune response.
Mind over matter, right? Tell that to someone who has lupus or fibromyalgia. They can’t just will their pain away; they have to deal with it every second. But the reason we feel any type of pain is because our brain tells us to. Whether it is from an autoimmune disease or a paper cut. Studies show that meditation activates certain regions of the brain suggesting that it can help reduce your sensitivity to pain.
Inflammation and immunity go hand in hand, so if meditation boosts your immune system does that mean that inflammation will be more of a problem? Studies say no. One study suggests that mindful meditation can help with chronic inflammation by reducing emotional reactivity that can cause it.
Being positive isn’t easy. With social media reminding you every day about a new thing to be outraged by and the social climate in the real world, it can be tough. But emptying your mind and meditating may be able to help you pull through the other side with a smile. A study has suggested that meditation has an ability to enhance your empathy skills and makes changes to the brain that are associated with emotional regulation.
Depression is on the rise, especially in our youth. Many of the people who suffer from depression don’t get the care that they need, and when they do, sometimes it doesn’t work. While depression is a serious condition that involves changes in the brain, medication alone may not be the best way to conquer it. Studies have shown that meditation may be able to do some of the heavy lifting.
A study has suggested that mindful meditation may be able to help with depression by changing the way you think. It has shown to help with ruminating thoughts as well as dysfunctional beliefs. This study also discusses how it can help with other issues that are common with depression like binge eating, stress, and drug abuse.
It seems like anxiety is a popular issue that everyone is dealing with. Whether it is everyday anxieties that slowly take a toll on your health or full-blown disorders that make everyday living difficult, anxiety is ever so present in our society. While taking medication can help relieve you, meditation may be able to make changes in the brain that could make you less dependent on anxiety medication.
Studies have long discussed how meditation can help with stress; this has become a no-brainer. With the ability to scan people’s brains, we now know why this happens. Mindful meditation has shown to reduce the activity of the amygdala, which is where our stress comes from. The kicker here is that studies have shown that these changes in the brain are also apparent when the participants aren’t in a meditative state, showing that meditation can help people with their anxiety throughout the day.
If you are depressed, anxious, or constantly in pain, you may find that you aren’t inviting yourself to any parties. Being around people can be exhausting when you aren’t in a healthy mindset. But meditation may be able to help.
A study conducted on loving-kindness meditation showed that participants had an increase in positive emotions. This positive change helped create positive social interactions as well as making social isolation less likely.
Compassion is something we could all use a little of, giving and receiving. While compassion isn’t something that grows on trees, research has indicated that it is something that can be achieved through training. During a study where participants did meditation, they found that their level of compassion increased after the exercises both during and after the exercise.
People who have mood disorders like BPD, depression, or general anxiety have problems regulating their emotions. Some people have a hard time because their emotions are much stronger than the average person. Through meditation, however, studies suggest that you can get a better handle on your emotions helping to improve your quality of life.
Grey matter is where all your brain’s synapses are and where it processes information. Having more brain matter can make you smarter. Researchers looked at images of brains belonging to people who meditate, and they found a significant difference in the volume of grey matter in certain areas of the brain. The main parts of the brain that were affected are a part of the limbic system, which may also explain why meditation helps you have so much control over your emotions.
In a world of screens and triple tasking, a lot of people have a hard time with attention and focus. People who have ADD or ADHD are especially struggling in this area. Doing meditation may be able to make concentration easier for you.
Researchers believe that because meditation requires focus, it enhances your ability to do so on and off the meditation field. In a study, they found that the people who participated in meditation were better at holding attention during tasks. Studies also show that meditation helps to improve the way your brain communicates with itself, helping to reduce your vulnerability to distractions.
You may be convinced that you need to give this meditation thing a try. After all, it is free to do, and research has suggested that it can benefit your mental and physical health. But at a glance, it just looks like you sit there and think about your breathing when this isn’t always the case. There are many different types of meditation routines you can try, each of them having their own way to help you get you where you need to be. But all of them have the same core concepts when it comes to doing the exercises.
You will have a hard time focusing with noisy distractions. You might also start to become distracted by discomfort if you aren’t in a comfortable position or place, making the meditation harder to accomplish. While some meditations require movements, there are other exercises you can do sitting in a comfy chair or lying down on a mat or your bed.
A meditation exercise will require you to settle your mind and have somewhere to focus. This focus is what helps you free your mind of your thoughts and worries because everytime you start to wonder, you can pull yourself back to what you need to have your attention on. It may be a flickering flame, the space in between breathes, or chanting words.
When first starting your meditation, try using guided meditation. If you see a therapist, they are the perfect person to talk with to find someone who can help guide you through a mediation that can be beneficial for you. You can also find resources online like videos that talk you through it. Some can last for over an hour while others only take roughly ten minutes.
For someone with anxiety, this might seem like a total joke. If you had the ability to clear your mind, you probably wouldn’t be needing meditation, right? When you are in pain, that is usually the only thing you can focus on especially in a quiet room by yourself. But don’t fret, taking CBD oil may be able to help you meditate.
Cannabidiol (CBD) may be able to help with meditation by relieving you of certain symptoms that make the exercises difficult. By interacting with the endocannabinoid system, CBD hemp oil has the potential to help regulate your mind and body to make meditation an easier task.
CBD oil has shown in studies that it can reduce the overactivity in the brain, helping people with focus, concentration, and anxiety. If you have a hard time clearing your mind to meditate, CBD oil may be able to help.
CBD hemp oil can also help with pain. If you have a spot that has been digging at you and you can’t stop thinking about it, using a CBD topical on the area can help numb the pain. CBD can do this because it elevates an endocannabinoid called anandamide which binds to the CB1 receptors effectively reducing your sensitivity to pain.
If you want to add CBD oil to your meditation exercises, talk to a doctor about it first. They can help you determine if it will interact with any medication your on as well as help monitor you for side effects like they would any other medication.
[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]
]]>Change is happening, and if you’re reading this, you’re in the thick of it. With new cannabis laws emerging and states granting access to patients, trends are starting to become apparent enough to show us how great of an idea medical cannabis is.
According to a study published this year, Medicare found that only 2.11 million daily doses of opioid prescriptions were filled opposed to 23.08 million when a state allowed medical cannabis use. This is a huge disparity when we consider the opioid crisis we are currently battling.
In areas with medical marijuana, opioid prescriptions are less common. This could be in part because of the cannabidiol in cannabis can help reduce the cravings for opioids that drive so many people to use them. Both THC and CBD has shown in studies that they can help relieve pain, and the lack of danger behind this alternative treatment has become overwhelmingly attractive to the public.
It’s exciting that people are choosing an alternative to opioids because of the risks involved with utilizing this potent and powerful drug. With addiction, overdose, and an easily gained tolerance, opioids are seeming like an archaic form of treatment. While it is still a valid option for extreme cases, the argument is whether or not it should be offered to patients as often as it is.
The risks and side effects of cannabis do exist. However, they aren’t killing people. There have been no reports of a fatal overdose when consuming cannabis, opposed to the 19,413 deaths caused by synthetic opioids in 2016.
The cannabidiol (CBD) in cannabis has also shown that it isn’t addictive, and the way it interacts with your brain doesn’t let you grow a tolerance to it. This is a fascinating discovery considering that many people have to take more and more painkillers because of their tolerance and addiction. This is not just about saving money, but this alternative could save lives.
When people who were taking opioids were given cannabis as a treatment, the majority of them said they would no longer be taking painkillers and decided to use cannabis alone. This suggests that cannabis is just as good, if not better than the opioid painkillers prescribed.
Are you using cannabis instead of painkillers? Do you use both? We would love to hear about it in the comment section below!
[author name="Sarah Potts" bio = "Sarah Potts has been writing about the wonderful benefits of cannabis for CBD Instead since 2017. Medical cannabis has changed her life and her goal is to show others how it might help them as well." email="pottscontent@gmail.com" twitter= "pottstato"]
]]>Virtual reality is where the future is headed in the gaming world with is both exciting and terrifying. For those of us gamers who have played Silent Hill or any of the Slender Man games, we may have met our match. Scientists have decided to start using this technology in some incredible ways, and one of those ways is using virtual reality to study CBD.
The reason it is can be a terrifying thought of playing a game in virtual reality is that you submerge yourself into a world in a way that video games haven’t, until now, been able to offer. When before you were controlling Batman from the comfort of your couch, now you can watch the water drip off the cave walls in the Bat Cave up close and in person.
Research has shown that when you enter a virtual world, your brain thinks you are actually there. When studying mice who were put into a virtual reality, they saw that the GPS neurons were activated creating a lay of the land. Scientists have used this idea of a completely interactive alternate reality to test the way CBD works with subjects.
In a study published just last Halloween, researchers took 32 volunteers that they specifically chose because of their high paranoia personality traits. The participants were randomly given either an oral dose of cannabidiol or a placebo before entering a virtual reality.
Going into this world and completely immersing themselves into this new-found reality had the participant's heart rate go up, cortisol levels increase, and their blood pressure was elevated. Unfortunately, they found that the cannabidiol given to the participants with high traits of paranoia did not help them during this time of being submerged in an alternate world contrary to past studies conducted. The researchers stated that they need a trial with a larger sample size for a definitive result.
This is an exciting future for the studies of cannabis, giving scientists the ability to see the medication in action during more real-life experiences. They can’t follow their subjects around during their daily lives constantly measuring their vitals, but they can put their subjects in their own world and study them from the comfort of their laboratories. It will be exciting to see what type of accomplishments will come from further tests involving virtual reality.
]]>The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 was introduced this year in April, and its goal is to remove industrial hemp from the Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act. In order to be a schedule 1 drug, the substance has to show high potential for abuse, no medicinal value, and lack of accepted safety when used under supervision. This Hemp Farming Act of 2018 is against this label and is in support of utilizing the hemp plant for its industrial purposes as well as using it for more extended research.
But why is industrial hemp so crucial to farmers, cannabis activists, and ecologists? We rant and rave about how great hemp oil is for your mind and body, but the plant it comes from also has many benefits to the earth. Hemp can substitute clothing, steel, concrete, and even fuel which could help treat this wounded planet. With all of these incredible ways that hemp is offering to help save the earth, could a cannabis world be our future?
In 2017, 248.63 million bales of cotton made up the global supply. Cotton is the most used natural fiber in the textile industry. But what would happen if we made a shift and started using hemp clothing as well?
It takes 140 days after planting for the bolls of cotton to be ready for harvest. It takes 20,000 liters of water to produce enough cotton to make a pair of jeans and a single t-shirt; which leads ecologists to believe that this form of making clothing isn’t the most environmentally sustainable.
Using industrial hemp, the time it takes for you to use its fibers is 90 days. That is an entire month and a half difference from cotton. Hemp also requires 50% less water than cotton, is more durable, and it doesn’t require pesticides or fertilizers to grow. Studies have shown that compared to cotton, hemp leaves less of an ecological footprint. Cutting out cotton completely isn’t likely, but integrating hemp into our clothing options could benefit the environment.
Concrete is the most used material in the world making durable homes and buildings. The issue with concrete is that it is suspected that every ton of concrete you make, you also make a ton of CO2. The production of CO2 comes from the massive amount of energy required to reach extreme temperatures as well as the breakdown of the chemicals to create the material.
Wood is also a commonly used material for family homes, taking up 81% of the distribution. Wood carries less of a burden towards our environment and is an extremely durable option for home building. The biggest problem is it takes nearly 80 years for a tree to reach a size large enough to make a considerable profit.
One acre of hemp is equivalent to four acres of trees. Hemp also absorbs more CO2 than it emits, helping to clean the air we have filled with greenhouse gases. Particleboard made of hemp is more durable than wood, and it’s lighter. To top it off, hemp particle board even holds nails better than wood.
Hemp concrete isn’t just better for the environment by helping to reduce CO2 content, it is also durable, sustainable, mold resistant, an excellent insulator, and helps with humidity control. Though hemp isn’t impenetrable by fire like concrete is, hemp concrete can resist fire for up to 120 minutes.
If you want to get high with hemp, you’ll have to board a plane. A Canadian company has made the first hemp-based airplane, and it has shown how broad hemp’s capabilities really go. The plastic and hemp-based composites that replace the fiberglass in the plane are ten times more durable, flame retardant, and much lighter.
Having a lighter plane means less fuel, which helps with our ecological footprint. These brilliant minds went even a step further and have used hemp-based bio-fuel to help run the plane which can solve the pollution issue. It is estimated that airplanes could generate 43 gigatons of air-pollution by the year 2050. The United States causes half of the CO2 from aircraft traffic worldwide. It will be interesting to see if this particular trend catches on considering how harmful aircraft emissions are to the planet.
In 2008, 189 million plastic water bottles were recovered from the highway in the US. Every five minutes, the United States is using 2 million plastic water bottles. The amount of pollution caused by something that we are encouraged to drink to be healthy is outlandish. The production of these bottles also hurts the environment, needing a large amount of fossil fuels to create these products.
Plastic is made from the cellulose taken from petroleum, but cellulose can be found in plants as well. In fact, hemp is the greatest cellulose producer on this planet. Hemp is also biodegradable and non-toxic. However, the biodegradability needs to be delved into deeper. Water bottles need to last longer than a year for suppliers; many hemp plastics are mixed with other polymers to make their product more durable. This isn’t the solution to our plastic problem yet, but it is a step in the right direction.
Every year, the U.S has 10 to 11 million cars reach their limit of usefulness and are thrown out to dumps and junkyards. While most of the vehicles are scrapped for parts or materials, 25% of the car is left for waste. The creation of these cars emits as much CO2 as driving it. Could hemp be the better way?
Henry Ford’s first vision was a hemp-based car. He worked on this idea for 12 years. The only steel in this car was from the frame while the rest was made from hemp, wheat, sisal, and a resin binder. The reason this car didn’t take off wasn’t that of quality, but because it was during a time of war and prohibition.
Because hemp is lighter, it would cost less fuel for these cars to run. Hemp cars would be more biodegradable, leaving fewer cars out to rust sitting in a lot. Hemp vehicles are also more durable than steel, making them safer and less likely to need repair. Using hemp fuel for these vehicles would also help with the carbon emission, making it a possible solution to yet again another environmental issue.
Oil is the gold of the 21st century, which many speculate is the reason hemp or vegetable-based fuel isn’t flying out of gas stations for use. Oil has caused problems in the environment through spills to how it causes air pollution when used for things like fuel. The hemp plant can make ethanol, methanol, and biodiesel fuel that might be able to help our environment.
Ethanol is made from grains, starches, sugars, waste paper, and forest production while methanol is made from woody pulpy matter. The hemp stalks can help produce both of these types of fuel. The oil from the hemp seed can help create bio-diesel fuel giving us opportunities to find a replacement for our finite supply of oil that we use for fuel.
Hemp is very easy to grow and, if the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 gets enough support, it could be the new cash crop of America. This doesn’t mean hemp can stop the battle for oil, but it does insist that it could at least offer an alternative. It can also help reduce the carbon emissions when used in vehicles as well as through the production of making the fuel.
The Hemp Farming Act of 2018 could open up a world of hemp crops all over the nation to help replace some of the resources we use that aren’t plentiful on our planet. Being tied down to a resource that will soon run out isn’t a smart move on our part. There are already crops around the world and nation that are working towards making the world a better place, and you can already start helping alongside them, today.
So how could a regular Jane help when they aren’t going to any board meetings with the oil industry? If you don’t own a farm, how could you help with the production of hemp over cotton? The way you can help is choosing hemp products over the regular everyday items that are polluting the planet. But there is more to saving the environment than just using a cannabis plant as an alternative for clothing, housing, and fuel.
You can eliminate bottles of water altogether by filtering your tap water. Buy clothes from a thrift store instead of new can help slow down production of new clothes. Utilizing public transportation, riding your bike, or walking when available can help you decrease your carbon footprint as you travel around the city. And of course, you can recycle every chance you get. The world’s condition could improve, but not without the participation of millions of people. And that can start with you.
You can also write a letter to your senator to tell them why you believe this bill should be passed. Or you can send a prewritten letter made by Vote Hemp at this link right here!
Are you an environmental activist? Do you have any tips that could help people learn to live with the world in mind? If you have any tips and tricks on how to be friendly to our planet, leave it in the comment section below!
]]>People have been fighting extra hard for veterans to have access to medical cannabis. Why is it so important that our country’s heroes gain the right to access cannabis products? These brave men and women have experienced physical and mental trauma that needs assisting when they return home. Wouldn’t it make sense that they got the best care available?
Many military veterans experience chronic pain. They have been through some of the most rigorous physical activities and put their bodies under an enormous amount of stress that could have long-term damage. Some veterans have battle wounds and are exhausted of the painkiller cocktail they are fed throughout their years. These painkillers can cause addiction, organ failure, and death. For the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country, don’t they deserve better than that?
CBD oil can help with the pain of injuries and inflammation through its interaction with the endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid anandamide which CBD enhances helps reduce your sensitivity to pain. The endocannabinoid 2-AG helps control the amount of immune cell activity that is sent out while your body is trying to heal itself, helping to reduce any swelling that could be slowing down the healing process. CBD is a great alternative to prescription painkillers because it is non-addictive, you can’t overdose on it, and you don’t build a tolerance to this medication.
Our minds aren’t built to watch our brothers and sisters fall in combat. Explosions and gunshots can get to someone after long enough. When they come back from being on duty, they come back to a safe world, but their minds are still on high alert. Some people might not be able to sleep until they have checked the perimeter of their home, or they get a rush of fear when a transformer down the street blows up. It is exhausting living in a chaotic world in your mind when the reality is much calmer. It is also hard to even talk about when you feel like the people around you couldn’t possibly understand.
Cannabidiol can help with the overactivity in the brain that causes panic at the slightest trigger. People with PTSD have an altered fear response that goes off anytime their brain thinks they may be in harm's way. The endocannabinoid anandamide slows down transmission in the brain, making the panic signals less severe. When you have PTSD, dealing with it alone will make recovery take a lot longer than it has to. If you or a loved one are suffering from PTSD, be sure to utilize a therapist as well as medication.
When you are taking painkillers regularly, and for a long period, you may fall victim to addiction. Your brain has been trained that it needs a specific substance to survive, even if it is harming your body. While medication isn’t necessary to quit an addiction, it definitely helps the process along.
Cannabidiol reduces the cravings that you feel when you become addicted to a substance. It can do this because it regulates the reward system. Painkillers and anti-anxiety medication are notorious for causing addiction because they stimulate the reward system. This tricks the brain into thinking that it needs the substance. CBD reduces the stimulation, helping your brain figure out what is necessary to live and what’s not.
If you are suffering from pain, addiction, or PTSD, CBD oil can help you get your life back. Stop by our shop to check out the wide variety of options we have that could help you reach your brighter future.
]]>Synthetic marijuana is a very misleading title that has some give to the chemical sprayed on potpourri. Even though more information has been coming out warning people of the dangers of consuming this drug, it is still sending people to the hospital.
Someone makes designer drugs in a lab and sprays the chemical on plant matter like potpourri. It is even sold as potpourri and labeled, “Not for human consumption” right on the package. These drugs are often changed to follow the laws that keep banning them. The only purpose of this drug is to get the user high, no matter what it does to their body. Common names for these drugs are Spice, K-2, BLAZE, and over 600 others.
Marijuana is natural and comes from the earth. Though there are growers who manipulate the plant to have higher cannabinoids, they aren’t adding anything that the plant can’t already yield. Changing the ratio of THC to CBD can make a cannabis product legal in states that deny access to the full plant, but high CBD content in hemp oil isn’t just for the sake of legality. Changing cannabinoids in the cannabis plant changes how it acts medicinally, it’s not just to keep people from getting arrested for distribution.
The reason lawmakers are working so hard to find these new chemicals and make them illegal is that they have caused people to become hospitalized from an overdose. There have been patients who have had their heart stop and needed resuscitation from taking these chemicals. These drugs can also give you suicidal thoughts, make you have more violent behavior, cause kidney damage, and even seizures. Another issue with this harmful drug is that is can also be addictive.
The side-effects and risks involved with designer drugs are becoming more well known, so why are people still choosing to use it? A quality that many addicts find attractive is the potency of a drug. One thing about designer drugs is that since they are designed to get someone high and nothing else, they have an extreme effect on the user. When tested in the lab they found that the chemicals found in the most popular synthetic drug were 2 to 100 times more potent than THC.
Teens, people on probation, or those who get drug tested at jobs have also fallen victim to the promise of a high without THC. They may be unaware of the risks involved when choosing to use designer drugs. Considering this drug is also addictive, it can make it difficult for them to quit once they realize what it can do to them.
If you find that you or a loved one are addicted to a designer drug, it can be quite the battle trying to quit. If you live in a state where THC is illegal, and you feel like you need to get high, you might be chasing something else. The need to be high is usually a need to escape how you feel. This is a bigger issue than just rolling up a joint and having fun; this is something you need to address on a deeper level.
Hemp oil can help with the addiction cravings as it has helped with people trying to quit heroin, oxycontin, and even cigarettes. While also reducing the anxiety and depression that comes along with the withdrawals. You should also seek a therapist to find out why you need to be high so badly that you would take a chemical that hurts you.
]]>Jail is supposed to be a place for punishment, so why would we let criminals have cannabis if it gets you high? You can use medical cannabis without having the intoxicating effect associated with THC. Letting inmates use cannabis isn’t to say they should be able to roll up a joint and relax, instead, they should be allowed access to a safe medical alternative. Hemp oil could be the solution to those incarcerated and ill because it can offer the relief without the high.
A study revealed that in prison, 1 in 3 inmates are likely to be diagnosed with at least one mental illness. When it came to serious mental health conditions, 14.5% of men and 31% of women in jail had a diagnosis, opposed to the general population’s 4.1%. This isn’t to say that if you have a mental illness, you will probably commit a crime and go to jail. But there does seem to be a correlation between reckless or violent behavior and poor mental health.
There is a list of mental health disorders that are considered to be serious because of how debilitating they can be for long periods of time. These disorders usually involve psychosis and can require hospital attention. Though not everyone with a serious mental illness becomes violent or reckless, it seems to be a trend behind bars.
Schizophrenia
Many people with schizophrenia can have a hard time thinking, behaving, and speaking clearly. Their distance from our reality brings odd behaviors that range from silly to violent. A common symptom of schizophrenia is having sensory hallucinations meaning they hear, see, smell, taste, or feel something that isn’t there.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Disorder is when the person has extreme highs and lows that can last for weeks to months at a time. During their intense emotional episodes, they lose touch with reality and can become either manic or extremely depressed. Often people with this disorder show impulsive or reckless behavior that can either be turned in on themselves or outwards towards others.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Pervasive Developmental Disorder is when the person doesn’t develop necessary social or communication skills. The most popular form of this disorder is Autism which is four times more prevalent in jails than in our outside population.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is when a person can’t stop thinking unwanted thoughts that drive them to certain behaviors. While many people with OCD might not lean towards violence, this disorder can make the person have reoccurring aggressive thoughts towards themselves or others.
Panic Disorder
A panic disorder is when someone feels fear at high levels for no apparent reason. They can abrupt into a full-on panic attack out of nowhere, which can range from hyperventilating to crying, to having violent outbursts.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
For those who have PTSD, they have experienced a traumatic event, and their mind is on edge at all times. Some patients may just withdraw and isolate themselves from the terrifying world, while others may act out violently during their episodes.
Mental illness is not an excuse for someone’s behavior, but it is an explanation. While punishment should still be the primary function of the criminal justice system, the issue may lie in missing the rehabilitation opportunities with having such a dense population of sick people in one controlled space.
Individuals with mental illness stay in jail longer with the same exact charges as other inmates who have no diagnosis. They also take longer to make bail if they can make it at all. Many people with mental health disorders will sit in jail while awaiting their arraignment while other inmates have been long gone in the outside world waiting for theirs. This means that they are being exposed to the inside jail walls longer than their healthier counterparts and it’s taking its toll on them. It has become so common to fall into a depression that the leading cause of death in jail is suicide.
Being in jail for more extended periods of time means that the probability of you become assaulted is much higher. Your risk gets even high when you have a mental health disorder considering they suffer from more injuries in jail than their healthier counterparts.
A study done on inmates with prison violence showed that 21% of male inmates are physically assaulted within a six month period. 2-5% of these accounts include sexual assault. In 40% of these cases, a physical injury was the result. 50% of these assaults were from a staff member. Unfortunately, it isn’t just the inmates who are trying to run the playground and show dominance.
Aside from people having a mental disorder, there are people with chronic pain conditions that are also sitting in jail. Just like us they have endured serious injuries or have chronic conditions that cause them pain. If the conditions are severe enough, these inmates get access to narcotics to help reduce their symptoms.
A study with 210 inmates older than 55 were asked about their pain levels. 75% of them reported symptoms. At the end of this study, 87% of the inmates received analgesics, and 70% received opioids to help treat their pain. When you are in jail, you get what you can get. You can deny the pills and be in agonizing pain while sitting around thinking about it in your cell, or you can take them for some relief.
Medical marijuana has shown in studies that it can help treat many symptoms of psychosis. If an inmate is suffering from being in the wrong mind, rehabilitation is going to be a lot harder to accomplish than if they are thinking rationally.
For inmates with less severe mental health conditions, medical cannabis can help with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and even addiction. Using hemp oil in correctional facilities can help bring these people back to earth and realize how to change their lives to better our society.
Cannabis is also a pain reliever, helps with gastrointestinal issues, heart issues, bone health, and so much more that could be helping these people get back on their feet and become productive members of society instead of being caught in the local jail house’s revolving door.
Inmates lose many rights when they go to jail. They lose their right to go outside whenever they want. Some of them lose their right to vote or own a firearm. Some inmates even lose their right to live in some states under extreme circumstances. But people in jail are still covered by the 8th amendment which states they have a right to competent medical care.
Considering that long-term opioid use leads to addiction and health consequences, it would make sense that competent medical care would be a medication that doesn’t wreak havoc on the body. Using medical marijuana in place of all of the prescription pills could even be a cheaper option for the jails, giving them more funding towards rehabilitation for the inmates.
One clue that could point to the need for rehabilitation is that people who get arrested and go to jail generally get arrested again. In a study that revealed statistics on criminals reentering the system, 67.8% of the inmates were rearrested within the next three years. 76.6% were rearrested in the next five. The top three offenders who make their ways into their familiar jail cell in order are property offenders, drug offenders, and violent offenders.
Almost half of the inmates doing time are in jail for a drug-related charge. And what drugs are these people being caught with? In 2016, there were more arrests for marijuana than all violent crimes. The arrests for marijuana were higher than any other illicit drug. The most arrests involved in drug offenses was possession of marijuana. A lot of these criminals being kept from taking cannabis for medication are in there for cannabis.
We don’t want inmates getting intoxicated; this is why instead of Xanax they get Vistaril. When they get their pain medication, someone watches them swallow it, so they don’t stockpile it to save for a high. They take these precautions, and they can do the same with medical marijuana by utilizing CBD oil.
CBD oil has many of the same benefits of full cannabinoid cannabis without the high from THC. While THC directly binds to the CB1 receptor, cannabidiol instead stimulates the cannabinoids by elevating organic chemicals in our brains called endocannabinoids. This proposition hasn’t made its way into facilities yet, but it could be in our future.
]]>
A healthy and thriving society evolves and learns. As new information comes to light, the smart and stable adjust and acclimate. America is starting to realize the benefits of cannabis as a whole, and it won't be long before safe access isn’t just a dream we have any longer. There are some brave people in our country standing up for what is right, and the future is looking bright all thanks to them.
This past month we have been watching a group of plaintiffs go up against the Trump administration for their marijuana policy. Their goal is to have the government declare marijuana as a safe drug. The journey ahead is long, but every step shows us that there is a bright light at the end of this tunnel.
Alexis Bortell and Jagger Cotte are both pediatric medical marijuana patients who are joining the fight for the U.S. to declare marijuana a safe drug. Alexis, who is twelve, has been using cannabis to treat her seizures and has even told The Rolling Stones, "It's helped me succeed in school more, since I don't have to go to the nurse every day because of auras and seizures. There was no medicine in Texas that would stop my seizures, and not only that, but they had horrendous side effects that would be worse than the actual seizure."
Six-year-old Jagger Cotte has been using cannabis for his neuropathic pain caused by Leigh’s Disease. His mother and father, Annet and Sebastien Cotte, have become significant activists in the fight to legalize medical cannabis. In an interview with Fox News, Cotte said, “ If we can change the law to help even one kid, one patient, it's totally worth it.”
The third member of this group of plaintiffs is Jose Belen, a combat veteran who speaks about his experience with PTSD. Once struggling alone, he found relief through cannabis and wants others to seek out help as well. He has even started his own business in the cannabis industry training his employees on how to work with veterans.
It should be no surprise that the next person on the list is a former NFL player. They experience a type of pain for years that has been treated with harmful chemicals. Marvin Washington, a former New York Jet, has been pushing for the NFL to change their marijuana policy to make football a safer environment. Considering how prominent pain-killer addiction and brain trauma are, his goals are for the NFL to introduce cannabis as a safe alternative.
Cannabis Culture is a non-profit organization who work towards ending the war on drugs and also promote people of color in the cannabis industry. They have been fighting discrimination for people of color in the industry, and don’t stop there with their compulsion to make the world a better place. They make it clear that this fight for safe access is a human rights issue and more needs to be done.
The plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit on the grounds that labeling marijuana as a schedule 1 drug is so irrational, it’s unconstitutional. With the mountains of evidence piling up, there is no way the government truly believes that marijuana fits the criteria for a schedule 1 drug. The standards are as follows:
Other drugs that are also categorized are methamphetamine, PCP, and cocaine. Many wonder how cannabis could possibly be associated with these extremely dangerous drugs. And at this point, the rest of the world is starting to pick up on the hint.
Samuel Dolinger, an assistant US attorney, says the case should be dismissed because, “courts around the country have considered similar or identical claims and have rejected them,” according to Forbes. But the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, Michael Hiller, finds that rationality to be quite absurd.
“There is a well-established body of case law that when the facts change, the courts have to change, too…If you only decided case law based upon what people thought years before, we would never have Brown v. Board of Education. … We would never have Windsor. We wouldn't have marriage equality.”
Though Judge Alvin Hellerstein considered the motion to dismiss the suit, he was vocal about his views on medical marijuana. Both Dolinger and Hellerstein worked with the deal that made cannabis a schedule 1 drug, but Hellerstein verbally agrees that marijuana can be beneficial.
Micheal Hiller reported that the judge made it clear that cannabis doesn’t meet one of the three requirements to be a schedule one drug. This outward acceptance is a huge step, and one not often seen in the courtroom.
At the moment, we can only wait to see the ruling. The judge seems to be partial to new cannabis laws, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen. If things go according to plan and the judge decides to go through with the lawsuit, they expect to have trials starting in the summer.
The battle towards safe access to cannabis as a medicinal alternative is far from over. It’s true, 29 states at this point have given access to their citizens, but we all know there are more problems the higher you go up the food chain. It is so vital for all of us to be our sharpest during this time, because the slightest falter, such as using the wrong word, could jeopardize years of progress.
Often you have probably heard the term, “non-psychoactive,” when referring to CBD oil. Going through our articles, even we have used this term to describe cannabidiol. When we say “non-psychoactive,” we mean that it doesn’t get you high like THC. But the realization that language is so important has shown us that this may not be the best way to represent that. As a wise man once said, “Be the change you wish to see.” One of the most significant contributions we can make to the cannabis movement is using the correct language when talking about its incredible healing potential.
When talking about cannabis, the words you use are crucial to the dialogue. Just think, if you were to explain to someone that your stoner friend is puffing on some sweet ganja for their anxiety, the type of words you’re choosing to use can hurt the movement you’re trying to help progress. Though, we would love for the stigma to shy away from these words, overusing them in conversation can do more harm than good for your argument in this situation.
The way we speak affects the way that we think. It’s important we choose our words wisely to be in full control of our thought processes. Not only are you forming your perception through language, but you are also influencing the perception of others as well. Language does not limit our ability to perceive; it only focuses our perception.
The first American linguist studied the Native American’s language finding that it was drastically different from languages he had studied before such as Latin, Greek, and English. He had never heard some of the sounds they made, found strange encoding in their words, and new grammatical categories. He proposed that the linguistic systems they had influenced the minds of the speakers.
This hypothesis is strengthened when you compare the Australian language Guugu Yimidhirr and English. The language Guugu Yimidhirr doesn’t use the terms left or right. Instead, they use more specific locations. This type of communication makes sense considering how left and right can be so confusing. My right or your right? When the Guugu Yimidhirr explain to you where your car is, they may say, “Your car is to the north,” while an English speaker will plainly say, “Your car is over there.” Because direction is so imbedded in their language, they are a more oriented culture than those who speak English.
Professor Lera Borodisky, a cognitive scientists, known for her works on language and cognition, also believes that language can influence your way of thinking. Borodisky states, “…when you're learning a new language, you're not simply learning a new way of talking, you are also inadvertently learning a new way of thinking.” A new way of thinking is the goal we usually have when debating cannabis with naysayers, so could language be the first step?
Right now, we are enduring an uphill battle towards legalization. This battle has been so difficult is because of all of the misinformation circulating the web. There are still countless amounts of people who aren’t fully educated on marijuana, which means their walls will be up when approached or spoken to.
Most people who are against marijuana are still under the impression that it is a harmful drug. Many may not believe that it hurts bodies, but they still think that someone who uses cannabis is doomed to a life in their mother’s basement playing World of Warcraft until they can start collecting Social Security.
By changing the way we speak about marijuana, we create a stronger argument that can help people all over the world have access to a safer medication.
Some of the language we use in the cannabis community has been getting a second look considering how popular this movement has become. Of course, some of them may seem a little far-fetched, but could that just be because of desensitization? As a society, we have to decide together whether or not these terms need changing, but the first step towards figuring it out is cracking open the dialogue and talking about it.
There are several terms and phrases that we commonly use that may not be the best way to explain what we need. The first example being, “non-psychoactive.” While CBD doesn’t get you high, saying that is non-psychoactive isn’t necessarily true. This doesn’t mean you are going to get that euphoric haze when you use it, but it is going to affect your brain.
The word psychoactive means affecting the mind. When you take CBD, your mind is going to be affected. When you do yoga, when you have sex, and when you eat you are also experience a psychoactive effect. By saying that CBD isn’t psychoactive as a selling point, we are accidentally suggesting that psychoactive means bad and that CBD doesn’t affect your brain. Both of these things just aren’t true.
When talking about marijuana, using the word cure is also very misleading. At CBD Instead, we do our best to choose particular language that doesn’t promise someone a miracle that may not happen. Yes, cannabis has proven time and time again that it can help treat symptoms through labs as well personal testimonies from cannabis users. However, there is not enough evidence to support the claim that it could, in fact, cure a disease. Can cannabis cure a disease? We don’t know for sure. This uncertainty is why it is essential to use words that are a bit more truthful such as treat, reduce, and help.
When talking about cannabis with the effort of progressing the movement, staying away from street names will make you seem more reputable. Unfortunately, there is an image that is cast down on the “typical stoner.” By using the terminology commonly used by what others see as “burnouts” might make you seem like you are less worthy to listen to. Even when you are only talking about recreational marijuana, the choice of your words is going to dictate the outcome of the conversation.
This kind of speech is misleading and can make people turn ill because they weren’t aware there was a possibility of things going south. When you compare cannabis to other medications, it does seem like there are no risks. Marijuana won’t kill your liver, but some people are allergic to it. It’s important to also talk about the side-effects and risks involved with talking about marijuana because transparency is key to reputability. If you only talk about how great marijuana is, why would they believe a word you said? Understanding that everything has its downfalls, and nothing is perfect will help you in the long run when fighting for our rights to safe access.
These two terms are used all of the time, to the point that people are continually googling them to learn more about cannabis. These terms aren’t entirely blacklisted by the community, though many think that these terms are outdated and surround cannabis with another shell of negativity.
Recreational use has been questioned as a term because many people think of children as well as recklessness when they hear it. These are two things we don’t want cannabis to be associated with in the least, so this can be a great point. The term, “For Adult Use,” has been thrown around, however, wouldn’t that be medical as well?
The term marijuana has deep seeded roots that lead towards racism. Marijuana wasn’t a term used until the 1920’s and 30’s when anti-cannabis laws were starting to appear in states. The politicians began to use the term marijuana to affiliate it with the Mexican immigrants they were so against. Considering it was a time when people were getting wild with jazz music, many white Americans began to associate minorities with corruption because of their heavy link to the big bad marijuana. This word is a symbol of racial prejudice and prohibition, which are the opposite of what the cannabis community stands for.
These two terms are being brought to light and heavily discussed, and many alternatives are being proposed. The issue we face today is that these two terms are used heavily when searching for information. Websites like ours that use this outlet of communication to spread information and knowledge are bound to the words that people are looking for. Taking away these popular terms from the overall vocabulary could inhibit someone who is less educated on the subject from learning more. You can start these changes, and eventually, the world will follow suit.
There is a fine line between being careful and understanding the words you use are essential and policing every sentence you read online. Yes, language is imperative when it comes to how we think, however, you shouldn’t overdo it. Someone who says cure most likely isn’t trying to be manipulative, and saying the word marijuana doesn’t make you a racist.
If you believe that someone has worded something poorly that may bring confusion or misconceptions, putting them on blast isn’t going to help anyone. It’s going to make you look oversensitive and add an extra layer to the stigma that already exists. Just like how our words are important with talking about cannabis, they are just as important when talking with people. Choose kind words that explain your concern, and back off if they get defensive. No one will learn if they don’t want to.
We would love to hear your opinion on these phrases listed as well as ones you have heard or read. Are there any that we missed that you would like us to talk about? Leave suggestions and comments below!
The new year awaits us, and new studies are underway for medical marijuana. We couldn’t be more excited about the information that will soon grace our screens. Spreading awareness and knowledge are one of the most critical actions to take as a cannabis user right now, and scientists are making it too easy. But before we even get into the research, what is this CBD stuff everyone is so excited about?
Marijuana is more than just the THC that gives you the munchies and makes you giggle uncontrollably. It has over 80 cannabinoids that work together, one of the most popular being cannabidiol, or CBD. This cannabinoid doesn’t get you high, and it doesn’t make you put the cereal in the fridge and the milk in the cabinet, but it comes from the same plant with some incredible healing potential.
The reason cannabinoids are so effective is because they have their very own system to interact with called the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is in charge of the body’s homeostasis, making sure that your body functions properly. The three parts that make up the ECS are cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids, and metabolic enzymes.
Cannabinoid receptors are located on the outside of your cells located all over the body. The receptors that you find more prevalent in the brain are CB1 receptors. They help mediate the neurological functions of the brain. CB2 receptors are spread more throughout the body and regulate the immune functions of the body. The way they are activated is through binding to endocannabinoids.
Your body creates endocannabinoids in your brain to mediate the traffic that is going on between neurons. You have your sending neuron, the presynaptic cell, and your receiving neuron, the postsynaptic cell. The presynaptic cell sends messages to the postsynaptic cell to create brain function. However, the sending neuron can get a little too excited, and that’s when endocannabinoids come in.
Unlike most chemicals, endocannabinoids travel from the postsynaptic cell to the presynaptic cell through a process called retrograde signaling. By sending information to the presynaptic cell, endocannabinoids regulate the activity during transmissions. Another interesting thing about endocannabinoids is that they are made when they are needed instead of being preserved in a vesicle like most neurotransmitters. The part of the endocannabinoid system that makes these chemicals are the metabolic enzymes.
Metabolic enzymes are proteins that synthesize endocannabinoids as well as run upkeep around the brain. When chemicals are no longer in use, these proteins come in and deteriorate them. Metabolic enzymes also go around and repair damaged cells while promoting a healthy lifecycle.
Unlike THC, CBD doesn’t bind directly to cannabinoid receptors. Instead, this cannabis chemical opens neural pathways, stimulates other receptors in the brain, and elevates and inhibits chemical production. We have found fundamental healing properties in cannabis such as pain relief, mood regulation, and anti-inflammatory. But what we don’t know yet is if medical marijuana can stop the progression of diseases or disorders while making them more manageable.
Scientists have been doing some digging, and they are coming up with some great information. Though we haven’t moved on to human studies for the many of the trials, the direction they are going and the progress they are making is promising.
The beginning stages of research start in the Petri dishes, then make their way to live models, and then humans are next on the list. To know what type of research we can expect to see on humans, we need to look at successful research done on rodent models. It is important to note that not every trial makes it to the next stage. However, it still is an indication of what studies are finding out. Here are some studies that have published in 2017 that give us a look into our future.
Dravet syndrome is a rare genetic dysfunction that causes seizures in babies within their first year of life. Most of the infants with this disease have a gene mutation that made this disorder occur. It can be a challenging experience having a child who erupts in seizures when they are sick or excited, but there may be a more efficient and safe treatment in the future.
Last year a study was published on rodent models with dravet syndrome who they treated with CBD. The results showed significant improvement. We all love our rodent model research, but it gets inspiring when live human bodies are involved. Another study published last year that’s focus was on Dravet Syndrome, but this time they used real human models.
Researchers took 214 children from 2 to 18 who had dravet syndrome and were resistant to epileptic medication. Some children were given placeboes while the others were given CBD oil while slowly raising the dose. They found that the patients who were receiving CBD treatments were having fewer convulsive seizures than their placebo counterparts. 5% of the patients had stopped having seizures altogether.
One of the worst parts of having an addiction is when you finally get over it your body might never recover. Heroin, cigarettes, cocaine, and alcohol all damage organs in your body. Researchers have been looking towards cannabidiol to see if it can help treat an alcoholic’s damaged liver.
Researchers had mice and fed them ethanol to create the alcohol-induced damage to their liver, while also giving them isolated CBD. They found that the CBD reduced oxidative stress, inflammation, and metabolic dysregulation.
Have you ever heard of Goldilocks and The Three Bears? Our girl Goldilocks goes into someone's house and eats their food. The first bowl is too cold, the second bowl is too hot, and the third is just right. She goes around using their other amenities without their permission, but she is finding satisfaction in at least one medium option. When it comes to medication, there is often a pocket of goodness in a precise dosage that feels just right that is often called the Goldilocks Zone.
While studying the effects of CBD and public speaking, this year they published research explaining that more CBD doesn’t always mean better. They took sixty health adult subjects from ages 18-35 and separated them into five groups either dosing them with CBD, Colanxopam, and a placebo.When the CBD participants received 100MG or 900MG of CBD, their anxiety from public speaking wasn’t reduced. However, when their dose was 300MG, the subjects found that their anxiety was reduced.
There are many ways you can cut the oxygen off from your brain. Sometimes it happens with fetuses in the womb, it can happen when you fill your lungs with water at the beach, or it can happen when you have a stroke. Having oxygen cut off or reduced can cause severe brain damage, and researchers are trying to use medical marijuana to stop the damage.
Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage can cause future brain trauma and complicated life. Researchers have found success in newborn piglets that suffer from hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. CBD reduced lung damage from HI-brain damage, though they aren’t sure if it is thanks to anti-inflammatory properties in the brain or the direct effect on the lungs that caused the prevention.
Over time, your body wears down. Sometimes it is the tissue in between your joints. This can make everything you do painful, and your life revolves around finding ways to function without wincing. Imagine a jail cell you can’t escape surrounded by pain; that is life in a body with osteoarthritis.
When researchers were studying rat models with OA, they knew that CBD could have pain relief properties, but would this help prevent damage or just make it easier to live through? After all, masking the pain is great but stopping the problem from getting worse is even better. They found that through CBD’s ability to produce anti-inflammatory effects, it halted the progression of the disease in the rat models.
An interesting study published in 2017 that was unlike many others. Instead of focusing on what marijuana could do for our people, it instead focused on the perception of cannabis users. In the first phase, they had a group of images with cannabis users and non-cannabis users. The group was supposed to pick out who they thought used cannabis and who didn’t. The cannabis users were almost always identified correctly, showing that cannabis users tend to follow similar social norms.
The next phase had an entirely different group of people rate the same pictures. This time, none of them knew that any of the people in the images used cannabis. They asked which people they thought would perform poorly in a learning or memory test, and the results showed that everyone assumed that people who looked like cannabis users wouldn’t perform as well as the others.
This stigma isn’t just harmful in schools where teachers might not treat stoner students with respect, but also in the workplace and the real world. Everyone has their own opinion of what the typical cannabis user is, and some of them still are under the impression that they are lazy, stupid, or even violent.
There were some wonderful findings last year in 2017, and 2018 is going to be just as bountiful. If you want to stay up to date with the new and exciting things we are finding out about medical marijuana, follow us on our social media so you can stay up to date! And don’t forget to stop by the shop to check out some of our fantastic products that can help you get your quality of life up to the level that you deserve.
]]>
2018 is going to be an exciting year for all of us. The new year is a chance to start everything over, set goals, and take the next year by storm. Marijuana has a big year next year, too. These advancements say a lot about where our country is at when it comes towards legalization, and we are pretty excited about most of it.
In 2018, an Israeli doctor, Dr. Adi Aran, is going to be finishing research on real live human people. This is exciting because it takes years to get from petri dish to Peter. Since last January, he has been conducting preclinical trials on patients from five to 29 with autism. Dr. Aram has included in his study two different types of cannabis oil as well as a placebo. We are excited to see what the results say!
Athletes put their bodies through more in a few months than most of us do our whole lives. Some of them get beaten to a pulp and then go back at it again in a few weeks. Professional athletes can’t afford long recovery times, and it is almost inhumane to make them go through that pain without medication that doesn’t destroy their body. In 2018, athletes will finally have access to using CBD oil.
More states are jumping on the health bandwagon and are looking to legalize the medicinal use of Marijuana for their states. Marijuana activists have been fighting hard to have their voices and the voices of the people be heard and finally someone is listening. Is your state next?
California is passed the point of medicinal marijuana, and next year they are set to have marijuana legal for recreational use. Many think that this could take a toll on the medicinal sales, but we only want people to take medicine if they need it, right? Using medication as an excuse to use marijuana recreationally further tarnishes the view on marijuana because it is very similar to the pill mill epidemic that was happening with doctors busting out scripts for a stubbed toe. We think this is a great step o separate the two, to help people understand it’s okay to use it recreationally and medically!
Texas is a little farther behind than other states, but the activists in the state are aggressive as ever. This year, they have already begun to give out citations instead of making pointless arrests with their citizens possessing less than four ounces of marijuana, which we think is quite reasonable at this point in the legalization process. This was also the first year that a bill that would decriminalize marijuana even made it to the Texas House. It didn’t get passed, but it shows the progression happening in such a conservative state. Unfortunately, they have to wait until 2019 for another try, but in 2018 the marijuana activists in Texas will be going full force towards a brighter future for their society.
Previously, the DEA promised to break down some barriers that keep researchers from having multiple sources to find good quality marijuana to do research on. Unfortunately, there is only one location that they are permitted to use, which this year sent moldy weed to researchers that they couldn’t use. In 2018, they won't be making their promise, however, they will be taking action. They will be reducing the amount of marijuana required to grow for research purposes, which just makes it even harder for us weed warriors to find hard evidence of the plant we are so passionate about.
]]>The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported some fantastic news on CBD. They have highlighted several worries that the government has had about the chemical. The main reason CBD has been under such scrutiny is because of its association with THC (even though there is nothing wrong with THC). There is worry that CBD might be addictive, people might start abusing the drug to get high, or it could have harmful effects on the body. WHO has come forward and has finally exterminated the monsters under the DEA’s bed with their findings.
A lot of medication you take for physical or mental health can cause you to become overdependent on the drug. There is still an ongoing opioid epidemic that could possibly be eradicated just by switching to medical marijuana. WHO has found that CBD has no addictive properties, there are even studies suggesting that CBD can help people get over addiction.
One reason people abuse drugs that are meant to help you is because it makes them feel good. They like the escape and the disconnect from reality for a moment. Unfortunately, overdoing this can lead to addiction and depending on the medication it could leave lasting effects on the body and mind. CBD doesn’t give you a euphoric high the same way the other drugs do. There is no “chase” when it comes to CBD, only healing.
Of course, there are side effects and risks involved with CBD, just like with Advil or peanut butter. But the risks are far fewer and less severe than the conventional medicines that people use all the time. The majority of the cases where adverse reactions occurred during WHO’s trials was when CBD was mixed with other medication. But CBD oil doesn’t have lasting effects on your mind and body that hinder your ability to live a fulfilling life like many pills seem to do.
This isn’t the first study that has expressed the safety in taking CBD. The cannabis community has been trying to convey the benefits of using medical marijuana over prescription medicine for years. This is a great turning point for the community. If you’re ready to take the next step and try CBD for your ailments or just general health, check out our shop to buy reputable and safe products!
[Beautiful Bud: @GreenMedicineSP]
]]>The year 2017 is finally coming to an end, and you should be excited for next year. Medical marijuana activists have been fighting hard for steps in the right direction, and finally, we have taken one. The Anti-Doping Agency has declared that athletes can finally use CBD oil. This says a lot about where we are with marijuana, and every bit of it is thrilling.
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical found in the marijuana plant. Unlike it’s best friend THC, CBD doesn’t get you high. It’s an exciting dance that CBD does with a system in our body called the endocannabinoids system. Instead of directly binding to the receptors that are a part of this system like THC does, CBD instead stimulates the system through other neural pathways and receptors.
Think of your body as an American football team. When the team is at their peak performance and working together flawlessly, they are most likely going to win the game. But when your linebackers are missing their tackles or the quarterback is taking a vacation in the pocket, games are lost. Usually, the coach will pull them in for a motivational speech, and they get back on the field and dominate.
The quarterback in this scenario is your endocannabinoids system. It tells your body what to do, and keeps the team working together as best it can. When you’re sick or injured, it makes sure you get healed. When you are upset, it makes sure to calm you down. However, illnesses and diseases can cause the endocannabinoid system malfunction. If you have a terrible quarterback, you have a lousy team. Their mistakes trickle down and can cost the game. CBD comes in like an award-winning coach and gets the team’s heads back on straight.
The endocannabinoid system is made up of three major parts, endocannabinoids, metabolic enzymes, and cannabinoid receptors. For the system to function correctly, all of these elements have to work together.
Endocannabinoids are organic chemicals that are created on demand in our brain. This is important because a lot of chemicals are stored in sacs to be used for later, but endocannabinoids are only around when they are needed.
One of the really cool things about these chemicals is how they travel. Most hormones that are transmitted between cells go from the sending cell to the receiving cell; endocannabinoids don’t follow that trend. Instead, these chemicals travel from the receiving neuron to the sending neuron, telling the cell what the receiving neuron needs. If the sending cell is overactive, the endocannabinoids can make it stop sending too many signals, and if it’s underactive, it asks for more.
Endocannabinoids are created by enzymes and can be destroyed by enzymes. The great circle of life. The job of these proteins is to degrade chemicals that are no longer needed and help keep the cells that are alive healthy and strong.
As of now, we know of two cannabinoid receptors that play significant roles in the endocannabinoid system. The CB1 receptor is the one associated with our neurological functions. It’s found all over the body, but it is more densely populated in the brain, which makes sense. The CB2 receptors are evenly spread out through the body and are associated with our immune functions. When endocannabinoids bind to these receptors, they help create the regulation of the body.
Athletes get a lot of injuries, especially professionals. Even though they are well trained on how to use their body and how to work out, they still are putting an immense amount of stress on their body. The worst part is, injuries mean you’re out of the office until it’s better. Athletes need the inflammation to go down and for their wounds to heal fast, which CBD can help with.
Because the endocannabinoid system helps regulate immune functions, it helps reduce inflammation. When your body is injured, it sens immune cells to the area to attack anything foreign from the body. A little inflammation is good, but if your immune system is overactive, it can get out of control and extremely painful. CBD makes sure that the number of immune cells that go to the affected area isn’t too much, aren’t too little, and don’t spread to other areas.
Whether you pulled a muscle on the court or had your face beat to pieces in the ring, sports are going to bring you pain. Many of the prescription painkillers are addictive, and athletes and celebrities find themselves gaining an overdependence on legal drugs. Sometimes they can’t even get their hands on something strong enough because it will interfere with their body in a way that could jeopardize their career. But CBD can give the same pain relief but without the addictive properties or harmful side effects.
If you’re injured, it’s probably hard to sleep. If you have a big game tomorrow, it’s probably difficult to settle your mind. Athletes are under constant scrutiny and pressure, making them live very anxious lives. It’s no surprise many of them turn to violent tendencies considering the mental pressure they are put under. Anxiety and pain are two leading causes of insomnia, and CBD can help with both.
When you exercise, your brain creates chemicals that make pain less severe and give you that “runner’s high.” For a long time, we thought it was just endorphins that made us feel this way. However, we now know that exercising raises anandamide levels, one of the endocannabinoids. When you take CBD, you are already increasing your anandamide levels, so by putting the two together, it creates a great experience to get in the zone and exercise until your heart is content.
Whether it’s for vanity or health, athletes are trying to keep their bods as perfect as they can. When they take CBD, it makes that impossible job a little easier. There are two kinds of fat your body produces, white fat cells and brown fat cells. The fat you probably think of is the white kind, which your body stores for energy. The brown fat is made to burn for energy, and guess what CBD does! It helps brown fat! Not only does it regulate their appetite, but it is making sure that the nutrients are going to all of the right places.
Some professional athletes get nauseous after a vigorous workout and take over the counter medicine to combat it. However, CBD can help reduce nausea even better than some leading brands. Nausea is a natural defensive mechanism that keeps us from eating things that are harmful, but sometimes it can become active from extreme physical activity. Taking CBD for pre and post work out can help diminish this almost entirely if not to the full extent.
“I had pain, that’s why I left the game after ten years…It was just the beat down. Having to take anti-inflammatories all year to get through the season. I didn’t like the way my body was feeling… I was miserable, I was mad, pissed off. Questioning: Why the hell did I play football? That’s when I started to understand the medical side of marijuana and cannabis: to help with pain…”
Jake Plummer
Denver Broncos
“This pain is never going away. My body is damaged. I have to manage it somehow. Managing it with pills was slowly killing me. Now I’m able to function and be extremely efficient by figuring out how to use different formulations of cannabis.”
Eugene Monroe
Baltimore Ravens
“My mind is always all over the place, I can get caught up in what’s going on around me… Weed helps me keep my mind focused, if you can imagine that.”
Cliff Drusinsky
Triathlete
The Anti-Doping Agency okaying CBD is a massive step in the right direction and great for the bigger picture. If the NFL is letting their prized athletes that make them billions of dollars from their physical performance use CBD, think about that for a moment. Yes, they have been allowing dangerous painkillers to go into their athlete's systems, something they’ve been doing for years. But the fact that they are willing to change a controversial policy for the safety and health of their playersreally says something about how we are starting to see CBD and medical marijuana as a whole.
If you are an athlete or physically active and you want to stop living your life with harmful pain pills or are looking for a way to deal with the pain and stress, come check out our shop! We have some awesome salves and balms perfect for joint and muscle pain, as well as tinctures and e-cigarettes for anxiety!
]]>