7 Reasons Marijuana Is Patriotic AF

No matter what people think or say about marijuana, it’s hard to deny that the herb has helped shape American culture and history.

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The nation’s most wide-ranging drug reform measure secures a spot on the ballot.

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Can CBD Boost Your Immune System?

There’s a lot of conflicting data on CBD and its therapeutic effects. Here’s what researchers have to say.  

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The Music City is apparently becoming more 420-friendly. On Wednesday, Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk announced that his office will stop prosecuting pot possession offenses for less than an ounce. The new policy is effective immediately. 

In an official statement, the DA’s office declared: “Marijuana charges do little to promote public health, and even less to promote public safety.”

Citing in particular how such busts disproportionately affect minority communities, Funk told an interviewer: “These are people who are not endangering our community, but are saddled with the collateral consequences of a narcotics arrest record. When you combine that with the racial disparities, it becomes clear it needs to end.” 

Nashville mayor John Cooper backed the decision, stating, “We need to continue working to ensure that people have access to drug treatment and that we are doing everything we can to keep nonviolent young people out of the criminal justice system.”

The DA’s office also cited the financial wisdom of the change, noting how the new policy will “decrease costs, as jail housing expenses for these cases will now be totally eliminated. Similarly, courts and the clerk’s office will see savings from docketing fewer cases.”

While Nashville appears to be getting more in tune with cannabis enlightenment, weed is still very much illegal in Tennessee. Possession of less than a half-ounce is a class A misdemeanor. Selling cannabis in any amount from a half-ounce to 10 pounds is a class E felony.

Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson acknowledged Funk’s right to determine which cases to prosecute, but he also made clear that the police can’t just ignore major laws signed off by the legislature. In other words, cops will still arrest people for weed — and it’s left up to their judgement to determine if a circumstance is worth arresting and booking an individual. “Nashville police officers continue to be encouraged to use their discretion in carrying out their duties, as guided by MNPD policy,” Anderson said.

The MNPD officers’ manual instructs cops to consider the “totality of the circumstances” in each potential possession case. The manual also lists alternatives to arrests, such as referrals to social service agencies.

Funk added that the new marijuana policy is part of an overall positive trend, stating, “Police precincts have shifted away from focusing on low level offenses, similar to what we’ve been doing in the DA’s office. Every office has different priorities of where limited resources should be spent. We have a focus on supporting the victims of violent crime.”

Going forward, Funk said that it’s imperative for those who work in law enforcement to take a stand toward criminal justice. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to look for ways to make sure the system is fair, and this seems to me a pretty obvious policy change that needed to happen. We all need to be introspective about our policies and procedures.”

While Nashville sill has a long path ahead of it in terms of cannabis reform, these are promising first steps. 

Celebrate July 4 and Oil Day with the most value-priced extracts of Colorado, Oregon, California, Florida, and beyond.

The post America’s most affordable THC wax, oil, and hash of 2020 appeared first on Leafly.

Can Medical Marijuana Help Treat Clinical Burnout?

The intensity of the global response to the conditions of COVID-19 has prompted a need to address the high levels of burnout experienced by medical professionals. 

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Daily doses of CBD could help dogs suffering from osteoarthritis, according to a new study published in the Journal of Immunology. 

Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition that can cause pain, loss of mobility, and stiffness. The condition, which also affects humans, is fairly prevalent in dogs. Around 20 percent of dogs older than 1 year of age suffer from this condition, and the risk increases as dogs get older. This illness can cause dogs to become irritable, lethargic, or reluctant to run or play.

Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas recruited 20 large dogs that were previously diagnosed with canine osteoarthritis for this double-blind clinical study. Over the course of four weeks, each dog was randomly assigned to one of four groups. One of these groups received a placebo, while the other three groups each received a different preparation of CBD.

One group of dogs was given a dose of 50mg pure CBD oil every day for the course of the trial, another group was given 20mg of pure CBD, and a third group received 20mg of liposomal CBD. Liposomal medicines use nanotechnology to encase medicinal compounds in tiny lipid bubbles, which can be more easily absorbed by the body than traditional medications. 

Veterinarians evaluated the dogs’ mobility and pain before, during, and after the study, and the dogs’ owners were also asked to report on their pets’ quality of life. The researchers found that the dogs in the placebo group and the low-dose/ 20mg CBD group showed no signs of improvement during the study. Both the high-CBD group and the liposomal CBD group saw a significant improvement in their quality of life, however.

“I openly admit that I was surprised at how quickly we saw such large results” said lead researcher Matthew Halpert PhD, faculty member at the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine, to Forbes. “I would not have expected to see too much of anything in just one month.”

Halpert said the dogs in the placebo and low-CBD groups were “just as miserable as before” the study. But in regards to reduced pain and increased mobility, “almost every dog [in the other two CBD groups] saw significant improvement in their conditions… And the dogs seemed happier and were able to do more.”

The researchers also found that the benefits of CBD even persisted after the trial ended. Two weeks after ceasing to take the medicine, dogs in the two higher-CBD groups still showed signs of improvement. “This would tell us that the CBD was in fact addressing the underlying inflammatory issues,” Halpert explained. “It wasn’t just masking the pain.”

Halpert was particularly surprised by the success of the liposomal treatment. The dosage of 20mg of liposomal CBD was effective, while 20mg of pure CBD was not. Other researchers remain skeptical of these findings, though. Veterinary anesthesia and pain management specialist Stephen Cital told Forbes that because the researchers did not measure the CBD levels in the dogs’ blood, they could not conclude that the liposomal delivery method actually made a difference.

So far, most CBD research has focused on humans, and studies have found that this non-psychoactive cannabinoid can help treat epilepsy, depression, chronic pain, and possibly even psychosis. Comparatively little research has been done on animals, but the lack of evidence hasn’t stopped companies from creating CBD products specifically for pets.

Between 2018 and 2019, the US pet CBD market grew tenfold, reaching $321 million in sales by the end of last year, according to the Brightfield Group. This year, the market is expected to grow to $563 million. One study found that CBD could help fight brain cancer in dogs (and humans, too), but overall, the benefits of CBD for pets is largely anecdotal.

Many veterinarians report that CBD is largely effective and safe for dogs, though. Cital himself used CBD to help treat his own dog that was suffering from mobility issues. California veterinarian Gary Richter told Forbes that he’s also seen a number of dogs respond well to CBD, but has noticed some minor side effects, including elevated liver values and occasional vomiting.

Since there is no scientific consensus supporting the usage of CBD for pets, Richter, Cital, and other veterinarians all urge pet owners to talk to their own vet before deciding to use CBD products on their pets. “There are a lot of products out there and not everything is made properly, not everything is labeled accurately, not everything has in the bottle what it says on the label,” Richter warned.

Dixie Brands will assume a new name as it drops “Dixie” from its branding.

Ethan Zohn is a Survivor veteran and cannabis advocate. He is best known for winning Survivor: Africa, the 3rd season of the 40-season show.

A former professional soccer player with a squeaky clean public image, Ethan stayed away from cannabis for most of his life. It wasn’t until April 2009 when he was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer called CD20-positive Hodgkin’s lymphoma that Zohn decided to explore cannabis and all of its wellness benefits. Since then, Ethan’s cancer has returned twice, once in May 2009, another in September 2011, battles that Zohn continues to win.

“When I was diagnosed with cancer, that’s when I was introduced to [cannabis] from the medical side of things. Cause I was popping prescription pills: I was taking Ativan for anxiety, Percocet for pain, Zofran for nausea, Ambien for sleep, and in the morning I’d have to pop an Adderall for energy to go to the doctor,” he told Weedmaps.

In addition to his journey with cannabis and cancer, Ethan talked to us about some of his go-to products. Here are some of the cannabis products that Ethan Zohn can’t live without.

MONTKUSH Raw CBDa Oil

Ethan Zohn is a huge CBD advocate, CBDa to be specific. It’s played a major role in him treating his anxiety around the uncertainties of life.

“I would get on these infinite loops of “What if” scenarios: What if I die, what if the cancer comes back, what if I don’t get married; and it just wasn’t a good way to live my life — I was living in fear. So I started taking CBD, pretty much like a multivitamin, every day in the form of a tincture.”

MONTKUSH’s Raw CBDa 1,000 milligram oil was that tincture. “It got rid of the clutter in my brain of constant ruminating over stuff I could not control.”

MONTKUSH is a cannabis company out in Vermont that produces three products: a natural-flavored CBD oil, a mint-flavored CBD oil, and a raw CBDa oil. They’re all made from pure full-spectrum CBD rosin.

Available: Nationwide

Curaleaf 1:1 Tincture

If Ethan doesn’t have any MONTKUSH on deck, Curaleaf‘s 1:1 tincture is his next choice.

According to their website, Curaleaf is the largest national retail dispensary brand in the U.S. They produce a full line of products including flower, vapes, topicals, edibles, and more. Their tinctures, available in Oregon, come with a 1:1 THC:CBD ratio and are made from natural cannabis and MCT oil. 

Genius Pipe

Zohn very rarely smokes cannabis. When he does, the Genius Pipe is his weapon of choice.

“It looks like Apple designed it or something. I rarely smoke, but if I’ve got some friends over, I use the Genius Pipe. It’s really neat.”

The Genius Pipe is a high-tech pocket pipe whose selling point is that it cools down the smoke as you inhale. It’s discreet, advertised as indestructible, and extremely easy to use and clean. They come in all kinds of colors and designs, and would make a great addition to any stash.

Kannaway CBD Salve

Early on in his CBD career, before he had legal access to it, Ethan would use Kannaway’s CBD Salve. It’s a CBD-from-hemp salve that comes in 500 milligram or in single doses, like pocket shots from a liquor store, for the people who just need just a small dose of relief.

Lowell Smokes

“I think one of the coolest brands out there is Lowell Smokes.”

Lowell Farms in California produces a full line of products including flower, dabs, vapes, and now CBD flower and dabs. Their Lowell Smokes pre-roll multipacks are the true champions, and according to Ethan, a real party favorite.

“I went to a wedding in LA, and I pulled out a pack of these and it was like the crowd stopped. So for me, this is great, it’s a conversation piece, I can start talking to people about [cannabis], and educating people about it.”

Available: California

Interview by Nic Juarez. Written by Dante Jordan. Graphic design by David Lozada.

The post 5 weed products 'Survivor' winner Ethan Zohn can't live without appeared first on Weedmaps News.

Why Marijuana Could Be Risky For Your Heart

The relationship between smoking cigarettes and cardiovascular disease is well known. But cannabis use could also result in faster heartbeats and rising blood pressures.

The post Why Marijuana Could Be Risky For Your Heart appeared first on The Fresh Toast.