Tag: cannabis

The Top Ten Marijuana Myths That No One Should Believe

Even today, with 80% of states legalizing cannabis in some form, and half the country legalizing it for medical purposes, I have been called a lunatic for ever thinking that cannabis would be recognized for the miracle plant that it is. Shockingly enough many have yet to see through the mainstream media facade to the ruling puppeteers behind. 

Many still hold fast in their belief that cannabis is dangerous and not medically efficacious, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary backed by scientists and industry leaders alike. The only ones, it seems, that are not reconciling their incorrect beliefs, and intentionally so, are the politicians with their hands in Big Pharma’s back pocket, also known as, the American political elite. 

They continue to stand on their podium of lies broadcasting their misinformation, casting aside what little integrity they retain while making the conscious decision to sell out their constituents, their country, and themselves, all for a little extra paper, that they most likely did not truly need in the first place.

Despite the onslaught of ridiculous claims and outright lies reminiscent of the days of “Reefer Madness” that have been cast into minds of unsuspecting Americans, it would seem that We, as a nation, or rather as the people of a nation, have chosen to see past the obvious attempts by the government to misdirect our attention and feed us State-sponsored comforting lies, that only benefit an elite few, and perpetuate a Deep State agenda. 

We, as the American people, have shown this country’s ruling masters that we see though their half-hearted attempts to coral us into an aligned way of thinking and viewing the world, a way of thinking that primarily benefits those in control and casts what little remains down to those of us still scrabbling for the scraps from their table. We have shown them, that we will think for ourselves. 

As there are most definitely more pressing issues facing this nation, and the world for that matter, the topic of cannabis and its subsequent legalization is, in my opinion, one of the primary catalysts that began the awakening we are currently experiencing. It showed every American citizen that when the people stand together, truly unite, our voices are all that matter.

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56-Million-Year-Old Fossil Found in Germany May Be Oldest Known Cannabis Plant

A fossil discovered in Germany may be the oldest known cannabis-related plant ever identified, potentially pushing the timeline of the genus back by about 30 million years.

The fossilized leaf, dated to between 56 million and 48 million years ago, was found in the Saxony-Anhalt region of Germany and is now being highlighted as a possible early relative of modern marijuana. That would make it far older than previous estimates suggesting the Cannabis genus emerged around 20 million to 28 million years ago.

According to researchers, the fossil had actually been sitting in a museum collection for around 150 years after first being described in 1883. Only recently was it reexamined in detail, leading to renewed interest because of how closely it resembles today’s cannabis leaves. Researchers say the shape of the leaf and its vein pattern are both strikingly similar to modern marijuana plants.

Even so, the fossil is not believed to be the same as modern Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica. Instead, it appears to represent an extinct relative from much earlier in the plant’s evolutionary history. Researchers note that today’s marijuana varieties have been heavily shaped by human cultivation and selective breeding, likely over thousands of years.

The discovery is notable not just because of its age, but because of where it was found. For years, cannabis was widely believed to have originated in the Tibetan Plateau region of Asia. This fossil suggests the genus may have a far older and broader history than previously thought, and that its origin may not be tied only to high-altitude regions in Asia.

Researchers say they can’t determine whether the ancient plant contained THC because the fossil does not preserve the tiny structures where cannabinoids are produced.

Still, the fossil is offering one of the strongest signs yet that the history of marijuana may stretch back much further than once believed, while also opening the door to new questions about where the plant first emerged.

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Can cannabis save us from the apocalypse caused by antibiotics?

The world is on the brink of a new pandemic. This time, it won’t be caused by a new virus, but by an incurable infection. By 2050 , drug-resistant infections are projected to kill up to 10 million people annually, surpassing cancer deaths and exceeding the capacity of healthcare systems designed to combat infectious diseases. Pathogenic microorganisms have evolved like seasoned strategists, rewriting their genes to survive and evade drugs that were once easily effective. 

For many years, antibiotics have been prescribed as a miracle drug for a wide range of ailments, from sore throats to runny noses. In agriculture, they are used mixed into animal feed to promote livestock growth and increase survival rates in overcrowded farm environments.

Doctors in the hospital wards are beginning to notice something disturbing. Infections that used to clear up in a few days are now lingering, and patients are being readmitted with the same symptoms as before, but the same treatments are no longer effective. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is spreading throughout the hospital and thriving in places where disinfectants are ineffective. 

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs) emerged in intensive care units (ICUs) and  earned the nickname “nightmare bacteria” due to their ability to resist almost every antibiotic recorded.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has corroded ventilators and surgical instruments, and drug-resistant tuberculosis has reappeared like a ghost from medical history, becoming more difficult to treat than ever before. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged in intensive care units , defeating one of our most powerful antibiotics and turning routine infections into medical crises. 

As the world faces the problem of antibiotic resistance, researchers are increasingly exploring the potential antimicrobial properties of plant-derived compounds. However, many of these plants remain heavily regulated, limiting research, clinical trials, and public access. Hemp is a prime example. Cannabinoids found in hemp have shown antimicrobial activity against certain bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms in laboratory studies.

Most of the findings described below are from laboratory (in vitro) or early preclinical studies. While these results are promising, they do not represent established treatments in humans. Clinical trials are needed to determine safety, dosage, and actual efficacy.

Cannabinoids as antibacterial agents

Cannabinoids can be described as nature’s quiet chemists. These plant-derived molecules, found in hemp and other hemp plants (including the lesser-known Trema micrantha ), are structurally different from conventional antibiotics, and this difference is significant. Instead of following the same biochemical mechanisms as common pharmaceuticals, cannabinoids interact with microorganisms in novel ways that science is only just beginning to understand. 

We’ll take a closer look at cannabinoids that have been most frequently reported to have antibacterial properties and explain why they are attracting increasing attention in modern research .

CBDa and CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) have been demonstrated to exhibit antibacterial activity in laboratory studies. Antibacterial assays using resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii with CBD suggest that CBD may disrupt bacterial membrane integrity under controlled conditions. Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterium, well-known as a causative agent of hospital-acquired infections, and is also notorious for its multidrug resistance. 

The same researchers observed that CBD synergistically interacts with gentamicin, meropenem, and colistin, lowering the concentrations needed to inhibit bacterial growth in vitro. While this may sound like a major breakthrough, further research is needed into the potential drug interactions and how they might affect users. 

Another study revealed that CBDa inhibits  biofilm formation in E. coli ATCC . Biofilms play a crucial role in bacterial antibiotic resistance. A biofilm is a structured bacterial community enclosed in the extracellular matrix, produced by bacteria themselves, protecting cells from environmental stress, immune responses, and antimicrobial agents. 

Biofilms not only increase survival rates in harsh environments but also promote the transmission of resistance genes, making infection treatment difficult and increasing the risk of chronic and recurrent infections. The anti-biofilm effect of CBD has also been reported against MRSA and Candida albicans, a fungus that produces biofilms . In laboratory studies examining bacterial biofilms, CBD showed activity equivalent to or greater than certain antibiotics under specific experimental conditions . These findings were obtained in vitro and have not been validated in human clinical settings.

CBD and CBDa restrict intermicrobial communication that modulates resistance strategies and toxin release. This is known as quorum sensing . By disrupting these communication networks, CBD weakens the collective strength of bacterial colonies. Several studies have suggested synergistic effects between CBD and certain antibiotics, suggesting that CBD may enhance the effectiveness of conventional drugs by weakening microbial defenses. This could have significant implications for future research on difficult-to-treat infections, although clinical application has not yet been proven.

Early studies have investigated  the potential activity of CBD against certain parasites, such as Echinococcus granulosus and Leishmania species.

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The Archaeology of Marijuana

In June, monthly sales for recreational and medical marijuana in my hometown of Colorado reached a record high of $199 million .

The industry’s growth took eight years. In 2012, with the passage of the 64th Amendment, Colorado, along with Washington, became one of the first states in the U.S. where consenting adults could legally purchase and consume marijuana for recreational purposes.

Since then, Colorado’s tourism landscape has changed dramatically. Legalization of recreational marijuana has fueled six of the eight consecutive years of record growth in the tourism industry. In June 2019, the Colorado Department of Revenue announced that total marijuana-related revenue had reached $1 billion since sales began in 2014. This funding has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue for the state, which can be used for education, transportation, environmental protection, and other initiatives.

However, despite the clear economic benefits, many in the United States oppose marijuana legalization. Some of my friends dislike the smell of marijuana. Others are concerned about marijuana use among teenagers, the potential effects of secondhand smoke on children, or people driving under the influence.

I haven’t smoked cigarettes in years, and I’ve never tried edible marijuana. However, I’m very pleased that America is starting to move away from its long road of unnecessarily criminalizing mild recreational drugs.

I voted in favor of Amendment 64 because I oppose the double standards regarding alcohol in the United States. Studies show that alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana. I also voted in favor because I oppose the systemic racism in the justice system that unfairly punishes people of color for drug-related crimes .

My perspective as an archaeologist is relevant to this matter. I pay close attention to what humanity has done in the past, and from the long-term perspective of human history, I know that not everything in the present is “normal.” The modern fear of marijuana is one of the concerns that seems particularly strange, because researchers estimate that humans have been using cannabis for at least 10,000 years.

What do scholars say about the long history of human use of cannabis? How did cannabis transform from a plant highly valued in many parts of the world to a notorious drug? 

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Governor Silent as Chinese Cannabis Cartels Swallow Rural Maine — Some With Her Brother’s Help

On April 1, 2025, Somerset County sheriff’s deputies executed a warrant at a South Road property in Harmony and arrested Wenfeng Chen, 51, of Malden, Massachusetts. Inside, they found 1,405 marijuana plants, approximately 100 pounds of processed cannabis, a 9mm pistol, ammunition, and $1,600 in drug proceeds. Chen and his co-defendant, Xinwen Zhang, 71, of Boston, now face Class B felony charges — unlawful cultivation and drug trafficking — the kind of charges that can put you in prison for ten years, or get you deported.

It was the second time law enforcement had hit the same Harmony property. Deputies raided it in May 2024 and seized more than 1,200 plants, but no one was home.

Law enforcement would have to wait another eleven months to find Wenfeng Chen on the premises.

But one year before Chen was arrested with illicit drugs, cash, and a firearm, the Maine Wire photographed a 2017 Mercedes-Benz sedan bearing Massachusetts plates registered in Chen’s name at his Charles St. address in Malden, Mass.

The vehicle was parked at the site of a separate illicit cannabis grow, 51 Cider Hill Road in Corinna, where the local code enforcement officer had repeatedly denied requests from the owners to upgrade the electrical capacity because large-scale cannabis cultivation is illegal in that town.

Chen happened to share an address with Xiling Ou, 44, the man who owned the Corinna property until he gave it away, allegedly to his mother, Xiaoyu Lu of Guangdong Province, China.

The attorney who made that gift happen was Paul H. Mills — better known as the brother of Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), the woman currently vying for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination and a chance to square off against Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

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Judge Rejects Anti-Marijuana Groups’ Motion To Block CBD And THC Medicare Coverage Plan, Setting Hearing For 4/20

A federal judge has denied a request from a coalition of anti-marijuana organizations that sought to immediately block the Trump administration’s initiative to cover hemp-derived CBD and THC products through Medicare from launching on Wednesday.

The groups’ overall lawsuit challenging the policy is still under consideration, however, with a hearing on their separate motion for a preliminary injunction scheduled for April 20, which coincidentally is known as the unofficial cannabis cultural holiday 4/20.

Judge Trevor N. McFadden on Tuesday rejected the request from Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and nine other drug prevention groups to issue a temporary restraining order to halt the federal cannabis initiative, which is being facilitated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), from taking effect.

McFadden, in his one-page order, quoted case law holding that a temporary restraining order is an “extraordinary and drastic remedy” that can only be granted if a party makes a “clear showing that four factors, taken together, warrant relief: likely success on the merits, likely irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief, a balance of the equities in its favor, and accord with the public interest.”

“Having considered the arguments in Plaintiffs’ motion and at a motions hearing, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have not met this high standard,” the judge wrote. “The motion for a temporary restraining order is thus denied. The Court will consider Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction and motion to stay upon the completion of briefing.”

Defendants in the lawsuit—CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—now have until April 9 to file briefs responding to the prohibitionist groups’ motion for a preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs then have a reply brief due on April 13, a week ahead of the 4/20 hearing on the matter.

The lawsuit comes as CMS is set to start covering CBD and THC products under select federal health insurance programs as a Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive (BEI) beginning on Wednesday.

Under the BEI, patients enrolled in specific federal health insurance programs could have up to $500 worth of hemp-derived products covered each year. The CBD-focused plan will also allow a certain amount of THC in products, but the agency said that the rules are subject to change if federal hemp policy changes, as is currently expected under a law set to take effect later this year.

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Republicans Are Twice As Likely As Democrats To See Marijuana Use As Morally Wrong, Poll Shows

Americans across every demographic—age, gender, religion and political affiliation—all agree that using marijuana is not morally wrong, according to a new polling report from the Pew Research Center. However, Republicans are still twice as likely as Democrats to say consuming cannabis is a moral no-no, the survey results show.

The analysis was based on a recent poll that asked Americans about their views on the morality of a variety of behaviors and policies. Overall, 76 percent of U.S. adults said using marijuana is either morally acceptable or not a moral issue at all, compared to 23 percent who said the activity is immoral.

That puts marijuana use in roughly the same moral standing as getting a divorce and spanking children, at least from the average American perspective.

More Americans believe using marijuana is not morally wrong than those who feel the same about gambling, watching pornography, having an abortion, being gay, the death penalty and more.

Cannabis is considered decidedly less moral than alcohol, however, with only 16 percent of respondents calling it morally wrong to drink.

That said, a closer look at the demographic data on the marijuana question shows that, by and large, the prevailing opinion is that smoking marijuana doesn’t make someone a bad person.

The age breakdown for those who said cannabis use isn’t morally wrong shows little deviation among younger and older adults: 18-29 (79 percent), 30-49 (76 percent), 50-64 (77 percent) and 65+ (73 percent).

There’s also general uniformity in the belief that cannabis use is not morally wrong among people who subscribe to different religious denominations: Christian (72 percent), Protestant (73 percent), Catholic (74 percent), Jewish (85 percent). Atheists and agnostics were even less likely to regard marijuana use as immoral, with 98 percent and 94 percent percent describing the activity as morally acceptable or not a moral issue, respectively.

Men and women were equally likely to say using cannabis isn’t immoral, at 76 percent.

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