Tag: marijuana

Marijuana Users Have Better Outcomes Following Heart Attacks, New Study Finds, Pointing To ‘Cannabis Paradox’

Findings of a newly published study show what authors describe as a “cannabis paradox”: Despite concerns that marijuana use may be associated with some heart problems, adults admitted to the hospital after suffering heart attacks actually seemed to fare better if they were cannabis consumers.

“The findings of our study reveal a paradox,” researchers wrote. “Among patients aged 18–80 years admitted to hospital with [acute myocardial infarction] between 2001 and 2020 in the United States, cannabis use was associated with lower risks of complications, such as, cardiogenic shock, acute ischaemic stroke, cardiac arrest, and [percutaneous coronary intervention] use, as well as lower in-hospital mortality despite correcting for several confounding factors.”

“This highlights how cannabis remains a poorly understood substance,” they added, “despite a relentless rise in consumption and social acceptance.”

The report, published in the journal Archives of Medical Science – Atherosclerotic Diseases, examined data from the National Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital discharge records across the United States that authors said “represents more than 97% of the US population.”

Keep reading

Utility company’s proposal to rat out hidden marijuana operations to police raises privacy concerns

Operators of illegal marijuana grow enterprises hidden inside rural homes in Maine don’t have to worry much about prying neighbors. But their staggering electric bills may give rise to a new snitch.

An electric utility made an unusual proposal to help law enforcement target these illicit operations, which are being investigated for ties to transnational crime. Critics, however, worry the move would violate customers’ privacy.

More than a dozen states that legalized marijuana have seen a spike in illegal marijuana grow operations that utilize massive amounts of electricity. And Maine’s Versant Power has been receiving subpoenas — sometimes for 50 locations at a time — from law enforcement, said Arrian Myrick-Stockdell, corporate counsel. It’d be far more efficient, he suggested to utility regulators, to flip the script and allow electric utilities to report their suspicions to law enforcement.

“Versant has a very high success rate in being able to identify these locations, but we have no ability to communicate with law enforcement proactively,” Myrick-Stockdell told commissioners.

Keep reading

Lesser-Known Cannabis Component CBG Linked To Improved Memory And Reduced Anxiety, First-Ever Human Trial Finds

A lesser-known cannabinoid known as CBG has surprised scientists after a first-ever human clinical trial found that it appears to improve memory, while also “significantly” reducing anxiety and stress.

The non-intoxicating cannabinoid might not be as well-known as THC and CBD, for example, but as it’s grown in popularity, researchers at Washington State University (WSU) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) set out to investigate its therapeutic potential amid anecdotal, survey-based reports about its therapeutic potential.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports this month, found that cannabigerol, or CBG, caused a “significant overall reductions in anxiety as well as reductions in stress” among study participants compared to the placebo. “CBG also enhanced verbal memory relative to placebo,” with “no evidence of subjective drug effects or impairment.”

That finding about CBG’s effects on memory took the research team by surprise. Lead author and WSU associate professor of psychology Carrie Cuttler said in a press release that they “triple-checked to ensure accuracy, and the enhancement was statistically significant.”

Keep reading

Lesser-Known Marijuana Components Can Be ‘Promising Anticancer Agents,’ Study On Multiple Myeloma Finds

A new study on the possible therapeutic value of lesser-known compounds in cannabis says that a number of minor cannabinoids may have anticancer effects on blood cancer that warrant further study.

The research, published in the journal BioFactors, looked at minor cannabinoids and multiple myeloma (MM), testing responses in cell models to the cannabinoids CBG, CBC, CBN and CBDV as well as studying CBN in a mouse model.

“Together, our results suggest that CBG, CBC, CBN, and CBDV can be promising anticancer agents for MM,” authors wrote, “due to their cytotoxic effect on MM cell lines and, for CBN, in in vivo xenograft mouse model of MM.”

They also noted the cannabinoids’ apparently “beneficial effect on the bone in terms of reduction of MM cells invasion toward the bone and bone resorption (mainly CBG and CBN).”

Keep reading

While Alcohol Might ‘Facilitate’ Sexual Encounters, Marijuana Better Enhances Sexual Satisfaction, Study Finds

A new study examining the influence of intoxicating substances on sexual encounters says that while alcohol might “facilitate” sex in the first place, marijuana is better at enhancing sexual sensitivity and satisfaction.

Based on an online survey of 483 people who had previously used both alcohol and cannabis, the newly published research found that while alcohol increased some elements of sexual attraction—including making people feel more attractive, more extroverted and more desirous—people who used marijuana “have more sensitivity and they are more sexually satisfied than when they consume alcohol.”

“Therefore, it is concluded that, although alcohol facilitates the sexual encounter, with cannabis they feel more satisfied,” wrote the three-author team from the University of Huelta and University of Cordoba, in Spain, according to a translation.

The study, published this month in Revista Internacional de Androlgía, claims to be the first research in Spain to compare the effects of alcohol and cannabis—the country’s two most popular drugs—on sexual experiences in the same participants. Despite the influence of alcohol and other drugs on sexual experience, it says, scant research globally has been carried out on comparative effects.

Participants were given a series of statements and asked to answer them about both alcohol and cannabis.

Asked how the consumption of alcohol or cannabis affected their sexual experience in general, 19 percent said marijuana improved the experience, compared to just 8.4 percent of respondents who said alcohol improved their experience.

Keep reading

DeSantis Anti-Marijuana Legalization Campaign Gets $100K Donation From Cannabis Exec As Hemp Businesses Pledge $5M To State GOP

Amid new reporting that Florida-based hemp businesses are rallying behind Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) campaign to defeat a marijuana legalization initiative—with an apparent pledge from hemp executives to donate $5 million to the Republican party as it works to oppose the effort—one particular cannabis-affiliated company has come under the spotlight after contributing a $100,000 boost to the governor’s so-called “Florida Freedom Fund” after its initially tepid fundraising start.

This comes weeks after the governor vetoed a bill to ban most consumable hemp products in a move that some suspect was at least partly meant to garner the industry’s favor in his anti-marijuana crusade.

DeSantis launched the political action committee—which is targeting both the legalization measure and a separate abortion rights initiative that will appear on the November ballot—last month. It has about $121,000 on hand, the bulk of which comes from POB Ventures, which is linked to a medical cannabis worker training institution and a chain of hemp businesses.

In an exclusive interview with Marijuana Moment, the CEO of POB Ventures, Patrick O’Brien, said he’s not against adult-use cannabis legalization in principle—but is instead troubled by the specific language of the ballot initiative because it provides an option, rather than a mandate, for regulators to approve additional licenses. He suggested the framework could create a monopolized cannabis economy that primarily benefits the state’s existing medical marijuana companies, including the multi-state operators such as Trulieve that have primarily financed the legalization campaign.

“If you look very closely at the writing, they just messed up—and it was with full intent to mess this up,” O’Brien, who also runs the education platform Sativa University and the cannabis product company Chronic Guru, argued. “All they had to do was make a simple change from ‘may’ issue more licenses to ‘must’ issue more licenses, and we would have had a recreational market.”

By giving regulators that licensing discretion, the measure could effectively kneecap prospective businesses outside of the existing medical cannabis space, he claims.

But there’s been criticism of the major contribution to the DeSantis PAC, which O’Brien says he will continue to support beyond the initial donation.

Keep reading

Marijuana Use Linked To Better And More Frequent Sex, Study Finds—But Dosage Is Critical

A new scientific review of academic research on cannabis and human sexuality concludes that while the relationship between marijuana and sex is a complicated one, use of cannabis is generally associated with more frequent sexual activity as well as increased sexual desire and enjoyment.

The article, published this week in the journal Psychopharmacology, also suggests that lower doses of marijuana may actually be best suited for sexual satisfaction, while higher doses could in fact lead to decreases in desire and performance. And it suggests the effects may differ based on a person’s gender.

“Reports suggest that cannabis has the potential to enhance sexual pleasure, reduce inhibitions, alleviate anxiety and shame, and promote intimacy and connection with sexual partners,” wrote the five-author research team from The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. “Furthermore, it has been associated with increased pleasure during masturbation and enhanced sensory experiences during sexual encounters. These observations indicate that cannabis may have notable effects on sexual experiences.”

The nine-page literature review says that while sex is a complex dynamic influenced by various physical and emotional factors, marijuana “affects individuals in an integrative manner, impacting both physical and emotional aspects, which can potentially influence sexual experiences.”

Keep reading

GOP Congressional Committee Approves Bill To Block Marijuana Rescheduling, While Rejecting State Cannabis Protections Amendment

A key GOP-led House committee has approved a large-scale spending bill that would block the Justice Department from rescheduling marijuana, while also amending a longstanding rider protecting medical cannabis states from federal interference by adding new language to authorize enhanced penalties for sales near schools and parks. Members also rejected an amendment that would have extended those protections to all state and tribal cannabis programs, including those allowing recreational use and sales.

At a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, the panel passed the legislation covering Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) with the hostile marijuana provisions attached.

The bill as approved in committee would block the Justice Department from using its funds to reschedule or deschedule marijuana. This comes amid an active rulemaking process to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), as DOJ formally proposed earlier this year.

SEC. 623. None of the funds appropriated or other wise made available by this Act may be used to reschedule marijuana (as such term is defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)) or to remove marijuana from the schedules established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812).

GOP senators have separately tried to block the administration from rescheduling cannabis as part of a standalone bill filed last September, but that proposal has not received a hearing or vote. Including such a ban in key annual spending legislation is a way for opponents to force the issue forward. It’s far from clear that the Democratic-controlled Senate would go along with proposal, however.

The legislation as approved by the panel on Tuesday still includes a longstanding rider to prevent DOJ from using its funds to interfere in the implementation of state medical marijuana programs that has been part of federal law since 2014, but the committee added new language stipulating that the Justice Department can still enforce a section of U.S. code that calls for increased penalties for distributing cannabis within 1,000 feet of an elementary school, vocational school, college, playground or public housing unit.

Keep reading

Federal Science Agency Begins Selling ‘Most Carefully Quantified Cannabis Ever Sold’—For $174 A Gram

As part of an ongoing effort to help testing laboratories more reliably determine the potency and purity of marijuana and hemp, a federal science agency has begun selling packages of what it’s calling “some of the most carefully quantified cannabis ever sold.”

Picking up 4.5 grams of the stuff will cost $783, or $174 a gram—far more expensive than the cannabis that’s commercially available in states across the country.

The hemp product, sold by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), isn’t intended for consumption. Rather, it’s a tool to help labs calibrate their analyses of cannabinoids and toxic elements in both hemp and higher-THC marijuana.

“To ensure that their measurement methods are working properly, labs can analyze a bit of this material,” NIST said in a press release about its new offering, known as hemp plant reference material, or RM 8210. “If their numbers match those from NIST to within an accepted margin of error, all is well. If not, they’ll know they need to recalibrate their instruments or otherwise troubleshoot their methods.”

For just under $800, a lab receives three 1.5-gram sample packages of hemp. The samples are carefully measured by NIST for a variety of chemical components, including eight individual cannabinoids such as CBD and delta-9 THC, as well as 13 different toxic elements, like arsenic and heavy metals.

“Although this reference material is composed of hemp,” NIST said in its release, “labs can use it to validate their measurements of both hemp and marijuana, and it will help companies in the fast-growing cannabis industry and state regulators ensure that cannabis products are safe and accurately labeled.”

NIST biologist Colleen Bryan, who was part of the team the developed the reference material, said that consumers ought to be able to rely on what’s printed on product labels.

“If you buy a product that claims to have 25 milligrams of CBD per dose, you should be able to trust that number,” Bryan said, noting that some people use cannabis for medical reasons and may be particularly concerned about safety. “This reference material will help ensure that the cannabis they buy does not contain unsafe levels of toxic elements.”

Keep reading

U.S. Supreme Court Sends Marijuana And Gun Case Back To Lower Court, Emboldening DOJ’s Defense Of Firearm Ban

The U.S. Supreme Court has sent a case concerning gun rights for marijuana consumers back down to a lower court after issuing a potentially relevant ruling in a separate Second Amendment case, and the Justice Department is now reiterating its position that cannabis use warrants a ban on firearm ownership.

The high court has remanded several gun cases to their respective lower courts in light of the ruling in United States v. Rahimi, which affirmed the government’s right to restrict gun rights for a man with restraining orders for domestic violence. The cases heading back to lower levels include at least one related to the cannabis ban, and DOJ is now arguing that the SCOTUS decision “undermines” a federal court’s ruling that deemed the prohibition for marijuana consumers to be unconstitutional last year.

In a supplemental letter brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, where the United States vs. Daniels case was remanded by SCOTUS, the Justice Department said history “supports the government’s authority to disarm categories of persons whose firearm possession would endanger themselves or others.”

“Consistent with that principle, Congress may temporarily disarm unlawful users of controlled substances during periods of active drug use, when they present a special danger of firearm misuse,” it said. “The Supreme Court’s decision in Rahimi also is in tension with this Court’s opinion in United States v. Daniels, which made some of the very methodological errors that Rahimi corrected to find Section 922(g)(3) unconstitutional as applied to a marijuana user. The district court’s judgment should be reversed.”

DOJ has argued in multiple federal cases over the couple year that the statute banning cannabis consumers from owning or possessing guns is constitutional because it’s consistent with the nation’s history of disarming “dangerous” individuals.

Keep reading