Ontario-based biopharmaceutical company Scientus Pharma commissioned a study of Canadian cannabis oils through the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, the goal of which is to show that most of the cannabis oils being sold on the Canadian market essentially have no medicinal juice. The study has found that the majority of these products are tantamount […]
Agriculture technology companies are competing to develop new strains of cannabis plants that can produce consistent cannabinoid levels and thus offer consumers repeatable, predictable effects. While this goal is far from new, top plant scientists are now working toward it in multi-million dollar labs for massive retail cannabis companies, instead of underground breeders. See the original article at […]
A group of researchers from the University of Florida recently published a study showing that smoking marijuana may actually improve working memory. Despite a number of studies that show cannabis consumption may damage your memory, this study, which tested the working memory of 32 cannabis-smoking rats, suggests the opposite is true. See the original article […]
A cannabis pharmaceutical consortium says it has discovered a strain of cannabis that produces useful levels of a rare cannabinoid that may help in the treatment of diabetes. The strain known as “Black Beauty,” however, appears to contain an abundance of the cannabinoid THCV, found in tiny amounts in most strains. THCV affects the way […]
For people with psoriasis, the body overproduces skin cells that develop into painful, itchy and often embarrassing rashes. As wish many other autoimmune disorders, researchers and afflicted individuals are exploring whether cannabis can provide relief. “Cannabis, through the cannabinoid CBD, has the properties of being both an anti-inflammatory and an autoimmune inhibitor,” Dr. Bodo Schneider of Pied […]
A recent study has shown that vaporizing cannabis delivers more THC to the bloodstream than smoking. Subjects who vaporized weed had significantly higher amounts of THC in their blood compared to those who smoked an equal dose. Results from the impairment questionnaire also showed increased effects, as those who vaporized not only self-reported more side […]
A joint Canadian-US effort has identified the genes that produce THC and CBD. While the genome of the cannabis plant was sequenced back in 2011, researchers have struggled to isolate the genes responsible for producing the plant’s two most prominent chemicals, mostly due to what researchers call “junk DNA.” The discovery of the genes will make it […]
Industrial hemp plants could offer a much-needed late-season pollen boon for bees. Honeybee health has faltered in recent years, and conservationists worry about the fates of the many, less-studied wild bees. Bees in 23 out of the 66 genera known to live in Colorado were discovered seeking hemp pollen in what is thought to be the […]
A new study shows that cannabis users are less obese than those who do not use marijuana, suggesting that the drug could help support weight loss. Dr. Yan Le Strat, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Paris, in 2011 published an analysis of two sets of survey data. The first showed that 16.1 percent of cannabis […]
A meta-study of cannabis research reveals that female mammals — including humans — are more likely to habitually consume cannabis. The review of research published in the journal Frontiers examined a wide range of animal and human studies regarding cannabis use and the mammalian endocannabinoid system and compared that to changes in hormones and hormone-driven body systems […]
A moss-like plant known as Radula perrottetii, or Liverwort, has been shown to contain a chemical that behaves much like THC. The chemical, known as perrottetinene (PET) is noted for its structural similarity to THC; however, until recently, no research into its effects on mammals had been done. The low potency of PET could make it […]
Two Kentucky-based hemp and cannabis cultivation companies will be launching a new initiative to examine how zero-gravity conditions can affect growing marijuana products. The goal is to see how growers can exert greater control over strains if they’re grown without gravitational stresses. To achieve these goals, the companies are teaming up with Space Tango, another […]
Besides THC and CBD, there are many other cannabinoids which are present in the plant in varying quantities. Most of the time THC is the most prevalent cannabinoid with CBD coming in second. The other cannabinoids are present in small quantities, totaling at usually less than 1 percent, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration placed Epidiolex in Schedule V, marking the first time any drug derived from any part of the cannabis plant has been rescheduled in the U.S. “Marijuana extracts,” including CBD, remain in Schedule I, according to the administration’s 2016 Final Rule. According to the DEA, “Schedule V drugs, substances, or chemicals are […]
A new report by the World Health Organization pegs global deaths due to alcohol at 3 million in 2016, making alcohol responsible for 1 out of every 20 deaths. No direct deaths can be attributed to the plant. 28% of those 3 million alcohol deaths were due to injuries, 21% were from alcohol-related digestive disorders […]
Most people can recover from a cold in just a couple weeks with their own at-home or over-the-counter treatments. In the meantime, you can also include cannabis to help with managing symptoms. You can experiment with different terpenes like pinene which can act as a powerful expectorant and antimicrobial that can improve airflow functioning in […]
Cannabis smoke exposure, even long-term, is not positively associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, or irreversible airway damage, according to a literature review published in the journal Breathe. “The long-term respiratory effects of cannabis differ from traditional smoking,” authors concluded. “[C]annabis smoking does not appear to be carcinogenic.” Authors also acknowledged that […]
Cannabis leaves and flowers can also vary in hue, offering a full palette of marijuana colors to please the eye. Several different factors can influence marijuana colors, including temperature, nutrient levels, the acidity or alkalinity of the soil or other growing medium, and the quality of the light. Green is the predominant color of most flowering […]
The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would require Attorney General Jeff Sessions to stop obstructing the DEA’s review of 26 applications from potential marijuana manufacturers. The Medical Cannabis Research Act, introduced in April by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R–Fla.), would require the Department of Justice to federally license at least two additional manufacturers of […]
When you look at the resin glands or trichomes of a cannabis plant, most of the THC inside those glands is actually THCA. THCA is the acidic precursor of what most people think of as psychoactive THC, which is called delta-9-THC. Through a process called decarboxylation, which refers to the transfer of carbon atoms triggered […]
The psychiatric research journal JAMA Psychiatry has just published a new study suggesting CBD could have antipsychotic effects in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis. For this study, researchers wanted to try to isolate the specific chemical alterations that give CBD its therapeutic and potentially antipsychotic effects. The investigation revealed that all three brain […]
Overshadowed by the hoopla about CBD, a growing body of evidence points to the effectiveness of THC to treat a spectrum of disorders. CBD alone has already been demonstrated to be medically effective, but researchers determined that adding a “conservative” amount of THC strengthened results. Research at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children found that use […]
An administrative law judge in Phoenix has upheld the Arizona Department of Health Services’ denial of a petition to add autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to the list of debilitating conditions covered by the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act. The petition to include autism, the judge ruled, “failed to provide evidence that the use of marijuana will […]
In a study to be published in The International Journal of Pure and Applied Analytical Chemistry, researchers have revealed that it is possible to use a hard-cap espresso machine to create cannabis extracts. The team of researchers made the extracts, meant to be used for analysis, with a common laboratory solvent and a $300 espresso […]
A breathalyzer able to determine if a driver smoked pot could roll out in select cities in the fall, according to a company developing the first-of-its-kind product. With recreational weed now legal in nine states and the District of Columbia, California-based Hound Labs Inc. has created a marijuana-breathalyzer it says will make roads safer and […]
Laboratory mice with pancreatic cancer that were treated with cannabidiol (CBD) in conjunction with chemotherapy lived as much as three times longer than those treated with chemotherapy alone, according to a new study released Monday. In patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer, the most common type, the five-year survival rate when diagnosed at stage 1A is […]
A “concussion pill” under development in Miami using cannabis is showing progress for treatment of traumatic brain injuries. In a pre-clinical study, the combination of a hemp-derived cannabinoid and an NMDA amino acid anesthetic is showing improved cognitive function in rodents with traumatic brain injuries compared with individual components. “The results were statistically significant and […]
A study by researchers at Washington State University has found evidence of “demonstrable and persistent benefit” to police departments’ effectiveness in Washington and Colorado since the states voted to legalize cannabis in 2012. Researchers used monthly FBI data to investigate crime clearance rates for the states from 2010 to 2015; crimes are normally considered “cleared” […]
In a recent study shared at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior, WSU researchers found out how cannabis triggered hunger hormones in rats. Using a vapor exposure system designed to imitate how humans consume marijuana, researchers found that a small cannabis dose causes a surge in ghrelin, a hormone that informs the brain […]
49% of pediatricians weren’t aware they can prescribe cannabis to children, according to a survey of pediatricians released Thursday by the Canadian Pediatric Surveillance Program (CPSP), and 39% didn’t know they could prescribe to youths. More than three-quarters reported little to no knowledge about why cannabis might be used or what the correct dosage might […]
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is exploring the idea of pot for pets. “Currently, veterinarians have no legal pathway to dispense or prescribe cannabis for animals. However, the CVMA recognizes the veterinary community is in the midst of rapid change in this area with some anecdotal evidence of benefits, but a lack of peer-reviewed, controlled […]
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has raised concerns over marijuana’s status as a Schedule 1 drug amid efforts to remove the plant from the government’s list of controlled substances. “The Committee is concerned that restrictions associated with Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act effectively limit the amount and type of research that can be […]
Cannabis exposure during pregnancy is not independently associated with lower birthweight among infants, according to data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. They reported that infants, on average, weighed no less than controls after researchers controlled for cofounders, particularly the maternal tobacco use. Investigators also failed to observe “significant effects of marijuana use […]