Health.Marijuana.Canada: February 2015

Friday 27 February 2015

Cannabis combined with radiotherapy can make brain cancer ‘disappear,’ study claims

Reuters / Alessandro Bianchi

Two cannabis components can have a significant effect on the size of cancerous tumors in the brain, especially when combined with radiotherapy, according to new research. The study says the growths can virtually “disappear.”

Tour an SF cannabis dispensary with Google View

Medical marijuana dispensary The Green Cross of San Francicso. (By David Downs)

by Oscar Pascual in Lifestyle, technology
Since Google Maps launched its Street View initiative years ago, folks can step into a virtual storefront to peruse comic book stores, coffee shops, and other businesses before actually setting foot in them.

Medical marijuana dispensaries can be added to that list, as you can now walk into San Francisco’s Green Cross dispensary and check out all the tantalizing strains whenever you’d like.

It’s a perfect tool for would-be first time patients checking out the classy interior of their new favorite dispensary before their first visit, or even for returning customers just noticing the new sign raising the price of indoor 1/8ths by two dollars. Bummer.

The U.S. government has patent on cannabis

by Jonathan Landsman – Naturalhealth365.com

Most United States citizens have been brainwashed into believing that cannabis is dangerous and has no therapeutic value. Yet, on February 2, 2001, the Unites States Patent Office issued – patent #6630507 – to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – which clearly states:

Natural Cannabis Company Announces 2nd Annual High Art Challenge

Natural Cannabis Company Announces 2nd Annual High Art Challenge

BY MONKEYSHINES, High Times

The Natural Cannabis Company is launching its second annual High Art challenge, an international design competition to develop product packaging for Natural Cannabis Company’s product lines. The annual event, now in its second year, follows a robust global artistic response to High Art 2014, as over 400 artists from seven continents submitted designs in hopes of winning the top prize and one-year product feature. Hosted by Juxtapoz magazine, the artistic theme for this year’s contest is "Shapes, Patterns, Doodles, Sacred Geometry, Time and Numbers." Entries will be accepted from now until March 9 at 4:20 pm PST.

Washington's smoke signals: History of hemp

Smoke signals marijuana series

Image Credit: Brandy Pickering

Washington's smoke signals: History of hemp

by COURIERHERALD STAFF, Bonney Lake-Sumner Courier-Herald Reporter

By Rebecca Gourley, Covington Reporter

Smoking marijuana is 114 times safer than drinking alcohol – study

Reuters/Marcos Brindicci

rt.com

As the debate over marijuana legalization continues in the United States, a new study suggests that smoking the controversial plant is about 114 times safer than drinking alcohol.

In fact, alcohol was found to be the deadliest drug on an individual level, at least when it comes to the likelihood of a person dying due to consuming a lethal dose. Heroin and cocaine were the next most deadly substances, followed by tobacco, ecstasy, and meth. Trailing up the rear was marijuana.

10 Surprising Uses for Medical Cannabis

10 Surprising Uses for Medical Cannabis
BY CLAIRE SCIMECA, High Times

Michael Backes specializes in cannabis science and policy issues. His book, Cannabis Pharmacy, offers evidence-based information on using cannabis for ailments and medical conditions. Here are 10 surprising uses for medical cannabis from Cannabis Pharmacy.

Can Marijuana Treat Autoimmune Disorders?

Can Marijuana Treat Autoimmune Disorders?

by Elizabeth Seward, Undergroundhealth.com

Medical cannabis, medicinal marijuana, medical marijuana – no matter how you refer to it, cannabis has been demonstrated in an increasing amount of studies to be medically useful. Although the plant was once thought to be a troublesome gateway drug in mainstream America, recent polls show that 80% of Americans now support the use of medical marijuana. An overwhelming majority of Americans, 75%, would prefer that recreational marijuana use is punished with a fine only and not jail or prison. And nearly 60% of Americans now favor complete legalization of cannabis for both medical and recreational use.

Marijuana is safer than all recreational drugs, new study finds

Marijuana is safer than all recreational drugs, new study finds
by Oscar Pascual, Smell the truth

Marijuana poses the least health risks among all recreational drugs, new research concludes.

A recent study published in Scientific Reportsquantified the risk of death associated with the use of a various controlled substances. Researchers found that marijuana is far less deadly, if at all, compared to illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

Teens are smoking more pot and science proves it’s a good thing

By Oscar Pascual

More teens are using marijuana while alcohol and cigarette use is going down, according to results from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)’s 2014 Monitoring the Future Survey.

The study surveying the teen use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs shows that illicit drug use among teens has maintained a steady level over the past four years, while tobacco use and binge drinking have continued to decline over the past decade.

Glass pipes are evolving into a fine art

Glass pipes are evolving into a fine art
by David Downs, Smell the truth

Ornate, custom glass art pipes like this Stegosaurus from artist Elbo sold for up to $25,000 Saturday. (Photo by David Downs)

Cannabis culture reaches new artistic and retail heights in 2015, and the world of ‘functional glass art’ is way hotter than traditional gallery openings.

America’s top 5 healthiest cities love marijuana

The #yogadabs trend certainly flourishes
in America's five healthiest cities.
(Photo via Sasquatch Glass, Washington)

America’s top 5 healthiest cities love marijuana
by David Downs in Health, Lifestyle

In another blow to critics of cannabis law reform, marijuana bastions such as San Francisco and Seattle are part of America’s top five healthiest cities. The money website NerdWallet analyzed fitness and health care data for the 50 largest U.S. metro areas and released their list Monday.

America’s top five healthiest cities are:

5) Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado
This area has had medical marijuana for about a decade, and made history Jan. 1 2014 with the first recreational sales of cannabis to adults 21 and over. Critics of legalization worry that in 2013 Colorado had the second highest rate of cannabis use in the nation, behind Rhode Island.

Self-reported Data from Cancer Patients using Cannabis Oil Indicates Efficacy for an Intensive Phytochemical Based Cancer Treatment.

3 Reasons Cancer Patients Should Try Cannabis Oil Before Surgery, Chemotherapy or Radiation

For some patients this is the last resort, although I, professionally suggest this be the first resort for any cancer patient because of the ratio of harm to benefit is so vastly superior to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. While improvements have been made in the field of chemotherapy and radiation, there are many factors that are not calculated into the equation, so to speak when people ultimately decide to use these means to fight their cancer. The real issue is what the patient is left with in the end- healthwise, financially, emotionally and mentally? These “traditional”, modern treatments for cancer are no longer ethical to me, as a biochemist, to trust with the future of cancer patients. Here are the reasons why:

Pot Pediatrics: When Cannabis is More Ethical than Pharmaceuticals

What if I told you that the mistletoe and poinsettias in your home were actually more toxic than Cannabis is in any form? Many parents are finding it hard to decide when a Cannabis regimen for their child is necessary. Within the heated medical Cannabis debate, there is remarkable advocacy for the treatment of children with Cannabis. Many parents have several ethical concerns when addressing this plant due to the legislation that ties it falsely to being a harmful plant.However, there are five times you should seriously consider Cannabis as treatment for your child:

Weed Grandma Shows Us How to 420 Braise It - make chicken "pot-cciatore" at home

munchies.com - Thank You, what a great video!

Recipe: make chicken "pot-cciatore" at home - http://bit.ly/1x2cPfT

Join our constant high in Bong Appetit, a new show about the wonders of weed-infused drinks and beverages. Throughout the series, we will be introduced to the many uses of marijuana—from curing the body to just smoking it for a good time.

In our first episode, host Matt Zimbric heads to a secret Californian medical marijuana garden run by Nonna Marijuana, a 91-year-old grandmother who cooks classic Italian with a twist. Using buds grown by her own daughter, Nonna teaches Matt a foolproof method for infusing cannabis into butter, then guides him through preparing Chicken "Pot-cciatore" and gnocchi in ganja butter. Along the way, she explains how and why she recommends medical marijuana to those in need—without ever getting high on her own supply. Matt, on the other hand, may regret going back for seconds.

Read: 91-Year Old Nonna Marijuana is the Queen of Weed Cuisine - http://bit.ly/1GdiMIp

Check out 'A Gourmet Weed Dinner At Hunter S. Thompson’s House' - http://bit.ly/1z6FL4v

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Cannabis vs Cancer Documentary

Marijuana is much safer than alcohol or tobacco, according to a new study

By Sean O'Kane

Marijuana is roughly 114 times less deadly than alcohol, according to recent findingspublished in the journal Scientific Reports. Of the seven drugs included in the study, alcohol was the deadliest at an individual level, followed by heroin, cocaine, tobacco, ecstasy, methamphetamines, and marijuana. Previous studies consistently ranked marijuana as the safest recreational drug, but it was not known that the discrepancy was this large.

The researchers determined the mortality risk by comparing a lethal dose of each substance with the amount typically used. Not only was marijuana the lowest of the drugs tested, but there was such a gap between its lethal and typical doses that they classified it as the only "low mortality risk" drug tested. All others were classified as "medium" or "high."

MARIJUANA COMES WITH A LOW MORTALITY RISK COMPARED TO DRUGS LIKE ECSTASY OR TOBACCO

These findings contradict the efforts of law enforcement agencies around the country which, despite pockets of decriminalization (and in some cases, legalization), typically focus heavily on marijuana-related arrests. The authors suggest that, based on the results, these agencies would benefit from shifting priorities away from illicit drugs and placing them instead on keeping things like alcohol and tobacco in check. In fact, the researchers believe marijuana to be so low-risk that they suggest a broad, regulated legalization of it in the paper.

Attempts to compare the danger of particular drugs have been few and far between. It wasn't until the last decade that studies were done to classify the risk of drug abuse in a qualitative and quantitative manner, according to the authors. (They cite attempts at indexing the toxicity or ranking the harm of certain drugs as examples.) Before that, they claim, the risk assessment of drug abuse was instead based heavily on anecdotal evidence, which often meant that policy decisions were largely based on educated guesses.

The researchers clarified that the study does not suggest that moderate alcohol consumption poses a higher risk than regular heroin use. Environmental conditions, like dirty needles or unregulated supplies, contribute to the overall harm caused by using a drug like heroin. Instead, this study was specifically done to measure the deadliness of the substances themselves.

Study: Daily Marijuana Use Does Not Shrink Your Brain

By Reuters, BOULDER, CO — Daily marijuana use is not associated with brain shrinkage when using a like-for-like method to control for the effects of alcohol consumption on those who both drink and toke up, a new study from Colorado has found.

The study, led by neuroscientists at the University of Colorado at Boulder and published Jan. 28 in the Journal of Neuroscience, points to continued uncertainty about how pot use alters the structure of the brain. Even so, other studies have found the drug has short-term effects on learning and memory.

Pot science: Here are the neurological reasons marijuana gives you munchies

By Ricardo Baca, The Cannabist Staff

The munchies are more than a punchline. The munchies — “that inexplicable drive to eat, stimulated by the active ingredients of marijuana, the cannabinoids,” as described by writers Sachin Patel and Roger D. Cone — are a legitimate, nearly universally felt side effect from the consumption of marijuana. And there are specific scientific reasons for why we’re inclined to eat, whether we’re hungry or not, after getting high.

What are those scientific reasons? We weren’t completely sure until today, when an important new study out of Yale was released in science journal Nature illuminating some (but not all) of the background on munchies.

Special report: CBD in Colorado

By The Denver Post

Hundreds of families have moved to Colorado in hopes of healing their sick children after conventional medicine has failed them. They’re turning to a liquid form of marijuana that has helped some, but not all.

By Denver Post reporter John Ingold, with photos by Joe Amon and videos by Lindsay Pierce
Part 1: This is the story of 12-year-old Preston and his mother, Ana. They came to Colorado from North Carolina seeking a way to better control the seizures that have quaked through Preston’s brain every day since he was 3 months old. Learn more about young medical marijuana patients and the CBD oil used in treatments with varying degrees of success.

Part 2: The migration to Colorado by families of sick children seeking medical marijuana is fueled by hope, not science. Little is known about the treatment’s effects, and researchers suggest that some parents see progress because they’re desperate to see it.

Part 3: Families who brought their sick children to Colorado seeking a marijuana miracle found something else: each other. With doctors largely standing on the sidelines, the parents’ cannabis community offers camaraderie and support as they treat their kids.

Look at what are the leading causes of death in the U.S.A. in 2013

Look at what are the leading causes of death in the U.S.A. in 2013 in U.S.A. in 2013

cdc.gov

Deaths: Final Data for 2013, table 10

Number of deaths for leading causes of death

Heart disease: 611,105
Cancer: 584,881
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 149,205
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 130,557
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 128,978
Alzheimer's disease: 84,767
Diabetes: 75,578
Influenza and Pneumonia: 56,979
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 47,112
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 41,149

Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2013, table 10[PDF - 1.5 MB]

Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

By Christopher Ingraham

New study: We should stop fighting marijuana legalization and focus on alcohol and tobacco instead

Compared to other recreational drugs -- including alcohol -- marijuana may be even safer than previously thought. And researchers may be systematically underestimating risks associated with alcohol use.

Those are the topline findings of recent research published in the journal Scientific Reports, a subsidiary of Nature. Researchers sought to quantify the risk of death associated with the use of a variety of commonly-used substances. They found that at the level of individual use, alcohol was the deadliest substance, followed by heroin and cocaine.

Tuesday: Alaska Marijuana Legalization Law Takes Effect

In First ‘Red’ State to Legalize Marijuana, Possession and Cultivation Become Legal; Commercial Retail Sales to Begin in 2016
Bipartisan Consensus Accelerates Momentum to Legalize Marijuana and End Drug War

Tomorrow will mark a major step forward in the implementation of Alaska’s marijuana legalization law, as personal cultivation, possession, and consumption become legal. Last November, Alaskans voted 53-47% in favor of marijuana legalization, making it the first “red” state to pass such a law.

Let America Compete in Cannabis An Open Letter to Policymakers

During a period of profound political divide and social inequality, there is one issue the country as a whole has agreed upon. Republicans and Democrats across the nation polled at least 60% in favor of nationwide legalization, a figure that indicates bi-partisan support that exists literally nowhere else in the current political landscape.

Medical Marijuana May Soon Get Kosher Stamp of Approval

By Paul Berger, forward.com

Kosher marijuana could soon be available to Orthodox Jews in New York State — but only on doctor’s orders.

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, head of the Orthodox Union’s kosher certification agency, said he has held “preliminary discussions” with several companies interested in obtaining a kosher seal of approval for medical marijuana.

The move comes as legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes spreads across the country, with many of the leading pro-legalization activists, philanthropists and entrepreneurs drawn from the Jewish community.

Medical marijuana is legal in about half of U.S. states today. A handful of states have legalized recreational marijuana use.

Although Orthodox rabbis appear to have accepted the medical benefits of cannabis, they remain much more cautious about recreational marijuana. Most Orthodox rabbis say it’s strictly prohibited.

31 States Are Considering Marijuana Law Reform, Is Yours One of Them?

by Erik Altieri, NORML Communications Director

At post time, there are 31 states that currently have pending marijuana law reform legislation. These measures deal with a wide array of topics including decriminalization, record expungement, medical access, and full legalization. 2015 is shaping up to be one of the most active legislative sessions on record for the marijuana legalization movement, but these bills won’t pass themselves. It is absolutely crucial that you, the stakeholders and voters, get engaged in the process and apply pressure to your state lawmakers to urge them to support these measures.

Congressional Legislation Introduced to Get the Federal Government Out of the Marijuana Enforcement Business

Congressional Legislation Introduced to Get the Federal Government Out of the Marijuana Enforcement Business
by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director

Legislation was introduced Friday in the US House of Representatives to permit states to establish their own marijuana regulatory policies free from federal interference.

House Resolution 1013, the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act, removes cannabis from the United States Controlled Substances Act. It also removes enforcement power from the US Drug Enforcement Administration in matters concerning marijuana possession, production, and sales — thus permitting state governments to regulate these activities as they see fit.

What Percentage of Teens Use Marijuana? The Answer Might Surprise You.

Kate Scanlon / @scanlon_kate /

Marijuana use is down among teens, according to a new study by theNational Institutes on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan.

The study, titled “Monitoring the Future,” is a yearly survey of drug use among eighth, 10th, and 12th graders.

Researchers found that there has been a drop of two percentage points in the number of teens who report using marijuana in the last year, a change from the last five years when use increased.

Photo: The Washington Post

The use of marijuana also decreased from previous years in each category of students. The study found that 15.6 percent of eighth graders report using marijuana in their lifetimes, as well as 33.7 percent of 10th graders, and 44.4 percent of 12th graders. In the past month, 6.5 percent of eighth graders, 16.6 percent of 10th graders and 21.2 percent of 12th graders admitted to marijuana use.

According to the authors of the study, “personal disapproval” of the use of pot also fell among students in the eighth and 12th grades. “Reported availability” of the drug is “down significantly” in the eighth and 10th grades, which the authors speculate “may help to explain the modest decline in use this year.”

The number of teens who use pot on a daily basis fell, with 5.8 percent of seniors reporting daily use, compared to 6.5 percent in 2013. The researchers defined daily or near-daily marijuana use as “use on 20 or more occasions in the prior 30 days.”

Photo: The Washington Post

Conversely, the authors of the study found that “the belief that regular marijuana use harms the user, however, continues to fall among youth, so changes in this belief do not seem to explain the change in use this year, as it has done over most of the life of the study.”

The study of 40,000 teens indicates that their use of other harmful substances – such as alcohol and cigarettes – also has decreased. Less than 15 percent of high school seniors reported smoking cigarettes in the last month, and less than 40 percent report drinking alcohol.

The Washington Post notes that the study was conducted this spring, as several states and the District of Columbia debated legalizing marijuana.

Professor Teaches His Students to Capitalize on New Business Opportunity: Marijuana

Getty Images

Professor Teaches His Students to Capitalize on New Business Opportunity: Marijuana

Kate Scanlon / @scanlon_kate

Professor Shad Ewart suggests pot as a viable career option.

This spring, the business management assistant professor at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland is offering a course titled “Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Emerging Markets: Marijuana Legalization.”

The Tree of Life

Mankind has been using the cannabis plant for thousands of years, it has given us food, fuel and shelter. Some of the oldest artifacts of ancient man show how early and comprehensive our interactions with the hemp plant have been.

The seeds, it’s fruit, are an excellent source of nourishment, and have been used as a food source since recorded time. It’s fibers have been used as rope and textiles, it has lashed our homes together, clothed us and powered our great sailings ships. Hemp seed oil has lit our lamps, bringing light into our darkest nights, it can even fuel our modern means of transportation. Henry Ford designed his first cars to run on hemp based bio-fuels. There are thousands of ways we have found the hemp plant beneficial to our physical survival and comfort.

How Cannabis Helps My ADHD – A Patient’s Story | TheCannabisGeek.com

Let me introduce myself, I am a 32-year-old entrepreneur with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and I use cannabis, daily, to manage my condition. I’ve spent the past decade running international businesses on two continents, and have previously been in a long-term relationship for nine years; which provided me with a beautiful 6-year-old daughter whom I care for jointly.

My story starts when I was diagnosed at age two with ADHD and spent the next three years on a series of diets that have affected my eating habits to this day. I didn’t have chocolate, sugar, wheat or cow’s milk until I was five. From then I was medicated with amphetamine-derived drugs for over 20 years. First Ritalin, then in my 20s Concerta. By age 10 I was prescribed double the maximum daily dose (which is 6 tablets or 60 mg) and I was given 12 tablets or 120mg methylphenidate per day. By age 15 I was on 4.5 x the maximum daily dose at 25 tablets and 250mg per day.

Fox’s Bones Gets It Half Right on Medical Marijuana

Everything I know about “Bones” I learned from this American Dad clip (thanks, YouTube). Warning, there: will be spoilers, but this will have little to do with drama, relationships, and contrivances that might be familiar to regular viewers.

How to Choose a Medicinal Cannabis Strain?

Choosing to use medicinal cannabis (also known as medical marijuana) can be a very easy decision to make. Choosing which variety of cannabis is best for a particular individual or condition can be more complicated.

Many patients have never tried or grown cannabis before discovering it as a medicine. Even for those who have, knowing what works for recreational and social purposes does not always translate into knowing the most suitable variety of cannabis for specific medical needs.

5 Differences Between CBD and THC

Cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two main ingredients in the marijuana plant. Both CBD and THC belong to a unique class of compounds known as cannabinoids.

While many strains of marijuana are known for having abundant levels of THC, high-CBD strains are less common. But CBD has recently started to draw attention from the medical community, who seem to prefer CBD over THC. Here, we explain the differences between these two compounds.

Modern Uses for the hemp plant

Unsurprisingly, the results show alcohol to be a major factor instead.

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Friday 27 February 2015

Thursday 26 February 2015

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Tuesday 24 February 2015

Monday 23 February 2015

New study: We should stop fighting marijuana legalization and focus on alcohol and tobacco instead

By Paul Berger, forward.com

Saturday 21 February 2015

Thursday 19 February 2015

Choosing to use medicinal cannabis (also known as medical marijuana) can be a very easy decision to make. Choosing which variety of cannabis is best for a particular individual or condition can be more complicated.

Many patients have never tried or grown cannabis before discovering it as a medicine. Even for those who have, knowing what works for recreational and social purposes does not always translate into knowing the most suitable variety of cannabis for specific medical needs.

Wednesday 18 February 2015

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