CBD Oracle

A new study has found that smoking cannabis could more than triple your risk of head and neck cancer, but there are some crucial details not captured by the headlines. "An important takeaway is that our research reveals individuals who use cannabis, particularly those with a cannabis use disorder, are significantly more likely to develop head and neck cancers compared to non-users. This finding underscores the potential health risks of cannabis use, which may be similar to those associated with tobacco smoking, as both involve inhalation of smoke containing carcinogens." - Niels Kokot, Keck Medicine of USC "The study reports a significant association between cannabis-related disorders and certain head and neck cancers, such as laryngeal and oropharyngeal cancers. But, several critical issues with the study’s design and how the data were interpreted raise serious questions about the reliability of these findings." - Benjamin Caplan, MD, CED Clinic While stoners should certainly reconsider usage methods other than smoking, it’s important to keep the limitations in mind when reading the headlines. The full study is available at: https://lnkd.in/eS4_pzPJ #cannabisnews #cannabiscommunity #cannabisresearch #cancer #smoking #medicalcannabis

We’ve analyzed the results from 70 polls to answer some of the key questions about the fight for cannabis legalization in the US. Here’s what we found. - Support for cannabis legalization has increased over the last 10 years, from 53% in 2015 to 62% in mid-2024, peaking at 71% in the first half of 2022. - Democrats, independents, and younger adults (under 45) are more likely to support legalization than Republicans and older adults. - Florida’s recreational legalization ballot initiative in November is likely to be a close call. Polling from 2024 altogether suggests it will fail, at 57% support (short of the 60% needed). However, the most recent polling from June suggests it will pass. - The recreational cannabis ballot measure in North Dakota is not likely to pass based on polling conducted to date, but the one in South Dakota could go either way. - If Nebraska’s medical marijuana ballot initiative is approved, the only poll from 2024 suggests it will pass comfortably. The full report is available here (PDF): https://lnkd.in/gddytP8r #cannabis #marijuana #legalization #cannabisnews #cannabispolicy #marijuananews #cannabisindustry #cannabiscommunity #marijuanamovement #legalizeit #polls

How should cannabis be scheduled? Should it be scheduled at all? We spoke to the leading experts about cannabis rescheduling to find out about the implications for consumers and the industry. The DEA's public comment period for the proposed rescheduling ends on July 27th, 2024, and anybody who is interested in the outcome of this process should submit a comment. The expert opinions collected here are an excellent starting point for anybody interested in leaving a comment, but it’s important to stress that personal stories and perspectives are very valuable to lawmakers. If this change will affect you, positively or negatively, it’s crucial to let your representatives know. While it is unlikely that the outcome will be anything other than a shift to Schedule III, there are many strong arguments presented here and elsewhere for more radical change. Advocates should be happy that this process will likely be the federal government officially recognizing the medical value of cannabis, but it is crucial we keep fighting for true justice. This change, while positive, ultimately continues the war on drugs, and all of the problems that it entails, particularly for minority communities. Something we can all agree on, whether we come at this issue from a scientific, legal, or business perspective, is that the days of people ending up in jail for possession of small amounts of marijuana need to come to an end. With contributions from experts like those we’ve featured here and the passion and commitment from ordinary members of the community, we will be able to make that dream a reality. The progress may be incremental, but we need to ensure it is continuous. Here’s a run-down of expert opinions on the issues: https://lnkd.in/gXtZ2YAJ You can read the full transcript of our interviews in this PDF: https://lnkd.in/gPt6DHcv ### We would like to thank everybody who commented for this article and shared their expertise and experience. Without you, this would not have been possible. - Adie Rae (Wilson-Poe), Ph.D., Legacy Health - Shawn Hauser, Vicente LLP - Rod Kight - Olivia Sawyer, Kush Queen - Andrew Livingston, Vicente LLP - Dr. R. Lorraine Collins, University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions - Dr. Carrie Cuttler, Washington State University - Aaron Smith, National Cannabis Industry Association - Benjamin Caplan, MD, CED Clinic - Dr. Ryan Vandrey, Johns Hopkins Medicine - Craig Small, Clark Hill Law

A new study finds that combining d-limonene with THC reduces the THC-induced anxiety some people feel, offering tentative support for the entourage effect. Ethan Russo, MD commented that "Debate has raged in the scientific community for decades between those that have claimed that effects of cannabis are solely attributable to THC, or more recently, perhaps CBD, versus those that have recognized cannabis as a true botanical medicine with many components that act in concert to produce the overall pharmacological benefits. This study supports the botanical concept, commonly known as ‘the entourage effect,’ as first proposed by Professors Mechoulam and Ben-Shabat a generation ago." Dr. Tory Spindle explained to us, "The most important result was that we saw a mitigation of THC-induced anxiety by co-administering limonene, and this effect was dose-dependent. This is one of the first demonstrations of the cannabis entourage effect in humans, which is very important because there is little to no empirical clinical data to support many claims made by the industry regarding the influence of minor cannabinoids/terpenes on cannabis effects." Dr. Ryan Vandrey pointed out that "We observed a significant decrease in delta-9-THC induced anxiety with a d-limonene dose that was 3 times the maximum amount we would expect to find naturally in cannabis flower based on chemical analysis of over a 100 different samples of botanical cannabis. There was a qualitative reduction in anxiety at the max d-limonenene dose we would expect in cannabis flower, but it was not statistically significant." Overall, the study gives evidence for something cannabis consumers have been arguing for years – terpenes like d-limonene modulate the effects of THC. So while there is more to find out, even this result may inspire growers and geneticists to produce cannabis with enhanced protection against THC-induced anxiety. #terpenes #limonene #thc #anxiety #cannabis #entourageeffect

CBD wouldn’t be where it is today without Charlotte Figi. It’s hard to imagine, but CBD was once as maligned as marijuana with little consideration given to its medical benefits. The story of Charlotte Figi single-handedly changed perceptions of CBD. We spoke to Sasha Kalcheff-Korn the director of Realm of Caring Foundation, the charity made in her honor, about her story. “A reported 50 million individuals across the globe are living with epilepsy. Charlotte’s story of reclaiming a quality of life from pediatric epilepsy with cannabinoid therapy sparked a movement to showcase the power of plant as a natural solution.” Tragically, Charlotte passed away on April 7th, 2020 at age 13, likely as a result of COVID complications. However, her legacy lives on today. Charlotte's Web #CharlotteFigi #DravetSyndrome #medicalcannabis #cbd #cbdmovement #charlottesweb

Amazon’s hemp products are generally low quality, but the ones intended for pets are even worse than the ones for humans. In their effort to “be compliant” and not get in legal trouble, Amazon has somehow allowed the vast majority of pet hemp products on their platform to make illegal medical claims and permitted products promising literally impossible quantities of hemp. The only winners from the current system are Amazon and the companies that are willing to mislead consumers for financial gain. We deserve better, and our pets deserve better. Trina Hazzah, Veterinary Cannabis Society, Dr. Sarah Brandon, Lisa Anderson #amazon #hemp #cbdforpets #animalhealth

Why was marijuana put in Schedule 1? Nixon aid John Ehrlichman told a journalist in 1994: "The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

The most hemp extract you could realistically fit in a regular gummy is about 100 mg, so why can you find gummies online claiming to have 200,000,000 mg? If you’re shopping for hemp on a store like Amazon, eBay, or Walmart, you might come across some truly bizarre claims about the amount of “hemp” you’re buying. Hopefully you can already spot the downright insanity of claiming there’s 200,000,000 mg of hemp in a jar of gummies. “Millions of milligrams” is just a confusing way to say “kilograms,” and you better believe that no jar of hemp gummies will ever weigh 200 kg or 441 pounds. If the entire gummy was (somehow) made of hemp, and we assume a quite hefty 5 g gummy, it would take forty thousand gummies to hold that much hemp. Erik Paulson, lab manager at Infinite Chemical Analysis Labs, commented: “I think some people do recognize this issue, as you can read in some of the reviews for these products, but surely they are taking advantage of people who just aren’t thinking about it enough, or are unfamiliar with the metric system.” How much hemp can a gummy actually contain? Mike Sill, CEO of Sunday Scaries, explained: “A gummy with any gelling base, whether it be gelatin or pectin, has a threshold for how many additives it can support before it loses its ability to gel and loses its structure. […] Even if you could get a 20+ gram gummy to fit 5 grams of extract and still gel properly, it would taste like battery acid and be the size of a golf ball. In short, 1-2% of the gummy can be hemp extract without interfering with the gelling matrix (which is on the high end). 0.2% – 0.8% seems to be the norm.”

Consumers and hemp businesses in Texas have until April 22nd to submit comments to the state about the current rules for hemp. Here’s what you need to know: - The rules governing consumer hemp products are up for a routine review this year, which could lead to lasting changes in the state. - Texas has opened up public comments until April 22nd, 2024. - Both businesses and ordinary consumers are encouraged to comment on how the laws have worked for them and places they could be improved. - Email dshshempprogram@dshs.texas.gov, with the subject line “Comments on Proposed Rule Review Chapter 300” to make your comments. Cynthia Cabrera, Chief Strategy Officer at Hometown Hero, commented on the key disconnect between the views of politicians in Texas and the farmers and companies on the ground: “I will say that it seems here in Texas, the legislators and policymakers have a disconnect between what farmers grow and what ends up in our products. So there’s this idea in Texas that the future of hemp is the hemp houses and hemp sidewalks and all that stuff. Which is great, but that’s not happening today. And what’s keeping hemp farmers in business are the finished goods like our products. And so there’s this disconnect where a lot of legislators seem to feel like they’re not connected and they are absolutely connected.” As a consumer, you are both affected by this legislation and the people whom these politicians depend on for votes, so making your voice heard is hugely valuable. If you depend on hemp products made possible by the rules as they stand today, let your legislators know how they help you and how the rules work for you (or don’t).

Giving people drugs without their consent is immoral and dangerous.