Extroverting

Category: THC

  • Serving Cannabis in California Restaurants is Legal, But Not Easy

    Yelp Reservations hosted a lunchtime panel last week for a timely discussion about the recreational use of cannabis in Los Angeles.

    The LA restaurant community attended to learn how State Bill 94 applies to restaurants and bars, according to Eater Los Angeles.

    Out of caution, most local eateries have steered clear of adding any type of cannabis to their menus. Eater previously covered that it is perfectly legal to add CBD to any food or drinks, but only from sources that comply with California and federal law. 

    There are already a number of restaurants and bars that serve CBD foods and drinks in Los Angeles, and they’ve carefully been watching the law to make sure they don’t overstep.

    But the law can be a bit tricky, as federal and state laws can conflict. THC, or psychoactive cannabis is a Schedule 1 drug, and is illegal for anyone in California to sell without a permit.

    Read the full story.

  • High-strength Skunk ‘Now Dominates’ UK Cannabis Market

    "Almost all cannabis seized by police now comprises high-strength varieties, with outdoor-grown herbal strains and hashish barely found," The Guardian reports.

    The news is based on researchers analyzing samples of cannabis seized by 5 police forces in 2015 and 2016.

    They found almost all the cannabis (93.6%) was sinsemilla, also known as skunk. This is a potent form of herbal cannabis often grown in the UK in indoor "cannabis farms" which has been specifically bred to have high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

    Analysis of samples of the drugs showed a wide variation in the levels of THC, with an average level of 14.2% in sinsemilla, compared to 6.3% in resin, according to NHS.

    Read the full story.

  • Why Coffee Could Be the Opposite of Cannabis

    What does coffee have to do with cannabis? According to a new study, your morning joe causes a drop in the levels of certain substances that are linked to the body's system for responding to marijuana.

    The levels of these substances — metabolites found in what's known as the endocannabinoid system — decrease in people who drink between four and eight cups of coffee a day, according to Live Science.

    Endocannabinoids are molecules that bind to cannabinoid receptors, which are found all over the nervous system, as well as in immune and endocrine tissue. The body makes its own endocannabinoids, but it also responds to foreign cannabinoids, like the ones found in the leaves of plants of the Cannabis genus.

    Coffee suppresses the endocannabinoid chemicals that smoking marijuana boosts, said Marilyn Cornelis, an assistant professor of preventative medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, who led the new research.

    Read the full story.

  • Cannabis and Schizophrenia: Do THC and CBD Affect It Differently?

    In the push for cannabis legalization, the link between cannabis and schizophrenia sometimes enters the discussion.

    Many fear that cannabis increases risk for developing schizophrenia, while others declare its value in helping relieve symptoms of the condition, according to Leafly. But what does the research say about the role of cannabis in developing—and potentially treating—schizophrenia? 

    Traditional pharmaceutical treatments, though, do little to treat negative symptoms such as a flat emotional state, a struggle to feel pleasure, and a lack of motivation to engage socially. They also fail to improve cognitive deficits, often leaving patients with impaired attention, memory, and problem-solving abilities.

    Read the full story.

  • New Mild Cannabis Products Are Catching on With Parents

    Many a meme has been made about “wine moms”—mothers who joke online about their love for a relaxing glass of cabernet, or three. But a new drug is gaining popularity with the playgroup circuit, according to the Atlantic.

    As it becomes more socially acceptable, more moms are using marijuana and its various incarnations to deal with everything from the daily aches and stresses of motherhood, to postpartum depression and anxiety, to menstrual cramps.

    And forget the simple bongs and pipes of the past; as the industry expands, it’s creating a whole new world of sprays, drinks, drops, and oils. The needs of this market of marijuana-friendly mothers have inspired a new crop of cannabis products.

    Read the full story.

  • Mondo Cannabis Powder Is Weed Made for Taking at Work

    Mondo is marketed as an anti-anxiety supplement that you can take during work hours. Its website promises “anxiety relief without intoxication,” and the small, attractive glass jar is shown resting on a laptop, according to Bon Appetit.

    The powder contains coconut oil, cacao butter, and three parts of the cannabis plant: THC (the compound in cannabis that has psychoactive properties and is still illegal in many states) as well as CBD and CBN (compounds that don't have psychoactive properties but are used to treat pain and stress).

    The folks at Mondo start by extracting the cannabis compounds by simmering the cannabis in coconut oil, which gives the product a warm, pleasant aroma and taste. How they make it into a dissolvable powder is a trade secret.

    Read the full story.

  • Cannabis Cocktails for Beginners

    Cannabis Cocktails for Beginners

    Now that Prop. 64 has begotten a recreational marketplace for marijuana, many are rolling their eyes at advertisements for cannabis-infused tea, chocolate and barbecue sauce. 

    But while legalization opens the gate for long overdue research on the medical efficacy of cannabis, Prop. 64 also grants more Californians the opportunity to experiment for themselves with the potential benefits of cannabis, according to the North Coast Journal.

    Two local women, Gillian Levy and Susan Cleverdon, have built a business on the need for a safe way to explore using cannabis for health and wellness. 

    "We see cannabis as a super food or nutritional support, rather than a drug," explains Levy, stressing that the tinctures are formulated to promote optimal wellness.

    Read the full story.

  • The Top CBD Cannabis Studies of 2017

    The past year was important for proponents of medical cannabis.

    Those seeking to remove cannabis’ Schedule I status are now armed with even more evidence for its medicinal and wellness benefits from a combination of human and rodent studies, according to Leafly.

    From benefits in epilepsy, autism, and beyond, here are some of 2017’s biggest medical cannabis news stories.

    This installment covers insights relating to CBD, but tune in to the second part of this series for more discoveries uncovered in 2017.

    Read the full story.

  • Teen Drug Use Reaches a 43-Year Low (Except for Marijuana)

    Teens today are using fewer drugs than the age group has used over the the past 43 years, with one clear exception: marijuana.

    A recent University of Michigan study found that one in 10 high school seniors say they’ve vaped marijuana in the past year. The vape caveat is an important one. Richard Miech, the researcher in charge of the study, said the number of teens that are vaping the drug is much higher than he expected, The Chicago Tribune reports.

    Over the past few years, teen marijuana use has been flat. However, in this year’s study, use of the drug is up 1% in teens, with 25% of respondents saying they had vaped, smoked, or eaten marijuana over the past year.

    Read the full story.

  • Cannabis Nasal Spray Goes Mainstream

    When listing off drugs you can snort up your nose, marijuana usually doesn’t make the list. But with cannabinoid-spiked nasal sprays, that’s now possible, though when it comes to how high it gets you, sniffing might not be any different than smoking.

    Homemade cannabis nasal sprays have existed on the fringes of the medical weed market for years now, but a Colorado company recently released a commercial version. Verra Wellness’s “nasal mist” comes in three ratios: 10:1 THC to CBD, 1:1, and 1:100. According to the company’s marketing material, spraying the mist up your nose allows for “increased bioavailability,” of the cannabinoids. But an expert I spoke to said there’s not much science to back up these kinds of claims.

    “A lot of the stuff about bioavailability and any drug tends to be kind of hype-y,” said Dr. David Casarett, the chief of palliative care at Duke University who has researched and written about medical marijuana. “If one product had a bioavailability of 50 percent over, say, 25 percent, you could use a little less but it’s not like it’s a life changer.”

    Read the full story.