Research

From the Bite of Seattle to the Taste of Chicago to the Maine Lobster Fest, outdoor food festivals are a beloved American tradition. They are also heaven on earth for high people, who can indulge their munchies with an astonishing array of foods while enjoying ace people-watching and other entertainments. This weekend’s Bite of Seattle, for example, features comestibles ranging from deep-fried mac n’ cheese to alligator on a stick, alongside performances from several dozen musical acts. How do you make the most of being high at a bustling public food festival? Here are five tips. 1. Get yourself high with an appetite-enhancing, spirit-lifting strain Aiming for a munchie-boosting strain is a no-brainer for cannabis users headed to food fests, …

(stock photo by Drug Policy Alliance) The number of Americans who use marijuana is at an all-time high, a new Gallup poll finds. The research group published a poll on Wednesday revealing that 45 percent of Americans admit to trying marijuana at least once, which is the highest percentage since Gallup began asking the question in 1969. The percentage is a massive increase since Gallup’s first pot poll, of which only 4 percent of Americans said “yes” to the question: “Have you yourself, ever happened to try marijuana?” However, that percentage falls significantly when Americans were asked if they currently smoke pot, as only 12 percent admit to doing so. The poll surveyed 1,021 adults age 21 and over. 13 …

A bill that would require the Maine Department of Agriculture to test cannabis before it is sold to adults passed the House of Representatives 101-32, according to a Press Herald report. The vote follows a 17-0 vote by the special committee convened to hash out the state’s adult-use cannabis industry regulations. The measure faces further votes in both the House and Senate and could be challenged by Gov. Paul LePage, who would rather put cannabis regulations in the hands of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations officials over the Agriculture Department, as required by the ballot measure approved by voters last November. Opponents of the testing measure argued that the Department of Agriculture, which provides testing for dairy products …

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) is one of the most medically important of the known cannabinoids. It is thought to act as an antagonist of the cannabinoid receptors at low doses, but surprisingly, it may act as an agonist at high doses, giving effects similar to THC. Since its discovery in 1973, THCV has gradually grown in importance within medical circles. Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) is one of the better-studied and most medically important of the known cannabinoids. It is thought to act as an antagonist of the cannabinoid receptors at low doses, but surprisingly, it may act as an agonist at high doses, giving effects similar to THC. Since its discovery in 1973, THCV has gradually grown in importance within medical circles, and over …

A poll conducted by the research-based consulting company Gallup finds that 45% of Americans say they have tried marijuana on at least one occasion. When Gallup presented the same question to Americans in 1969, only 4% of those surveyed said they had tried pot. Gallup’s study on “American’s consumption habits” is based on telephone interviews conducted on July 5-9 with a random sample of 1,021 adults. However, the results from the marijuana-related questions are based on responses from approximately 500 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. 12% of Americans Enjoy Marijuana Regularly When Gallup first explored “marijuana usage and experimentation” by Americans in 2013, they found that 7% of those …

A new Gallup poll found that 45% of Americans have tried cannabis at least once—the highest percentage recorded since Gallup began asking the question in 1969. Chart courtesy of Gallup.com The survey found that young adults—men in particular—with household incomes of less than $30,000 per year are most likely to say they currently consume cannabis. Gallup reports that 13% of men said they smoke cannabis, compared to 7% of women who responded affirmatively. Gallup first asked US residents if they consumed cannabis back in 1969. At that time only 4% said they had tried marijuana at least once. The rise in consumption over the past 50 years is paralleled by the increasing support for cannabis legalization, according to Gallup. A study …

Cannabidiolic acid or CBDA is one of the non-intoxicating phytocannabinoids found in the raw unheated cannabis plant. CBGA, cannabigerolic acid, is the parent compound to both THCA and CBDA. As the cannabis flower matures, CBGA is converted to CBDA by the enzyme CBDA synthase, first discovered in 1996 by researchers in Japan. CBGA is also the parent compound to THCA, via the enzyme THCA synthase. Unfortunately, there is very little research on CBDA despite recent studies showing potent anti-inflammatory effects and anticancer potential. CBDA is a potent anti-inflammatory, working by selectively inhibiting an enzyme in our bodies called COX-2. This enzyme is triggered when you experience injury or infection, and it produces compounds called prostaglandins. Prostaglandins promote inflammation, and although …

NORML | July 19, 2017 ATLANTA, GA — The findings of a recent, well-publicized study correlating long-term cannabis use with a slightly increased risk of metabolic syndrome are inconsistent with those of several prior observational studies. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of risk factors linked with an increased likelihood of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Investigators at the Georgia State University School of Public Health assessed the association between subjects’ duration of cannabis use and MetS in a cohort of 3,051 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during the years 2011 and 2012. Researchers reported that subjects’ cannabis use history was correlated with a “small, yet consistent increase in odds” for hypertension, obesity and other MetS risk …

The receding but still powerful stigma surrounding cannabis often gets in the way of a healthy doctor-patient relationship. It can be so difficult to speak honestly and openly about medical cannabis use, in fact, that the stigma may actually harm a patient’s health. Some patients so fear being labeled a ‘stoner’ that they’ll endure needless pain, anxiety, or insomnia. Those were some of the many findings in a review published earlier this week in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing. Jennie Ryan and Nancy Sharts-Hopko, researchers at Villanova University, reviewed five studies of medical cannabis patients published between 2003 and 2015, and discovered these common themes regarding MMJ patients and the harmful effects of “reefer madness” stigma: Many medical marijuana patients …

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — The rules are a bit of a buzzkill. Drug users must officially register with the government. Machines will scan buyers’ fingerprints at every purchase, and there are strict quotas to prevent overindulgence. But when Uruguay’s marijuana legalization law takes full effect on Wednesday, getting high will take a simple visit to the pharmacy. As American states legalize marijuana and governments in the hemisphere rethink the fight against drugs, Uruguay is taking a significant step further: It is the first nation in the world to fully legalize the production and sale of marijuana for recreational use. “The great responsibility we have in Uruguay is to show the world that this system of freedom with regulation works better than …