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Veterans Want Medical Marijuana To Save Them From Opioids

Mike Adams
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Veterans Want Medical Marijuana To Save Them From Opioids

Although the latest federal data shows opioids killed more people in 2016 than the almost two-decade-long Vietnam War, the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to dole out prescription painkillers with enthusiasm. These drugs are given to soldiers suffering from moderate to severe pain. Many are now addicted to these pills. Some veterans are saying that they experienced better and safer results from the use of medical marijuana. They would like the federal government to legalize the cannabis plant in an effort to reduce the risk of addiction and deadly overdose.

Medical marijuana is now legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia. Yet, because the Drug Enforcement Administration still considers it a Schedule I dangerous drug under the Controlled Substances Act, VA Clinics have not been permitted to discuss or provide marijuana recommendations for their patients.

But last December, the US Department of Veterans Affairs issued new guidelines on the medical marijuana issue, giving VA physicians permission to “discuss” cannabis treatment with their patients. Yet these health care professionals “are prohibited from completing forms or registering veterans for participation in a state-approved marijuana program.”

Even VA Secretary David Shulkin admits that medical marijuana might be able to help veterans. Still, there are no plans to change the current policy on this matter until the federal government chimes in. That’s not happening anytime soon.

Congress has been dragging its feet on the marijuana debate for years. Even while President Obama was running the show with a “hands off” approach to legal weed, federal lawmakers still refused to discuss it. Now the Trump administration is in control. And along with that comes US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a man who does not believe good people smoke marijuana.

Earlier this week, while speaking at a Heritage Foundation event, Session told those in attendance that he believes the bulk of the opioid crisis was brought on by marijuana. “The [Drug Enforcement Administration] said a huge percentage of the heroin addictions start with prescriptions. That may be an exaggerated number – they had it as high as 80 percent – we think a lot of this is starting with marijuana or other drugs, too,” he said.

A handful of studies from the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence to the American Journal of Public Health discount this claim. But the attorney general, who has fought against marijuana since his days in the Senate, never seems to miss an opportunity to speak out against weed.

Unfortunately, there is some concern that Sessions’ anti-marijuana stance (along with his threats of a federal crackdown) may discourage doctors employed at the VA to discuss medical marijuana with patients. Many of these health care professionals are already refusing to talk about marijuana, in spite of the new VA directive. This is due, in part, to the lingering social stigmas associated with the cannabis plant. It’s still not medicine, some might say.

Army veterans Ryan Miller, who was wounded in Iraq, told CNBC that the faster the federal government legalizes medical marijuana, the more veterans it will save. Miller, who lost his leg after a combat injury, is optimistic about this reform happening soon. He says it’s just a matter of time.

“We all know it’s going to happen; it’s just when,” Miller said. “If this happens in a year, there will be people that will probably be alive in a couple years as opposed to dead.”

This Protein Powder Includes CBD To Give Fitness Buffs A Boost

Terry Hacienda
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This Protein Powder Includes CBD To Give Fitness Buffs A Boost

For many gym rats, or just a weekend warrior looking for a boost, protein powder is part of the nutritional regimen. But a Denver-based supplement company has come up with a fresh idea: Adding cannabidiol (CBD) to the product.

WillPower Products announced this week the launch of its crowdfunding campaign for the world’s first line of industrial hemp dietary supplement protein powders for performance and wellness, ReGen PCR.

According to the company’s website, ReGen is a protein powder dietary supplement that delivers the most advanced, highest quality industrial hemp oil containing the full entourage of naturally occurring phytocannabinoids, including cannabidiol, sourced domestically in Colorado. ReGen provides 20g grass fed whey, 20mg cannabinoids, and 6grams of BCAAs.

“With the rise in popularity in CBD products, we have reached an important milestone in the sports and fitness health industry by introducing the first phytocannabinoid industrial hemp oil infused protein powder to market,” said Will Carr, founder of WillPower Products. “We are dedicated and committed to bringing the highest quality industrial hemp sports and fitness dietary supplements to market.”

After being denied acceptance to crowdfund on Kickstarter, WillPower Products has now launched a private crowdfunding campaign exclusively to consumers online. First backed users will get an exclusive look into WillPower’s ReGen PCR by receiving a jug (NET WT. 480G/1.06LBS) in either Cinnamon Cocoa or Vanilla flavor with a $65.00 donation. Users contributing $120.00 will receive two jugs of ReGen PCR, one of each flavor. Top donors ($135 or more) to the crowdfunding campaign will not only receive ReGen PCR product, but also a custom branded WillPower Shaker for on-the-go fitness enthusiasts.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical compound found in both psychoactive cannabis and industrial hemp. Our bodies have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which produces cannabinoids naturally in our system. Externally taking cannabinoids work by imitating these compounds our bodies naturally produce and can aid in keeping our ECS in balance. When CBD or hemp oil is consumed, cannabinoids bind to receptors located throughout the body. Depending on the type of product consumed, different types of benefits are possible.

The CBD in ReGen is derived from industrialized hemp-oil, not to be mistaken for CBD cannabis products. There are 80 identified phytocannabinoids found in industrial hemp, cannabidiol (CBD), is the most widely recognized and known. CBD is non-psychoactive and most effective as a dietary supplement for health and wellness when left in its natural state. This hemp oil is THC-free, it has been tested to contain zero traces of THC.

“After being introduced to phytocannabinoid rich (PCR) hemp oil and CBD and experiencing the raw benefits first hand, it clicked,” Carr said. “Why not create a sports nutrition dietary supplement line that combined the most natural ingredients, such as grass-fed whey, with CBD?”

“Even today as I live a very active lifestyle, hiking, skiing, skydiving, being a father to my beautiful little girl, having a product that allows me to live a healthier, active life is such a blessing,” Carr added. “My life has been built around health and fitness, and I don’t plan for that to ever end.”

Cachexia: Can Cannabis Help With This Wasting Illness?

Richard Faulk
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Cachexia: Can Cannabis Help With This Wasting Illness?

Cachexia is a metabolic disorder that’s currently affecting some nine million people across the planet. The good news for them is that cachexia will likely be the last disease they’ll ever have. The bad news is that’s because cachexia is likely to kill them, if a pre-existing condition doesn’t do it first.

Cachexia—pronounced with a hard ch, like k-h—is Greek for a “bad way of living” (which seems kind of judgy to us). It was known to the father of medicine himself, Hippocrates, but it wasn’t well defined until the twentieth century—although now that definition is a subject of debate. There’s even some disagreement whether cachexia is merely a complication of other diseases of wether it has its own underlying cause and, potentially, cure. Studies suggest that inflammation might be the common link.

What is clear, however, is that cachexia appears in the late stage of “almost every major chronic illness,” including heart, lung, and kidney disease and cancer. Its symptom is extreme loss of weight, particularly muscle, that often times no amount of eating can reverse.

The standard treatment for cachexia is to prescribe one of several corticosteroids or megestrol, which is, essentially, a milder steroid. There is conclusive evidence that they can improve weight gain and quality of life. But they also come with a host of serious side effects, including ulcer, muscle weakness, elevated blood sugar, and infection. Most physicians see this as an acceptable tradeoff, because cachexia patients tend to die before the side effects have a chance to kick in.

Loss of appetite? Inflammation? Drugs with dire side effects? This sound like a case for medical marijuana!

Except the near-universal medical response is: No, not really.

An article in The Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle that asks the questions “Are We Closer to Having Drugs to Treat Muscle Wasting Disease?” concludes: “While cannabinoids may be excellent drugs for hospice care, it is unlikely that they will prove to be useful.” Another article in that journal is more blunt: “There is a paucity of evidence to support the use of cannabis in any form to enhance weight gain in cancer patients.” This opinion is seconded by the journal Oncology: For the treatment of cancer cachexia, cannabis “demonstrated little or no benefit.”

The appetite stimulation that cannabis offers may not be enough to counteract cachexia, but that doesn’t mean that weed is valueless to people confronting terminal illness. It induces relaxation, even euphoria—which is, of course, why people use cannabis recreationally—and it can moderate pain as well. In short, “the data suggest that it may be an excellent drug for palliative care patients.”

Illnesses like cachexia underscore that fact that we cannot escape our mortality (whatever Peter Thiel might say). When death is imminent, “treatment” can seem absurd. But a little bit of comfort is always welcome.

People Are Really Using Anti-Diarrhea Medicine To Get High

Maria Loreto
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People Are Really Using Anti-Diarrhea Medicine To Get High

People who are looking for cheap ways to get high always find new sources of inspiration. Take anti-diarrhea pills, which apparently get you high while also stopping your bowel movements. These medications are over-the-counter, costing around $10 for 400 pills, and are generally a really bad idea.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration loperamide is being abused by opioid addicts as a way of staying high or of keeping their withdrawal symptoms at bay (Via Freeps.com).

While the recommended dose for loperamide is eight milligrams a day, addicts are taking between 50 and 300 pills a day, inducing a high that’s similar to that of heroin, morphine, or oxycodone, which can lead to heart problems, kidney and liver failure, and even death. While it may sound crazy to take 300 pills in just one day, experts believe it’s happening a lot.

Via CBS News:

“Folks that are desperately addicted, folks that are looking to stave off withdrawal symptoms will do whatever it takes sometimes, really extreme things. So in the scheme of things, taking 300 pills is not unheard of.”

National Poison Center data recorded a 71 percent increase in calls related to the usage of this drug from 2011 to 2014.

5 Google Search Hacks That Will Make You Ruler Of The World

Maria Loreto
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5 Google Search Hacks That Will Make You Ruler Of The World

Google saves lives. This technological tool can help you do anything: Improve your work performance, teach you how to complete a tough homework assignment, give you advice on a new experience, suggest ideas for presents, you name it. Google connects you to whatever it is you’re looking for in just a few clicks. While almost anyone can Google, there are ways of knowing how to use it well, and they’re pretty simple once you get the gist of it.

Bright Side compiled some Google hacks that everybody should know about. Check out 5 of their most useful: 

Using “Or” & “|”

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It’s very common to not know exactly what you’re Googling. Instead of just adding a bunch of words, use the symbol “|” or the word “or” to separate both of the things you’re Googling. By using these words and symbols, Google will provide you with answers that reply to all the words you searched for, allowing you to choose the option that is closer to what you’re seeking.

Using The Squiggly Symbol

The squiggly symbol (~) is cute, but it can be kind of useless. When it comes to Google, it’s perfect because it allows you to search for a website instead of pointing you to articles that contain the keywords you entered on the search bar.

Searching Within Websites

https://giphy.com/gifs/inception-7pHTiZYbAoq40

Google allows you to skip that extra step of going to the website by simply typing the address of the site and a keyword from the article you’re trying to find. If you can’t remember the name of the article, you can add several keywords to help Google tailor your search.

Using The Asterisk

When you can’t remember a word or a number you’re Googling, fill out the missing bit of information with an asterisk (*), and Google will try to fill you in and provide different options that work.

What To Do When Words Are Missing

https://giphy.com/gifs/gilmoregirls-season-1-netflix-xUySTZLMmJWBlk0Vy0

When you’re Googling a phrase and you can’t remember the exact words, try to fill in the first and last parts of it. Then, in the middle part of the phrase put AROUND + (amount of missing words you’re missing). This works well when Googling quotes, lyrics, and long phrases.

Experts Predict Apple Music Will Destroy Spotify By Summer

Maria Loreto
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Experts Predict Apple Music Will Destroy Spotify By Summer

The gap between Spotify and Apple Music might be closing. At the beginning of 2018, Spotify reported more than 70 million paid subscribers—that’s 40 million more than its competitor reported last September.

But according to The Wall Street Journal, Apple Music is increasing in subscribers at an impressive rate: five percent each month compared to Spotify’s two percent. They predict that by summer, Apple Music will have more paid subscribers in the US than Spotify.

While Spotify remains ahead globally, this is still an impressive feat for Apple Music, a service that a short while ago wasn’t considered much competition for the Swedish company. There have been tons of rumors surrounding Apple and their evolving music model, with many sources claiming that they’ll drop iTunes completely so that they can focus on improving their streaming services.

And it’s a change that Apple will need to conform to if they want to compete in the market, considering that in recent years, streaming has become the main source of music for people. The Verge reports that streaming makes up a whopping 62 percent of the industry’s revenue.

This steady increase in Apple Music users is due to the amount of people who own Apple devices. Apple Music comes preinstalled in all of these items, including phones, laptops, and other hardware. You can expect Apple Music to rise for as long as the company keeps selling products. And with those amazing ads and their incredible influence, we don’t see that ending any time soon.

This Gelato Requires You To Do What

Jillian Peterson
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This Gelato Requires You To Do What

If you’re looking to spice up your Valentine’s Day in a way that might cost you your life, head on over to Glasgow, Scotland, where a gelato so spicy awaits, you have to be at least 18 years old to order it.

The special edition ice cream comes courtesy of the Aldwych Cafe that recently launched the world’s most dangerous gelato that while not an aphrodisiac, is certainly a hot publicity stunt.

The flavor, Respiro Del Diavolo (or “breath of the devil”) is a homemade top secret recipe that is 500-times hotter than Tabasco sauce.

According to one of the cafe’s recent Facebook posts:

It might be cold outside but our brand new limited edition “Respiro Del Diavolo” will be sure to warm you up with just one spoonful. Handmade in our Cardonald Ice Cream Parlor with great caution this ice cream is so hot that you must be 18 years old and sign a disclaimer before we can hand it over.

Coming in at 1,569,300 on the SHU scale the chilli’s used to make Respiro Del Diavolo are 500 times hotter than Tabasco sauce making even the hottest vindaloo seem like baby food!

If you think you can take the heat or want to treat someone you love with a special surprise get in the car and come on over before it’s all gone..

Ice cream and gelato both include milk and sugar in their bases, but that’s where the similarity in recipes stops.

Gelato translates to “ice cream” in Italian, but this dessert’s texture is denser, smoother, and richer than American ice cream. Like ice cream, gelato uses milk, cream, and sugar, but it differs in proportions. Gelato uses less cream and more milk than ice cream and typically contains no egg yolks or eggs at all.

Gelato is served slightly warmer than American ice cream and is also churned at a slower rate, introducing less air into the product.

 

Here’s How Clueless Jeff Sessions Is About America’s Opioid Crisis

Brendan Bures
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Here’s How Clueless Jeff Sessions Is About America’s Opioid Crisis

You might not believe this, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions has an answer to the opioid crisis. It’s a simple one, actually. So simple you’ll be cursing yourself for not thinking of the idea first.

His solution: More Bufferin and less marijuana.

Sessions was speaking at a Heritage Foundation event celebrating Ronald Reagan’s birthday when he announced his idea. Eager to connect Donald Trump with Reagan’s legacy, Sessions said the Trump administration was also cracking down on drug use and enforcing the War on Drugs. He also expanded on the Trump administration’s plans to address the country’s opioid crisis. Sessions cited that 2017 saw a seven percent decline in opioid prescriptions, and that “my goal in 2018 is to see a further decline.”

“We think doctors are just prescribing too many,” he added.

This comes on the heels of a congressional committee accusing regional pharmaceutical companies of “pill dumping” small towns in West Virginia. In one town with a population of only 2,900, two pharmacies just four blocks apart from another received a bewildering 20.8 million prescription painkillers.

“Sometimes you just need to take two Bufferin or something and go to bed,” Session said. Bufferin is an old-school, over-the-counter aspirin.

Opioids have “become so addictive,” Sessions said. “The DEA said that a huge percentage of the heroin addictions starts with prescriptions. That may be an exaggerated number—they had it as high as 80 percent—we think a lot of this is starting with marijuana and other drugs.”

Of course most research stands in stark contrast to Sessions’ latest comments regarding marijuana. In the face of the opioid crisis, cannabis has emerged as a solution, not a problem. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) noted last year marijuana has lowered rates of prescription opioids in legalized states. The Journal of the American Medical Association suggested late last year that cannabis can be a helpful tool to combat our opioid addiction problem. In addition, just last month a HelloMD study showed that 81 percent of patients prefer marijuana over opiates while 97 percent said cannabis helps decrease opiate use.

Again, Sessions appears willfully uneducated on health issues of national importance. Maybe one day he’ll learn, but until then, it’s simply up to the rest of us.

GOP Candidate Claims She Was Abducted By Aliens Who Look Like Jesus

Maria Loreto
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GOP Candidate Claims She Was Abducted By Aliens Who Look Like Jesus

Betina Rodriguez Aguilera, a republican congressional candidate from Florida, claims she was abducted by three aliens, two men and one woman, that reminded her of Jesus Christ.

“I went in. There were some round seats that were there, and some quartz rocks that controlled the ship ― not like airplanes.”

These comments have recently resurfaced due to The Miami Herald (via The Huffington Post), which published a piece where Rodriguez claimed that at age 7, she was abducted by the space people. According to Rodriguez, all of the aliens were tall, blonde, and reminded her of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. She claims that they still communicate with her telepathically. Yay for friendship.

The article posted in The Miami Herald was not a positive one. In fact, Aguilera released a statement where she called it an “attack piece,” noting that both presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan hadn’t been ridiculed when they openly discussed their views on UFOs. She also claims that Stephen Hawking believes in the possibility of life beyond Earth, so that means she’s not crazy.

I mean, you can say that you believe in UFOs, that’s cool, just don’t say that the aliens who abducted you look like your fantasy version of Jesus. You should keep that to yourself.

Watch: Funny Play-By-Play Video Of Burglar’s Mop-Fueled Robbery Fail

Brendan Bures
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Watch: Funny Play-By-Play Video Of Burglar’s Mop-Fueled Robbery Fail

Surveillance footage of failed burglary attempts—video where a perpetrator intends malice, but his attempts backfire spectacularly in his face—can be addictively riotous. How can you not laugh when someone gets what they deserve?

One Seattle radio station took the concept to a whole new level, though, when they saw surveillance footage of someone trying to break into an employee’s vehicle in the station parking lot. Specifically, they noticed this perp failing hard and paying the price for it.

So, KIRO decided to have radio personality John Curley deliver play-by-play announcing. Curley counts as the man attempts to bang a mop handle against the pickup truck window to great comedic effect.

“If you’re counting at home, that’s 14 blows against the window with the mop,” Curley announces. “Raining blows down upon the window! 1! 2! 3!”

The man, who is visibly intoxicated in the black-and-white footage, then decides to climb a small rooftop. Stumbling his way across the roof, the man eventually falls, crumpling to the floor, and Curley elates, “somebody get some salami and cream cheese and rub it all over his face!”

For those wondering what happened to the man, KIRO did clarify that the man got up of his own will 17 minutes later and left the scene of the crime. This mop bandit remains at large.

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