A new state law allowing adult cannabis users in Minnesota to purchase edibles infused with hemp-derived cannabinoids, including small amounts of THC went into effect last Friday. Now, Democrats are touting the move as an under-the-radar way to legalize marijuana in the future, reported Minnesota Reformer.
“We absolutely did this on purpose,” House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, who is also known for pushing for cannabis reform, said on Tuesday at a press briefing. “It was an intentional step forward.”
Gov. Tim Walz signed the large-scale legislation that included provisions that provide permanent protections to Minnesota-based hemp businesses for legal sales of CBD-infused foods and drinks in early June. Besides CBD, the measure allows all hemp-derived cannabinoids to be legally sold in food items, beverages, and topicals, to name a few.
The provision was a part of a health and human services measure and it also legalized the production and sale of edible products with THC. Under the bill, the products must contain less than the federal limit of 0.3 % THC.
“Sometimes legislation benefits from a lot of publicity,” Winkler answered a question about why Democrats didn’t publicize a bill that went fairly unnoticed by the public. “Sometimes legislation benefits from the ability to do the work more quietly, but it was all done in the public eye,” Winkler said when asked why Democrats didn’t publicize a bill they’re now all celebrating.”
LatAm Cann.BIZ was conceived as a 2-day fully bilingual interdisciplinary conference that will address global and regional trends and provide up-to-date information on the cannabis and hemp industries
LatAm Cann.BIZ, the most important cannabis event in Latin America, will be held on September 1 and 2 at the Santa María Luxury Collection Hotel & Golf Resort in Panama City.
The event, organized by El Planteo, the most read cannabis media outlet in the Spanish-speaking world, PR MedCann.Biz, Javier Hasse, and Canalis Capital, will bring together a large portion of the most prominent business people, investors, and professionals in the global cannabis industry to Panama. Find your tickets here.
A Conference For The Global Cannabis Industry
LatAm Cann.BIZ was conceived as a 2-day fully bilingual interdisciplinary conference that will address global and regional trends and provide up-to-date information on the cannabis and hemp industries, including the regulatory framework that governs its production and distribution, cannabis technology, science, and good agricultural and manufacturing practices.
Executives of the best-performing cannabis companies, political actors, high-ranking government officials, medical professionals, and cannabis communicators will attend the event.
“We have thought of it as a space to discover interesting investment opportunities and learn how to be successful in this budding industry,” says Noemi Pérez, CEO of Green Book Academy, president of Puerto Rico MedCann.Biz, and one of the organizers of the event.
Featured Speakers
The event will feature speeches, panel discussions, talks, networking, and presentations from companies and investors, and will enable networking among various stakeholders.
Some of the most outstanding speakers are:
Adolfo Linares – Lawyer, Former Vice Minister of Education of Panama
Aras Azadian – Avicanna (OTC: AVCNF)
Bob Hoban – Clark Hill
Carlos Hoyos – Velo Legal
Carlos Ossa – Patient Activist
Carlos Vives Jr.
Carolina de la Guardia – Lawyer
Cynthia Salarizadeh – House of Saka, Green Market Report
Dr. Dedi Meiri – Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Cannabinoid Research at the Technion Faculty of Biology
Dra. Ericka Stahl – Fundación Buscando Alternativas, Interdiscipliary Latin American Society of Cannabinology
Eric Block – Wana Brands
Lcda. Elvia Lau – National Director of Pharmacy and Drugs, Health Ministry of Panama
Facundo Garretón – Former Legislator of Argentina, Terraflos
Garyn Angel – Magical Butter
Hernán Panessi – Journalist
Ingrid Schmidt – LATAM Cann.Biz
Javier Hasse – El Planteo, Benzinga, Forbes, Entrepreneur Media
José Bacellar – VerdeMed
Juanjo Feijoo – Weedmaps (NASDAQ: MAPS)
Julian Cohen – Canopy Growth Corp (NYSE: CGC)
Leroy Sheffer – Vice President of the National Bank of Panama’s Board of Directors
Lorne Gertner – Serial Entrepreneur, Toky Smoke, PharmaCan
Our media partners include The Fresh Toast, El Planteo, Benzinga, High Times Magazine, Honeysuckle Magazine, Revista Crónicas, En Volá, Green Market Report, and more.
Get your brand in front of the top media in the cannabis world and beyond!
It is common knowledge that toxic materials enter the body through the mouth, impacting in this way the oral mucosa and various structures in our body, writes News Medical Life Sciences. While many studies have been conducted on the impact of tobacco smoke, new research on marijuana is becoming more common.
As per the new study, cannabis smoke condensate induces human gingival epithelial cell damage through apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress, published in Archives of Oral Biology, which examined how cannabis smoke condensate (CSC) affects the gingival epithelial cells.
The research analyzed the effect of CSC on cell shape, adhesion and viability at different time intervals, using microscope and lactate dehydrogenase activity assays. The impacts of CSC on autophagy, oxidative stress, and cell apoptosis were analyzed using gene expression via an RT2-PCR array.
The Results
“CSC deregulated gingival epithelial cell shape and adhesion, decreased cell viability, and increased lactate dehydrogenase release. Its toxic effects included apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress,” the study authors wrote.
In short, cannabis smoke condensate is toxic to gingival epithelial cells. Similar effects have been noticed with cigarette smoke condensate.
What’s more, the scientists discovered that marijuana smoke caused higher expression of several genes, such as the TNF superfamily and NLR-family apoptosis inhibitory protein that bolstered gingival epithelial cell death through apoptosis. In addition lowering of CD40L gene expression disrupted cell communication and, indirectly, caused cell apoptosis.
What’s also important is that scientists believe that as epithelial cells are important in our innate immunity, their reaction to CSC exposure can possibly have an important effect on the immune response. The authors, however, noted that this suggestion should be examined in a new study.
In addition, these results come from a study conducted on monolayer cell cultures and should be further confirmed via animal studies.
Countless people already benefit from using cannabis before, after, and even during their workouts. The key is finding the right dosage that works for your unique needs and athletic lifestyle.
All of us oftentimes can make use of a little push to do a workout. That’s why using pre-workout mixes and energy drinks have become so popular. They contain an array of ingredients ranging from creatinine to caffeine and BCAA’s (branched-chain amino acids), which promise to give an energy boost that you need to do better at your workouts. But thinking outside the box, and with a bit of data, maybe marijuana instead of energy drinks?
And they do work; there are many studies and anecdotal evidence showing that these drinks indeed provide long-lasting energy needed to efficiently exercise. However, energy drinks, which are primarily made with caffeine, sugar, and sodium, are actually dangerous and extremely unhealthy. Sometimes, they contain guarana, which is a bean sourced from South America containing double the amount of caffeine in coffee.
Consuming energy drinks can have serious side effects including increased heart rate, trouble sleeping, restlessness, muscle twitches, and even stomach irritation. In fact, the ingredients in energy drinks can even cause difficulty for arteries to properly dilate. Even the healthiest person can easily suffer from cardiac arrest after consuming energy drinks.
Other common side effects of energy drinks include:
Using Cannabis Products As A Safer, Natural Pre-Workout
While marijuana has always had the reputation of making people lazy couch potatoes (no thanks to Reefer Madness), the truth is that the correct products can help you fight off fatigue while helping you feel invigorated and energized.
The human body has its own endocannabinoid system, and we produce our own version of the cannabinoids found in the marijuana plant. These endocannabinoids are essentially tiny fat molecules that circulate around the brain, but they are referred to as ‘endo’ since they are produced within the body. They stimulate the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the body but when we consume cannabis, exogenous cannabinoids such as CBD and THC also activate the endocannabinoid system.
As a result, using both exocannabinoids while harnessing the power of endocannabinoids can greatly enhance the endorphin boost.
In a 2019 study, individuals who used marijuana prior to exercise reported that their engagement in physical activity increased.
Also in 2019, Angela Bryan, a social psychologist, polled over 600 marijuana consumers in the United States. The participants all lived in states that have legalized marijuana, and they were asked about their workout habits as well as other health factors. The poll results showed that 4 out of 5 respondents admitted to using marijuana before a workout or right after. Meanwhile, those people also spent more time exercising compared to people who didn’t combine cannabis with their workout regimen.
Additionally, around 70% of the respondents who used marijuana before exercising said that doing so made the workout more enjoyable. Though anyone who consumes cannabis can tell you that it does make anything more fun, Bryan thinks that chemical interactions are responsible for this.
Then in 2022, a study by researchers at the University of New Mexico showed that more than 91% of people among a cohort of 3,922 who self-administered marijuana, did so to fight off fatigue. While they did use cannabis because fatigue was an effect of other diseases they were suffering from, it showed that the plant was indeed effective in helping people find relief from fatigue while helping boost energy levels right after consuming it.
Some experts believe that the euphoria we feel from exercise actually comes from the endocannabinoid system. In a study from 2003, researchers discovered that anandamide, a molecule from the endocannabinoid system which is responsible for feelings of bliss, occurs in elevated levels after volunteers cycled or ran inside a lab. Marijuana targets the same receptors causing Bryan to assume that cannabis could actually help to jumpstart the blissful feelings caused by anandamide.
On top of that, cannabis is also effective for helping you recover from your exercise. This is one of the key reasons why athletes use CBD and THC products, to assist with pain alleviation and soreness that often occurs after a hard workout. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabinoid compounds are well-known and is backed up by several studies.
How To Use Cannabis As A Pre-Workout
There are many ways you can use cannabis as a pre-workout. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
If you prefer to smoke flower, opt for the sativa varieties. These are well-known for their energizing and uplifting properties, suitable for use before you go on the gym or head out to the trails.
Experiment with oral and sublingual routes of administration. Edibles are not recommended for exercises purposes since its effects last too long and how it impacts your exercise may be unpredictable. Instead, use CBD or THC edibles to help with recovery after an intense session.
Using THC products can impair your motor control and slow down judgment, so getting too lit before sports such as sky diving, bungee jumping, or cycling is not recommended on THC.
Start by microdosing and using small amounts at first, such as with 5mg of THC and working your way up. Eventually, you can find a dosage that suits your needs best and helps you perform at your peak.
Countless people already benefit from using cannabis before, after, and even during their workouts. The key is finding the right dosage that works for your unique needs and athletic lifestyle.
“You have people walking around with wheelbarrows full of cash,” Sen. Ron Wyden said in a July 4 interview. “That’s just a magnet for criminal activity.”
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), a House sponsor of a bipartisan marijuana banking reform bill, filed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week that would be incorporated into the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act.
The move came after bipartisan congressional members concluded that marijuana banking legislation will not be included in the final version of the United States Innovation and Competition Act (a/k/a The America COMPETES Act).
The bill was formally attached as an amendment to large-scale legislation dealing with innovation and manufacturing in February.
In a recent press release, Perlmutter said he will “pursue any and all legislative avenues to get SAFE Banking across the finish line this year.”
In the meantime Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told Willamette Week that he, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) continue to push for federal cannabis reform, as they want to see their legalization bill in the works before the Senate recess, expected around August 8.
The lawmakers’ bill, the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, would end the prohibition of cannabis and “ensure restorative justice, public health and implement responsible taxes and regulations.”
“You have people walking around with wheelbarrows full of cash,” Wyden said in a July 4 interview. “That’s just a magnet for criminal activity.”
Cannabis Banking Is A Priority
With the cannabis dispensary crime wave getting stronger by the day, cannabis banking continues to be a priority. In a letter to Wyden sent on June 14, Paul Rosenbaum, chairman of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission urged him to nudge Congress in the right direction.
“Enough states are engaged in some form of legalization that this should be an immediate national priority, not just a priority for our state.”
While Wyden’s measure that bans the federal government from rejecting people’s security clearances required for employment at intelligence agencies because of prior cannabis use was recently green-lighted by the Senate Intelligence Committee, it remains to be seen what Congress will do next.
“Millions of Americans have voted for legalization,” Wyden said. “Oregonians already voted to join the 21st century. I’m going to try and get the rest of the Congress to catch up with us.”
Brittney Griner hand wrote a letter to President Biden, which was delivered to the White House on the 4th of July. The WNBA superstar told the president that she fears she’ll be detained in Russia indefinitely and pleaded for him not to forget about her and other Americans detained in Russian.
Griner faces a 10-year sentence in a Russian penal colony if convicted of the alleged crime of having cannabis oil in her suitcase when she was detained in Moscow on February 17, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Three excerpts of Griner’s letter to Biden were made public, while the rest is being kept private, according to a statement released by a communications company representing the Griner family and reported by CNN.
“(As) I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” wrote Griner.
“On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Griner has been playing basketball in Russia for the past seven years during the WNBA off-season and is much beloved in the country.
Political Pawn?
Terri Jackson, executive director of the union representing WNBA players, implied to NPR several days ago that Russia is playing politics with Griner.
“They know who they have. She’s a hero in their country too. I mean, they love women’s basketball,” Jackson said. “They take their championships very seriously. And let’s be clear: she’s given them more than a few.”
Bad products, inability to smoke correctly, subtle highs, or lack of reactions from the brain are significant reasons why a first-time smoker may be unable to get high.
No two people can have the same experience for their first time smoking weed. The science is that cannabis affects each user differently. For some, they go overboard, some get hungry, some trip a little or fall asleep, while a few feel nothing. These reactions are entirely normal. Not everyone is opportune to get the munchies on their first trial.
Several factors determine how you react to your first cannabis experience, including strain, your mood at the moment, and the dosage or amount of cannabis ingested.
Smoking Weed for the First Time
Days, hours, or even minutes before the first time anyone smokes cannabis, they anticipate the famous coughing fits, the euphoria, and the endless possibilities that could occur soon as the smoke hits the lungs. However, only a few people imagine they’d feel no effect—zero buzz!
You can’t be too sure about the impacts of your first blunt until you smoke it. You could be lucky to immediately experience the highs, joy, boosted energy, and creativity. Or you might conversely feel anxious, sad, paranoid, or confused.
My first time smoking weed was preceded by a restless evening. I was so anxious to view the world in a new light. I was more than ready. Only for me to lift off the blunt that afternoon, the only reaction I experienced was a coughing fit. Even after coughing, I held out hope that my high was lurking somewhere, but still, nothing! Note that I wasn’t hitting a medical strain. This got me confused, and I decided to discover what the hell had happened.
It goes without saying that if your first time came with no buzz, you’re not alone, and it’s not the end of your cannabis smoking journey.
Why You didn’t Get High
As mentioned earlier, everyone has their unique body chemistry. Sure we all have the same primary chemical in our bodies; they’re not all balanced the same way, nor do we react to invested substances the same way.
Here are the reasons why you didn’t get stoned and a few ways to remedy them. If you don’t get it right on your subsequent trial, keep trying.
You Did Not Smoke Correctly
Not everyone can get the technique of smoking on their first attempt. It’s not a natural reaction or a biological activity, more an excuse for you not to know how to pull it off. Smoking ideally takes practice, and it is a gradual process. That is why after the first attempts or more, you notice you do not experience the smoking fits.
Tip: When you’re ready to try that joint or glass piece again, ensure you take a deliberate deep breath immediately you take the smoke or value in. This breath will push the THC-laden vape or smoke deeper into the lungs.
If you’re an asthmatic patient using medical cannabis through inhaling, it is best to have your inhalers in hand for your first attempts.
You Used the Wrong Cannabis Strain or Product
As a first-time smoker, it’s very easy to go with the wrong strain or product, especially when you failed to do due research beforehand or bought your package outside a dispensary. As a novice cannabis user, it would be a mistake to trust whatever a supplier is giving you outside a dispensary. It is common for suppliers to give out unsuitable, old, or poorly grown cannabis to unsuspecting novice customers.
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk from Pexels
Tip: Well-versed budtenders are available within legal cannabis dispensaries to clue you in on the right strain to use to complement whatever mood you might be in. Joints purchased from these stores are also labeled with the THC percentage, cannabinoids, and terpenes present, as well as their production and expiry date.
Locate a budtender with good reviews to obtain your cannabis from. The best way to identify good weed is to check for the presence of trichomes, a strong aroma, and a healthy green color.
Your Brain Doesn’t Yet Recognize Cannabis
A standard theory about first-time cannabis users that fail to get high is that their brains have no idea what to do. The first time our body Is introduced to a new compound, it goes through a sensitization period where it builds a reverse tolerance to the compound. The more you expose your body to that specific substance, the more receptive it becomes.
Your brain needs time to recognize THC, while your body needs time to jack up the production of CB1 and CB2 receptors. So you see, your brain may be excited to receive that first dose of THC; it cannot elicit the reactions you seek.
Tip: Continue hitting those blunts the right way, and you notice that in time, your brain will adapt. Think of your blunts as a new instrument. Your brain needs time to master it.
You May Have Been Buzzed Unknowingly
It is possible that you had felt something without realizing it. Most first-time smokers tend to chase after an experience without really knowing what they’re chasing. So, when it hits them in the face, they do not realize it. You probably got stoned subtly, making you more relaxed, warm, and upbeat. But you had been expecting the buzzing creativity or giggles that more first-timers speak of.
Tip: It is unnecessary to experience something significant on your first trial. If at all you felt anything, anything at all! You could up your dose the next time or smoke more blunts responsibly. It could be that you have a heightened tolerance, or your brain was still learning the ropes of THC.
Bottom Line
Bad products, inability to smoke correctly, subtle highs, or lack of reactions from the brain are significant reasons why a first-time smoker may be unable to get high. The simplest solution is to continue trying. When you keep trying, your brain gets used to cannabinoids, and in no time, you be well on your way to the highest paradise. Even if it takes time, keep trying; you’ll get to the peak one day.
Remember that there’s no right or wrong way to go about your first attempt. I’m different, you’re different. Relax, and keep trying, and you’ll be high and fine.
In select studies, celebrity endorsements have produced an average 4% sales increase. At this time, it appears that isn’t the case in the US cannabis market.
To date, most celebrity cannabis brands, whether endorsed or owned, leave some questioning their market impact. The unease appears warranted when considering how various celebrities have failed to live up to critical metrics, toplined by sales, market saturation and product quality.
Photo by Richard T. Nowitz/Getty Images
Few Success Stories So Far
Success stories are scant at this time.
As reported in Kate Robertson’s One Weed Please newsletter, one celebrity brand, Seth Rogen’s Houseplant, cracked California’s top 100 sellers of 2021, coming in at 91 with $9.3 million sold. Brands like Marley Natural (approximately $4.3 million), B-Real‘s Insane ($3.6 million) and Jay-Z‘s Monogram ($700,000) did not make the list.
Data compiled across 11 hybrid and medical-only markets provided by BDSA highlighted two cannabis brands making headway in Q1 2022:
Willie’s Reserve: Founded in 2015, the Willie Nelson-backed brand is sold in Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada and was a top-50 seller in the Colorado market. The venture is a partnership with Holistic Industries.
Cann: The brand had the top-selling THC-infused beverage in California is backed by a bevy of celebrity investors. They include Gwyneth Paltrow, Baron Davis, Rebel Wilson, Ruby Rose, Darren Criss, Casey Niestat, Tove Lo, and Bre-Z.
Considering More Than Financial Reports
Various respondents, including Roy Bingham, BDSA co-founder and CEO, noted that sales and business metrics are just some qualitative and quantitative points worth assessing.
“While brand awareness and brand loyalty are emerging among the cannabis consumer base, celebrity brand status is less important to consumers…than product attributes such as price point, cannabinoid content, and flavor,” said Bingham.
The celebrity’s connection with cannabis and its consumers is essential. If buyers sense inauthenticity, then sales may be hard to come by.
“Simply placing a name on a product to attract that person’s fanbase may generate some initial excitement, but if the connection doesn’t make sense, the excitement will not last,” said Erika Salgado, CMO for PharmaCann. Their celebrity brands include The Allman Brothers’ Chocolate Chunk strain, sold in Illinois.
Salgado said consumer connections to The Allman Brothers were a prime reason for the partnership.
“Fans can reminisce about their favorite concert moment or listen to their favorite music from the band while they enjoy the product,” she said.
Photo by Printexstar via Pexels
Holistic’s Barich expanded on the importance of connecting beyond a famous person’s fanbase. He said product quality is key to doing so.
“A celebrity brand ultimately needs to reach cannabis consumers and enthusiasts beyond the celebrity’s fans, appealing to anyone who loves high-quality, craft cannabis,” he said.
Joshua Horn, the head of the cannabis law group at Fox Rothschild, said the right partner is critical.
“You need the right celebrity whom the public equates with enjoying cannabis and having that celebrity tied with the right company who operates at scale and can get the word,” Horn said.
Quality And Authenticity Are Key
Successful celebrity brands don’t necessarily need backing from household celebrities. Some of the top names to emerge could come from cannabis community celebrities.
The perfect example may be Cookies, a brand that combines celebrity, cannabis legacy, highly rated products and world views that align with the consumer base.
Headed up by hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Berner, Cookies owns retail stores across 14 states and Israel. In 2020, Cookies stores were one of many brands looted. Rather than call for criminal charges on those involved, Berner earned public praise by highlighting the importance of social justice.
Cookies is often considered one of the more consistent high-quality producers and lifestyle brands. Backed by a notable light blue background, Cookies bags can be found in legal and illicit markets across the United States – with many illegal sellers passing off products as Cookies.
Inside each bag are some of the industry’s more well-respected plant strains–something many celeb brands fail to deliver by either growing suboptimal products or white labeling a well-known cannabis brand’s strains.
“Berner has essentially become a celebrity through the growth of his cannabis and fashion brand,” said Brandon Dorsky, Fruit Slabs CEO and an attorney.
Dorsky also highlighted 22Red from System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadijian for its quality products and lifestyle brand.
In 2020, 22Red partnered with Curaleaf to expand product availability across the California medical market. The company’s products are currently available in various Nevada and Arizona dispensaries.
Chad Bronstein, president and chairman of Mike Tyson’s Tyson 2.0 brand, acknowledged Berner’s record label boss, Wiz Khalifa for achieving similar success in cannabis with his brand Khalifa Kush and through advocacy. The brand is available across several western US markets and Michigan.
“Wiz is a long-time cannabis advocate whose brand is backed by a seasoned leadership team with deep expertise in product quality, marketing and innovation,” said Bronstein. In Feb 2022, the artist announced an exclusive production deal with Trulieve Cannabis Corp, making the MSO its partner in Florida and northeast US markets.
Germany might legalize marijuana within two years. The decision could shake up Europe’s relationship with the drug.
Germany is primed to become the largest country in Europe to legalize marijuana. It’s a decision that carries some weight considering that they have the largest economy on the continent.
“There will be a domino effect, for sure,” said Justin Haucap, director of the Dusseldorf Institute for Competition Economics. “European countries that have a much bigger problem with illegal cannabis use, like France, are watching very closely what Germany is doing at the moment.”
Experts predict Germany will make a lot of money once cannabis is legalized. The country has an estimated demand of 400 tonnes of cannabis per year. This could mean Germany could earn about 4.7 billion Euros a year through taxes alone while saving significant chunks of money due to the country no longer wasting resources on the prosecution of cannabis consumers.
If Germany legalized cannabis and began to sell and trade the product like any other good, it would violate the UN 1961 single convention on narcotic drugs. While initially the country would likely have to work around that ruling, some predict that Germany’s legalization would prompt the UN to change it entirely.
“In theory, Germany could exit the UN single convention and rejoin only specific parts of it. But I am fairly optimistic that with changes happening in Canada, the US and now Germany, we could also be looking at a reform of the convention in regards to the cannabis trade,” said Haucap.
According to leading legislators, Germany wants to legalize cannabis in order to reign in black market cannabis, eliminate sources of contaminated products and protect minors. It won’t be the first European country to legalize marijuana — that honor belongs to Malta — but it’s a decision that will shake up its neighbors and the world at large. Surprisingly, while the Netherlands has a decades-long relaxed attitude toward marijuana use, the country still criminalizes its use, possession, and trade.
The findings may indicate that although cannabis-only users use more frequently than other groups, this group may be at lower risk for negative consequences associated with use compared to all-substance users.
A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Florida at Gainesville assessed the relationship between college students’ self-reported use of marijuana and other substances and academic outcomes.
College students who consume cannabis, but not other controlled substances, do not appear to be at significant risk of suffering from either substance use disorder or low academic achievement, according to data published in the Journal of American College Health, reported NORML.
The team of researchers reported that those students who consumed cannabis (and did not consume either alcohol, cigarettes, or other substances) were less likely to report problems associated with substance abuse, skipping class, or poor grades than were those who were polysubstance users.
Details Of The Study
According to the results of the study, “cannabis-only users reported experiencing the least amount of cannabis-related consequences and CUD [cannabis use disorder] symptoms but used cannabis on more days in the past month than any other group except the all-substance user group (CACS—cannabis, alcohol, cigarettes and other substance users).
“These findings may indicate that although cannabis-only users use more frequently than other groups, this group may be at lower risk for negative consequences associated with use compared to all-substance users. This is in line with previous findings showing that polysubstance use is related to more negative consequences compared to single use,” added the researchers.
The current findings suggest that:
Alcohol use is prevalent among cannabis-using college students and;
Concurrent polysubstance use of four or more substances is associated with increased risk of cannabis-and academic-related problems including CUD symptom severity, skipping classes, and lower GPA.
“When addressing cannabis use among college students, clinicians should assess and target multiple substances in addition to cannabis. Risks associated with sole cannabis use were low compared to concurrent substance use. Hence, efforts aimed at preventing the initiation of additional substance use may be warranted,” the researchers concluded.
