The new bill recognizes that many states are lightyears ahead of the federal government when it comes to worker protections and rational policy when it comes to drug testing.
A new bill seeking to promote climate resilience jobs and establish a White House Office of Climate Resilience to encourage climate protection work has been filed by a group of more than two dozen congressional Democrats, reports Marijuana Moment.
An important feature of the bill is that it’s designed to protect people in states with legal cannabis programs from being penalized because of federal drug testing protocols. Under the proposed measure, those employed in a state with legalized marijuana could not be denied training opportunities or work in climate resilience “on the basis of a federally mandated drug test that is more stringent than any drug test that is in place in the locality or State, or used by the union of such employee,” according to the text of the bill.
Photo by 400tmax/Getty Images
Those in states where cannabis is still illegal may still fall under the strict federal protocol.
“The innovative Climate Resilience Workforce Act responds to the worsening climate crisis at the scale necessary by investing in a skilled workforce that is capable of not only responding to but preparing for the destructive impacts of climate change,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said in a press release. “As we create millions of good-paying, union jobs and center the very communities who are disproportionately impacted, we are finally building back better, greener, and stronger.”
Among 30 other Congress members who back the legislation are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Mondaire Jones (D-NY) Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Advocate Response
“This new bill keenly recognizes that many states, including those that are most at risk to the harms of climate change, are lightyears ahead of the federal government when it comes to worker protections and rational policy when it comes to drug testing for trace metabolic elements,” Justin Strekal, former NORML lobbyist who recently founded Useful Strategies told Marijuana Moment. “As long as the Reagan-Era Executive Order to require testing remains in place, this type of congressional action is essential to moving policy in the right direction.”
The waters are getting murky for employers who have workers who are medical marijuana patients. Here’s what you should know.
The landscape surrounding the legality of cannabis throughout the United States has left both employees and employers in a state of uncertainty. This uncertainty persists because the changes regarding cannabis laws take effect so fast.
Unfortunately, when parties are left in the dark regarding the rules and regulations of cannabis consumption, surprises happen. Typically for employees, those surprises come in the form of random drug tests that could result in unemployment. That’s why it’s important to keep a few essential caveats in mind when consuming marijuana even in states where it’s completely legal.
Here are some important insights to keep in mind regarding weed in the workplace.
Photo by Marc Mueller from Pexels
Going to Work Under the Influence Can Still Result in Termination
There are numerous circumstances that could tempt an employee to head to work under the influence. From an overwhelming amount of responsibilities to an influx of unpleasant customers or clients, there are a wide variety of reasons why taking a massive bong rip prior to work is seen as a necessity for employees.
Since employers have the right to terminate workers who are thought to be under the influence, it’s advisable for overworked employees to decide on a different method to relieve themselves from the pressures that come with the job. Doing so could be a safeguard against the stress that comes with searching for a new job while bills continue to pile up.
Federal Prohibition of Cannabis Means Employers Can Maintain-Zero Tolerance Policies
One of the reasons why employers are still able to fire employees for cannabis use on the job, even in legal states, is due to the federal prohibition of cannabis. This allows workplaces to require that their employees sign off on an agreement to contribute to making the job a drug-free workplace.
Another reason that gives employees the ability to fire employees for cannabis use is tying it into a decline in workplace performance. Industries that are performance-based are well within their rights to fire employees that affect the bottom line, or the performance of other employees due to cannabis use. This is especially true if the cannabis use that affects employee performance takes place on the clock. The only time employers would have cause for pause in said scenario is when dealing with an employee with a medical marijuana card.
A Medical Marijuana Card May Provide Special Accommodations For Those who Qualify
People who require medical marijuana to perform routine tasks to get through the day are the ones most likely to be afforded special privileges regarding marijuana use in the workplace. There are a variety of conditions that could qualify someone for a medical marijuana card too, depending on the state. Some of the most common qualifying conditions include HIV/AIDS, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. This means employers need to be careful about imposing drug testing requirements on those who qualify for it.
The best way to do this is by learning if there are any employees who are members of a state’s medical marijuana card program. Some states have laws that are designed to protect medical marijuana patients from discrimination, so employers should take special care to ensure they don’t discriminate against these employees by imposing their drug-free workplace policies.
Researchers will look at pain management and chronic pain in those suffering from post-concussion syndrome, and examine CBD/THC as a neuroprotective treatment for concussion.
University of Regina‘s Dr. Patrick Neary received more than $500,000 from the National Football League (NFL), along with $400,000 of in-kind support from My Next Health Inc. to investigate the use of cannabinoids to treat concussions and alleviate and manage pain.
Dr. Neary, an exercise physiologist and prof in Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, Canada, has been working in the area of concussion prevention and treatment for more than 15 years. He says he’s excited to have the NFL’s support.
Photo by anton5146/Getty Images
The Research
Neary says the research team will investigate the effects of different CBD/THC formulations, which are being provided by My Next Health Inc. Researchers will look at pain management and chronic pain in those suffering from post-concussion syndrome. They will also examine CBD/THC as a neuroprotective treatment for concussion.
“We anticipate our CBD/THC formulation will show significant and positive changes to what it does to the brain – that it will reduce pain and use of prescription medications (opioids), show a reduced number of concussions during athletic competition and provide physiological and psychological benefits,” Neary said.
The Canada-wide team includes physicians, cardiologists, psychologists, pharmacologists, neuroscientists and researchers from other fields.
Preparatory work for the project will begin immediately; next steps will include obtaining Health Canada approval for the clinical trials.
“As with the league’s broader approach to health and safety, we want to ensure that our players are receiving care that reflects the most up-to-date medical consensus,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer. “While the burden of proof is high for NFL players who want to understand the impact of any medical decision on their performance, we are grateful that we have the opportunity to fund these scientifically-sound studies on the use of cannabinoids that may lead to the discovery of data-based evidence that could impact the pain management of our players,” Sills added.
A new study finds that weed impairs drivers, hours after they’ve gotten high.
Cannabis’ effect on drivers is not wholly understood. While THC use impairs drivers, researchers and law enforcers are not clear on the amount of cannabis that needs to be in someone’s system for there to be impairment. They’re also not clear on how long cannabis leaves a person impaired for driving.
A new study narrowed down the time frame of cannabis impairment, discovering that people are usually fit for driving four hours after they consumed cannabis.
Published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal, the study was conducted by researchers from the University of California. They looked at 191 regular cannabis users and did simulated driving tests on them, finding that cannabis consumption significantly declined their capability to drive.
Participants were split up into two groups: one that ingested a placebo and another that contained cannabis with either 5.9% or 13.4% of THC. Researchers measured impairment at different points of the study.
Broadly, results showed that participants who consumed THC performed lower in their Composite Drive Scores (CDS), which tested them on a variety of skills like following cars at varying speeds, responding to dividing attention tasks, and more.
Results are interesting upon closer look. While all cannabis consumers were reticent to driving right after consuming cannabis, 69% of them said they were ready to drive an hour and a half after consuming cannabis. Their CDS scores were low, showing that even though they thought they were ready to drive, their bodies remained impaired.
“Although users in the THC group felt impaired and were hesitant to drive at 30 minutes, by 1 hour-30 minutes they believed the impairment was wearing off and were more willing to drive. This was despite their performance not significantly improving from the 30 minute point,” said the study’s lead author, Thomas Marcotte.
Lastly, researchers found that at the 4-hour mark there was no difference between the placebo group and the cannabis group.
Another interesting discovery the study made was the lack of correlation between blood concentrations and driving performance, something that we’ve written about in the past and that’s become the reason why a functioning cannabis breathalyzer will likely never get made. It appears that cannabis is a highly individualized experience; while someone may have high cannabis levels in their blood, they might not be as impaired as someone who has low levels of THC in their bloodstream and perhaps less experience with the drug.
This study provides a deeper understanding of how cannabis works in our systems and how it impairs drivers differently than alcohol, something that’s important to understand as cannabis earns legalization across states.
Following the promising study on cannabinoids and COVID-19 published by Oregon State University, Gb Sciences, Inc., a plant-based biopharmaceutical research and development company, has advised that the truth behind how cannabinoids and terpenes work in therapeutic mixtures is more complicated than has been reported in the popular press.
Gb Sciences’ study with Michigan State University (MSU) has yielded preclinical data demonstrating that specific compounds and ratios of those cannabis compounds are likely to be required for cannabinoids to be used to treat COVID-19 symptoms.
Photo by Yarygin/Getty Images
Gb Science recently reported additional study data that supports the potential of cannabinoids as a treatment option for hyperinflammation resulting from COVID-19. Gb Sciences and an MSU researcher evaluated the potential for cannabis-derived compounds to suppress immunological responses that contribute to COVID-19 symptoms. Their study and conversations have received media coverage across the country based on an interview with the MSU researcher that broke from WLNS-TV in Lansing, Michigan, and interviews with Gb Sciences in the magazines Cannabis Business Times and Hemp Grower.
In the WLNS-TV interview, Norbert Kaminski, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at MSU, reported that his partnership with Gb Sciences has explored the potential for certain compounds, cannabinoids and terpenes from the cannabis plant to decrease the human inflammatory responses to COVID-19, but that this specific drug will still need time to be studied to validate both the types of compounds and their specific ratios in mixtures that will successfully battle hyperinflammation triggered by COVID-19.
“By adding these various mixtures, and different combinations, we’re able to assess whether those compounds are effective in potentially helping people resolve breathing problems that are associated with the virus,” Kaminski said.
A new study found that people who consumed this drink had a slight protection against COVID-19 infection.
Sadly, drinking alcohol is rarely associated with health benefits. One study, however, found that consuming red wine could provide certain protections against COVID-19.
The study, published on the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, examined data from the British database UK Biobank. The research showed that people who consumed five or more glasses of red wine per week were 17% less likely to become infected with COVID-19. Researchers theorize that this is due to the drink’s polyphenol content.
While red wine provided the most benefits out of all the drinks that were surveyed, alcoholic drinks like white wine and champagne also provided protection against the virus, with people who consumed it as their beverage of choice being 8% less likely to develop COVID-19.
This is as far as good news gets. People who consumed beers and cider showed the opposite effect than those who consumed wine and champagne: these imbibers were 28% more likely to get infected by COVID-19.
Red wine has long been associated with benefits like lowering bad cholesterol, promoting heart health, and being rich in antioxidants. Up to one drink a day is considered drinking in moderation, and is something that could boost people’s systems and be a part of an enjoyable daily routine.
Despite wine and champagne’s protective qualities, these drinks are still not enough to protect you fully from COVID-19, especially if you’re consuming too many of them. At the end of the day, alcohol is alcohol, and large amounts of it could depress your immune system and result in a variety of illnesses and conditions that can be harmful in the long run.
In order to stay safe, experts recommend staying up to date with your vaccines and keeping an eye on the COVID-19 transmission rates in your area, which should inform you on what’s safe and what isn’t safe to do.
The benefits of CBD as well as adaptogens clearly fill a massive void in western medicine so it’s not surprising to see patients fall for their charms.
Cannabidiol (CBD) may seem like it’s been a hot topic on the wellness front for quite some time now. After all, the non-psychoactive compound of marijuana has touted for its stress and anxiety-relieving properties without getting you high. It has a cult following, and for good reason — there’s a lot of data and evidence that CBD does work. It’s everywhere these days, from CBD capsules to oils, beverages and edibles, getting rid of stress has never been easier.
But sharing the limelight with CBD these days are adaptogens.
Photo by Bankim Desai via Unsplash
Adaptogens have been known for hundreds of years, especially in Asia and India, and among those who follow Ayurvedic lifestyle principles. They refer to types of plants that possess special properties to help the body cope with stress, regulate healthy functioning and hormonal balance. Aside from that, they have numerous other health benefits such as help fighting off fatigue, reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and improve cognitive function even when we are under periods of stress among others.
Benefits of Combining CBD and Adaptogens
Popular and common adaptogens that you’ll easily encounter in the market are the following:
Ashwagandha: Widely used for centuries to treat stress and anxiety, and its use in ayurvedic potions. Ashwagandha is a root that is also used in some eastern delicacies.
Rhodiola: Rhodiola is an adaptogen appreciated for its ability to provide energy. It is even said that the Vikings consumed rhodiola before they did their raids. A 2013 study discovered that amateur cyclists who consumed the plant finished a timed race quicker than the placebo group and with reduced heart rates.
Tulsi: This shrub, also known as the queen of herbs or holy basil, is popular in Ayurvedic tradition for its ability to reduce anxiety and increase focus. It can also help with reducing stress and depression, while boosting immunity through regulation of hormones and healthy responses.
Reishi mushrooms: Reishi mushrooms are renowned for their antioxidant properties. They are taken to support immunity but can also help keep the skin looking young.
Other popular adaptogens include cordyceps, chaga, and tocos.
On their own, most adaptogens are too bitter to be consumed which is why they are usually manufactured into a powder meant to be added to drinks or smoothies, or as capsules. When consumed, they are said to work with the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, which is made up of several hormones, receptors, and glands in the body whereas cannabinoids interact with our endocannabinoid system.
Adaptogens work with the HPA to restore homeostasis and balance within our system especially if we are feeling out of whack because of exposure to stress whether it’s physical, emotional, mental, or environmental. In many cases, adaptogens can help to reduce the production of stress hormones, while also replenishing them when there’s a lack. Adaptogens are meant to be taken in the long term to provide stability to our internal systems instead of taking them as a band-aid remedy whenever we feel sick, so you likely won’t feel many benefits using them just once.
Photo by Cristi Ursea via Unsplash
On the other hand, immediate effects can be felt when you use CBD to medicate for a variety of conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, panic attacks, and more though you can also use CBD as part of a long-term holistic solution for improving overall health.
However, the benefits of CBD as well as adaptogens clearly fill a massive void in western medicine so it’s not surprising to see patients fall for their charms. You don’t even have to be ill in order to appreciate the benefits of CBD and adaptogens; they can be taken to support your overall system.
Is It Safe to Combine CBD and Adaptogens?
Both cannabis and adaptogens are nontoxic plants that interact with the human body gently. But before you start taking adaptogens or combining it with CBD, here are some things to keep in mind:
Talk to your physician first: At the time of writing, both CBD and adaptogens are not regulated by the FDA especially when they are produced into food and drink or taken as supplements. They don’t have to work or prove its safety in order to be sold in the marketplace. Having said that, there are many brands out there for both that are dubious as well as highly renowned, so make sure that you do your research or ask for your doctor’s recommendations.
Additionally, your physician can also give you clearance to take certain CBD and adaptogen products to make sure that everything in the ingredient list is safe for you to take. When shopping for adaptogenic products, always helps to buy products with the USP seal on any jar, which will tell you that it has been checked by the United States Pharmacopia.
Medication interactions: If you are already taking prescription drugs, any or all of them can have undesirable side effect when combined with CBD and/or adaptogens. You should talk to an herbalist or naturopath to make sure that it’s 100% safe for you to start taking these ingredients with the rest of your medications. There are known interactions with prescription drugs, so don’t assume they are completely safe even if they are natural.
Start with smaller doses: Whenever trying out anything new, it always helps to start small in terms of doses, and work your way up gradually. The same is true with CBD and adaptogens, so start with small doses unless you have consulted with a doctor or naturopath who has given you clearance to start with moderate doses right away. Some unwanted side effects that are associated with taking too much adaptogens too fast include dizziness, headaches, or nausea, while for CBD it can cause strong sedation and sleepiness.
Hemp, Inc., a global industrial hemp industry leader, praised Idaho on becoming the 50th state to legalize hemp.
Thanks to House Bill No. 26 passing in Idaho’s April 2021 legislature, with an emergency clause that made the law effective as soon as it passed both chambers, farmers are now receiving their hemp licenses so that they can legally “produce and handle the crop during this growing season for commodities such as insulation, paper, oil and food products.”
Idaho’s industrial hemp legalization gives its farmers an opportunity to diversify their operations, potentially creating more opportunities to do business with other companies in the industry.
Twenty Years In The Making
Idaho Farm Bureau’s deputy government affairs director, Braden Jensen said the Bureau has been “pushing for the policy change for the better part of the past 20 years, but the 2018 Federal Farm Bill that removed hemp from the controlled substances list made the issue a priority in the 2021 legislative session.”
New Licensing System
Idaho now has two licensing options for its farmers (handlers and producers). Licensed handlers are allowed to process raw hemp materials into other materials but they can’t grow the crop. Licensed producers can grow and market the hemp crop. Both licenses will require background checks that will need to be renewed annually and producers will have their hemp lots tested for acceptable levels of THC (below 0.3%).
If any sample of the lot tests higher than this threshold, the entire crop will either be destroyed or blended with a different strain to lower the THC amount.
The news source stated that Idaho had about 60 applications in November of 2021 and as of today, 8 have been fully granted (4 handlers, 3 producers, 1 handler/producer).
Exponential Growth
The industrial hemp market is growing exponentially. A new report by Grand View Research, Inc. (October, 2021) noted the global industrial hemp market is expected to reach 12.01 billion by 2028 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.2% from 2021 to 2028.
New study finds link between cannabis use in teens and schizophrenia, regardless of how often they’re consuming.
Cannabis and teen drug use are topics that have long concerned us. While there’s a lot of stuff we don’t understand about cannabis, the plant is generally thought of as something that is relatively safe. In the case of teens, things are a bit different. Since their brains are in development, the side effects associated with cannabis can be more unexpected.
One area of concern is cannabis use and its impact on teens and conditions like schizophrenia. A new study found some links between teen cannabis use and schizophrenia that are more alarming than expected, with the research suggesting there’s a link between the two no matter whether teens use the drug frequently or infrequently.
The study conducted an overview of all of the material published on cannabis use in teens and its impact on schizophrenia from the year 2010 until 2020. They found that high and low-frequency cannabis users were six times more likely to develop schizophrenia than those who never ingested cannabis.
While the study raises some important questions and some cause for alarm, it’s important to note that an overview of several studies has some caveats, like defining how each study categorizes low frequency and high frequency, and the type of cannabis that is being ingested. For example, the study defined low-frequency cannabis users as those teens who consume cannabis twice a week, something that’s quite regular, especially when discussing subjects between the ages of 12 to 18.
Researchers looking into the topic of teen cannabis users and schizophrenia have no way of knowing whether or not cannabis makes it more likely for people to develop this condition. They just know there’s a link between the two. People between the ages of 12 to 18 are in that period where they’ll start exploring drugs, while also developing symptoms of conditions like schizophrenia. Then there are also genetic predispositions, which make researchers question whether cannabis causes schizophrenia or if teens with a predisposition for this condition are more likely to seek cannabis.
This topic creates a set of conditions that are difficult to handle without resulting to fear-mongering. Still, it might be helpful to think of cannabis as harmless yet a topic that should be broached carefully when people have a predisposition for mental health conditions, whether they’re schizophrenia or something like anxiety or depression.
As is the case with cannabis, more research is needed in order to get a full picture of the drug, its capabilities, and its risks.
The Secretary of Ohio State’s Office confirmed that cannabis activists have collected enough signatures from registered voters to put a marijuana legalization measure before lawmakers.
What Happened
The Office validated more than 10,000 outstanding signatures. Previously in December, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol confirmed it had collected 206,943 signatures for a bill that would allow adults to buy and possess cannabis. It turned out later that they were lacking more than 13,000 signatures to put the initiative before legislators.
Photo by Bet_Noire/Getty Images
Now, with enough validated signatures, lawmakers have a four-month deadline within which to proceed with the legislation. If they reject the bill or approve a changed version, supporters can collect another 132,887 signatures to place the measure on the ballot in the next election.
Back in 2015, Ohio voters rejected a ballot proposal aiming to create a limited legal market for the commercial production and sale of cannabis to adults. There were several provisions of that measure viewed as controversial, like the one that sought to limit the number of licensed commercial cultivators to include only the initiative’s financial investors.
Proposed Bill Highlights
Under the proposed bill, Ohio residents age 21 and older would be allowed to legally buy and own 2.5 ounces of marijuana and 15 grams of concentrates. They’d also be allowed to cultivate up to six plants individually and no more than 12 in a household with several adults.
“We are ready and eager to work with Ohio legislators over the next four months to legalize the adult use of marijuana in Ohio,” CTRMLA spokesman Tom Haren said in a press release.
Medical Marijuana For Autism
Just last week, Ohio House Health Committee passed a bipartisan bill that would add autism spectrum disorder to the list of conditions for which doctors can recommend medical cannabis, reported Cleveland.com.
House Bill 60 now heads to the House Rules and Reference Committee, where it will be decided if it should be put to the floor. Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat, said he is optimistic the bill could get a floor vote in the coming weeks.
