A study on deadly car crashes involving cannabis have increased over the past two decades…by a lot.
Driving under the influence has long been a problem. Drunk driving alone is responsible for an average of 10,000 deaths a year. With the legalization of cannabis, these issues are made worse; driving under the influence — no matter the substance — is likelier to result in accidents and deaths.
A new study found that deadly accidents involving alcohol and cannabis have more than doubled over the past two decades. Worse yet, it suggests that accidents involving cannabis tend to be more fatal than those involving alcohol.
Published in the American Journal of Public Health, the research found that while public safety announcements have mitigated the harms of drunk driving, other drugs might be increasing these risks and accidents.
The study was conducted by researchers who analyzed 19 years of data on fatal car crashes and accidents. “There has been progress in reducing deaths from alcohol-impaired driving, but our study suggests that cannabis involvement might be undercutting these public health efforts,” says Timothy Naimi, senior author of the study, on Boston’s University’s website.
A deeper look at the collected data shows that from 2000 to 2018, percentages of crash deaths involving cannabis increased from 9% to 21.5%. Researchers discovered that crashes involving cannabis were more likely to result in the deaths of passengers.
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Cannabis and driving is an issue that is very complicated since authorities don’t have much data on the effect of cannabis on drivers. There’s also the fact that there’s no accurate way of measuring the level of impairment from THC.
“The bottom line is that we have a lot of work to do to reduce deaths and harms from impaired driving from alcohol, cannabis, and other substances,” said Marlene Lira, one of the study’s lead authors. As cannabis becomes legal in more and more states, these problems will only become more pressing.
CBD acts as an antagonist when it comes to its relationship with your cannabinoid system, the opposite of what THC does.
Tolerance breaks are synonymous marijuana use. These breaks allow people to reboot their endocannabinoid system, ensuring that the drug affects them in ways that are efficient and that provide tangible results.
Like any other substance, developing a tolerance for marijuana, specifically THC, is problematic for those who consume it regularly. Seasoned users find themselves buying and consuming more cannabis, trying to experience the effects they used to have with just a few hits. While always annoying, this is complicated for people who use the drug medicinally.
CBD is a different matter. There’s a lot of mixed evidence out there, suggesting that more research is needed in order to understand the compound and the way in which it acts in our bodies.
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There are many reasons why you’d want to keep a low tolerance when consuming CBD, whether it’s to save money, out of fear of triggering drug tests, or for simply not wanting to consume as much of it in your everyday life. If you’re taking CBD as a way to treat a medical condition, it’s best to talk to a doctor before making any decisions and tampering with your dosage. Stopping CBD medications might cause a flare-up in inflammation, pain, or whatever condition you are treating.
When it comes to the effect that CBD has on the body, there are several theories swirling around, most of them emphasizing how different CBD and THC are. Users who’ve experimented with CBD say that sometimes the compound takes a while to have an effect, requiring users to take it for a couple of months in order to experience some change or improvement.
CBD acts as an antagonist to your cannabinoid system, the opposite of what THC does. Unlike THC, CBD reduces the binding activity of your CB1 receptors. CBD tends to control the negative side effects of THC, suggesting that the compound limits how much binding occurs with your CB1 receptors. Strains that have high content of THC & CBD tend to produce mild experiences that don’t lead to paranoid highs while strains that feature high amounts of THC are much more likely to result in a marijuana overdose.
CBD might do the opposite of what THC does in our systems, producing a “reverse tolerance.” Instead of us building a tolerance for the compound and needing to consume more of it to experience the same effects, continuing to ingest CBD might multiply the natural endocannabinoids in our bodies, meaning that once this process begins we can consume less CBD and experience the same powerful results.
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While more research is necessary in order to draw more definitive conclusions, tolerance breaks might not apply to CBD. The compound is doing its own thing and requires someone who’s patient if they desire to experience its full range of effects.
If you’re not experiencing benefits from CBD use, there might be several reasons why. The CBD market is booming, meaning that a lot of unreputable places are making products, which might not be producing the desired effect. You should also give CBD some time to work in your body since it’s a compound that builds up in your system the more you’re exposed to it.
U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) released a memo on behalf of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus that they co-chair. The memo lists the numerous pieces of marijuana legislation filed on Capitol Hill and explains which should be among the reform priorities for 2022, reported Marijuana Moment.
Blumenauer said “the table is set and the time is right for comprehensive cannabis reform, which will make a huge difference for people around the country. We’ve watched this issue gain more momentum than ever with the American people—almost 70 percent of whom, including a majority of Republicans, want to see federal reform.”
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Although legislation to protect banks that service state-legal cannabis businesses passed the House for the fifth time in 2021, and a bipartisan measure was introduced to incentivize the expungement of prior marijuana records, none of those bills have been enacted.
Priorities for 2022
Federal descheduling of marijuana remains the first priority. “We are getting closer to passing the MORE Act, which would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act,” the lawmakers wrote. The memo also states that it is “imperative that the Biden administration utilize power available to the executive to pardon and commute sentences for individuals with cannabis-related offenses.”
In addition, the memo highlights the possibility to “dramatically increase the scope and quality of our cannabis research,” to inform federal regulations, and “help us understand the full breadth of cannabis’ therapeutic benefits, especially for our veterans and those living with chronic conditions, like epilepsy.”
Finally, the document stressed that non-interference by the Justice Department — at least until marijuana banking reform passes the Senate — is vital.
“It’s important that the federal government not waste resources with any state-legal interference. That means redirecting the Department of Justice must not interfere with state-legal businesses before we secure the SAFE Banking Act through the U.S. Senate,” concluded the memo.
Can you use raw marijuana in your baked goods? Or trust the THC levels printed on packaged treats? Here are some “facts” about edibles that just aren’t true.
As legal marijuana has swept throughout communities across the nation, the popularity of edibles has risen dramatically. People that have access to legal marijuana have the option of either purchasing edibles from a dispensary, or making their own homemade versions.
Unfortunately, some people have held back from indulging in edibles due to myths that have been spread about consuming them. The widespread popularity of edibles over the course of the past several years has led to the development of numerous myths. And while some are harmless, others perpetuate inaccurate and harmful narratives about marijuana. Here are four of the most common ones.
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Overconsumption Can Be Fatal
Since edibles often have a high concentration of THC, it’s not uncommon for people who eat one to become concerned that they’re feeling the effects of it a little too strongly. Even though that’s the case, there’s no need to worry that overindulging on an edible could lead to an accidental fatal overdose. While edibles contain a higher concentration of THC than your average joint, they still contain nowhere near the amount necessary to cause a fatal marijuana overdose.
Edibles Perform Best As Desserts
The concept of edibles working best when served as a dessert isn’t surprising given how “weed brownies” have become synonymous with the consumption of edibles. The popularity of cannabis-infused candies only perpetuates this falsehood.
The root of the myth that edibles are best served as desserts is based on a story that one of the earliest recipes on record for edibles consisted of brownies (which actually weren’t brownies at all) made by one of the nation’s earliest pot pioneers, affectionately nicknamed “Brownie Marie”. Another reason why edibles are most commonly associated with desserts is because flavors like peanut butter and chocolate can do wonders as far as masking the taste of cannabis goes.
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Raw Marijuana Has The Same Effects As An Edible
One of the most consequential mistakes anyone can make is deciding to make their own homemade edibles under the pretense that doing so is as simple as adding weed into cake mix. In actuality, you need to first undergo a process called decarboxylation, which activates the THC.
Cannabis that hasn’t undergone this process won’t possess the psychoactive effects that people are seeking, which means adding raw cannabis to any recipe is a waste if getting high is your goal.
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Labels Are Always Accurate
Getting the most value out of a purchase is the goal of every smart consumer. When it comes to shopping for edibles, that probably means going for the ones with the highest THC percentage. Since that information is provided by products that are sold at dispensaries, most people probably assume that finding a potent edible on the shelves should be easy enough.
Even though most people would assume that products coming directly from a lab are measured to perfection, this idea couldn’t be further from the truth. A study conducted by The New York Times analyzed the ingredients in 75 edibles and found that just 17 of them had accurate depictions of their THC levels. Since the legal marijuana industry is still relatively young, it’s safe to assume that it could be awhile before the problems regarding mislabeling and false advertising of THC levels gets corrected.
Further proof that statewide cannabis legalization policies are not associated with any significant rise in either the use of marijuana by young people or in their ability to access it.
Data released on Wednesday from the University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey has shown an unprecedented year-over-year decline in young people’s use of marijuana and other controlled substances.
The authors noted, “The percentage of students who reported using marijuana (in all forms, including smoking and vaping) within the past year decreased significantly for eighth, 10th, and 12th grade students.”
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Specifically, the data identified a 38% year-over-year reduction in self-reported marijuana use among eighth-graders, a 38% decline among 10th graders, and a 13% decrease among 12th graders.
“We have never seen such dramatic decreases in drug use among teens in just a one-year period,” said Nora Volkow, director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in a press release. NIDA funded the study. “These data are unprecedented and highlight one unexpected potential consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused seismic shifts in the day-to-day lives of adolescents.”
In September, Dr. Volkow publicly acknowledged in a podcast with Ethan Nadelmann, former Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, that the enactment of statewide laws regulating the adult-use cannabis market has not led to an increase in the percentage of young people experimenting with the substance. Only last week, Volkow said in an interview that there was no proof that smoking cannabis was harmful.
The MTF findings, which come just months after the US National Institutes of Health released similar conclusions, also noted that there has been a dramatic year-over-year decrease in cannabis use by those ages 12 to 17.
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“These latest findings add to the growing body of scientific literature showing that marijuana regulation policies can be implemented in a manner that provides access for adults while simultaneously limiting youth access and misuse,” NORML’s deputy director Paul Armentano said in an email statement.
Armentano pointed out that Monitoring the Future’s findings are consistent with numerous other studies that have concluded that statewide cannabis legalization policies are not associated with any significant rise in either the use of marijuana by young people or in their ability to access it.
New data sheds a light on asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and their impact.
One of the biggest questions scientists have had over the past couple of years is the impact of asymptomatic COVID-19. Are these people spreading the virus without knowing it, contributing to the pandemic?
A new study suggests that over 40% of people who tested positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic, meaning that they expressed no traditional symptoms of the disease. There are a few caveats, mainly that a lot of asymptomatic people probably never submitted themselves to a COVID-19 test.
The study, published in the JAMA network, showed that asymptomatic cases were more common the younger the patient was. Results show that 60% of people under the age of 20 tested positive while asymptomatic, with this margin reducing as they aged (50% in people 20 to 39; 32% in people 40 to 59; 33% in those over 60).
According to Dr. Alan Wells, who spoke to USA Today and is unrelated to the study, there would be more cases of asymptomatic people if testing were conducted in a more comprehensive way. He also argues that vaccines might also have an influence on these instances, protecting people from more severe cases of the disease and thus stopping symptoms from ever showing up.
These findings indicate a couple of things. Forty-percent of asymptomatic cases is equal to .25% of the tested population, a small margin that suggests that these people aren’t responsible for much spread. Researchers also believe that people who experienced asymptomatic COVID-19 don’t have as much protection as those who experienced the full-blown disease, something that’s worrisome considering the pandemic is very much still around and people could get reinfected.
While all forms of infections build up the immune system, the easiest and most straightforward way of staying protected would be to get a vaccine or a booster if you’ve had your initial shot over six months ago. The study’s results don’t change much in the grand scheme of things, but they do give researchers (and us) a better understanding of the disease, which is poised to stay around for an indefinite amount of time.
Parents reported significant improvement in the health and wellbeing of their children, including sleep, eating, behavior and cognition after they began taking whole-plant cannabis products.
Epileptic seizure frequency fell by an average of 86% among 10 children treated with whole-plant medicinal cannabis, reveals a case series published in the open-access journal BMJ Paediatrics Open.
None of the children had responded to other treatments, including the only cannabidiol (CBD) product licensed for their condition, reported medicalexpress.com
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Prompted by parents whose children had responded well to whole plant medicinal cannabis extracts, but not to conventional anti-epileptic drugs or purified cannabidiol (CBD oil), medicinal (whole plant) cannabis was designated a prescription medicine for the treatment of severe childhood epilepsy in 2018. Whole plant cannabis includes THC, the main active ingredient of the plant associated with recreational use, CBD, and other neuroactive molecules such as terpenes.
Researchers evaluated the use of whole plant medicinal cannabis in ten children whose severe epilepsy had not responded to conventional treatment, and two of whom hadn’t responded to the only pharmaceutical grade, purified CBD oil licensed for the condition in children, Epidiolex, made by GW Pharmaceuticals. They wanted to assess and report the change in monthly seizure frequency and the impact of medicinal cannabis on changes in conventional epilepsy drug use.
All the participants were recruited from two charities representing children using medicinal cannabis to treat their severe epilepsy. The children’s average age was 6 but they ranged from 1 to 13 years.
The children had tried an average of 7 conventional epilepsy drugs. After starting to take medicinal cannabis, this fell to an average of 1 each, with 7 of the children stopping them completely. Monthly seizure frequency reduced for all 10 children by an overall average of 86%.
Full chemical analysis of the whole plant medicinal cannabis products used is ongoing, but researchers were able to assess the THC and CBD content.
Parents and caregivers reported significant improvement in the health and wellbeing of their children, including in sleep, eating, behavior and cognition after they began to take whole-plant medicinal cannabis products. Only a few minor side effects, such as tiredness, were reported.
Though this was an observational study involving a small number of participants, researchers highlighted that the new data suggest that whole-plant medicinal cannabis products are more effective than CBD products.
As technology around personal vaporizers continues to develop, it’s fair to assume that the likelihood of people leaving their glass paraphernalia in the past will only increase.
The world of cannabis consumption has expanded well beyond the realm of bowls and bongs. The advent of vaporizers have added a significant amount of variety when it comes to the choices of smoking paraphernalia on the market.
A lot of cannabis enthusiasts have a comfort level with their glass accessories that can be hard to break. That’s the case even though there are a handful of reasons to leave glass in the past.
They Are Highly Fragile
One of the downsides that come with having a reliable, trusted glass piece is that it can be destroyed in the blink of an eye. When people who mostly use glass pieces to consume marijuana don’t have a dedicated safe spot for it, they’re especially susceptible to costly accidents. The bigger the piece, the more difficult it is to find somewhere safe to keep it. Complicating matters even further, lots of water pipes have multiple compartments that can be damaged with improper handling.
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They Can Be Difficult to Clean
One of the reasons why people prefer to smoke out of glass accessories instead of with papers or blunts is because they provide a cleaner experience free of resin. Additionally, they provide the opportunity for people to enjoy their cannabis in lower quantities which makes their stash stretch further. While the benefits of using glass accessories are clear, they only remain true when they’re properly cleaned.
Cleaning glass accessories is vastly different from cleaning other glassware you ordinarily use on a daily basis because cleaning the stains that come with the resin that glass accessories accumulate with regular use is tricky. One tip for properly cleaning glass accessories is to keep some rubbing alcohol, salt and cotton swabs nearby for reaching those hard to get areas where resin seems to be the most present.
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They’re Nearly Impossible to Travel With
Unlike one-hitters and vaporizers, most glass pieces are fairly difficult to transport safely. That’s the case because most glass pieces are conspicuous and tough to fit into a pocket or purse. They also contain components that can be easily broken or lost. On the rare occasion when people do find a glass piece that’s easy to take on the go, it doesn’t provide the level of discreetness that other devices like vaporizers do. The use of glass is typically accompanied with big clouds and residue that make it nearly impossible to conceal.
Since there are so many characteristics about glass accessories that are an inconvenience to users, it wouldn’t be surprising to see their popularity wane in the coming years. Especially as technology around personal vaporizers continues to develop, it’s fair to assume that the likelihood of people leaving their glass paraphernalia in the past will only increase.
Not only do states have different laws, but some airports even have different policies when it comes to marijuana and the TSA.
It seems like every few months there is an entirely new rulebook for marijuana. Where it is legal, how much you can possess, where you can smoke it and where you can bring it vary greatly and change frequently throughout the country.
When you purchase cannabis legally in the United States you might think you are in the clear when you bring it with you to the airport. Before you enter the TSA line, however, you should consider marijuana laws, and also who owns the airspace you are about to travel through. Understanding the laws and policies surrounding THC and the TSA can save you from a big headache, a bigger fine and even a criminal record.
Recreational Marijuana
So far, 18 states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Each state has different rules on how and where you can consume marijuana. When you fly in an airplane, however, you leave state territory and enter federal jurisdiction. Marijuana is still completely banned as a schedule I substance on the federal level. This means traveling on an airplane with recreational marijuana is illegal.
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“The airspace you’ll be traveling through is considered federal territory; hence, why it can’t come on your flight,” according to The Washington Post. “That includes flying within states where pot use is legal, or flying between states — even if both allow it for recreation.”
Although it is illegal to take recreational marijuana on an airplane, TSA has taken a surprisingly chill stance on cannabis. TSA posted a very direct public service announcement of sorts on Instagram on the matter of traveling with cannabis, stating, “Let us be blunt: TSA officers DO NOT search for marijuana or other illegal drugs. Our screening procedures are focused on security and detecting potential threats.”
This stance may seem rather liberal, but the TSA has made it clear they are looking for safety threats, not marijuana.
However, they also include verbiage that you should take note of if you are considering the risk of bringing marijuana through airport security. The TSAwebsite states, “TSA security officers do not search for marijuana or other illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”
Medical Marijuana
You may think medical marijuana holds more legal legitimacy. After all, a prescription is required from a doctor, and medical marijuana has been approved for a variety of medical conditions. Heck, the FDA has even approved medications derived from cannabis.
Medical marijuana is, however, still illegal on the federal level. You may find a bit more leniency if you are caught with medical marijuana and present a medical card versus getting busted with recreational pot, but don’t bank on it.
As stated by The New York Times, “if you don’t know the rules, traveling with medical marijuana could lead to an arrest or at the very least, a complicated legal gray area.”
You should also check with your airline if you intend to travel with medical marijuana. Several airlines, including Delta Airlines and American Airlines have openly banned medical marijuana from their planes.
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CBD
CBD has grown wildly in popularity in the last few years, and has become the natural go-to remedy for many looking to decrease anxiety. Anxiety and flying often go hand-in-hand so it is no surprise that many passengers seek to travel with CBD in their carry on.
CBD is legal to travel with throughout the United States, with some exceptions. According to TSA policy, “Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, remain illegal under federal law except for products that contain no more than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis or that are approved by FDA.”
This means you should only bring CBD products that are THC free. When in doubt, bring an FDA approved (and labelled) product through TSA to avoid any confusion at the security checkpoint.
Beware Of The Gray Area
“There are all kinds of mixed messages being sent, but that’s because we have mixed messages in the legal system,” David Bannard, an attorney with Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP in Boston, who consults with airports on marijuana and other regulatory issues told Forbes.
When it comes to TSA and marijuana, there is a lot of gray area. Not only do states have different laws, but some airports even have different policies when it comes to marijuana and the TSA. Because of this mixed bag of policies, it is always important to know and follow the exact laws wherever you are.
The holidays are stressful enough without the cold and flu season. But should falling ill keep you from getting your COVID booster?
The months leading up to the holidays are usually filled with sniffles and other signs that signal someone is under the weather. Aside from the cold weather, there are also more stressors than usual to contend with this time of year, increasing our odds of getting sick.
With the rise of the Omicron variant, it’s also important for people to get their COVID-19 boosters as soon as they can. But what happens if you’re sick? If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild they are, it’s important to get tested before doing anything else.
This list of COVID-19 symptoms includes the standard ones — coughs, fevers, and loss of taste and smell — but also the more rare ones, such as headaches and upset stomach. Even if you’ve been vaccinated and think it’s unlikely for you to have COVID-19, it’s important to get tested since the Omicron variant appears to be more transmissible than others. If you tested positive, you should not get the booster and instead should wait until you test negative again. While scientists don’t think it’s harmful to get the booster if you have COVID-19, it’s important to prevent the spread of the disease; going to your nearest pharmacy will likely expose you to a variety of people.
If you test negative and have manageable cold symptoms, you should get your booster. It’s very unlikely for the COVID-19 booster to react negatively when there are other symptoms in your body. Perhaps you’ll feel more tired the next day, but that should be it. In the grand scheme of things, it pays to be well protected ahead of the holiday season, when people are likely to expand their social circles and expand themselves and others to the virus.
Still, use your common sense. If you’re feeling too sick for your booster appointment, reschedule for another day, no matter the hassle or the need to want to get it out of the way before you meet up with friends and family. Stay at home and rest to prevent the spread of whatever illness you have, whether that’s a cold or the flu. Once you’re feeling better, schedule your booster as soon as you can.
