Vaccination cards are important for getting into public spaces, yet they’re kind of easy to lose. Here’s what you can do to avoid this issue.
With New York becoming the first state to ask for proof of vaccination for the majority of indoor activities, other states are likely to follow suit. And while this is great since it makes workers and guests feel safe, it’s also a bit annoying, since proof of vaccination is a piece of cardboard that’s just big enough to not fit in most wallets.
Luckily, in the age of technology, there are plenty of solutions, even if you lose your vaccination card. Here’s what you should do:
Contact whoever is responsible
Photo by cottonbro via Pexels
Contact your vaccination provider or your state health department. All vaccine providers must report activity to their local immunization information system. Whether you call CVS or your local government, they should be able to provide you with your vaccination record through email or mail. In the latter case, it may take one or two weeks though, so you may want to use other options if in a rush.
Services like v-safe or VaxText allow you to get your record of vaccination much faster. While these services are not as recognized as the real card or a vaccination passport, they might save you in a bind, and they’re safe and sponsored by the government so they should be recognized in most places.
Instead of carrying your card around and having to fold it (and maybe ruin the stickers with the vaccine lot number on them), take a picture of it. Don’t do selfies or post them online, since they contain sensitive information that could be copied and used by other people. A photo of your vaccine card should be sufficient proof of your status to anyone who asks.
Figure out what your state is doing to keep track of these documents
Photo by CDC via Unsplash
Many states are figuring out ingenious ways to carry these documents digitally. New York is using the excelsior pass, an app that contains all of your relevant COVID-19 data, from your vaccine card to your most recent PCR test. The website VaxYes allows you to create a vaccine passport that can be stored in any Google or Apple wallet and can be used for travel, employment, and entertainment.
Smoking cannabis while you have lung cancer can seriously compromise you, and even increase the risk of worsening cancer as well as the risk for it spreading.
Lung cancer is the second most prevalent cancer affecting both men and women. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2021 alone there were around 235,760 new lung cancer cases and the year isn’t even over yet.
It is the leading cause of death among men and women, despite the fact that cases continue to reduce because more people quit smoking cigarettes each year — the number one preventable risk factor for lung cancer.
Photo by JP Yim/Stringer/Getty Images
But given how common lung cancer is, can cannabis help? Considering how cannabis has already been widely used for helping treat other forms of cancer, much is still unknown about its efficacy for the disease. Additionally, many people still lack awareness surrounding the cannabis plant because most people think that you can only smoke it, which doesn’t make sense if you already have a disease afflicting your lungs.
So what to the experts have to say about medical marijuana use for lung cancer?
According to Dr. Junella Chin, an integrative cannabis physician treating both adults and children in New York: “When you take plant-based cannabis, marijuana, you’re decreasing inflammation, and you’re relieving pain at the same time.” She adds that humans already have a natural endocannabinoid system but when there is chronic pain, the body’s own pain relievers aren’t enough.
“So when we utilize phytocannabinoids from the cannabis plant, we are actually replenishing our body’s own cannabinoid system. By doing so, it helps us deal with pain and inflammation much more effectively,” she tells SurvivorNet.
Cannabis can also help treat the uncomfortable side effects of chemotherapy and cancer. The most common effects include nausea, anxiety, depression, pain, and loss of appetite. “Medical cannabis, if you think about tit, it’s the only botanical medicine that can help nausea, increase appetite, decrease pain, and elevate mood,” explains Dr. Chin. She also adds that a great deal of patients who are taking chemotherapy as part of their treatment regimen live in a cannabis-friendly state, and are using MMJ for relief.
While other doctors prescribe Marinol, which is a synthetic type of cannabis, for these side effects, Dr. Chin says nothing but the real plant is best especially when it comes to what she recommends for her patients. “That is much more effective in increasing appetite and decreasing pain for my cancer patients,” she says.
Marinol has been controversial since its release, because of many in the medical community parading it as an alternative to cannabis when it’s a completely synthetic version. Some common side effects of marinol include dizziness, trouble concentrating, drowsiness, confusion, and mood changes. Because of these, it’s clear why Dr. Chin and many other wise doctors prefer to recommend the real thing.
A Word of Caution
Patients should always discuss all the available options if they want to medicate with cannabis for cancer and chemotherapy.
“I have no problem with patients getting marijuana from a reputable, licensed source as long as patients are open with their physician about what they’re taking, and making sure it doesn’t interact with any clinical trial drug that they’re taking or any standard therapy,” says Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Photo by Gijs Coolen via Unsplash
“In general, we have always advised patients diagnosed with lung cancer, not to smoke anything,” Dr. Comen tells SurvivorNet. In the case of lung cancer, edibles are usually recommended. “When it comes to marijuana, people have been using it for a very, very long time to help them. But people have also been hurt by marijuana,” she adds.
“I have no problem with patients getting marijuana from a reputable licensed source.” Of course, Dr. Comen is always concerned that her patients are in safe hands. Smoking cannabis while you have lung cancer can seriously compromise you, and even increase the risk of worsening cancer as well as the risk for it spreading. “I am open to patients taking whatever they need to feel better,” she adds.
Is There A Link Between Cannabis Smoke And Lung Cancer?
According to SurvivorNet, who has done an extensive review of available current literature, there are no dependable scientific sources linking lung cancer to marijuana smoke.
“Given the expanding legalization of marijuana, and the anticipated wave of increased use, there is clearly a need to study the cancer risks of marijuana with the same rigor that has been devoted to tobacco smoke,” explains Dr. Joseph Friedberg, who heads the thoracic surgery division in the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Both types of smoke contain some of the same carcinogens, so the widely held belief that tobacco smoke causes cancer and marijuana smoke does not is inherently flawed.”
Best Forms Of Cannabis For Lung Cancer
As smoking is not a healthy way to medicate with cannabis if you have lung cancer or any other form of respiratory disease, here are other effective ways to do so:
Edibles: Edibles are basically any kind of food infused with cannabis. They take longer for its effects to be felt, though their therapeutic effects last for a much longer time. Edibles are known for the strong body high as well as psychoactive effects. Edibles are an excellent therapy for cancer patients who are seeking relief from pain and insomnia.
Tinctures: Tinctures are a type of liquid cannabis extract which is ideal for patients seeking dosage control as well as quick onset. It’s used by placing three or four drops under the tongue, from where the compounds are absorbed.
Ingestible oils: Ingested oils can be consumed as oils, or placed inside capsules. They are swallowed just like any other infused good but what makes it different is that it’s just like oil.
With these terrific and effective options, you and your doctor have a great range of products to choose from should you decide to move forward and medicate.
Despite the popularity of detox teas and juicing practices, there’s only one beverage that can detox your body of toxins.
Detox is a common word nowadays, enveloping a variety of behaviors. It can include detox teas or juices. In theory, detoxing sounds quite appealing, especially after an indulgent week or the holiday season. Despite how popular these practices are, certain experts are quick to point out that, really, the only drink capable of detoxing your body is water.
According to Medical News Today, our bodies are supposed to naturally eliminate toxins through our livers. Despite what certain products and companies might advertise, the liver is capable of doing the work on its own, without needing the boost of certain kinds of vinegar or detox teas.
Eat This, Not That spoke to Jessica Bippen, a dietician, who says that juicing and other detox practices encourage a toxic diet culture and that people should stick to water, which gets the work done more effectively than anything else. “These detoxes typically turn into another form of yo-yo dieting or a restriction-binge cycle,” she said. “The marketing around selling detoxes catches people in a vulnerable state when they’re desperate for change. Most people (even if unintentionally) approach detox with a ‘quick-fix mindset’ hoping the detox or cleanse will give them the results they’re looking for in terms of health.”
Detoxes tend to lack the natural nutrients your body needs, increasing your risk of developing metabolic acidosis, which occurs when you disrupt your body’s acid-base and results in an excess of acidity in your bloodstream.
Photo by Tirza van Dijk via Unsplash
Your body is built to naturally eliminate these toxins, with water being the only substance that can speed this process up. By drinking enough water, you’ll be supporting your natural detoxification process and avoiding restrictions that could result in problems in the long run. Drinking enough water on a daily basis will help you flush out toxins through your urine and removing harmful agents from your bloodstream through normal processes, like sweating and breathing.
If you need occasional reminders to increase how much water you drink, Bippen recommends drinking a cup of water first thing in the morning, and a cup of water before having any other beverages, like coffee. Per experts, we’re supposed to drink half of our body weight in water, which sounds like a lot, but is a manageable number.
Regardless of his reasoning for getting behind weed, Koch’s willingness to use his finances and massive network of political and business leaders is inevitably a sign that the cannabis cause is about to make significant strides.
If there is one thing the marijuana legalization movement has been missing all along, it is money. Sure, the forefathers of the industry managed to beg, borrow, and scrape together loads of cash to make the business of growing and selling cannabis look the part of American commerce. But even while managing to become a multi-billion-dollar business sector over the past decade, it’s fallen short of having the kind of cash it takes to influence lawmakers — the green to get stuff done.
It could be argued that the cannabis industry’s failure to pay off the suits on Capitol Hill is mainly the reason why Congress has yet to legalize the leaf at the national level.
Photo by Fokusiert/Getty Images
However, all of that seems to be changing. The cannabis industry is now being endowed by influence, power, and, perhaps most importantly, the money to get anti-pot politicians from both sides of the aisle to pay attention. Most recently, billionaire Charles Koch came out in support of federal marijuana legalization.
In an interview with Forbes, the 85-year-old CEO for Koch Industries said that not only was he getting behind efforts to legalize, but he is also contributing $25 million of his own money to get it done. The actual amount of these much-needed lobbying funds will come closer to $70 million over the next two years, according to the news source.
Koch, founder of Americans for Prosperity and the recently formed Cannabis Freedom Alliance, believes people should have the right to choose. “[Prohibition] is counterproductive. It ruins people’s lives, creates conflict in society, and is anti-progress. The whole thing never made sense to me.”
It’s not supernatural why Koch, now a libertarian, is suddenly interested in marijuana legalization. Last year, the tycoon alleged that after years of dumping millions into conservative politics, he was turning his attention to more important issues like poverty, gang violence, homelessness, addiction, and recidivism, according to an interview in the Wall Street Journal. Furthermore, in his book Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World, Koch confessed to being disappointed with himself for supporting the divisiveness of partisan politics.
“Boy, did we screw up!” he wrote. “What a mess!”
Legal marijuana could assist some of Koch’s newfound focus. It’ll create thousands of new jobs, contribute to the economy, pull the weed business out of the streets, and prevent otherwise law-abiding citizens from going to jail.
Photo by FatCamera/Getty Images
We’ve already witnessed this at some level in states that have changed their pot laws. The demise of prohibition also wouldn’t hurt his company, Koch Industries, either, which has a heavy hand in the agricultural sect. Regardless of his reasoning for getting behind weed, Koch’s willingness to use his finances and massive network of political and business leaders is inevitably a sign that the cannabis cause is about to make significant strides.
Noa Kahner, founder of Kahner Global, one of the premier investment conferences in North America, told The Fresh Toast that Koch’s involvement will create significant developments. “This is another example of mainstream culture and leaders casting aside old fake problems with the marijuana and embracing legalization. You are about to see another boom in the market,” she said.
Marijuana legalization is finally getting some much-needed attention on Capitol Hill. Last month, Senate Majority Leader Schumer introduced a proposal for ending nationwide pot prohibition, which is now up for public comment. Schumer needs 60 votes in the Senate to advance a pot bill, which he doesn’t presently have. Yet, it could be argued that Koch’s influence and lobbying cash might be persuasive to both Democrats and Republicans that are still on the fence about tendering their support.
“[The Koch’s] seem focused on the right for individuals to choose to consume something that is much less dangerous than other legal products such as alcohol and tobacco and appear to acknowledge the failure of the war on drugs in that respect,” said David N. Feldman, Partner Hiller PC and Skip Intro Advisors. “This is one of a number of recent developments creating more “cover” for Republicans to support legalization.”
Interestingly, with Koch backing off conservative politics and running full speed ahead with marijuana legalization, he inadvertently made Fox News less of an enemy. The money once used by the Koch Brothers to benefit conservatives; dollars used to hire hosts of popular Fox news programs to speak at Americans for Prosperity events, will now further federal marijuana legalization.
Speaking of Fox News, lately, it has shared a better-balanced dialogue regarding cannabis than in the past. We use the term “better” because to say Fox News now has a well-balanced narrative on marijuana would be so far from the truth it isn’t even funny. After all, in a recent episode of “Fox and Friends”, the hosts blamed the rise of shootings in Washington DC on cannabis-induced psychosis. On the flip side, however, Geraldo Rivera just used the platform to call for legalization “everywhere in every corner of this country, every kind of marijuana you want.”
Koch believes that his presence in the cannabis scene will lead to nationwide legalization before the end of 2021.
Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma usually have 12 to 18 months to live and those suffering from recurrent glioblastoma survive for less than a year.
Patients suffering from glioblastoma, the most common, deadly and extremely aggressive type of brain cancer, may have a chance of living longer if Sativex, a cannabis-based mouth spray, proves effective in treating recurrent brain tumors.
Cancer charities and the U.K.’s National Health Services (NHS) are launching a study to determine whether Sativex combined with chemotherapy medication (temozolomide) can help kill glioblastoma tumor cells and extend the overall length of patients’ lives, reportedThe Guardian. It will be the first such study in the world.
Photo by TheDigitalArtist via Pixabay
The trial is being led by the University of Leeds and coordinated by a specialist research unit at the University of Birmingham.
Over 232 patients at 15 hospitals across the U.K. are expected to be recruited in early 2022.
Sativex was given the green light for use by the NHS in 2019 to treat muscle spasms linked to multiple sclerosis. Sativex, initially developed by GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH) is a mix in equal parts of the psychoactive substance Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), which helps reduce pain, inflammation and anxiety without psychoactive effects.
Photo by Elsa Olofsson via Unsplash
Participants will administer up to 12 squirts daily of either Sativex or placebo oral sprays as part of the trial.
The trial is being funded by The Brain Tumour Charity, which launched an appeal to raise £450,000 to finance the three-year project.
The Spray That Could Give Patients ‘Some Extra Life’
Susan Short, a professor of clinical oncology and neuro-oncology at Leeds University and the leading investigator of the study, believes that the combination of temozolomide chemotherapy and Sativex could stop tumors from growing.
“It showed that this combination was safe, although some patients had problems with side-effects including sickness, tiredness, and dizziness,” Short said. “The study was not designed to test whether Sativex was better in terms of survival. But it did suggest that some patients who had Sativex did better than expected and better than those who just had chemotherapy.”
Each year, around 2,200 patients in England are diagnosed with glioblastoma. In the U.S. it is estimated that more than 10,000 individuals succumb to glioblastoma every year.
Patients diagnosed with glioblastoma usually have 12 to 18 months to live and those suffering from recurrent glioblastoma survive for less than a year.
A product won’t be able to fix your life, but it can serve as a helpful reminder to take care of yourself and enjoy the little moments.
Self-care and wellness are overused terms, yet people can’t get enough of them. It’s understandable; we all want stuff that can help us take better care of ourselves and if buying a book that tells us how to do it helps, then it’s at least worth purchasing.
A product won’t be able to fix your life, but it can serve as a helpful reminder to take care of yourself and enjoy the little moments. Wellness products can do different things for you, but most should make you happier and rested, whether they make your skin feel smoother or they’re extremely relaxing (ahem, cannabis). Here are 5 wellness products that can make your life easier:
Portable sunscreen
Photo by rawpixel.com
Summer is nearing its end, but we still have August to endure and it’s important to protect our skin from the sun, something that a lot of us forget to do often. For sunscreen that stays on your skin for long periods of time and doesn’t leave those annoying white streaks, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face & Body Stick Sunscreen is a great option. It’s small and portable and thus a great item to have on you during your remaining summer weekends.
Noise-canceling headphones are the best. Even though they’re more expensive than the average headphones you buy at your nearest convenience store, you tend to be more appreciative of these and not lose them as much. They can make a run feel better and improve your performance or make your subway commute much more pleasant. For something cheap and useful, Eritex MBits are wireless and Bluetooth compatible. If you want something a little more high-end, there’s Beats Studio Buds. Just don’t lose them.
A portable vape
Photo by Lepro/Getty Images
There’s nothing more convenient than a vape pen. These guys are discreet, portable, and make it easy and great to toke up when feeling stressed or bored. Brands like Pax make great vape pens that are flavorful and smooth and are also amongst the most popular cannabis products on the market. They’re very easy to find if you live near a state with legal marijuana
Just because weighted blankets are trendy doesn’t mean they don’t work. These blankets not only relieve anxiety but can also help you sleep like a baby by staying on you throughout the night and preventing you from moving too much. There are tons of options to choose from on Amazon, from cheap ones to those that are a little more expensive.
Cannabis drinks
Photo by Elsa Olofsson via Unsplash
Alcohol sadly doesn’t qualify as self-care, which is why a cannabis drink might be your next best option. These drinks are growing in popularity, even if they’re not as popular as you’d expect cannabis drinks to be. If you’re looking for a drink that can give you a fun buzz while also eliminating the possibility of a hangover, products like Cann or Wunder come in delicious flavors and are good choices.
Just over a month following Louisiana Gov. John Bell Edwards signing off on a bill to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis possession for personal use, the measure took effect. Finally, marijuana possession not a a Louisiana crime!
As of Sunday, August 1, Louisianians caught possessing up to 14 grams of cannabis will face up to a $100 fine, but without jail time, Marijuana Moment reported.
Photo by Peter Unger/Getty Images
Under House Bill 652, possession of smaller cannabis amounts is now classified as a misdemeanor rather than a felony.
And while the measure removes the threat of incarceration for low-level possession, the governor has pushed back on the notion that it has decriminalized cannabis.
State Rep. Cedric Glover (D), who sponsored the decriminalization bill, has teamed up with advocacy group Louisiana Progress to work on an awareness campaign to educate and inform the public about the new reform via FAQ pamphlets they released. They are also using social media.
“When I saw two city council members in my hometown of Shreveport—one conservative and one progressive—come together to decriminalize personal-use marijuana possession there, I knew it was time to take this reform to the state level,” said Glover who represents the Shreveport area. “Criminalizing marijuana possession is harmful to the people of Louisiana in so many ways, but it’s been particularly harmful to Black and Brown communities, lower-income folks, and young people. My fervent hope is that this new law will finally bring some relief and a feeling of freedom to those communities.”
The governor has said in the past that he would not likely sign a bill to legalize recreational marijuana even though that reform “is going to happen in Louisiana eventually.”
A Bill To Legalize Smokable Medical Marijuana
In June, Edwards signed another bill, enabling medical cannabis patients to legally smoke whole-plant marijuana flower.
The measure significantly expanded the state’s medical marijuana program, which previously only allowed patients to vaporize cannabis via a “metered-dose inhaler.”
Cannabis staffing leaders tell Benzinga that much of the industry is already back to pre-COVID in-person working arrangements.
Some of the market’s ancillary job functions did pivot and embrace the new digital arrangements. However, that was not the case for many and does not appear to be the reality for most going forward.
Photo by Helena Lopes via Unsplash
Several sources explained that cannabis and its early-stage maturation requires workers to be in-person to produce products, forge relationships and drive sales through face-to-face interactions. Therefore, working from home is unlikely to be an option for much of the workforce.
Many In Cannabis Never Left The Office
Much of the industry received its essential status early on during the pandemic. The distinction allowed producers, cultivators, retailers and others to remain open, using modified social distancing protocols.
“Many of these operations actually added additional on-site workers and spread them out over additional shifts in order to safely socially distance,” stated Kara Bradford, CEO of Viridian Staffing.
Bradford noted that a packaging facility client shifted its operations, splitting its ten-person staff into two working shifts to satisfy social distancing rules.
Still, some roles in non-plant-touching capacities and ancillary fields did head home during the pandemic’s peak.
There is a chance cannabis companies keep employees working remotely, but most don’t see that outcome playing out.
Danielle Schumacher, co-founder and CEO of THC Staffing Group, sees work from home remaining in place under one condition. “I believe many will allow employees to continue working from home as long as it saves the company money,” she predicted.
Other staffing leaders, including Liesl Bernard, Cannabiz Team CEO, believe that most workers will head back to the office if they haven’t already.
“We just didn’t see the same level of interruption that other industries did, and cannabis will definitely bounce back faster in terms of the in-person workplace,” Bernard said, adding that workers from various sectors, spanning cultivation and retail to compliance and admin, are already working on-site or can expect to be back soon.
She added that some clients pivoted select roles to remote work during the pandemic but now are specifically stating in job listings that they expect to hold in-person interviews and have in-office operations.
Photo by Heath Korvola/Getty Images
“We see this as another strong indication of where the industry mindset is,” Bernard added.
One company embracing that vision is 4Front Ventures Corp. (OTC:FFNTF). As much of the market did during COVID, 4Front’s operations remained open, keeping much of the staff working in person.
“As an essential business, our cannabis retail and production facilities have never closed,” said Jill Vipond, 4Front’s human resources director.
For Most, The Future Of Cannabis Work Will Remain In The Office
While much of the market could head back to the office, not everyone sees the decision as the most efficient.
Like Schumacher, Bernard said that when assessing cost centers versus revenue generators that “these groups don’t necessarily need to head back into the office post-COVID as long as the infrastructure” is in place to support their work. She highlighted roles in marketing, accounting, payroll and select HR as possible long-term work-from-home candidates.
Bernard noted that the previously mentioned roles, as well as legal and marketing, could also find themselves in a hybrid work arrangement. That said, most won’t have the option.
“It is very much an in-person industry that is built on meeting with people face-to-face and building a foundation of trust and connection,” said Bernard. She added, “This is difficult to do online or remotely.”
Vipond stated that 4Front has asked all its employees to return to the office, save for a few exceptions based on location, regular travel and for those who have an entirely tech-based role.
She cited relationship building and collaboration as primary reasons for the return to the office.
She added that most employees tend to do best in an office setting. “The vast majority of employees need structure and socialization to be a top performer and contributor, moving the company forward,” Vipond said.
For Dems to get any kind of comprehensive cannabis legalization policy on the books before the end of the year, the bill could end up highly watered down and ultimately defeat its purpose.
Well, it finally happened. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his pot-friendly cronies introduced their long-awaited federal marijuana legalization bill (Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act) last month, aiming to repair the damages done by the drug war while also creating a capitalistic environment allowing the herb to join the ranks of alcohol and tobacco. It’s a bill that has advocates split. Big surprise, right?
Some are obviously all for it, as it beats prohibition. Others, however, are less impressed with the details and want the measure to undergo a severe overhaul before it ever reaches the president’s desk, the proverbial end of the line. But not so fast, maverick. Does Schumer’s bill have what it takes to go the distance in 2021?
Photo by Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
By Senator Schumer’s own admission, probably not. Although the Democrats have the majority in both the House and the Senate, the margins are slim, the animosity is fierce, and the divisiveness is strong. And then there’s the filibuster — an old Senate rule that demands a supermajority for controversial issues. That means Schumer needs at least 60 votes in the upper chamber for his bill to pass, which because of all the reasons mentioned above, he doesn’t have.
At least not right now.
“We don’t have the votes necessary at this point,” Schumer said during a recent press conference. “But we have a large majority of our caucus for it. We’re going to show it to the others and say, ‘Well, what don’t you like? What do you like? And we’ll see if we can get the support.’ We’re going to put our muscle behind it, all our effort behind it, and we’re going to get this done ASAP.”
Photo by Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
The lack of votes is precisely why the cannabis bill wasn’t actually formally introduced but rather opened for discussion and public comment through the beginning of September. That’s when Schumer will presumably use all the input he’s collected, revise the bill and formally introduce pot legislation that is more palatable to America. And to him, we say good luck with that! Seriously. We hope it works out.
However, often, as the proverb goes, “too many cooks spoils the broth.” If Schumer’s big idea is to negotiate with the people, his peers, and everyone else, for that matter, on how the nation should legalize weed in a way that is best for the country, he will end up with a mud sandwich. As we have learned ever since marijuana legalization started happening in the US, everyone wants something different, and nobody is ever happy.
Still, Schumer’s hope is that he can reach a consensus of sorts and guide this legislation to the finish line.
“We’re now going around to our colleagues saying, ‘Would you sign onto the bill? And if you don’t like what’s in the bill and want some modifications, tell us,'” Schumer said last month during an appearance on ABC’s The View. “I want to get this done. And I think we will get it done because it’s so, so overwhelmingly supported by the American people.”
The one sure thing preventing the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act or some tweaked version of it from going the distance in 2021 is bipartisanship or a lack thereof. Congress has been locking horns all year on a wide range of issues. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell still has more influence and power than Schumer, despite his demotion. Whether the bill gets a fair shot is really up to him.
McConnell hasn’t given any indication that he’s changed his anti-pot position in the past six months, nor is he too excited about doing anything to help further the Democratic agenda. On the flip side, however, he recently surprised Democrats by assisting in reaching a $1 trillion infrastructure deal.
Does that mean there’s hope?
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
At the risk of sounding pessimistic, probably not much. Even if Schumer’s marijuana legalization bill would happen to miraculously pass both chambers of Congress and land on President Biden’s desk for a signature, the chances of it getting signed are slim. Biden said during his campaign that he would support decriminalization but didn’t feel full-blown legalization was the way to go. Last month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified that the president hasn’t budged. “I have spoken in the past about the president’s views on marijuana,” Psaki said. “Nothing has changed. There’s no new endorsements of legislation to report today.”
By all accounts, we will just have to wait until after September to see the results from months of public discussion. Unfortunately, for Democrats to get any kind of comprehensive cannabis legalization policy on the books before the end of the year, the bill could end up highly watered down and ultimately defeat its purpose.
A new study shows promising evidence that CBD can benefit patients, specifically those with epilepsy, in myriad ways.
Despite years in the medical marijuana market, many still doubt the efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) in treating symptoms for physical and mental health conditions such as anxiety or epilepsy. But a new study published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior indicates that epilepsy patients who used a form of artisanal CBD-based product showed “higher quality of life, lower psychiatric symptom severity, and improved sleep” than those who did not.
The study indicates that cost and access were driving factors in epilepsy patients who opted for artisanal CBD instead of Epidiolex, the CBD-based drug approved by the FDA back in 2018 to treat two rare and severe forms of epilepsy that manifest in early childhood: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
Unlike many CBD products for sale online and in-stores made from hemp-derived CBD, Epidiolex is made from cannabis, and marked a shift in how the medical world viewed the plant.
Photo by Tinnakorn Jorruang/Getty Images
“This approval serves as a reminder that advancing sound development programs that properly evaluate active ingredients contained in marijuana can lead to important medical therapies. And, the FDA is committed to this kind of careful scientific research and drug development,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. said in a press release.
The drug, which the official website claims has helped treat over 15,000 people, also lists a variety of side effects including “increased liver enzymes, sleepiness, decreased appetite, diarrhea, fever, vomiting, feeling very tired and weak, rash, sleep problems, and infections.” It’s also incredibly expensive, priced at $32,500 per year when it was released, though most insurance plans, including Medicaid, are expected to help cover costs.
Despite arguments that artisanal CBD is not as regulated or effective as the pharmaceutical alternative, there are additional, indirect benefits. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and funded by cannabinoid therapy nonprofit Realm of Caring, which is sponsored by companies that make CBD products. Users in the study showed “significantly better epilepsy medication tolerability, use of fewer prescription medications overall, and reduced healthcare utilization compared with Controls.”
Photo by Tinnakorn Jorruang/Getty Images
While the authors clearly state this observational study wasn’t looking at seizure control, this is promising evidence that CBD can benefit epilepsy patients, and others, in myriad ways. Skeptics and deterrers point to the inconsistency and opacity of the CBD market for avoiding artisanal CBD, but even participants whose products were obscure and with few product details reported higher wellness indicators.
Cannabis-derived CBD remains a Schedule 1 substance despite its lack of psychoactive properties and growing list of health benefits, limiting further discoveries that will improve quality of life for thousands across the country. Studies like these exemplify just one of the many advantages to federal legalization.
