A new study says that ingesting foods containing high amounts of fat might boost the therapeutic effects of CBD.
Most things in life can be improved with a slice of pizza and a greasy burger. Thanks to some science, we can now add CBD to this list.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota discovered that consuming foods with high amounts of fat before ingesting CBD improved the cannabinoid’s absorption rate by a large margin, allowing for more therapeutic effects.
The study, published in the journal Epilepsia, provided CBD capsules to a group of eight patients suffering from the disease, and documented their responses to the drug — both while fasting and while consuming a high fat meal. While the scope of it was very limited, the results were promising.
Patients who consumed a fatty meal and later ingested CBD experienced 14 times more CBD effects than patients who consumed the cannabinoid while fasting.
Photo by Stephanie McCabe via Unsplash.
“The type of food can make a large difference in the amount of CBD that gets absorbed into the body. Although fatty foods can increase the absorption of CBD, it can also increase the variability, as not all meals contain the same amount of fat,” explains one of the authors of the study.
CBD has long shown promise for treating and preventing seizures, presumably why researchers decided to conduct this study in the first place.
Although CBD reacts differently depending on the body and the ailment that it’s targeting, learning this fact about fat foods is curious, because it goes against traditional beliefs of drugs and their relationships with foods. The latter traditionally diminishes the effects of whatever is being ingested.
Researchers from the study claim that this discovery may reduce costs for patients with epilepsy, decreasing the amount of CBD they must consume in the long term. It also proves that high fat foods are the best method of alternative medicine.
The sitting president, and the public’s faith in the executive office, greatly influences how the American public feels about marijuana, according to a new study.
Public support for cannabis has never been higher in America. Recent polls have shown nearly two-thirds of U.S. citizens support the federal legalization of cannabis. Advancement of decriminalization and legalization efforts in various states by advocate groups have driven this newfound support. But according to a recent study, it’s the President of the United States who has historically had the biggest influence on public perception of marijuana.
“Findings indicate that confidence in the executive branch, fear of crime, and presidential drug rhetoric predict attitudes toward legalization despite controls for other factors such as estimated levels of marijuana use and arrests,” the study’s authors wrote.
Utilizing data from the General Social Survey and the American Presidency Project, researchers wanted to examine “the relationship between the president and Americans’ attitudes toward marijuana legalization from 1975 through 2016.” Published in the Deviant Behavior journal earlier this year, the study connected that data through presidential documents, State of the Union speeches, and more.
For example, the study found that “each annual percent increase in SOTU words about drugs predicts a decreased odds of favoring legalization of about 6%,” according to Marijuana Moment. But on the other hand, how people felt about the sitting President held significant sway as well. Expressing confidence in the Oval Office correlated with 29% decrease in supporting legalization when compared to those who “hardly any confidence” in the executive branch.
The biggest data points in terms of public support of marijuana legalization were the 1980s and 2014. Due to President Ronald Reagan’s harsh anti-drug rhetoric and policies, public support for marijuana dropped by 27% during his terms. But 2014 marked an important turning point, as it signified the first time since 1975 that more people publicly supported legalization than those who opposed.
“While attitudes toward legalization of marijuana have varied greatly over time, so has presidential rhetoric about marijuana and drugs,” researchers wrote. “This project supports the hypothesis that presidential drug rhetoric is related to public opinion about drugs, and more specifically, about marijuana.”
Throughout his tenure, Donald Trump has left the legalization and regulation of marijuana sales to the states. He did employ noted prohibitionist Jeff Sessions as Attorney General for a stretch, and Sessions did try to revive anti-marijuana sentiments. But that mostly ended when William Barr replaced Sessions as Attorney General. Marijuana legalization appears to be an important political talking point this election season, with reports indicating Trump will soon support marijuana legalization to boost his reelection chances.
The “Drug War Justice Grants” would distribute monthly funds to former nonviolent marijuana convicts, as determined by time served, among other factors.
If you’re a Democratic presidential nominee and you haven’t unveiled a marijuana legalization plan, are you even trying? (We’re looking at you, Joe Biden.) Former congressman Beto O’Rourke was the latest contender to announce an extensive marijuana legalization platform, which included “Drug War Justice Grants” for those previously locked up due to marijuana offenses.
O’Rourke’s plan also revealed that, if elected, he would use presidential clemency power to commute the sentences of those currently serving time in jail form marijuana offenses. While he’s long been an advocate for marijuana legalization, this is the first time O’Rourke has mentioned clemency or possible reparations for the War on Drugs.
“We need to not only end the prohibition on marijuana, but also repair the damage done to the communities of color disproportionately locked up in our criminal justice system or locked out of opportunity because of the War on Drugs,” O’Rourke said in a statement.
Photo by skodonnell/Getty Images
The “Drug War Justice Grants” stands out among O’Rourke’s boldest platform points in his campaign thus far. These grants would be paid for through taxes levied on federally legal cannabis and distributed monthly to former nonviolent marijuana convicts. Money would be paid out on a monthly basis, determined by time served, among other factors.
O’Rourke took a step further with his marijuana legalization proposal, laying out a groundwork for regulation and sale of products. Using a structure comparable to purchasing alcohol, adults with proper ID can buy marijuana and smoke within “private residences and nonpublic spaces.” In addition, an advertisement campaign dissuading youth usage and driving under the influence will be part of the plan.
Ending the federal prohibition of marijuana has long been a focus of Beto O’Rourke’s, dating back to his time as an El Paso City Councilman in the 2000s. In 2011, O’Rourke and a colleague co-wrote a book that argued for federal legalization of cannabis.
Adam Neumann, CEO of the co-working giant WeWork, loves combining cannabis and flying, in ways that can get him in trouble.
Anyone involved in the worlds of start-up businesses, freelance working, or tech development know WeWork. The co-working office space has quickly established itself as central to getting things done in the world of movers and shakers. But a recent Wall Street Journal profile of its CEO Adam Neumann reads like a bonkers episode of Silicon Valley, as Gizmodo first noted.
Not only does Neumann wish to become the world’s first trillionaire and Israel’s prime minister, but also desires the ability to live forever, investing in anti-aging startups like Life Biosciences. According to one of the Journal’s source, Neumann has privately told those around him that if he was vying for any political office, however, it’d be the President of the World.
On a far more relatable note, Neumann also loves smoking weed. Many friends report that WeWork’s chief is quite fond of consuming marijuana while flying. The difference, as the Journal notes, is that Neumann flies private. This pairing become problematic when Neumann took a trip with friends across the Atlantic recently.
Photo by SnoockyCookie via Pixabay
“After the group landed in Israel and left the plane, the flight crew found a sizable chunk of the drug stuffed in a cereal box for the return flight, according to people familiar with the incident,” the Journal writes. “The jet’s owner, upset and fearing repercussions of trans-border marijuana transport, recalled the plane, leaving Mr. Neumann to find his own way back to New York, these people said.”
There you have it: mega-rich CEOs can be just like the rest of us, forgetting where we placed our marijuana and paying the consequences. Something tells me he’ll be fine, though.
Actress Demi Moore wrote a memoir called Inside Out that is set to hit bookstores this week, recounting her childhood, her life as an actress and all that she has learned over the years. In an interview with The New York Times, Moore opened up about her split with Ashton Kutcher and how the divorce left her deeply shaken.
Moore opened up about how her marriage to Kutcher began to crumble after she had a miscarriage and then began using Vicodin and alcohol to cope with the loss.
According to a source in People, Moore went through a deep depression after her divorce from Kutcher.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hHWdUnQEl/
“Separating from Ashton was just a nightmare for her. It took her years to get over it. She was always very insecure about their age difference and it was devastating that Ashton left her.”
“She had so much self-blame and resentment towards herself after the split. She was really struggling mentally and didn’t take care of herself.”
People’s source also explained that Moore was in a much better place now and that writing the memoir was a deeply cathartic experience.
“She really has changed a lot for the better in the past few years. You can tell that she is much happier and enjoys her life more. She goes to therapy and works on being a positive and kind person to herself.”
“She wanted to free herself of the trauma and heartbreak endured after her split from Ashton, but it was a struggle. Demi has been trying to improve her life, gain self-esteem and get healthy for several years. Spilling it all out in a personal memoir is a way to close the old door and open new ones.”
Swift doesn’t try to sugarcoat their troubles, which started very publicly at the 2009 VMAs and have included a leaked phone call and dis tracks. It’s clear that the Lover songstress is done playing nice with her feud-mate, calling him “two-faced” and revealing the most she ever has on their ongoing dispute.
Asked about their infamous phone call, which Kim Kardashian leaked, and whether she did anything wrong or felt regret over it, Swift replied, “The world didn’t understand the context and the events that led up to it. Because nothing ever just happens like that without some lead-up. Some events took place to cause me to be pissed off when he called me a b***” in his song ‘Famous.’ That was not just a singular event. Basically, I got really sick of the dynamic between he and I. And that wasn’t just based on what happened on that phone call and with that song — it was kind of a chain reaction of things.”
Photo by Kevin Winter/Staff/Getty Images
And she went on to detail just how that “chain reaction” played out, in her view.
“I started to feel like we reconnected, which felt great for me — because all I ever wanted my whole career after that thing happened in 2009 was for him to respect me,” Swift explained. When someone doesn’t respect you so loudly and says you literally don’t deserve to be here — I just so badly wanted that respect from him, and I hate that about myself, that I was like, ‘This guy who’s antagonizing me, I just want his approval.’ But that’s where I was.”
She continued, “So we’d go to dinner and stuff. And I was so happy, because he would say really nice things about my music. It just felt like I was healing some childhood rejection or something from when I was 19.”
But the 2015 VMAs blew all that up.
“He’s getting the Vanguard Award. He called me up beforehand — I didn’t illegally record it, so I can’t play it for you,” she said, throwing a jab over the secret recording. “But he called me up, maybe a week or so before the event, and we had maybe over an hourlong conversation, and he’s like, ‘I really, really would like for you to present this Vanguard Award to me, this would mean so much to me,’ and went into all the reasons why it means so much, because he can be so sweet. He can be the sweetest. And I was so stoked that he asked me that.”
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Staff/Getty Images
She agreed to present the award, but felt like he took advantage of her when they were onstage.
“I wrote this speech up, and then we get to the VMAs and I make this speech and he screams, ‘MTV got Taylor Swift up here to present me this award for ratings!,’” she recalled. “And I’m standing in the audience with my arm around his wife” — that would be Kardashian — “and this chill ran through my body. I realized he is so two-faced. That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone and talk sh**.”
She said she was “so upset” by how it played out — and West was fully aware of it. He asked her to go to his dressing room after the show and she refused. He sent her a “big, big thing of flowers the next day to apologize.” Not wanting to be “on bad terms again,” she resolved to just “move past” it.
West then came calling about the line he wanted to use about her in “Famous,” which he said would be “me and Taylor might still have sex.” Swift said she was initially “touched that he would be respectful” and ask before including her on the song. However, when it came out, she learned that the line was followed by, “Why? I made that b**ch famous.”
At that point, “I was like, ‘I’m done with this,’” Swift said of the decade of drama, which she put at his feet. “‘If you want to be on bad terms, let’s be on bad terms, but just be real about it.’”
Jet lag affects us when our inner clock is out of sync with the time zone we’re traveling to. Here are a few tips that can help you manage and prevent this disorder.
Boarding an airplane sucks, no matter your destination. But you know what sucks even more? Jet lag.
This phenomenon occurs when you travel faster than your biological clock, not giving it a chance to reset and to get used to the new time zone. This leaves your circadian clock out of sync for a couple of days, which roughly means that your inner clock is wonky, thus, affecting everyday functions like moving, eating and sleeping.
While some people are lucky enough that for them jet lag means eating at inconvenient times and feeling sleepy, for others the problems are more serious. Headaches, dizziness and insomnia are some of the symptoms that affect them, making it harder for them to enjoy their trip or to return to their routines once they’re back home.
Here’s what you can do to prevent and manage your jet lag:
Try to adapt beforehand
Depending on where you’re traveling to, try to shift your daily activities to that time zone, waking up earlier (or later) and shifting your bed time. All this math can be confusing, so use apps like Timeshifter, Jet Lag Rooster and Uplift. You don’t want to do all the work of shifting your routines and then end up adapting to the wrong time zone.
Pay attention to what you do on your flight
If an airplane makes you drowsy and you’re traveling during the day, avoid sleeping. Watch a movie or read a book instead. The same goes for the reverse: When traveling at night try to get some sleep, giving your body a chance to rest and adapt to the coming changes.
Same as with your sleep cycle, shifting your meal times can help you make the transition better, reducing the shock your body will feel when moved to a different place. In a study that examined our internal clocks, Dr. Clifford B. Sapper recommends a period of 16 hours of fasting, claiming that it’s more effective and realistic than gradually shifting your sleep and diet for two to three days prior to your trip.
Be active
Whether you’re reaching your destination or returning home, staying active is key to obtaining a sense of normalcy. Being outdoors and walking around will make you feel much better than staying cooped up in your hotel room or apartment. And don’t forget about the importance of coffee, either.
A brain protein associated with depression and Alzheimer’s in young marijuana users has now also been linked to stress and anxiety.
Previous studies have shown that marijuana can reduce stress and quell anxiety in adults. New Canadian research indicates the same might not be true for adolescents. Instead, young cannabis users often develop a brain protein associated with stress and anxiety, according to the study.
The research, which was published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal Wednesday, provides another important clue to how marijuana affects the developing brain. However, the scientists behind the study were quick to state their findings don’t establish a clear link between cannabis use and anxiety.
“Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in the world but we know very little about the impact it has on the brain, especially in young users whose brains are still developing until the age of 25,” Dr. Romina Mizrahi, the study’s lead author, said in a statement. “These findings are an important step forward, but more studies are needed to better understand the role of cannabinoids and neuroimmune signaling.”
Utilizing technology to scan the brains of 24 young long-term cannabis users and 27 young non-users, scientists found that the cannabis users had higher levels of brain protein TPSO. In prior research, TPSO has been associated with depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain inflammation. Furthermore, young subjects with cannabis use disorder, which is qualified by people who develop an overdependence on marijuana, reported the highest levels of this brain protein.
It's important to consider that this study does not suggest a correlation or causation between cannabis use & stress/anxiety, but that there is an association via a specific protein 'TSPO'. Further research & evaluation will be needed to understand these findings.
This discovery shocked scientists, as they had hypothesized the exact opposite. When comparing cannabis users and non-users, researchers expected that marijuana users would have low levels of “neuroinflammation biomarkers,” including the TPSO brain protein. That’s because marijuana use, as referenced above, is often associated with reducing inflammation.
Next, Mizrahi and her team will examine whether or not marijuana abstinence would cause the elevated levels of TPSO brain protein to return to normal. Previous research has shown that marijuana legalization does draw teenagers to use cannabis, but instead lower youth marijuana use rates.
THC-V is a cannabis compound that’s rare and hard to extract. It has shown promising results for weight loss and treating acne.
With CBD and THC taking up so much of our attention, it’s easy to forget that there are hundreds of other cannabinoids that have yet to be explored. THC-V ( short for tetrahydrocannabivarin) is one of these elements, and it’s known for being one of the rarest and hardest cannabis compounds to find and extract. The big questions are what is THCV and can it help you lose weight?
When paired with THC, low doses of THC-V reportedly control the most extreme side effects of THC, like munchies and powerful head highs. The problem is that, since THC-V is so rare, it’s hard to judge the compound on its own.
THC and THC-V contain similar molecules and properties, but there are some interesting differences that have been uncovered. In contrast to THC, THC-V is an appetite suppressant, making it a good option for people who don’t want to smoke marijuana and cope with the munchies. Some studies say that THC-V may help with diabetes and regulating blood sugar levels, and that it may curb anxiety attacks in PTSD patients without suppressing their emotions.
If you’re interested in trying out the compound for yourself, look for African sativa strains. THC-V is likely present in most common strains, but experts say that the strains that contain the most of it are African sativas. Popular strains like Durban Poison and Malawi are good places to start.
If you don’t know where to look and your dispensary has no African sativas, have a talk with your budtender. Ask for lab tested strains and for those that contain significant amounts of THCV. They might also inform you about up and coming products containing the compound.
Starting next year, major players like Time Warner, Disney, Apple and NBC are coming with their own versions of streaming apps.
Long gone are the days where streaming content was developed by basically Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Starting next year, major players like Time Warner, Disney, Apple and NBC are coming with their own versions of streaming apps. So basically cable. We’re all gonna be forced to pay for cable again, only worse, because we now have to navigate between apps instead of flipping through channels.
While apps with streaming capabilities have been around for a while, with Facebook and other companies developing their own content, the rise of these new services feels different, capitalizing on exclusivity. It looks like all of them want to be the next Netflix, which is fun on paper but expensive and stressful when applied to real life. There’s already so much content you guys.
Here’s a list of the streaming services that will soon be released. Or at least, the ones we know about.
Disney+
Disney+, announced in Comic Con, will cost $6.99 a month and hopes to steal a large chunk of Netflix clients. Prior to the announcement, Disney worked hard to remove all of their content from Netflix, breaking up their partnership with Marvel. Without having been released the service already has a line up of 25 original series featuring actors like Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and more. It will also have 10 original films and specials and everything belonging to Disney, which includes all the works of Pixar, Star Wars, the MCU, and more.
HBO Max
Developed by Warner Media, HBO Max is what happens when a huge company is afraid of people eliminating their cable services all together. The streaming app will contain all of HBO’s original programming and a bunch of Time Warner shows and movies, which is pretty great. The downside is that subscribers will probably have to pay more than the standard premium channel subscription, which is already steep at $15.
The strangely named Peacock is NBC’s very own Netflix, named after their colorful logo. Why not. This service will contain all of NBC’s original programming, wrestling fan favorites like The Office (from Netflix) and Parks and Rec (from Amazon, Hulu and Netflix) from the competition.
The last notorious streaming service to be released soon is Apple TV+, available exclusively through the Apple TV app, featured on all Apple devices. Like all of the services described above, AppleTV+ will be developing heaps of original content, including movies and TV shows. Some of these titles include The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, Dickinson, with Hailee Steinfeld, and an anthology series narrated by Steven Spielberg.
This week’s column features a pet duck, the sweetest cat ever, and a couple of adorable dogs — one with a great haircut and another that knows how to shop.
There’s no better pick-me-up than the one you get when you see a clip of an animal acting silly, which is why we’ve compiled this weekly column. These short videos feature all sorts of animals, providing you with that much needed mid-week rush of endorphins.
This week’s column has a little bit of everything. There’s an adorable duck who loves to be petted, a dog that can shop, a dog who can’t pass in between two poles because he’s carrying a really big stick, a cat who desperately wants some love and a dog with the silliest haircut we’ve ever seen. Check them out!
A friendly duck
This duck is incredibly close to whoever is petting it, allowing them to rub it’s head and even pull its beak.
This adorable dog is called Brussels Sprout (!!!) and he is doing some back to school shopping, piling books and crayons inside a tiny shopping cart. He is also wearing a shirt. A+.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hma9jFjfF/
A little dummy
Plenty of dogs are guilty of this behavior, carrying sticks that are bigger than themselves and that don’t allow them to move naturally. Someone help him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2T5N-aF4i1/
The cutest cat
No sweeter or more loving cat has ever been caught on video. The fact that no one is petting it or paying any attention to its needy looks is giving me anxiety.
Aside from the fact that this dog’s face reflects pure peace and happiness, the Humpty-Dumpty haircut is incredible. Is it flattering? Hell no. Do I want it on my dog? Absolutely.
