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How Marijuana’s CBN Is An Insomniac’s Best Friend

Trey Reckling
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How Marijuana’s CBN Is An Insomniac’s Best Friend

In 1964, Israeli scientist Dr. Raphael Mechoulam and his colleagues identified and named delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Known by its abbreviation, THC is revered for its intoxicating effects and became the first rock star of cannabinoids, or active compound of cannabis.

Most people simply talk of THC and its increasingly famous cousin, cannabidiol (CBD). But did you know that marijuana contains over 100 cannabinoids? There is another active compound worthy of attention: cannabinol, or CBN. 

While CBN creates only a mild euphoria, it is most effective as a sedative. According to Steep Hill Labs:

The consumption of 2.5 mg to 5 mg of CBN has the same level of sedation as a mild pharmaceutical sedative, with a relaxed body sensation similar to 5mg to 10mg of diazepam (Valium).

An important note: CBN can deliver all of this sedative ability without the known side effects of popular and addictive drugs such as Ambien, which can include double vision, nausea, diarrhea, loss of sexual desire, painful intercourse, hallucinations and sleep walking. Just to name a few of the negative side effects. Cannabis enthusiasts will not be surprised to find that CBN is more prevalent in indica dominant strains.

But, like other cannabinoids, CBN’s strength lies in its multifaceted medicinal influence.

It is a champion at fighting bacteria, even the robust and hard to kill drug-resistant staph infections like the notorious MRSA virus known to plague hospitals, nursing homes as well as competitive wrestlers and gymnasts. CBN has even been identified as a non-narcotic painkiller as potent as aspirin, an agent to help with bone healing, and a powerful tool in fighting some lung cancers in lab mice. 

CBN can also reduce or prevent vomiting and seizures as well as increasing appetite. Again, it does all of this with little to no intoxicating effects, which is crucial to some patients who don’t want to feel the psychoactive high associated with THC. 

Although currently public access to CBN-focused products is limited, some vendors, like Mary’s Medicinals in the U.S. and  Herbal Dispatch in Canada, have staked a claim in this growing market.

With a growing body of evidence that this cannabinoid is a multi-talented healer, it should only be a matter of time before the public becomes more familiar with CBN and begins to share the love once reserved for only THC.

Instagram Is Developing An App Just For Shopping

Maria Loreto
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Instagram Is Developing An App Just For Shopping

Instagram has become one of the main internet distractions, a place where users willingly spend a lot of their time indoors, looking through other people’s or product feeds. It’s one of the easiest apps to navigate, which is why it makes a lot of sense for them to get involved with e-commerce.

The Verge reports that Instagram is planning on developing a standalone app called IG Shopping that’ll let users look through collections of items from buyers and businesses that they can then buy directly through the app. The development would put Instagram in competition with websites such as Shopify, exploiting the edge that Instagram has over its social media competitors.

Shopping on Instagram has become more and more popular over the years, with new statistics claiming that four out of five Instagram users follow a business account, and that there are over 25 million businesses active on Instagram today.

Via Instagram:

Shopping on Instagram gives your business an immersive storefront for people to explore your best products with a single tap. With shopping on Instagram, you can choose photos you’d like to feature, tag posts with up to five products per image or up to twenty products per carousel, add filters or captions and you’re done. You can also save drafts or preview your posts.”

Instagram first featured its shopping tool in 2016, allowing users to buy things from within the app by simply tapping into the photo of the product they want to purchase. While a standalone shopping app is different than what users are acquainted with, it could help businesses and shoppers find content more easily and shop in a way that’s simpler than what they’re used to.

There’s no date for the release of IG Shopping and Instagram has declined to make any comments, but the social media app has been testing out all sorts of features lately. E-commerce could easily be the logical next step.

Pets In Pain? This Unconventional Medicine Can Help

Terry Hacienda
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Pets In Pain? This Unconventional Medicine Can Help

My 16-year-old cat, Pearl, enjoys pot. And so does Pete, my 5-year old yellow lab.

Before you judge my furry friends – or me – let me clarify. Pearl and Pete aren’t passing around a bong (the lack of opposable thumbs is just one issue here) or getting second-hand smoke blown in their face (that’s not cool). I feed my pets a tablespoon of coconut oil infused with CBD-rich marijuana. I make my own using Magical Butter botanical extractor, but commercial hemp-based products, such as Canna-Pet, do the trick.

Vets are split on the efficacy of pot for pets because research in veterinary cannabis pharmacology is limited. Federal law still considers marijuana a Schedule 1 narcotic, making scientists hesitant to spend time and money investigating the benefits.

In states where medical marijuana is legal, doctors are allowed to recommend the herb to patients. But it remains illegal in all 50 states for veterinarians to do the same. And PETA and the ASPCA do not support cannabis for animals due to this lack of solid data. But anecdotal reports, including mine, suggest that there is a substantial benefit.

And here is a cautionary tale that every pet lover should read.

But here are some questions to ask yourself and your vet:

What symptom are you trying to address?

I give Pearl cannabis to help alleviate joint pain and to combat arthritis. She is more active and playful than she was before her CBD treatment. Pete gets his marijuana to combat hip pain and as an appetite enhancer – unlike most labs, he is not motivated by food and needs some coaxing. He loves the taste of the coconut oil and loves eating it after a nice afternoon stroll.

One study concluded that marijuana could prevent inflammatory disorders, including skin problems, in dogs. Another study has concluded that CBD has anticonvulsant properties and may be better than conventional veterinary medications.

The most common uses for pet cannabis are:

  • Epileptic seizures/convulsions
  • Nausea/Chronic vomiting
  • Cancer
  • Arthritis
  • Inflammation
  • Lethargy
  • Separation anxiety
  • Fear of thunderstorms or fireworks
  • Appetite stimulation
  • Skin rash
  • Car travel
  • End-of-life care

Do animals get high the same way humans do?

It’s unlikely – but entirely possible – that Pete and Pearl enjoy tripping out to some sweet tunes a little more after eating their medicine. But all mammals have an endocannabinoid system, which regulates how your body utilizes the various cannabinoids present in marijuana. Like you, your pets have receptors throughout their bodies that are activated by these phytocannabinoids.

THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, has been found to be disorienting for some pets (and some humans, too). But there have been no studies suggesting that CBD is harmful in any way to pets. So leave the high-THC strains aside, and find a strain high in CBD for your dog or cat.

Should I tell my vet?

Yes. Your vet may not support your decision, but it is your loved one and it is ultimately your decision. Work with your vet on what is right for your pet and report the progress. Until the federal government lifts the onerous Schedule I designation for cannabis, data will be limited. But that does not mean your pets’ medical options are limited.

Canada Can’t Decide Where People Should Be Allowed To Consume Marijuana

Brendan Bures
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Canada Can’t Decide Where People Should Be Allowed To Consume Marijuana

With Canada set to begin cannabis sales on Oct. 17, some questions linger about how such marijuana reform will interface with Canadian’s daily lives. Chief among these concerns is an issue that has also plagued states that have legalized recreational marijuana: once people buy the marijuana, where can they use it?

Public consumption has been left to individual provinces, each determining a different set of regulations. In Ontario, where Toronto and Ottawa, the nation’s capital, are located, public smoking has been banned, except for those with a medical marijuana card. However, universities have been scrambling ahead of the legalization to determine rules for students on campus.

While both the University of Ottawa and Carleton University will prohibit marijuana consumption on campus, Carleton will still permit students to possess up to 30 grams of recreational marijuana. La Cité collégiale, meanwhile, will create a specific spot on campus where students can go to consume marijuana, according to CBC. Other Ontario universities are still finalizing their policies on marijuana.

British Columbia, on the other hand, is having an issue outside of the classroom. Though the province allows for public consumption, brows were raised following a poll from the B.C. Golf Association about using marijuana on the course.

The poll surveyed thousands of members and found that more than half of players age 35 and under plan on using cannabis on the green. Of those 55 years and older, only 10 percent admitted they’d use cannabis on the course. The news has some from the older crowd worried about running into marijuana users on the links.

“They have some concerns about being paired with someone who is smoking marijuana on the golf course,” Kris Jonasson, the association’s chief executive, told CBC.

Once the date of legalization passes, says the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada, players and staff must know and comply with the policies. Though municipal law will take precedence on public courses, private golf club will be allowed to decide their own rules on marijuana consumption.

Influencer Under Fire For Posting This Photo

Amy Hansen
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Influencer Under Fire For Posting This Photo

Staging a photo for social media is nothing new. It’s pretty common. Even if you’re just moving your dishes around a table and adding some pretty garnish to your food for the perfect #foodie “gram,” it’s still manipulated. But an influencer in London is catching some serious heat for posting a photo that some say goes beyond staged.

Scarlett London found out that blatantly deceiving your followers is probably not a good idea when she posted this sponsored pic of her enjoying a morning of pancakes and tea in bed. Problem is, that cup has no tea in it — and those pancakes look an awful lot like tortillas.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnIlqUShl31

Someone else pointed out that the blanket at the end of London’s bed had a photo of her on it. And even though this post was paid for by Listerine, some thought the product placement of the mouthwash on the nightstand was obnoxious.

Related Story: Social Media Pro Tips: How To Get Instagram Verified

London said it didn’t take long for the criticism to turn into bullying and even death threats.

Many to the effect of that I’m a danger to young women and should suffer, I should be stopped, I should suffocate on the balloons, I should kill myself because of how pathetic I am. But if I’m totally honest, those were the more tame of the bunch.

Some of the nearly two-thousand comments the photo has received thus far include things like:

Sorry but those are not pancakes those are tortillas!??‍♀️?? social media is really getting out of hand.

All this frenzy over a picture that is like every other staged picture on Instagram (my pictures included) ?

imma spill the tea since you obviously don’t have any in that cup; fake pancakes ? really ?

But generally, London seems to have attracted more supporters than haters at this point.

Others think London is blowing this whole scenario out of proportion to get attention.

Said London, “In the last 48 hours, grown men & women, MPs, women’s equality representatives, journalists, actresses and broadcasters have discovered my Instagram feed and decided to pick it apart online, in front of thousands.

“I implore those mindlessly sharing this content to research who I am as a person, before they further drag my name and image through the mud. Yes, I do adverts on here, but only with brands I genuinely use and would spend money on myself. My feed isn’t a place of reality.

Related: You’ll Need To Be Social Media Famous To Snap Selfies At This LA Mural

“I am a strong 24-year-old woman who has experienced bullying in the past. I am and will be okay after this hideous experience. But another young girl or guy as the subject of a targeted hate campaign might not be okay. Please remember at the centre of of every viral storm is a human being.”

Op Ed: Donald Trump Must Answer For Marijuana Smear Team

John Hudak
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Op Ed: Donald Trump Must Answer For Marijuana Smear Team

OP ED: Donald Trump must answer for marijuana smear team.

When Donald Trump was elected president in November 2016, the cannabis industry assumed they had an ally heading into the White House. Mr. Trump offered the most cannabis reform-oriented rhetoric of any major party candidate in American history, favoring medical cannabis and arguing adult-use cannabis policy was a matter for the states. The cannabis industry was patient — if nervous — even as he appointed drug warrior Jeff Sessions as Attorney General and again when Mr. Sessions ultimately rescinded the Cole Memo.

Along the way, there were other concerns about how the administration would handle cannabis policy, but still the cannabis industry as well as its customers, patients, and investors had hope. However, last week Buzzfeed reported that the White House organized the so-called “Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee,” composed of “14 federal agencies and the [DEA].”

Ostensibly, the goal was to balance what the White House sees as a one-sided (read: pro-reform) debate. And in that process, it offered a damning indictment of the administration’s true perspective on the cannabis issue. The organizing memorandum noted, “[d]epartments should provide … the most significant data demonstrating negative trends, with a statement describing the implications of such trends.”

Why might the White House be moving in this direction on cannabis policy? It flies in the face of public opinion as well as the president’s promises on the campaign trail and to a senator of his own party, Cory Gardener (R-Colo.). One argument could be that the president’s base — older, white conservatives — are among those most opposed to cannabis reform. Yet, the 2016 campaign showed us that those voters did not hold Mr. Trump’s cannabis position against him.

Another alternative is that Mr. Trump truly opposes cannabis reform. If that is true, the president would be among august company. Each of his predecessors opposed cannabis reform, actively worked to undermine reform, arrested legal operators, and opposed Congressional efforts at reform (yes, even Mr. Obama). However, such an effort would be politically damaging for the president. While most Americans care about 20 or 30 or 40 other issues before they care about cannabis, what Americans don’t care for is a president or a candidate who breaks campaign promises.

Another explanation is that Mr. Trump was unaware of the formation of this Committee and did not authorize it. This is genuinely possible. A lot happens in an administration that a president never knows anything about. It’s a fact of life. The federal government is huge, and the president is only one person. The same is actually true of a White House. A lot can happen that the president doesn’t know about — especially a president who, by many accounts, is less engaged on day-to-day policy details. Because cannabis policy does not fall into the set of issues the president cares more deeply about — the broader economy, North Korea, trade policy, etc. — the issue could be staffed out. It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the White House — like many White Houses before it — is staffed with cannabis reform opponents.

Some could argue the formation of the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee shows a president who isn’t paying attention. That would be unfair to the president, especially if staffers were purposely operating away from the president’s view. However, now the issue is out in the open, the president, if he is truly committed to his campaign promises, must aggressively denounce the Committee. He must take an additional step. He should either redesign its mission to include an unbiased, data-driven policy shop that seeks the true answer instead of a pre-determined perspective or the president can take the more assertive step of disbanding the Committee and fire whoever authorized it without his permission.

The formation of this Committee puts the spotlight on the president. He has the opportunity to show the supermajority of Americans who support cannabis reform, the hundreds of thousands of people who work in or purchase from the legal cannabis industry, and the members of his own party in Congress to whom he has pledged support for reform, that he is with them. Otherwise, the president will show the country that he was either disingenuous when he made his 2016 campaign pledges or that something has happened in the past year to change his mind. If no one pushes him to answer for this Committee now, he can bet his 2020 opponent will.

Montana Surprises Industry With $1.8M In First Year Taxes

Mary Schumacher
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Montana Surprises Industry With $1.8M In First Year Taxes

Revenue from Montana’s first year of collecting taxes clocked in at nearly double the initial predictions. When Senate Bill 333 was approved last year, Montana’s medical cannabis program was severely reformed. One such reform was to charge a 4 percent tax on all cannabis, whether sold, bartered, exchanged or gifted, at retail value for the first year.

That first year ended on July 1, 2018 and the tax has been reduced to 2 percent for the foreseeable future. However, if patients continue to sign up for the program at the current rate, the revenue isn’t bound to go down in the next four quarters.

During 2017, approximately 1,000 new patients signed up per month. That kind of growth is the reason why seemingly all projections fell short. The people of Montana are able to obtain a card for any of the following conditions: wasting syndrome, cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, nausea, seizures and severe or persistent muscle spasms.

Though there are longer (and shorter) lists of maladies from state to state, Montana covers a wide range of illnesses that are relieved or treated by cannabis. The fact that more patients are willing to add cannabis to their wellness regimes than predicted speaks to the bravery and convictions of Montanans and to the messaging of their pot proponents.

When the tax revenue is calculated for the year when the 4 percent was implemented, it adds up to cannabis having brought in around $45 million in sales. That means a job creating, economy bolstering, tax revenue generating machine that is growing by the minute.

So where do the taxes go? Brilliantly, so far they’re being used to better the cannabis marketplace ecosystem. From seed to sale tracking to inspection facilities, the money goes back into the movement to bring the safest, cleanest, healthiest medicine to those who need it.

It’s worth mentioning that as of July, there are 420 medical marijuana providers in Montana. Though we’re rooting for them to add more, of course, it’s cool that they’ve landed on the community’s lucky number as the state seems to be raking in some luck itself.

State revenue director Gene Walborn stated, “We were pleasantly surprised on how well it went. It being a new tax, we were concerned what challenges you receive with a new tax.” He was also surprised and pleased by how many people filed electronically, implying also that pot providers as a whole had been the definition of cooperative.

First Study On Microdosing Psychedelics Underway And You Can Participate

Brendan Bures
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First Study On Microdosing Psychedelics Underway And You Can Participate

As microdosing psychedelics becomes a more popular choice for boosting creativity and focus, especially in Silicon Valley circles, the question remains why and how effective the practice can be. Psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms and LSD are illegal, so the number of users is completely unknown. Scientists say most reports on psychedelics tend to be anecdotal and patient-forward—mirroring comments often made in medical communities regarding cannabis—but a new study will aim to answer the persistent question lingering around microdosing.

This week the Beckley Foundation launched a first-of-its-kind placebo-controlled trial on microdosing at the Imperial College London, as the Guardian first reported. Researchers will aim to discern if microdosing has impact on “cognitive function” or “psychological well-being” beyond a placebo effect.

To conduct the research, scientists have gathered those who already engage in microdosing to partake in a “self-blinding” study. Participants will create capsules of their normal microdosing amount of LSD and also capsules with nothing inside. Then these capsules will be placed in individual envelopes, which will be shuffled around and re-organized, so participants no longer know which envelope contains the actual drug or a placebo.

Throughout the process, they will play cognitive games and complete questionnaires online. By the end, they should know if they were more content and focused because they were on LSD, or because they just thought they were.

“The people who microdose right now are not an average random set of people from the street,” Balázs Szigeti, the study leader, told the Guardian. “They are very likely to have used psychedelics before and have preconceptions about them.”

“You are doing something novel and exciting and that you believe in—and you know you are doing it,” he added. “It is absolutely no surprise that you are getting a positive effect.”

Those who agree to sign up for the study, which you do so here, will be sent a manual with instructions of how to set up the capsules and envelopes. Each envelope will have a QR code you can scan with your smartphone, so at the end of the study you’ll know which you took: a placebo or LSD. Forewarning: Researchers will not be supplying psychedelics, so don’t try signing up if you aren’t serious about the study and can provide your own.

“It has become popular in Silicon Valley as a way to increase creativity and productivity,” said Szigeti. “I was interested in this and looked at the scientific literature. To my great surprise I found there were zero studies on microdosing. If you go online there are hundreds and hundreds of people expressing very positive outcomes but this is completely novel terrain in scientific literature”

Added Amanda Feilding, director of the Beckley Foundation: “I think it could give a boost to vitality, an improvement in mood possibly. […] One can’t and doesn’t want to encourage people to microdose, but it is interesting to try to gather data in a slightly more scientific way from people who are doing it.”

GOSSIP: The Rock wants to be on the ‘Great British Bake Off’; Sharon Osbourne Discusses ‘Osbournes’ Reboot

Naughty Gossip
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GOSSIP: The Rock wants to be on the ‘Great British Bake Off’; Sharon Osbourne Discusses ‘Osbournes’ Reboot

THE ROCK WANTS TO BE ON THE ‘GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF,’ HE’S ‘FASCINATED’ WITH BAKING

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has revealed that he would love to take part in the Great British Bake Off. The actor, who is best known for his roles in Fast and Furious and Moana, has opened up about the hit Channel 4 baking show. Chatting to the Daily Star, he said: “Baking is something I am really fascinated by, mainly because I love to eat the finished product. I would do Celebrity Bake Off if I wasn’t shooting a movie – especially if it was for charity.”

He added that he “always tries to make time” to watch the show, and speaking about how he’d fare, he added: “Hopefully, I’d do well – but if not I could just kick somebody’s [expletive].” Dwayne isn’t the American star to have revealed that they love watching Bake Off, as A-listers including Anna Kendrick, Amy Schumer and Snoop Dogg, are self-confessed fans of the show.

TOO PRICEY: SHARON OSBOURNE DISCUSSED THE RUMORED REBOOT OF THE OSBOURNES

“Was there an attempt to bring back The Osbournes the TV show? Because I had heard something about that,” Howard Stern asked Sharon, 65, on Tuesday’s episode of SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show.

“It keeps going back and forth, different networks will approach us and it never works out. They can’t afford us,” she said. “They can’t afford us. It’s like why would we want to do it for f—— peanuts?”

RARE: JULIA ROBERTS DOESN’T OFTEN SHARE MUCH ABOUT HER PRIVATE LIFE. BUT…

…she posted an adorable photo of she and her hubby on Instagram last night.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnSndgUBqET/

 

Japan Hotels Have Dinosaurs To Help Guests

Maria Loreto
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Japan Hotels Have Dinosaurs To Help Guests

With dinosaurs in the lobby, hopefully you can still get a roaring good night’s sleep.

While we might still be years and years away from creating a theme park inhabited with living breathing dinosaurs, a hotel in Japan has come up with a more plausible substitution. Henn na Hotel is one of the first hotels to be operated by robots, specifically dinosaurs robots, surely becoming the first hotel in the world to boast this feature.

RELATED: The Most Popular Marijuana Flavors

The hotel located in East Tokyo features dinosaurs that can help guests from all sorts of countries, having the ability to communicate in different languages including English, Japanese, Korean or Chinese.

While these features sounds awesome, The Huffington Post reports that some guests find the dinosaurs unnerving despite the fact that they’re designed to be hospitable, and that management still hasn’t figured out when guests want to interact with robots and when they want to interact with real people.

The robot dinosaurs look very real. They’re all wearing adorable bellboy hats and their small arms are outstretched in a gesture that’s meant to be warm and welcoming. Still, there’s a certain amount of trepidation when approaching a creature with large teeth and claws, no matter if it’s a robot or not, so guests reactions are understandable.

 

Related: All-You-Can-Eat Restaurant Goes Bankrupt After People Ate Everything

The robots are equipped with a motion sensor that lets them know when guests are approaching them, prompting them to say welcome and to move their arms around as if they’re having an actual conversation. Depending on guests’ responses and language preferences, the dinosaurs will check them into their room and make the process as smooth as possible.

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