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Effects Of Cannabis On The Teen Brain Lasts This Long

Trey Reckling
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Effects Of Cannabis On The Teen Brain Lasts This Long

The underpinnings that supported the logic for federal prohibition on cannabis seem to crumble a bit more each day. A study released in the publication JAMA Psychiatry chips away at a major chunk of that foundation. Studies show that the negative effects of cannabis on the brains of teenagers seem to only last three days. After 72 hours without consuming, no loss of cognitive function detected.

This was a meta-analysis study, so it’s a review of existing research over a 44 year period beginning in the 1970s and including over 8,500 subjects collectively. The subjects had a mean age of 20-years-old. Of those, about 2,000 were cannabis users.

In the study’s conclusion, researchers state:

Associations between cannabis use and cognitive functioning in cross-sectional studies of adolescents and young adults are small and may be of questionable clinical importance for most individuals.”

The researchers concluded that much of the past hysteria over reduction in IQ, poor aptitude performance and lessened academic success has been “overstated.

“Overstated” is a nice word to describe the work of former fellow researchers who have played into the hands of the Reefer Madness crowd. They are talking about not just one study, but an overview of 69 professional studies over the dozens of years. Overstated. That’s what happens when science funding is largely dictated by poor policy and hyperbole.

Over the years, millions of our taxpayer dollars have been spent to educate us about teen cannabis users having lower IQs, stunted brain development and long-term negatively affected memory and problem-solving abilities. Overstated. That is a generous word to use. 

“That was the biggest surprise. There is biological plausibility that cannabis could cause changes in the brain that is still developing. But the abstinence data we have indicates that while those effects are detectable, they seem to go away after more than three days of abstinence,”  J. Cobb Scott, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, told Time Magazine.

This lends more credence to the Canadian decision to allow consumption and purchase of legal cannabis at 18 years old. That decision had been criticized by some based on the very research that is now being called into question.

Does this mean that parents have less to stand on when it comes to guiding their children to making smart decisions when it comes to the herb? Absolutely not. But it does mean that these old truths do not hold up anymore in an argument.

Young people are enabled with the internet and access to information. They can fact check and do their own research on what is currently known. They are smart, and the cannabis users among them are no less so, as we have learned. So, instead, let’s have a conversation based on facts, not hype. Young people are likely to respect us for it and, as a result, more likely to hear what we have to think about keeping them safe.

5 Products To Help Pass A Drug Test

Maria Loreto
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5 Products To Help Pass A Drug Test

While marijuana is legal in many states, it’s still okay for employers and figures of authority to ask for a drug test. If you’re a regular marijuana user this means trouble, especially when the test is sprung on you out of nowhere. Getting your body clean is a process that, no matter how hard you try, takes some time. How fast you can “cleanse” your body mostly depends on how regularly you consume marijuana.

While the following five methods have offered positive results in the past, it’s very important to know that they’re not miracle workers and that tricking a drug test is really hard. There’s honestly no better way to pass a test than by staying clean for a couple of weeks, eating healthy, and drinking tons of water.

Easy @ Home Drug Screen Test

This product tests you urine, helping you see if you’re ready to pass your drug test or not. While it may not help you get clean any faster, it could help you prepare for your test and see how long it takes for your body to get rid of drugs completely.

Quick Fix Plus Synthetic Urine

This kit is super cheap, which is weird considering that it comes with a heating pad and some fake urine. Still, if the drug test you’re trying to pass is in any way serious it’ll probably be able to distinguish synthetic urine from real one that came from a body. The real question is: How desperate are you?

Nutra Cleanse Clean Caps

These cleanse capsules use different sets of ingredients to detox your body and flush out your toxins rapidly. It also helps if you drink tons of water. While the capsules claim that they provide results within 90 minutes, most users claim that they take a longer period of time to take effect.

Rapid Clear Detox Cleanse Shampoo

If you’re taking a hair drug test then this shampoo might just be what you need. It’s designed to strip all toxins away from your hair follicles without damaging your hair. The guys who made the shampoo also suggest to use their conditioner. Maybe both work better together, or maybe they just wanted to make more money.

Oral Clear Chewing Gum

This gum works for saliva tests. It’s pretty easy to use. According to the label, you’re supposed to chew it for 30 seconds and then spit it back out, allowing you to have neutral saliva for over 30 minutes. While the time constraints sound a little scary — is your tongue going to fall out? — it also sounds pretty legitimate.

The bad thing about these chewing gums is the fact that they’re pretty pricey, costing over $90 per chew. For your mission to be successful, you’ll also have to time yourself perfectly.

Why Complaining About Your Job Is Good For Everyone

Amy Hansen
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Why Complaining About Your Job Is Good For Everyone

Bad management, long hours, lack of appreciation, not feeling valued — these are just a few reasons we might be unhappy at work. But contrary to what your manager might think, bitching about your job could actually be good for you.

Vanessa Pouthier, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, studied a team of nurses and other health professionals at a large U.S. hospital for an entire year and found that workplace complaining might have some solid value.

She told ABC Radio Perth that joking and griping during conversations in the break room seemed to improve the mood of the team, which she described as clearly overworked.

“It helps people to process stress and frustration and you notice palpable changes when team members engaged in both activities,” she said, explaining that those bitch sessions have the potential to relieve the stress associated with workplace meetings.

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“One doctor said the meetings can be draining, but when they engage in banter and griping they leave the meeting feeling lighter and it changed the way they related to each other throughout the day.

“When that doesn’t happen, your day feels very long.”

Dr.P outhier went on to say that even though managers get nervous over the idea of staff not loving their job or getting irritated over some aspect of it, it’s really more beneficial than not, unless the workplace is at a toxic crossroads.

“Those gripes are not necessarily calls for change; they are calls for commiseration and bonding and just releasing the negative energy, especially when using humour,” she said, adding that the gripes are “statements of identification and kinship.”

Here’s Why Hot Weather Stresses People Out

Amy Hansen
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Here’s Why Hot Weather Stresses People Out

If you get depressed when the sun comes out, you’re not alone. Despite the bad rap winter gets, a new study finds that summer is when people are most likely to get a little down in the dumps, thanks to higher levels of circulating stress hormones.

Researchers from Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland have discovered seasonal patterns in the cortisol levels of medical students. Cortisol, the hormone released into the blood stream during stressful times, helps regulate the body’s levels of sugar, salt and fluids, thus, reducing inflammation and is essential for maintaining overall health.

RELATED: Anxiety And Stress Scientifically Proven To Be Reduced By Cannabis

According to Science Daily:

“The research team studied a group of female medical students on two separate days in the winter and for two days again in the summer. The researchers took saliva samples every two hours during each testing period — a full 24-hour cycle — to measure levels of cortisol and markers of inflammation. The volunteers completed a lifestyle questionnaire during each testing session about their sleep schedule, type of diet they followed and physical activity levels.”

The research team found cortisol levels to be higher on the summer testing dates.

RELATED: 5 Ways To Easily Manage Seasonal Affective Disorder

Nancy Molitor, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry and behavioral science at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. has another take. She tells Live Science that hot weather creates other reasons for making us cranky, mainly lack of sleep, dehydration and restrictions on our daily actives (like being inside all day when it’s hot outside) — all of which are contributors to bad moods, especially when we feel like we can’t control them.

“Everyone’s fuse is going to be a little bit shorter,” Molitor said.

This Supermarket Chain Is Selling A Cannabis Alternative To Tobacco

Amy Hansen
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This Supermarket Chain Is Selling A Cannabis Alternative To Tobacco

Although the weed will be marketed as an alternative to tobacco, it will be way more expensive, with a 1.5-gram box of CBD bud going for 18 Swiss Francs (about $18).

They really know how to do legal weed in Switzerland. So much so, you can find the stuff next to cigarettes at your local grocery store.

The supermarket chain Lidl is planning to sell a new line of cannabis products in the form of 1.5 gram boxes of CBD flowers, packaged and promoted as an alternative to tobacco. In fact, the boxes will be sold alongside rolling tobacco at checkout.

Although the weed will be marketed as an alternative to tobacco, it will be way more expensive, with a 1.5-gram box of CBD bud going for 18 Swiss Francs (about $18).

Abiding by Switzerland’s cannabis laws means cannabis products must contain less than 1 percent THC in order to be manufactured and sold retail. In 2011, Switzerland passed a law allowing adults as young as 18-years-old to buy weed with less than 1 percent THC, making high CBD products more accessible.

Speaking to The Sun, Lidl said:

The manufacturer relies on sustainable agriculture and refrains entirely from adding chemical, synthetic or genetically modified substances.

The legally cultivable varieties contain only very small amounts of THC and a high proportion of CBD oil.

Last summer, Switzerland rolled out “the world’s first” hemp cigarette from Heimat. According to the company’s website, “Heimat Tabak & Hanf cigarettes can be consumed legally wherever smoking is permitted—in Switzerland, in any case. The cigarettes should not be taken abroad, as this may result in prosecution due to the differences in the permissible THC limits in other countries.”

As The Fresh Toast reported back in July, the cigarettes contain both hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), clocking in at 20 percent CBD.

How Bioavailability Will Change The Marijuana Game

David Sutton
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How Bioavailability Will Change The Marijuana Game

Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational use in 2012, since then, six others have followed suit, and more are sure to come. The legislation shift has been an economic boon. However, with all the positive results of legalization, we also regularly hear horror stories in the news about what happens when people mistakenly overindulge and end up in the emergency room.

The cannabis industry is still an entrepreneurial wild west. The testing is lacking, and the consumer base needs more options and more education on current consumption methods. You’d need biology PhD in physiology to properly understand the effects cannabis can have on the human body, as the effects vary substantially by consumption method, concentration and individual body chemistry.

The Problem

The fact is, cannabinoids (the active compounds in marijuana) are not user friendly and their potency can vary widely depending on a multitude of unpredictable factors such as the cannabis strain plant genetics, the soil climate conditions, the cultivation techniques, et cetera.

Further, the delivery methods available today are inefficient. There is lots of room for improvement. As such there has been a significant leap in the number of people showing up to the emergency room for marijuana. In fact, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center reports a nearly 100 percent increase in marijuana-related calls following recreational legalization in the state.

Current Available Options

While there seem to be a plethora of delivery systems available on the market, they each have distinct drawbacks. Most notably, none of these methods provide a reliable dosage for use.

Inhalation: This may be the most popular or standard method of use. Smoking, vaping or using aerosols are somewhat faster acting and easier to control than other options, but inhalation can significantly irritate the lungs and is unappealing to many cannabis users. Plus, many vaporizers cartridges contain toxic chemical additives.

Intra-Oral: Spray tinctures, extracts, emulsion compositions, and drops can be administered to the oral mucosa (the membrane lining the mouth), but cannabinoid molecules are too large to pass though the mucosal layers into the bloodstream. Saliva carries them down your throat. So they work like ingesting an edible.

Oral: Finally, oral ingestion through the gastro-intestinal tract is the delivery method that is largely responsible for the notorious cannabis ‘over-doses’ and 9-1-1 calls. While the brownies, candies, and THC infused beverages are highly appealing upon first glance, they are wildly unpredictable due to cannabinoids’ low solubility and slow passage though the GI tract. The delay of onset makes it difficult to ingest the correct amount and their THC forms the highly potent psychotropic THC metabolite that creates greater tendency for adverse effects without warning.

A Better Delivery System

The answer to this problem is more research and further innovation such as delivery systems that provide greater bioavailability, increased bioactivity and precision dosing for a more predictable, controlled cannabis experience.

As more states legalize both recreational and medical marijuana, the danger to unknowing consumers will spread. It will be imperative to offer more products that enable the cannabinoids to enter the bloodstream quickly, rapidly peak in concentration and target Endocannabinoid System receptors to ensure a safe, controlled user experience.

In a market projected to reach $22 billion in sales by 2020, there is a huge opportunity for businesses to focus on pushing the innovation envelope to provide a better method of cannabis delivery to the growing cannabis user base. We all just need to make sure responsibility and testing goes hand-in-hand with the innovation.

About David Sutton

David Sutton is the chief operating officer at Denver-based NanoSphere Health Sciences. Throughout his career, Sutton has transformed concepts into profitable businesses – from nanotechnology to financial services. Sutton’s focus has been business design and strategy, assisting several start-up companies in business planning, capital development, operating infrastructures and product development. Sutton received his MBA in finance from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver and has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado.

Cheetos Crusted Cheese Sticks With Marijuana-Infused Dipping Sauce

Danielle Guercio
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Cheetos Crusted Cheese Sticks With Marijuana-Infused Dipping Sauce

Covering things in other things is a time-honored chef trick for taking breaded food to the next level. Now you can find snack foods like Doritos and Cheetos as part of other dishes, like at 7-11, Burger King, or Taco Bell. This trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and that’s because it’s scandalously delicious.
Making your own mozzarella sticks at home is another one of those ‘duh’ things where the frozen and less tasty item costs more (and tastes worse) than just doing it yourself. You don’t even need fancy ingredients; you can do it with string cheese which is already portioned and ready to go. Less knife handling while high: excellent.

Since I don’t always eat at the fast food joints, I wanted to bring it into my own kitchen by making Cheetos crusted cheese sticks, which are somewhere between a mozzarella stick and a Cheeto. Hit them with weed infused pink sauce and you are making yourself some world class munchies my friend.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Cheetos Crusted Cheese Sticks

Adapted from Claire Lower’s Doritos Crusted Cheese

Serves 2, 20mg THC estimated per serving

  • 5 string cheese sticks
  • 1 small package of Cheetos or other crunchy cheese curls
  • 1 egg
  • Splash of buttermilk or milk
  • Hot sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 Tbs cornstarch
  • 1 Tbs Flour
  • Oil for frying
  • Bamboo skewers

Pink sauce:

  • Ketchup
  • Mayonnaise
  • Hot Sauce
  • Cannabis infused olive oil*

Heat up 1-inch of oil in a sturdy and deep pan. You want it at about 300-325 degrees. It will take a few minutes and you’ll want the oil hot as you start to bread the cheese sticks.

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Put Cheetos into a sturdy freezer bag and seal. Mash with a meat hammer until they’re finely ground. Set up a breading station with two plates and a bowl. One plate should have a mixture of cornstarch and flour with salt and pepper. The bowl should have one egg beaten with a splash of milk or buttermilk, and some hot sauce. The final bowl is where you stash the ground up Cheetos. 

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Cut String cheese in half and put on the tip of a skewer, about ½” into the cheese. Now you can use this long wooden handle to spin the cheese into the cornstarch mixture, dusting off the excess. Now dip and spin into the egg, let extra drip off and check to make sure it’s fully coated. Last, dip into the Cheetos and turn gently to keep the breading intact.  

Photos by Maria Penaloza

Drop into frying oil by pushing off the skewer. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, you don’t want it to get too brown. Hold onto that skewer because it also makes an excellent damage free turning tool for the little devils. Using tongs, remove and drain on paper towels.  

Assemble the sauce in a bowl by mixing the ketchup, Mayo, oil, and hot sauce until well blended. Since the goal is to double dip to your heart’s content, dispense the sauce in two equal portions. The slightly acidic tang of the ketchup cuts through the cheeses and tastes like fast food heaven–in your own kitchen.  

*Cannabis infused olive oil

Decarboxylate 3.5g of finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees for 20 minutes in a tightly sealed, oven safe container. Put in lidded mason jar or vacuum sealed bag with cannabis and four ounces of olive oil. Heat in water bath just under boiling for at least 1 hour. Strain and chill to use in recipes

Double up if you want to, but these are so rich that I would suggest maxing out at five. They’re cheesy, gooey, and satisfying. I would wager this is tastier and marginally as expensive or slightly less expensive to prepare than everything but the dollar menu. Enjoy responsibly.

Photos: Maria Penaloza

Kamala Harris Finally Jumps Aboard The Cannabis Bandwagon

Terry Hacienda
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Kamala Harris Finally Jumps Aboard The Cannabis Bandwagon

After months and months of heel-dragging and mixed messages, California Sen. Kamala Harris finally did it. The first-term junior senator voiced her support for fellow Democratic colleague Cory Booker’s legislation to legalize marijuana.

Harris, who has constantly hinted that she would back the legislation, made her announcement on Twitter with a video for Now This News. With the tweet, Harris becomes the latest in a growing list of possible 2020 presidential candidate to stand up in support of rational cannabis laws.

RELATED: 5 Ways Cory Booker’s Marijuana Bill Could Change Everything

According to Harris’ video, one of the central reasons she now backs Booker’s bill is law enforcement’s unfair treatment of people of color who use marijuana. “The fact is that marijuana laws are not applied and enforced in the same way for all people,” she said. “So for example, African-Americans use marijuana at roughly the same rate as whites but are approximately four times as likely to be arrested for possession. That’s just not fair.”

“It’s the smart thing to do. It’s the right thing to do,” she added. “And I know this as a former prosecutor, I know this as a senator, and I know it when I just look at what we want as a country and where we need to be instead of where we’ve been.”

Other Democrats who have presidential aspirations have already signed onto Booker’s plan. According to CNN:

The shift has left Democratic operatives and marijuana legalization activists across the country saying it’s difficult to imagine a debate stage in the 2020 primary race where almost all of the presidential hopefuls don’t publicly back removing marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act.

The latest signal came when Sen. Bernie Sanders, a 2016 Democratic candidate who is widely considered a top contender for the nomination in 2020, signed onto The Marijuana Justice Act [in April]. The bill, proposed by Booker, himself a 2020 contender, would effectively end the federal crackdown on marijuana by removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act. It was also backed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another possible 2020 hopeful.

Democratic endorsement of legalization would also be a departure from the party’s 2016 position. Hillary Clinton, the party’s nominee in 2016, said the federal government should allow states to legalize marijuana and called for removing the drug from the schedule 1 list, but did not go so far as to call for its removal from the Controlled Substances Act.

Booker, who makes a cameo appearance in the video, reminds viewers that “two of the last three presidents admitted to using drugs. Congresspeople, senators have admitted to using marijuana.”

4 Facts About Fake Eyelashes You Need To Know Now

Maria Loreto
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4 Facts About Fake Eyelashes You Need To Know Now

Fake eyelashes are a makeup item that’s beloved by many, but they can also be kind of confusing to use. Lately, there’s been a ton of developments in the fake lashes department, which can intimidate newcomers and experts alike.

You can find all sorts of lashes; cheap ones which last for a few uses, and then there are more expensive ones that can last for more time. Depending on your budget, you can purchase fake lashes made out of synthetic materials, animal fur, or human hair, and they all have their pros and cons. The Cut compiled a set of facts about fake eyelashes, check out 5 of our favorites:

How Long Do They Last?

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Depending on the fake lash you’ll be able to use it over 20 times or you’ll only be able to give them a few uses. Synthetic eyelashes don’t last very long, even if you clean and store them very well. These will begin to degrade after four or five uses. If you have eye lashes made from human or animal hair and if you care about them properly, then they could last for over 20 uses.

Can You Use Mascara?

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Yes, but you should be aware that using mascara will shorten the lifespan of the lashes, even if you clean them with makeup remover after every use.

How Do You Take CareOf Them?

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Maintaining the lashes is not complicated, it only demands for you to stick to a routine. You must take them off every night before going to bed, and you’ll also have to clean them with a Q-tip and some make up remover. Be sure to keep the case in which the eye lashes came in because they’re the perfect place for storage.

What Are The Prices?

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Synthetic eyelashes can be very cheap, costing up to $2 per pair. Synthetic “silk” lashes, human and animal lashes are very expensive, with prices that range between $25 and $50.

‘I Don’t Feel So Good’ Meme Is Perfect After ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Maria Loreto
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‘I Don’t Feel So Good’ Meme Is Perfect After ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

If you’re a fan or have any interest regarding superhero movies then you’ve probably made the time to watch Avengers: Infinity War on the big screen.

The movie is the culmination of 10 years of filmmaking which Marvel has referred to as the “most ambitious crossover event in history,” something that the Internet has latched onto and mocked relentlessly for weeks. But if you thought that the memes stopped there then you were wrong, because an even better meme came out recently and you can only understand it if you’ve seen the movie. So, tons of spoilers ahead regarding Avengers: Infinity War.

In a shocking sequence of events, the Avengers are incapable of stopping Thanos who manages to collect the six Infinity Stones and basically destroy half of the world’s population with a snap of his ugly purple fingers. Thanos considers that these deaths are “egalitarian”, which means that no matter how important your favorite super hero is, they could still die. And they did, including characters such as Spider Man and Black Panther, who vanish into thin air no matter how important their role is on the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The most impactful of these deaths is Spider Man’s, who holds on to Iron Man and says “I don’t feel so good, Mr. Stark.” It’s a heartbreaking scene, but the Internet doesn’t care. It’s a ruthless place and creating memes is the way in which it copes, which is how the “I Don’t Feel So Good” meme was born.

Characters from all areas of pop culture make appearances, including Mark Zuckerberg, Shrek, Peppa the Pig, and almost anyone you can think of. Check out some of our favorites:

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