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Congress Presses VA To Begin Researching Medical Marijuana

Terry Hacienda
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Congress Presses VA To Begin Researching Medical Marijuana

A bipartisan bill introduced this week would effectively erase the Department of Veterans Affairs’ excuse for not researching the benefits of cannabis for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other related ailments. The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 would eliminate the federal foot-dragging preventing vets from the medicine they need.

The bill has received the backing of the top Republican and Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee: Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn, and Chairman Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn. Other influential lawmakers have voiced their support.

“While we know cannabis can have life-saving effects on veterans suffering from chronic pain or PTSD, there has been a severe lack of research studying the full effect of medicinal cannabis on these veterans,” said Waltz. “That is why I am so proud to introduce this legislation. Simply put, there is no department or organization better suited to conduct this critically important research than VA, and there will never be a better time to act.”

Waltz also took a shot at the VA for its tendency to over-prescribe opioids. “In fact, 22 percent of veterans report using cannabis as a safer and more effective alternative to opioids and drug cocktails currently prescribed by VA for medical conditions such as PTSD or chronic pain; unfortunately, we are all too familiar with the dangerous and often deadly side effects associated with opioids.”

This is welcome news for our retired military personnel. According to the Military Times:

For months, Walz and veterans advocates have been pushing Veterans Affairs officials to more aggressively explore research into marijuana’s possible benefits for patients with a host of ailments, as a possible alternative to addictive opioids.

But department leaders have insisted that federal law restricts their ability to conduct most medical marijuana testing, and have refused those requests for expansion.

This legislation kills that Catch-22 argument. The bill specifically addresses hurdles identified by the VA in a previous letter, with two main goals; (1) “Clarifying that research into medicinal cannabis is well within the authority of VA.” and (2) “Requiring VA to report to Congress on how it intends to exercise that authority.”

“As a physician, I am keenly aware of the need to look for opioid alternatives to treat patients’ chronic pain,” said Rep. Roe. “Since serving as Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I’ve heard from many veterans, both with physical and invisible wounds, who believe medical cannabis could benefit them. This is why I support the department researching cannabis just like any other drug to see if this alternative therapy would truly benefit patients.”

Bill co-sponsor, Rep Lou Correa said, “I am honored to join Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz, and Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Jon Tester in finally taking action to help veterans in need of medical cannabis … with the opioid crisis raging across American, it is imperative to the health and safety of our veterans that we find alternative treatments for chronic pain and service-related injuries.”

Federal Cannabis Prohibition: Is The End Finally Near?

Habib Bentaleb
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Federal Cannabis Prohibition: Is The End Finally Near?

The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States caught many pundits and prognosticators off guard. President Trump’s victory also instilled a level of uncertainty in America’s burgeoning state-legal cannabis industry. During the presidential campaign, Trump routinely professed his adherence to states’ rights when it comes to cannabis legalization (at least for medical cannabis activities). Once elected, however, President Trump appointed known cannabis prohibitionist Jeff Sessions to be his choice as U.S. Attorney General for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and cannabis operators went from feeling uncertain to outright fear.

It now appears that those fears may have been unfounded. After his confirmation, Sessions didn’t immediately seek to enforce federal laws against marijuana operators (to the pleasant surprise of many in the cannabis industry). The honeymoon lasted until January 4, 2018. Just four days into adult-use cannabis sales being legal in the state of California, Sessions formally rescinded the Cole Memo and the cannabis industry was once again thrown into turmoil. The rescission of the Cole Memo, when added with the Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to register pesticides on cannabis crops and the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) threatened crackdown on medical cannabis claims, painted an ominous picture for the cannabis industry throughout the United States (although some of us were more optimistic).

It’s been over four months since Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo and although he’s rattled his saber on some occasions, the dreaded crackdown has not occurred. For that, we may have Russia to thank. Sessions’ self-recusal from the DOJ’s investigation into Russian government meddling in the presidential election has made him persona non grata in the Trump administration — thereby placing his priorities at the very bottom of President’s Trump list.

Rather than a return to federal enforcement actions, we’ve begun to see quite a few positive developments as of late. Last week, President Trump told U.S. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) that he was committed to supporting a legislative solution to the tension between state’s that regulate cannabis activities and federal law (which we covered here). This could be a very important development, and let’s hope that this is one issue in which the President doesn’t change his mind.

Besides the commitment that the President made to Senator Gardner, there have been a number of other developments that have given cannabis businesses a reason to be optimistic:

  • The FDA just released a report that a CBD based drug has shown to have a positive effect on those that suffer from seizures and epilepsy. This is a big blow to the federal government’s position that the cannabis plant has no medical value.
  • U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recently introduced a bill in the Senate that would authorize hemp as an agricultural product. Any progress in the federal legalization of hemp will eventually also benefit marijuana legalization.
  • Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) sent a letter to the DOJ and the Drug Enforcement Agency, calling on them to increase the pace of medical research in cannabis. There have been approximately twenty-five applications submitted to the DEA to produce federally approved research-grade marijuana but none of them have been approved.
  • U.S. Representative  Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) recently issued a statement that he plans on introducing a stand-alone bill that will respect a state’s right to regulate cannabis and would make the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment permanent.

Taken as a whole, these are all encouraging developments– especially considering their bipartisan support. However, this is not the time to rest on our precarious laurels. The November mid-term elections will be on us before we know it and it will be up to all of us to elect officials that are against the government’s draconian war on cannabis. We can’t leave this up to Russia to decide for us, after all.

Habib Bentleb is an attorney at Harris Bricken, a law firm with lawyers in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, and Beijing. This story was originally published on the Canna Law Blog. 

Yas Queen! The ‘Broad City’ Mobile Game Is Here

Brendan Bures
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Yas Queen! The ‘Broad City’ Mobile Game Is Here

You’re probably a little sad that Comedy Central recently announced the upcoming season of “Broad City” will feature the final episodes of the show. Don’t worry, us too. But luckily Comedy Central is giving fans a new way to experience the adventures of Abbi and Ilana to hold us over.

In a partnership with Built Games, “Broad City” will get the mobile video game treatment. Available for download immediately, the game is called Broad City: High Score and features Warioware-like minigames that recreate some of the wacky adventures of Abbi and Ilana.

“Broad City has an extremely loyal and passionate fan base, and we developed Broad City: High Score mobile game to allow fans across the globe to fully immerse themselves in the Broad City world,” Ben Hurst, Comedy Central’s Senior VP of mobile and emerging platforms, said in a statement.

Via the release:

Players of Broad City: High Score will make their way through rounds of mini-games to achieve higher scores, social status and lots of lolz. The mini-games will vary in speed and difficulty each time they are played. A session lasts until a player has failed to complete 3 mini-games during the time allowed.

Mini-games include: Smoke Rings, where players must tap and release at the right time to help Abbi take a toke; Bronson Smash, in which players must tap quickly to destroy a grocery display with Bingo Bronson; Fix the Hoodie, where players must color in Ilana’s stomach to match her crop top to make it work-appropriate; and many more.

Consider us in. The game is now available for free download the App Store and Google Play Store. You can learn more about Broad City: High Score here.

How To Control The Marijuana Munchies

Mike Adams
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How To Control The Marijuana Munchies

The part of marijuana that stimulates the appetite has saved the lives of countless people struggling to maintain proper nutrition throughout chemotherapy, but the marijuana munchies, as we know it, is perhaps one of the cruelest jokes in life for the health conscious cannabis enthusiast.

It doesn’t matter how regimented or disciplined a person might be, toss some a few hits of pot into the mix and all of the will power to eat like a responsible human gets snuffed out by a gluttonous little devil with a fiending addiction to junk food. Unfortunately, this means a hefty increase in caloric intake, which can put some people at risk for packing on those unwanted pounds.

The munchies are not all that problematic for the younger generations. Those who can still eat fast food at every meal and never gain a pound may even be reading this, thinking, “What are they talking about…the munchies is the best part of getting high.” But for those people over 35, the ones whose metabolisms are beginning to slow down, this side effect of maintaining a cannabis lifestyle is one of the most frustrating. Although controlling the munchies is no easy task, there are a few things a person can do to ensure this ravenous hunger does not wreak havoc on their waistline.

Meal Planning Is Key

RELATED: How Does Marijuana Affect Different Parts Of Your Brain

It is wise to just accept the inevitable. If you smoke pot, you’re going to get the munchies and want to rip the kitchen apart to satisfy that appetite. But if there is no food at home, it is easy to rely on pizza delivery or some other convenient, high calorie way to appease that need for sustenance. It is for this reason that it is necessary to make a daily meal plan. Knowing that you have, on hand, all the makings for a super delicious (and healthy) dinner is the easiest way to prevent from getting to know every food delivery driver in town on a first name basis. Also keeping healthier snacks – lots of fruit — in the house is a rock star move. Otherwise, an ice cream run will always be tempting.

Shop Smart

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In order to make a successful meal plan, it is first necessary to visit the grocery and shop like an adult. This means not walking into the store high and expecting to make good choices. Stoned shopping really only equates to kitchen cabinets full of chips and a freezer full of pizza rolls. Eating this kind of trash is doomsday for anyone trying to keep his or her diet in check. So be sure to spend a lot of time in the produce aisle, stocking up on a variety of fruits and vegetables that can be easily accessed at home at a moments notice. Not a whole lot of damage can be done to someone’s girlish figure by consuming mass quantities of oranges, apples and mangos.

Know Your Weaknesses

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RELATED: The Essential THC Dosing Guide For Marijuana Beginners

Eating healthy is all well and good, but sometimes it is fun to get the munchies and eat an entire pepperoni pizza. We understand this. It is important for us to know out food weaknesses and do our best to prepare for those cravings to surface. No amount of fruit in the kitchen is going to satisfy someone if their brain is truly in the mood for a greasy pizza. So finding ways to enjoy those kinds of things without leaning on fast food or delivery is an important step to not letting the munchies take total control. Instead of using bread and crust, try using Portobello mushrooms and green peppers as a foundation for pizza and Philly cheese steaks. This allows a person to get the flavor of all those sinful foods that they enjoy without completely blowing their diet.

‘Henry’s Original’ Partners With ‘One Tree Planted’ For Earth Day

Maria Loreto
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‘Henry’s Original’ Partners With ‘One Tree Planted’ For Earth Day

Henry’s Original, a Mendocino-based cannabis company has partnered with non-profit tree organization, One Tree Planted, in honor of Earth Day on April 22. All profits from products featuring the Manzanita strain sold during the month of April will be donated to help replant sugar pines in Lake Tahoe. For every dollar donated, one tree is planted, maintained and looked after to ensure it will grow and become part of a thriving forest.

Henry’s Original is reputed as a premium, California-grown cannabis company. Taking pride in its northern Californian roots, Henry’s Original continually gives back to its community. After learning about the fires that burned through northern California, including Lake Tahoe, Jenna Meister, co-owner of Henry’s Original, decided it was time to give back to one of the state’s most important fresh water aquifers.

“Henry’s Original is more than a cannabis company, it’s a community of cultivators, growers and environmental advocates who are always looking to give back,” said Meister. “With Earth Day approaching, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to work with another organization that is just as passionate about the land we live and work in.”

One Tree Planted is based in Vermont and plants trees throughout North and South America, Asia and Africa. The organization works with reforestation programs to help areas affected by

natural disasters. Matt Hill, creator of One Tree Planted, was excited for the opportunity to work with Henry’s Original, thanks to its ties with the region.

“When Henry’s Original approached us with the opportunity to work with them, we felt the timing couldn’t be more perfect,” said Hill. “We really admire the work that they do and are honored to be a part of their initiative of helping the environment and community.”

Photo courtesy of One Tree Planted

Replanting sugar pines is imperative to the health and preservation of Lake Tahoe. Nearly a quarter of Lake Tahoe was once comprised of sugar pines but due to white pine blister rust and forest fires, sugar pines currently account for merely 5 percent of forest composition in Lake Tahoe. Replanting sugar pines throughout the region is crucial for maintaining native biodiversity, contributes to watershed health, decreases fire risk and provides wildlife habitat and scenic and recreational benefits.

About Henry’s Original:

Henry’s Original is a California cannabis company based in Mendocino County. Known for its artisanal heirloom cannabis, Henry’s Original cannabis is grown under the strictest of standards and is Clean Green Certified. Handcrafted in small batches, Henry’s Original is lab tested for quality and potency.

About One Tree Planted:

One Tree Planted is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity based in Shelburne, Vermont, that helps with global reforestation efforts. They work with reforestation partners around the world to help plant trees in North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. For every dollar donated, one tree is planted. www.onetreeplanted.org

Surprising and Delightful Marijuana Edibles

Amy Hansen
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Surprising and Delightful Marijuana Edibles

As edibles become more mainstream (and visually appealing), the options are becoming more numerous. So much so that many canna-infused foods are taking risks far beyond cookie and brownie batters. So to make your day, here are 5 surprising and delightful marijuana edibles.

(Ed. Note: here comes the obligatory warning)

To quote ourselves, here are some things to keep in mind when eating edibles, including the edible “high”:

All highs are not created equal. In short, most edible marijuana is metabolized by the liver, which then produces a kind of THC that has a bigger psychedelic punch than the THC that reaches your blood plasma when you smoke it. So when you finally feel the edible’s effects, it will likely be more powerful than what you’d get from a joint – plus the high will last much longer, up to 12 hours!

Did you work up an appetite just reading that? Here are five unexpectedly unusual edibles you’ll wish you had in your hand right now.

Fremont Freaks

These light, low dose, all-natural THC fruit snacks from Craft Elixirs in Seattle come in several forms, including: dried candied apples, pineapples, lemons, oranges, limes & grapefruit. Each piece is approximately 1 mg of THC, and, according to the company’s website, “because it’s an alcohol based infusion, the flavors sing, and the effects are felt within an hour.”

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Ripple

This water soluble edible is basically just powdered THC and CBD that’s tasteless and dissolvable in just about anything, from soup to cookies to water…to bacon jam. In fact, the company that makes it, Stillwater Brands, now offers infused instant coffee and teas with the same technology. Serving sizes range from 2.5 milligrams to 10 milligrams of CBD and THC.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhhEuk3F29J

Happy Apple Cider

Not a beer. Not a juice. This drink is somewhere in between and will definitely get you high.  Made with Washington apples, this 12-ounce bottle of carbonated pressed juice is finished with 10 mg of cannabis. If you ever want to swap that Prosecco for something a little stronger, this is it. And, omg it’s delicious.

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Coda Signature Truffles

These aren’t edibles. They’re individual works of art. These stunning chocolates are created by Head Chocolatier Lauren Gockley, who studied at Valrhona before heading out to work at a string of Parisian pastry shops and more recently, Per Se. If that’s not a solid seal of approval, just look at these truffles! Each one tells a story through bright colors and bold flavors that, according to Coda, “harmonize seamlessly with impeccable craftsmanship and quality ingredients.”

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Cotton Candy

Cannabis cotton candy is quite possibly the best and most fun way to get an adult sugar high. And this version from B-Edibles is made with organic cane sugar and C02 oil. Says owner Vanessa Corrales, “If you’ve ever had cotton candy you know that it melts and melts fast, which is why it acts as a sublingual when consuming this edible.Your body processes it in your mouth and not in your stomach so you can feel the THC effects in a matter of 20-30min.”

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 The company more recently launched a line of sugar cubes (10 mg) that are easy (and discreet) to pop into your morning latte.

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Will The ‘Do Not Disturb’ Function On iPhones Really Save Your Life?

Amy Hansen
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Will The ‘Do Not Disturb’ Function On iPhones Really Save Your Life?

When iPhone took a giant step last year and included a “Do Not Disturb” auto text function for drivers on its iOS 11, it was assumed the feature would cut down on distracted driving.

In 2015, the National Highway & Transportation Administration reported that distracted driving killed 3,477 people and injured even more: 391,000.

But does the function actually work? Business Insider reports on driving data pulled from insurance comparison website EverQuote, which found that, yes, drivers who enabled the setting did use their phones less.

Everquote found that 70 percent of people in its study kept the DND While Driving feature turned on after Apple released it last September. And between September 19 and October 25 last year, people with DND on used their phones 8% less, according to the study.

The 2018 report, which examined 781 million miles of driving data, also found that states with laws prohibiting phone use while driving showed the least phone use while driving.

The states with the worst driving scores are Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The states with the best driving scores are Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and Idaho.

A surprising statistic: drivers age 17 and under were the most cautious when it comes to speeding.

According to EverQuote, drivers in the US, on average, used their phones on more than a third of their trips. And that among trips with phone use, the average drive time was 29 minutes and drivers spent more than three minutes on the phone. “To put this in perspective, taking your eyes off the road to read a text for just five seconds at 55 mph is like driving more than the length of a football field blindfolded.”

This App For Saving Water Can Help You Get Free Porn For A Week

Maria Loreto
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This App For Saving Water Can Help You Get Free Porn For A Week

Did you know Pornhub is super into saving the earth? So much so, they’re offering free porn. You read that correctly.

With the Save Water Challenge, the company is offering a week’s worth of RedTube premium subscriptions for users who contribute to the world by rationing their water. Both of these companies are owned by MindGeek, a media conglomerate that operates in Luxemburg.

The Save Water challenge is simple. By downloading the app, you’ll be able to record how much time you spend in the shower. The less minutes you spend there, the more points you’ll earn towards a premium subscription. Of course, you could trick the app since it sounds simple enough, but it’s a nice initiative from a company that’s trying to demonstrate how much every minute counts when it comes to water.

The video explains that by cutting 5 minutes off your shower time, you’ll help the world save 100 liters of drinkable water, which is so much, especially if a lot of people join the challenge.

According to Forbes, Pornhub collects around 81 million viewers a day, with over 25 billion views in 2017. It’s the 22nd most popular website in the world, and it also transmits more data than the entire contents of the New York Public Library.

Considering the amount of porn the world consumes, this idea is absolutely genius and could potentially save the world faster than any other measure we can think of.

Marijuana-Induced Memory Loss Is A Feature, Not A Bug

Adrian Devitt-Lee
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Marijuana-Induced Memory Loss Is A Feature, Not A Bug

Marijuana smokers have been stereotypically mocked for short-term memory loss, and there is genuine concern about memory impairment due to cannabis consumption, particularly among seniors who are considering cannabis as a therapeutic option.

But the importance of forgetting in mental health should not be underestimated.

There is a small but growing body of evidence that suggests cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating component of cannabis, can aid in addiction recovery due to its effects on memory. Work by Brazilian scientists at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina adds to our understanding of this process.

There are many facets to addiction, a word that is not used for medical diagnosis. (Instead, terms like dependence, abuse, misuse, and use disorders are used to describe slight differences in addictive behaviors.) Regardless of its exact definition, cue-induced cravings – whether due to the pervasiveness of alcohol at social events, for example, or the patterns one associates with smoking cigarettes – makes recovery from addiction difficult.

When someone is exposed to a drug-related cue, the experience of the drug is relived to an extent, and then reconsolidated so it can be recalled again later. CBD may specifically interfere with this reconsolidation process, reducing future cravings, according to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Addiction Biology.

This work was done in mice; an animal model for cue-induced craving is called conditioned place preference (CPP). First mice are conditioned to associate one setting with a rewarding drug like morphine and another with no drug. Their preference for the morphine-associated room is then measured in the absence of the drug. Although this model is simplistic it is associated with outcomes in humans, such as relapse.

When a moderate dose of CBD was given immediately after cue exposure, the reconsolidation of the cue was disrupted. Ideally, this would translate in humans to a disrupted reconsolidation of opiate cravings.

For the following two weeks, the CBD-treated mice preferred the morphine-associated room much less than untreated animals. Moreover, the single treatment with CBD retained this protective effect even when morphine was re-administered later (a model of relapse).

Other work has shown that CBD can reduce the rewarding effects of opiates specifically. This research suggests that CBD may aid in unlearning the habits from addiction, which lead to cravings and relapse well after withdrawal has subsided. For some, cannabinoids may be a path away from addiction rather than a gateway to it.

This story was first published by Project CBD.

The Safest Way To Consume Cannabis

Kyle Jaeger
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The Safest Way To Consume Cannabis

Recall your first experience with marijuana. It probably didn’t involve a CBD-rich topical cream generously spread on sore muscles, right? More likely, it involved a few hits, or a massive bong rip that knocked you off your feet.

I’m not here to lecture you about the right or wrong way to use cannabis, but if you care about your health — and how to incorporate cannabis in the most effective (and healthy) way, then we’ve got some expert advice for you.

Related: 8 High-Dose Cannabis Edibles That Can Help

There’s limited evidence indicating that inhaling cannabis smoke carries adverse health effects. There was a 2011 review cited by the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute that found long-term cannabis smoking may be associated with “an increase in cough, sputum production, airway inflammation, and wheeze — similar to that of tobacco smoking.” That’s for chronic users, however. When it comes to casual consumers, studies suggest that “marijuana use has not been associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function.”

Yes, putting smoke in your lungs can be bad. But if you live in a legal weed state, you know that joints aren’t your only options. There are tinctures, capsules, topicals… you name it.

I asked Dr. Peter Grinspoon—son of the historic cannabis researcher Dr. Lester Grinspoon and author of the memoir Free Refills: A Doctor Confronts His Addiction— about his thoughts on safe marijuana consumption methods.

To my surprise, his answer wasn’t “edibles.” I assumed that consuming cannabis orally—bypassing any kind of inhalation—would be safest. But Grinspoon pushed back on that assumption and, while peer-reviewed research is lacking, he recommended vaping cannabis for novice users.

“The thing is, each method of consumption has benefits and downsides in terms of health — but also in terms of the utility of using cannabis as a medicine,” Grinspoon told me. “Vaporization is much safer than smoking.”

When it comes to edibles — which includes those contained in capsule form, for example — there are still risks related to dosing that can alter your experience with cannabis. Vaping, on the other hand, has not yet been proven to cause adverse pulmonary issues. But the benefits are self-evident.

You have greater control when it comes to dosing. Take a few puffs, feel it out for yourself, and continue to dose until you reach your individual, desired effect.

“The good news about vaporization is that you can titrate your dose,” Grinspoon said. “One problem with edibles is that they’re a little bit more unpredictable about how much you get. And that can be a problem in terms of you can really alter your consciousness and that can make activities more dangerous.”

Related What Are The Benefits Of Full-Spectrum Cannabis Extracts?

He added: “People can take a puff from their vaporizer, and then if it didn’t have enough of an effect on their pain or whatever they’re trying to treat — their nausea — they can take another puff, whereas you can’t really do that with an edible because the effect won’t kick in for whatever — 45-minutes to two hours. You can’t titrate it. So it is safer in the sense to vaporizer in that inhalation gives you much more of an ability to titrate your dose.”

“The vaporization is safer physically and also gives you of an ability to titrate the medication, and if you were to take too much, it lasts far less long,” he said.

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