Research

Nip It In The Bud: The Truth About the ‘Harms’ of Vaped CBD

March 21, 2023 · HIGHTIMES

A recent study claimed to show vaped CBD is more harmful than vaped nicotine, and while several news outlets have reported on it, they all missed numerous flaws in the methodology. As a result of numerous confounding variables, there is no way to actually show that any of the harms they found were from CBD, and not one of the many other chemicals in the oil. High Times spoke to several cannabis vaping experts in an effort to nip this story in the bud,… Read more.

Marijuana Legalization Cuts Down on Booze-Related Pedestrain Deaths Says New Study

March 15, 2023 · Cannabis.net

Marijuana Legalization Linked to Reduction In Booze-Related Deaths of Pedestrians According to data, around 1 in every 7 pedestrian deaths is caused by a drunk driver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that some 32 people are killed due to drunk driving everyday. This equates to one death every 45 minutes, a senseless and completely unnecessary preventable death. The fact that alcohol consumption greatly impairs drivers has long been known, yet people continue to do it. Booze alters one’s judgment, severely impacts one’s ability to concentrate, affects… Read more.

Synthetic cannabinoids further rift between marijuana and hemp industries

March 13, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Schiefertafel mit der chemischen Formel von THC

Tennessee-based Gold Spectrum picked an inopportune day last month to debut an edibles line. On Feb. 13, the hemp company – which has five retail locations in Tennessee and sells products in other states – announced the release of several flavored “Delta 8 + THC-O Cereal Bars.” Popularized nationwide as a marijuana alternative since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, delta-8 THC can be found throughout states with no legal access, including Tennessee. But THC-O, also known as THC… Read more.

Texas Lawmakers File Three Bills To Expand State-Sponsored Psychedelics Research

March 13, 2023 ·

Texas lawmakers have filed a series of new bills aimed at promoting and expanding psychedelics research in the state. The Lone Star State took some observers by surprise last session after the conservative legislature enacted a measure to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics—and now more legislators are hoping to build on that momentum. Three Democratic lawmakers in the state recently introduced separate reform proposals, including one that would expand the law that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) allowed to take effect… Read more.

“Miracle” Psychedelic Drug Could Save Lives and Mint Millions

March 12, 2023 ·

Back in the 1950s, Humphry Osmond led a group of pioneering psychiatrists in an extensive study of psychedelics. And from that research, they found that these hallucinogenic drugs had immense therapeutic potential. With academic research coming to an indisputable conclusion and mental health awareness on the rise, the legal landscape is starting to peel back antiquated laws that were put in place 50 years ago. In creating a superior treatment for mental health disorders, the Shroom Boom will give rise… Read more.

Raphael Mechoulam, Israel’s ‘father of cannabis research,’ dies at 92

March 10, 2023 · JTA.org

 In the early 1960s, a Bulgarian-born scientist named Raphael Mechoulam was caught carrying five kilograms of, as he called it, “superb, smuggled Lebanese hashish” on a bus from Tel Aviv to Rehovot. But he wasn’t planning on smoking the stuff. Mechoulam was a fledgling researcher keen on exploring the science behind cannabis, a stigmatized plant whose specific medical properties were not yet known. Over the decades he became a pioneer in cannabis research, whose findings about the psychoactive substance helped ease… Read more.

‘They’re not fairy tale magic shaman potions.’ Meet the wounded warriors who want red state Republicans to let psilocybin mushrooms turn the tide on veteran suicides

March 6, 2023 · DailyMail

Military veterans trying to overcome the horrors of war are increasingly finding themselves in an unlikely position — persuading Republican politicians to legalize the healing power of ancient psychedelic plants. DailyMail.com spoke with former Marines, Navy Seals and others left traumatized by America's brutal campaigns overseas who have turned to psilocybin mushrooms and other natural drugs to help fight their inner demons. Left-leaning Oregon and Colorado have started to let psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in 'magic' mushrooms, be used in supervised drug journeys to counter depression and… Read more.

Take a trip: An inside look at Emory’s new psychedelics center

March 4, 2023 · Emory Wheel

The room resembles an unassuming Ikea showroom, with cream-colored walls, a white fur rug and a simple twin-sized bed. Potted plants frame each side of the room with an orange lamp and a bag of blue corn chips atop asymmetric tables. The only indicator that something is abnormal is the two chairs at the front of the room facing the bed. Indeed, this is no ordinary bedroom. It is the site where patients are given psilocybin — commonly known as… Read more.

Cannabis entrepreneurs partner with Bubba Kush creator to offer unique genetics

March 2, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

As former general manager of three Arena Football League teams, Reggie Harris knows the importance of going on offense. So, in 2021, when Harris and his team launched House of Kush, a Kansas City, Missouri-based company that sells cannabis-plant genetics via seedlings and licensing deals, he didn’t wait for clients to come find him. “Primarily, we’re going out seeking them,” Harris said. Today, House of Kush genetics are growing in six states – Arizona, California, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri and Oklahoma… Read more.

Are Psychedelics the Fountain of Youth? – New Study Links Anti-Aging Effects with Psychedelics

March 1, 2023 · Cannabis.net

Do psychedelics like mushrooms and LSD have anti-aging effects? Dr. Andrew Steele, a physics professor who has ventured into the field of biology, presents a fascinating perspective on longevity in his new book. He emphasizes that it's not cancer or heart disease but aging that is the root cause of the most significant suffering and deaths worldwide. Dr. Steele proposes that by finding pharmacological remedies that target the cells responsible for degrading tissue function, we could unlock the potential for… Read more.

2 Ways That Artificial Intelligence Could Reshape the Cannabis Industry

February 28, 2023 · Yahoo!News

Changes will likely start to happen sometime soon, and margins could rise as a result. With an ever-growing abundance of easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for business exploding onto the scene in late 2022, the AI revolution is in full swing, and it won't leave many sections of the economy untouched. But the cannabis industry isn't an obvious candidate for disruption by AI software tools. Most of the cultivation, manufacturing, and retail processes are based on lots of manual labor… Read more.

Dodgy science, poor access and high prices: The parallel medical world of medicinal marijuana in America

February 27, 2023 · Politico

BURTON, Mich. — Before Jayden Carter turned 9, police were called 126 times to his school, home and other locations to address his violent behavior. “I had ribs out of place, my forehead cut open, black eye,” recalled Amie Carter, his mother. The situation got so dire that Child Protective Services encouraged Amie to sign her rights to Jayden away, a step that would allow the state to put him in permanent treatment. That was when — out of… Read more.

Daily use of marijuana raises risk of heart disease, study finds

February 24, 2023 · CNN

Using marijuana every day can raise a person’s risk of coronary artery disease, or CAD, by a third compared with those who never partake, a new study found. “A growing body of evidence suggests that cannabis is not entirely without harm and may actually cause cardiovascular disease,” said lead study author Dr. Ishan Paranjpe, a resident physician at Stanford University. The study — which has not yet been published -— will be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the… Read more.

Yale digs into the science of cannabis

February 23, 2023 · Yale News

As many U.S. states adopt policies that legalize the commercialization of cannabis, Yale School of Medicine recently announced the creation of the new Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, which will investigate the acute and chronic effects of cannabis and cannabinoids on neurodevelopment and mental health. Its inaugural director will be Deepak Cyril D’Souza, the Albert E. Kent Professor of Psychiatry and an expert in the pharmacology of cannabinoids. The new center comes just as retail cannabis sales begins in… Read more.

John Oliver’s Makes The Case For Psychedelic Assisted Therapy On ‘Last Week Tonight’

February 21, 2023 · The Dales Report

John Oliver is back on “Last Week Tonight” and is once again taking a deep dive into a very intriguing topic: the potential benefits of psychedelic assisted therapy. The show, which aired on Sunday, delves into the history of psychedelics and its potential benefits for mental health. After classically making fun of himself, Oliver, a self-proclaimed drug connoisseur, goes on to look into the different uses of psychedelics, including spirituality, healing, and recreation, throughout the centuries. However, the show focuses on the use… Read more.

Study: Cannabis Has Positive Impact on Sexual Quality

February 21, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

A study published last month in the Journal of Cannabis Research suggests that cannabis use has a positive impact on sexual quality. In the study, an online survey of 811 people, more than 70% of respondents reported increased sexual desire and orgasm intensity with cannabis use and more than 40% of the women surveyed indicated an “increased ability to have more than one orgasm per sexual encounter.”  The majority of study participants identified as female (64.9%), white (78.9%), and college-educated (80.1%). Twenty-three… Read more.

A 36-year-old CEO saw how psychedelics treated his best friend’s mental illness. Now his Peter Thiel-funded firm wants to bring the drugs to the masses

December 5, 2022 · Fortune

Florian Brand knows that there aren’t many people with his profile in biopharma. “You would probably consider me an outlier,” says the 36-year-old chief executive of Germany’s up-and-coming Atai Life Sciences. He doesn’t have a Ph.D. or any scientific background. His previous gig was running an online cookware retailer. But he does possess a history of profound experiences with mental health—experiences that left such an impression that four years ago he dropped everything to cofound Atai, a biopharmaceutical company now backed… Read more.

The DEA Wants More Weed and Mushrooms Grown for Research – Is It a Trap for One-Sided Negative Research Papers?

October 26, 2022 · Cannabis.net

The DEA Wants to Double the Amount of Cannabis & Psychedelics Grown for Research This Doesn’t Seem Like Good News The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a notice earlier this month, announcing their intention of proposing a much larger increase in cannabis to be grown for research by next year. The notice specifically mentions they want to boost the production of psychedelics including psilocin, mescaline, and LSD, reports Marijuana Moment. The notice proposed the production of some 14,770 pounds of marijuana for 2023.… Read more.

Giving a Whole New Meaning to ‘Get Lite’ – Psychedelics Light Up the Neuropathways in the Brain According to a New Medical Study

October 26, 2022 · Cannabis.net

Brand New Study Shows How Psychedelics Light Up Neuropathways In The Brain - More Fascinating Insight Into How Psychedelics Work Psychedelics are all the rage right now. And for good reason: these trippy substances have so much more therapeutic value than we thought. Drugs that were once used for recreation have been proven to have physical and mental benefits, treating several ailments that even pharmaceutical drugs have failed to despite being around for several decades. Plus, psychedelics don’t have the same side effects… Read more.

Engineering Psychedelics: $22M Pool For Clinical Trials Of Compounds Targeting CNS Disorders

NYC and Cambridge-based Empyrean Neuroscience Inc. is a new genetic engineering company developing neuroactive compounds for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders launching with a $22 million Series A financing. The company’s CEO is long-time biotech executive Dr. Usman “Oz” Azam, joined by Dr. Fred Grossman as chief medical officer. Azam has previously worked on genetic engineering with Dr. Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania, while Grossman is a psychiatrist that holds expertise in CNS-targeted small molecules development. Both leadmen say the goal is to target the demand gap within… Read more.

Pennsylvania Launches $200,000 Grant Program To Support Hemp Marketing And Consumer Awareness

Pennsylvania officials announced on Monday that they will be providing up to $200,000 in matched funding for marketing projects to promote the state’s hemp market. The state Department of Agriculture said that non-profit organizations that take on marketing initiatives to increase hemp sales, exports or consumer awareness of the sector of the cannabis industry are eligible for the reimbursement funds. “Hemp has presented a unique opportunity to grow an industry from the ground up, supplying seemingly limitless sustainable construction materials,… Read more.

EPM301- An Acid in Cannabis That Is Much More Potent Than Cannabinoids Says Dr. Raphael Mechoulam

October 18, 2022 · Cannabis.net

The prominence of medicinal cannabis and its acceptance in recent times has been majorly built on the effects of cannabinoids. Along with terpenes and other phytochemical molecules, they give rise to a wide range of medicinal effects and recreational effects. However, a recent discovery by Professor Raphael Mechoulam who is known as the father of cannabis research might soon change the world of what we know about cannabis and cannabinoids. What is this discovery? How important is it to the previously established… Read more.

VJ Scientific Unveils New X-Ray Cannabis Decontamination Machine

X-ray technology company VJ Group announced on Wednesday that it has launched VJ Scientific, a new cannabis division that will provide product decontamination equipment to the regulated marijuana industry. The company also revealed the new enterprise’s initial product offering, which it characterized as “a revolutionary non-thermal, non-chemical cannabis decontamination machine.” Dubbed the CX-1000, the new cannabis decontamination solution will be debuted next month at MJBizCon in Las Vegas. Commercial cannabis cultivation carries the risk of contamination from an array of… Read more.

Cannabis Study Breaks ‘Lazy Stoner’ Stereotype

October 13, 2022 · Vice

New research shows that people who use weed are no more likely to be unmotivated compared to people who don’t. The lazy stoner stereotype has long been the go-to depiction of people who use cannabis in mainstream media and a pillar of anti-drug campaigns worldwide. But a new study suggests that the representation of people who use weed as lazy and unmotivated might be lazy in itself.  The study, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, University College London, and King’s College London, and published in the… Read more.

Researchers warn of mental health risks of high-potency cannabis

October 13, 2022 · Seattle Times

Researcher Beatriz Carlini clicks through a few local cannabis retailers’ websites before finding what she’s looking for. Her screen displays a yellow goo, similar in appearance to raw honey, or as the product’s marketing calls it, “Cake Batter.” The substance is a highly concentrated form of cannabis called a dab, which is produced by extracting the psychoactive compound THC from cannabis plants. It’s usually vaporized and inhaled using a device that looks similar to a bong, but often involves a… Read more.