Cannitrol – Cannabis Control Agent

Marijuana news from around the world

Ganja

My Online Drug Dealer offers only the highest quality

My Online Drug Dealer!; The source for the highest quality cannabis products in the world! they ship worldwide, and offer all the goodies you want! From top shelf indica, sativa or hybrid strain flowers, to a wide-range of edibles, concentrates, tinctures, topicals, and more!

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Cannalendar 2017 – 100% original: KIF in the RIF

http://www.tiffotos.com/semanaverde/

Cannalendar 2017 – 100% original: KIF in the RIF The only photo wall calendar about the Valley of Rif, in Morocco, the cradle of the best hashish in the world, the Red Bubble, in Morocco, an ocean of marijuana plants, where more than 500 towns grow marijuana peacefully to make hashish for all the world. […]

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Control your cannabis use, Cannitrol can be used to stop smoking pot, lower tolerance, pass drug tests and more

Control your cannabis use, Cannitrol can be used to stop smoking pot, lower tolerance, pass drug tests and more

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it’s official – the best bongs are at smokecartel.com

https://www.smokecartel.com/collections/glass-water-pipes-and-bongs

Each smoker needs no less than one glass bong. As pleasant as it would be to have a boundless spending plan for such things, a significant number of us don’t have that extravagance. Considering that, we found the best place to buy bongs. All things considered, there’s no law that says you need to spend […]

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the best deals at your local marijuana dispensaries

LEAFBUYER

Find the best deals at your local marijuana dispensaries brought to you by Leafbuyer. Check out the daily dispensary deals and save on weed!

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Cascadia Vape is an independent e-cig, vape and e-liquid online retailer

http://cascadiavape.net/

Cascadia Vape is an independent e-cig, vape and e-liquid online retailer. They are one of the first to market devices specifically towards smokers of both tobacco and cannabis from a harm reduction perspective.  

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For the Female Patients out there

pms

There are very few acronyms that effect our lives as much as the one that torments women monthly, PMS.  Premenstrual Syndrome is something that will effect most women at some point throughout their lives.  On a far lesser scale, men can also be impacted by PMS, especially if they are concerned with providing relief for their loved ones.  So how is it that this syndrome which can cause such discomfort and pain to so many people is still left to pharmaceutical treatments with such mixed results that many women often don’t know where to turn?  The problem is  for over a century doctors have turned a blind eye to the herbal remedy which has helped so many women.  For hundreds, if not thousands of years women have used the cannabis plant to help alleviate the symptoms of PMS.  It varies in symptoms and intensity from patient to patient, but often includes headaches (even migraines), cramping, bloating, pelvic pain, breast pain, sleep difficulty, irritability, anxiety, depression, and inability to concentrate.  Most men have difficulty understanding it, and just opt to keep their distance.  Perhaps giving herbal-infused chocolates as a gift would be a more helpful approach.

As doctors’ understanding of the female biology has increased, they have prescribed numerous pills to help ease women’s suffering.  For those who endure mood swings, irritability, depression or anxiety they have offered Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) as antidepressants.  These may include Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil or many others.  Unfortunately they do not always work and carry a long list of side effects that can be much worse than the PMS itself.  Also, these drugs take time to come to full strength in the body, so they must be taken over periods of time. So, patients must take a potentially dangerous drug for long term, even though it is only to treat symptoms that effect them for just a few days per month. For pain relief, doctors offer Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil and Midol.  These are better because women need only take them as symptoms occur.  But these also have a potential to cause harm, from intestinal bleeding or renal damage.  They may also interact with other drugs for other dangerous effects.  For those with trouble sleeping, physicians recommend Ambien, but that leaves users very groggy, and has instigated many scary sleep-walking stories.  Once again, modern science offers a glimmer of hope, but casts a long shadow uncertainty.

Luckily, for all the women there exists a natural-occurring remedy that can treat any or all of their symptoms with minimal side effects, none of which can be called dangerous.  Before marijuana prohibition went into effect, cannabis was a standard item in doctor’s tool bags, and often prescribed to females.  One doctor answered to the highest (pun not intended) woman in the world.  In the 19th century Sir Russell Reynolds was the Royal Physician for Queen Victoria of England.  As many women before her, she suffered from painful menstrual cramps.  So he dug into his black bag and offered tincture of the Indian Hemp plant for her relief.  He even included it in the first issue of The Lancet (a foremost medical journal) writing, “When pure and administered carefully, [cannabis] is one of the most valuable medicines we possess.” As many states have passed compassionate use laws, doctors are willing to again utilize this plant for treatment.

Dr. Breen, of Medical Cannabis of Southern California, sees many women everyday who come to him for help with their PMS suffering.  Many have tried pharmaceuticals for years without satisfactory treatment.  He prescribes cannabis because it is safe and effective.  He counsels his patients that while it may not be the right fit for every woman, it is worth trying out.  It can treat the headaches and pains, bloating and cramping.  It helps mellow out those mood swings, and can assist with sleeplessness.  It also can aid flagging libido (exactly opposite to the effects of SSRIs).  And finally, it is safe and has short term effects.  When it works for a patient, she can self-medicate as she sees fit.  For those who do not receive any benefit from it, or if they don’t agree with the “high” feelings associated with smoking, they can discontinue its use without any fears.

So, for all the female patients out there who are dealing with such discomfort, there is something out there that can help with the pain.  Next time you are sifting through ineffective pills at the pharmacy, remember the remedy that has been used for far longer and with greater success.

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Marijuana and MS, a true story

ms

This past week has been an exciting one for medical news on the marijuana front.  The Canadian Medical Association Journal published the results of a small study on the effects of marijuana for people who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis.  Overall, the study shows that there is some benefit for patients. However, there are several drawbacks to the study. Its small sample size, 30 patients, as well as the inability to fully “blind” the patients.  A blind study relies on patients not knowing if they are getting actual treatment or a placebo.  Because of the “high” gained from cannabis use, most patients correctly guessed when they were given the real thing.  Drawbacks aside, this is a very important study because it moves forward the idea that cannabis has legitimate medical use.  For the most part, evidence in favor of marijuana use has been strictly anecdotal.  While those stories can help sway public opinion, it does little to change the minds of the medical and political community. They want incontrovertible evidence, methodically gathered and rigorously tested. This is understandable, but it does nobody any good when these studies have difficulty obtaining funding and patients because Federal laws prohibiting its (schedule 1 substances have no medical value, and that is cannabis’ official classification) use and study are hard to overcome.  Despite this, the anecdotes abound, especially in our networked era. As the stories spread, people who suffer will hear them and try marijuana for themselves.  Hopefully it helps them and then they become one more reason to change a law and undertake another study.

Claire Hodges is one patient who has MS and opted to try marijuana, despite the legal and medical uncertainties.  Claire had no symptoms until her late 20’s.  At this point, stress from her job mounted and her symptoms started to manifest slowly and steadily.  This was in the early 1980’s and detection techniques were not as advanced as they are now.  So, Claire was unaware of her disease because of several misdiagnoses.  Having traveled through Bangladesh, doctors initially thought she suffered from a rare form of malaria.  But it took them over another year to isolate the disease. It was not until after she started showing classic brain tumor symptoms (and had a brain scan) that neurologists were able to diagnose her with Multiple Sclerosis.

There is no cure for MS, only treatments. Some of those are more effective than others, all with varying side effects. Claire’s doctors first steered her to steroid therapy ACTH, Acthar (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone) which stimulates the adrenal cortex gland to secrete cortisol, corticosterone and aldosterone.  She was suffering heavily at this point, unable to walk, and still believes that the effects of ACTH were far worse than the disease.  It caused acute acne breakouts, weight gain, and irrationality and paranoia (steroid psychosis).  She discontinued the ACTH regimen, and after having two children the disease progressed and her symptoms continued to grow worse. As the disease effected her more heavily she began suffering even more. She experienced muscle spasticity and pain, incontinence and other bladder issues followed, as well as vision degradation, poor balance, fatigue and more. As she succumbed to more troubles, doctors could only treat the symptoms by offering more prescriptions.  She tried Valium and Temazepam for sleeping and muscle pains. Also, as her body became susceptible to infection she was on numerous courses of antibiotics treatment.  She found the narcotics to be less than effective and their side effects only served to increase her gloom and depression.

Finally, after exhausting orthodox treatments, Claire looked in to other ways of medicating.  Other friends with MS recommended she try cannabis to help with her discomfort.  Initially she was uncomfortable with trying it out, so she asked her doctors.  None of them were able to give her any promises to its effectiveness, but did calm her fears and said moderate use would most likely not be dangerous.  That had to be better than all the dangerous pharmaceuticals she had tried before.  Using her network of friends, Claire was forced to illegally obtain marijuana and tried it out.  “The physical effects were almost immediate and extremely liberating.  I felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from me.  The tension and discomfort in my spine and bladder melted away.  I was comfortable with my body for the first time in years, and I slept soundly that night.  The next day I was happy, knowing that there was something that would help me with my MS.”  Since then, Claire has been medicating with cannabis regularly, and has been able to rely much less on pharmaceuticals.  She grew her own medicine for some time, but stopped because of the fear of being caught with it.  So she must continue to purchase her medication illegally unless she moves to a state with a compassionate use laws and proper dispensary system.

Claire’s testimony, and others like her, help to open the minds of otherwise skeptical people.  If it can help her, than it can help other people. These stories are what we need to change the minds of politicians.  They need to be convinced that there is strength in compassion, not found in zero tolerance laws.  Claire is a strong human being. In spite of her affliction, she has not given up on life; she fights to stay active and productive for herself and her family.  Her cause is the cause against superstition and old prejudices, the cause for progress.

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Marijuana and Sports News

sports

Sports are looking up.

In the past month the marijuana community has heard some great news from the world of sports.  And this news comes from around the world.  The National Basketball Association (USA) has decided to soften its approach to marijuana testing.  The Australian Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports (COMPPS) has also decided to take a new look at what constitutes “performance enhancing drugs” as opposed to simply “banned substances” and all of this is causing the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to also review its rules.  Furthermore, UFC fighter Nick Diaz’s recent drug suspension and legal rebuttals are forcing the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and the UFC to also address their stance on marijuana.  Also, Martin Mayhew, GM of the Detroit Lions, has also spoken of his views on marijuana usage by NFL players and draftees.  As these incidents move forward, the sports world is poised to make decisions that can and will have ripple effects outside of sports into the social and political fabric of the world.  Although nothing has been set in stone yet, the best part is that all these associations are taking the time to look at marijuana in a methodical and scientifically informed manner to reach a proper decision.  It appears that old prejudices and scare stories may be set aside with old arbitrary rulings.

The latest thunder from down under comes with quite a bang as the COMPPS has said that it believes marijuana should not be grouped with performance enhancers such as Human Growth Hormone and Anabolic steroids.  Under current WADA rules a substance is placed on the banned list if it meets the following criteria: “It’s proven to be performance enhancing, it goes against the spirit of the sport, or it’s dangerous to the health of athletes.”  Under those rules, anyone who tests positive for marijuana faces a two-year ban.  With COMPPS’ declaration it seems that things are going to relax a bit for Australian athletes.  Although, if any compete on an international level they are still subject to WADA rules.  However, WADA President John Fahey had this to say, “There are those who believe our current criteria needs to be amended and that will be given appropriate consideration through this review process…Specifically to cannabis, I can only say to those, particularly in the football codes who have expressed concern that we’re focusing on an area that really isn’t about cheating in sport, I urge them to put a request up to WADA, which will be given to our list committee, who will examine it…I won’t express a view I’ll simply say it will be thoroughly examined. There are some substances today that are banned in some sports, but not in others. That may well be an option they [the WADA banned-list committee] may wish to come to the board with in due course. But I won’t pre-empt that, I’ll let them decide without any influence from me.”  The sports world will have to wait a while for any final determination, as WADA’s new drug codes will not be released until November 2013.

American sports commissions are also moving in a positive direction.  When the NBA restructured its labor agreement they altered their drug testing policy.  As it now stands, players will only be tested for performance-enhancing drugs during the off-season.  Marijuana is no longer on that list.  Although illegal during the season, it means that players who use marijuana for pain or anxiety will get to medicate without fear of suspensions once that final buzzer has sounded.  Inside the NFL it seems that cannabis is causing quite a stir.  The Detroit Lions have made headlines as several of this year’s draft picks have been arrested for marijuana-related charges.  The Lions are not the only team whose players have had troubles in the recent past (The New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals also made the news for their players). But it seems that the league is thinking less of this controversy as its toxicity has waned to the public eye.  The Lions’ GM Martin Mayhew recently spoke out about players’ off-field actions and concerns.  Although contracts will still have morality clauses, and players should think before breaking the law, it appears that league penalties may reduce in severity and clubs will have more flexibility in handling these affairs.

From the Ultimate Fighting Championship comes news concerning contender Nick Diaz.  After fighting at UFC 143 in February he tested positive for marijuana metabolites, the residual compounds indicative of marijuana use.  Nick has tested positive once before and this may lead to sterner reprimands for the second charge.  Nick is a California native and holds a medical marijuana card from the state.  However, the fight and test were conducted in Nevada, and under NSAC rules he is immediately suspended for 45 days pending a hearing.  At this time, the 45 day limit has expired and Nick is suing for violation of his due process rights, concerning his rights to make a living.  NSAC executive director Keith Kizer spoke about the suspension and an in-court statement that failing his drug test posed a “threat to public safety.” Kizer took the stance that marijuana is not on the NSAC approved substance list and therefore Nick is in violation.  His statement did seem to leave an opening for a debate on whether or not marijuana should continue to be on the banned substance list.  Diaz has stated that he medicates in order to control his ADHD which would impair his ability to focus on training, as well as for pain management.  And furthermore, he does not medicate in the week prior to his fights to keep his head clear and reflexes sharp.  This certainly seems unjust considering that professional ballplayers can get a shot of cortisone and take a few pain killers so they can pitch in an ALCS game, and not to be able to recall the game later.

The case for marijuana has never been stronger.  It’s presence abounds in state’s politics, as it jockeys for position in the national spotlight.  The horrors of the failed Drug War in Mexico make headlines every week.  And now it is taking over the spotlight in global sports.  Many have called for national talks concerning its legality. But Marijuana.net believes now is the right time for a worldwide reckoning concerning the future of humanity and the cannabis plant.  It offers so much to help mankind, and asks for so little in return; it only needs a plot of land, steady sunshine, and some water.  Hey ref, put down the red card.

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The India Hemp Drugs Commission

India hemp drugs commission

By the late 1800’s, the British Empire though no longer ruling the New World, was still firmly entrenched to the East and still held sway over the Middle East and India.  The major reason for this was, of course, trade.  The Indian subcontinent, highly populated, was both a source and a consumer of massive amounts of British resources and products.  In order to exact as much revenue as possible from their colonial subjects, the British taxed many products.  This included alcohol and other intoxicants.  In 1790, the British crown started collecting those duties, expanding to Cannabis products in 1793, “No person shall manufacture or vend any such drugs (bhang, ganja, charas, and other intoxicating drugs) without a license from the collector of the zillah.”  For many years the cannabis plant and its products were legally bought and sold throughout the Empire. As time marched on, various laws were passed limiting the scope of their sales.  This stemmed from the unknown nature and effects of the plant.  Even today scientists, doctors, and politicians seem baffled by everything that is known, and unknown about cannabis.

It was with little surprise in 1893 that the British House of Commons raised a formal inquisition into the truth of this plant and the preparations made from it.  At this time, the British undertook perhaps the most exhaustive and scientific research of the cannabis plant of all time.  Nixon’s Shafer Report of 1972, and even modern studies may come close, in scope, to the size of this undertaking.  Over the course of nine months, many members of the medical and scientific community, stationed initially in Bengal but eventually encompassing all of India, looked into all cases of marijuana-induced disease, of mental, physical and moral concerns.  This was a thorough investigation, involving testimony from civil and military sources, as well as merchants, commoners and professionals.  Almost 1200 individuals were interviewed, their testimonies closely scrutinized and questioned in an effort to sort truth from opinion and superstition, so that the India Hemp Drugs Commission might gain an actual understanding of the benefits and threats posed by the hemp plant.  The main thrust of the inquiries were designed to ferret out the consequences of the drug in terms of “adverse physical consequences, insanity, and the causation of crime.”

The British were particularly worried about the physical effects of cannabis preparations on their soldiers (Napoleon even outlawed hash amongst his own soldiers in Egypt). It was a very easy habit to get started on, especially with so many troops stationed throughout India.  In India there were several popular ways to imbibe marijuana.  It was often smoked out of a pipe or cigarette, or as charas (sticks or balls of hash).  Also it could be prepared as a drink, called bhang, which was mixed with milk and other herbs and spices, occasionally with poppy as well.  Also, it could be smoked with herbs of the Datura plant to induce strong hallucinations.  This was mentioned several times in the report, with doctors commenting that it should be given separate investigation because its effects were far less beneficent in that preparation.

The inquiries were thorough in nature.  Doctors sought to compare the effects of single use with that of moderate, consistent and heavy users.  They were concerned with its effects on digestion, causation of dysentery, asthma, bronchitis and insanity.  One thing became clear as the investigation continued; there was no consensus on the benefits or detriments of the plant.  Some doctors touted its medicinal properties, while others decried it as a poisoner of mind and body. Some things don’t change.  In the year 1894, 2344 patients were admitted to insane asylums.  Of those, 222 were alleged to be caused by hemp. Carefully whittling down those numbers to 61 cases it was still unclear, “even in regard to the remaining 61 cases, it must be borne in mind that it is impossible to say that the use of hemp drugs was in all the sole cause of insanity, or indeed any part of the cause. The following considerations combine to demand caution and reserve in pronouncing an opinion on this point.”  Statistically, less than 2% of the purported cases of insanity could be blamed on hemp, and even that two percent were suspect. The report’s conclusion, “The careful inquiry which has been made by the commission into all the alleged hemp drug cases admitted in one year into asylums in British India demonstrates conclusively that the usual mode of differentiating between hemp drug insanity and ordinary mania was in the highest degree uncertain, and therefore fallacious. Even after the inquiry which has been conducted, it cannot be denied that in some of the cases at least the connection between hemp drugs and insanity has not been conclusively established.”

Even in the field of physical effects the results were uncertain.  No doctor could claim without a doubt that dysentery was caused by the herb, because there were so many other factors that attributed to the afflictions of people in India.  Today, we know marijuana does not have that effect on the digestive system. We also know that unclean water sources are the major cause of most dysentery cases.  In the case of asthma, most doctors were against the notion that cannabis was a cause. Although many agreed that smoking preparations could lead to asthma inflammation as well as other bronchial troubles. That is still a valid concern on the part of physicians today, and a logical point of debate in the field of medical marijuana.  Doctors of the time relied heavily on cannabis preparations for medical benefits; even Queen Victoria was known to medicate with cannabis for relief from cramping and other menstrual discomforts.

In two of the three fields of the investigation, marijuana turned out to be beneficial, or at the least non-malignant.  The final inquiries turned toward the effects of cannabis on the moral health of an individual.  Is this plant responsible for turning otherwise healthy members of society into criminals?  The report’s conclusion, “In respect to this relation to society, however, even the excessive consumer of hemp drugs is ordinarily inoffensive. His excesses may indeed bring him to degraded poverty which may lead him to dishonest practices; and occasionally, but apparently very rarely indeed, excessive indulgence in hemp drugs may lead to violent crime. But for all practical purposes it may be laid down that there is little or no connection between the use of hemp drugs and crime.”

Overall, many of the report’s authors were somewhat dissatisfied, not with the positive results (in our eyes) but with the lack of concreteness to the results.  “Viewing the subject generally, it may be added that the moderate use of these drugs is the rule, and that the excessive use is comparatively exceptional. The moderate use practically produces no ill effects. In all but the most exceptional cases, the injury from habitual moderate use is not appreciable. The excessive use may certainly be accepted as very injurious, though it must be admitted that in many excessive consumers the injury is not clearly marked. The injury done by the excessive use is, however, confined almost exclusively to the consumer himself; the effect on society is rarely appreciable. It has been the most striking feature in this inquiry to find how little the effects of hemp drugs have obtruded themselves on observation. The large number of witnesses of all classes who professed never to have seen these effects, the vague statements made by many who professed to have observed them, the very few witnesses who could so recall a case as to give any definite account of it, and the manner in which a large proportion of these cases broke down on the first attempt to examine them, are facts which combine to show most clearly how little injury society has hitherto sustained from hemp drugs.”  After a sustained effort, it was shown that most of the negative stories that pertained to cannabis use were the result of opinion, superstition and exaggeration.  Anecdotal evidence rarely held up to scrutiny.

A more thorough scientific inquiry into the nature and effects of cannabis would have been a logical next step, but the science of the time was greatly lacking.  Even with modern resources, doctors and scientists still are woefully ignorant of the scope of this plant.  It would be beneficial to the medical marijuana cause if the results of this study were more widely known by today’s critics.  This report has been buried, mostly by time.  As opposed the Nixon-Shafer report of the 1970’s, which was deliberately hidden away because its results were exactly opposite to the political ends of its commissioners.  It is most interesting that these studies are undertaken and then forgotten. As Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Here stands the world, more than 100 years after this commission’s report and still without any clear answers to the questions they asked.

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