Health & Medicine
U.S. Senators Press Federal Agencies on Medical Marijuana Research
A group of eight U.S. senators, led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, is demanding answers from key federal agencies about why the government hasn’t yet enacted policies to better facilitate scientific research into the medical benefits of marijuana. “There are currently numerous federal and state regulatory barriers to researching marijuana,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter on Monday. “This regulatory […]
Largest Study to Date Finds CBD Cannabinoid Helpful For Children with Epilepsy
Providing some much-needed hope for parents of kids suffering from severe forms of epilepsy, a new study provides further evidence that marijuana’s non-psychoactive cannabinoid, Cannabidiol (a.k.a. CBD), offers a safe and effective form of anti-epileptic therapy. As parents and guardians of epileptic children have been scrambling to obtain those few strains known to be high […]
Florida Sprouts 5 Medical Marijuana Cultivation Sites
Medical marijuana is beginning to take root in Central Florida –– and it’s about time.
After nearly a year of compromise and much legal wrangling in the Sunshine State, the Department of Health has finally designated the five nurseries allowed to produce and dispense a non-psychoactive form of medical marijuana. The long-overdue decision has finally pushed Florida’s reluctant politicians into implementing the 2014 voter approved legislation. Allowing for the cultivation, extraction, and distribution of low THC marijuana concentrates that are high in cannabidiol, or CBD.
Florida’s 2014 medical marijuana law initially passed as a means of helping patients suffering with epilepsy and life-threatening cases of advanced cancer. To qualify for the high-CBD marijuana recommendation, patients should apply to the Compassionate Use Registry once evaluated and diagnosed by a board-certified doctor.
Florida’s 5 New Medical Marijuana Cultivators
- Costa Nursery Farms – Southeast Region.
- Alpha Foliage – Southwest Region.
- Knox Nursery – Central Region.
- Hackney Nursery – Northwest Region.
- Chestnut Hill Tree Farm – Northeast Region.
Florida’s sick and suffering were theoretically to already have access to the high-CBD strains beginning Jan. 1, when physicians that participated in special training were anticipated to start ordering their low-THC marijuana. Unfortunately, that timeline was pushed back due to complicated lawsuits and a judge’s assessment that rejected the Department of Health’s first attempt at fulfilling the will of the people… and the law.
Moving forward, new medical marijuana legislation is slowly making its way through the political process. Provided Florida’s House and Senate wake up and smell the cannabinoids, the passage of Florida’s newest legislation would expand the patient base by allowing for more medical conditions to be covered under the “right to try” state law.
New Jersey School Becomes First In U.S. To Allow Medical Marijuana For Students
Thanks to the recent enactment of New Jersey Assembly Bill 4587, an elementary school that caters to children with disabilities has become the first in the country to permit disabled students to legally consume medical marijuana to alleviate their symptoms.
Per New Jersey Assembly Bill 4587:
“1. (New section) a. A board of education or chief school administrator of a nonpublic school shall develop a policy authorizing parents, guardians, and primary caregivers to administer medical marijuana to a student while the student is on school grounds, aboard a school bus, or attending a school-sponsored event.”
Larc School, which specializes in educating schoolchildren “suffering a wide range of disabilities,” agreed to new guidelines for its students to use medical marijuana on Wednesday night. This historic decision came only a few short days after New Jersey’s Gov. signed A4587. With Chris Christie signature at the bottom of A4587, private schools and their instructors in the Garden State are now protected from any legal ramifications should a sick or disabled student consume medical marijuana during school hours.
Read more at NJ.com
(Photo Courtesy of Larc School)
Liver Cancer and Cannabis: Study Finds Cannabinoids Have Anti-Tumoral Effect on HCC
A new report published on PubMed.gov demonstrates that cannabinoids from the marijuana plant could provide a new choice of treatment for those suffering from one of today’s deadlier forms of liver cancer.
HCC – also known as Hepatocellular Carcinoma – is one of the most common forms of liver cancer affecting men over the age of 50. Long considered to be one of the more lethal cancer-related illnesses, HCC accounts for roughly 75% of all liver cancers.
HCC, unlike metastatic liver cancer, starts and remains in the liver, and is caused by scarring within this vital organ. While there may be many root sources of this deadly scarring within the liver (a.k.a. cirrhosis of the liver), the primary players are; alcohol abuse, autoimmune diseases of the liver, and the hepatitis B or C virus.
Currently only a few viable treatment options are offered by Western medicine, but according to an October 23rd report published by The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, cannabinoids may soon provide a treatment option for this insidious disease.
According to the study’s abstract, “The present study aimed to investigate the effects of cannabinoids as novel therapeutic targets in HCC.” By utilizing synthetic cannabinoids on the damaged cell lines, the scientists discovered that even man-made cannabinoids inhibited the growth of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, leading to a healthier liver and cell cycle arrest.
Leaving the report to conclude: “These results suggested that cannabinoid receptor agonists, including WIN, may be considered as novel therapeutics for the treatment of HCC.”
The below video is Michael Cutlers’ story on beating liver cancer with cannabis oil.
Science: 2015’s 5 Most Significant Cannabinoid Studies
With just over two months to go before we ring in 2016, this has been another stealer year for cannabinoid research. One in which countless studies have provided new and compelling evidence that marijuana’s cannabinoids offer an incredibly wide spectrum of safe, non-addictive, and effectual remedies for many of today’s more perplexing health issues.
While there have been several cannabinoid related studies performed in 2015, below are my top 5 choices for the most compelling studies/news stories published so far this year.
Research Shows THC Could Inhibit Organ Rejection in Transplant Patients:
In this September 2015 study performed by scientists at the University of South Carolina, researchers were more than pleasantly surprised when they discovered that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) worked wonders for inhibiting organ rejection in transplant patients. Potentially planting the seed of a whole new anti-rejection therapy for patients who have recently undergone organ transplants.
Research Shows Aggression Reduced by Cannabinoids:
This important nugget of research demonstrates, I think, why most young males are drawn towards smoking weed as a means of coping with an onslaught of rage inducing news on a daily basis. Or, as PubMed.gov dubbed it in their July 2015 report – “the role of CB2 receptors in social and aggressive behavior.”
Research Shows CBD Cannabinoid May Prevent Broken Bones:
In this July 22, 2015 study, the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research reported that marijuana’s CBD cannabinoid had yet another miracle cure in it’s bag of tricks; helping broken bones heal faster and making them harder to break in the future.
Research Shows Marijuana Cannabinoids are Safe, and Help with Chronic Pain:
While not summarized exactly the same way, an October 2nd study from the Great White North suggested that 2 1/2 grams of cannabis a day was a perfectly sensible and safe way of managing chronic pain. According to the research published in the Journal of Pain, small daily doses of marijuana can be safely utilized as part of a pain management program; minus the fear of addiction, mood swings, or a diminished IQ.
The National Cancer Institute Updates FAQ Page: ‘Cannabinoids Kills Cancer’:
An August 2015 update from the National Cancer Institute to their ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page noted that “Cannabinoids Kill Cancer” by inhibiting tumor growth and restricting the necessary blood vessel development required for tumors to spread within the host.
As the 2015 harvest season begins for outdoor cultivators, who knows what kind of scientific miracles they’ll attribute to marijuana’s myriad of beneficial cannabinoids by the end of the year?
Fingers crossed…