SweetSue's Class Notes

[SweetSue]

Finding Your Ideal Dose Green Flower Media Fundamentals of Cannabis course

What is cannabis dosing, and why is it so important? (Dr. Michelle Ross PhD)

The right dose is

• least amount of cannabis
  • save money
  • limit uncomfortable side effects
• too much cannabis and you may feel unintended effects
  • sleepy
  • uncharacteristically hungry and overeat
  • nauseous (from extreme high doses)
  • dizzy
  • anxious
• you want the minimum effective dose (MED)
  • that gets you the relief or effect you were looking for
• finding your MED will be a worthwhile journey
  • find the chemovar, the delivery method and the dose that works for you and life opens up for you

What happens with the right dose vs the wrong dose? (Dr. Michelle Ross PhD)

• Wrong dose
  • Overdoing it may cause effects like
    • sleepiness
    • nausea
    • anxiety
    • paranoia
• Right dose is the least amount of cannabis to get you your desired effect
  • with pain relief you want the dose that melts away pain without making you
    • dizzy,
    • unfocused
    • any other unintended effects
  • this can be tricky as a new patient, but very doable

Finding your ideal dose (Jessica Peters of Moxie Meds)

• slow, steady, consistent dosing
• with new patients you start very low and wait to see what effect that dose and delivery system offers you
• edibles take a longer wait, since they have to be digested and metabolized
  • some patients are intimidated by the potency of edibles
  • a good starting method is to try a dose one evening and evaluate
  • next evening adjust the dose, if the original dose didn't offer your relief
  • edibles can take over 90 minutes to feel effects
• tinctures you'll typically feel within 15 - 20 minutes
  • if need be take another dose after that wait time
• smokers or vaping consumers can take one puff and wait to see what happens before taking another
• wait time is all about
  • delivery method
  • medicine formulation used
• MED can change day-to-day depending on (among other variables)
  • stress of the day
  • what else you consumed
  • your level of discomfort or pain
• You want to dial the dose in for your
  • specific condition
  • specific symptoms

What's the entourage effect, and how does that influence dosing? (Dr. Michelle Ross PhD)

• the understanding that the components in cannabis work better together than as separate entities
  • you can't determine the cannabis product's efficacy by looking at a single component
    • a 5mg dose of THC with CBD and CBG included will be more effective than one with only THC
    • add some terpenes and flavonoids and you improve it even more and get different effects
• myrcene helps THC cross the BBB, intensifying the THC effects
• CBD inhibits breakdown of THC
  • extending the therapeutic window
  • decreasing THC's intensity
  • turns THC into an extended relief medicine
• combining THC and CBD can offer pain relief in one or two doses instead of multiple doses across the day of THC alone

Understanding entourage effect helps you dial in the chemovars that work best for you

• then you can focus on those that goes of products
• look for products that have terpene lab results listed on the labels
  • the more you know the easier it is to recognize your go-tos for cannabis medicines

Are there dosing differences between young people, old people, sick people? (Dr. Michelle Ross PhD)

• no one-size-fits-all dosing protocols with cannabis
• variables that come into play:
  • age
  • weight
  • history with cannabis
  • health of patient
  • disease state requiring treatment
  • other medications patient is taking
  • patient goals
• children take much higher doses than adults do (theory is they don't have as many eCBRs)
  • young children have developing ECSs and brains
    • will react differently from all other patient populations
  • pediatric cancer patients take doses that would lay adults out without adverse effects
    • those high doses can counter chemo side effects
• senior patients take
  • theory is we lose eCBRs as we age (makes me wonder how much this has really been studied and if it might just be that a lifetime of stress compromises signaling efficiency?)
  • healthy seniors will tolerate smaller doses
  • senior brains have multitude of eCBRs and some with more serious disease can tolerate higher doses, including
    • Parkinson's patients
    • fibromyalgia patients
    • chronic pain patients
  • cannabis won't knock down level 10 pain to a 0
    • it will knock it down to something manageable (3 - 5)
      • to have this level of relief takes a significant amount of cannabis medicines
      • many patients may find these levels difficult to live with, using the wrong protocols
      • chronic pain patients on cannabis have tolerance levels that they can comfortably operate on doses above 100 mg
        • can even drive with safety
          • cannabis intoxication isn't like alcohol impairment
    • THC is most effective for mild to moderate pain
• there is no maximum level of THC in hats too much
  • it's all about
    • what the patient needs
    • what's appropriate
• the safety zone with cannabis is enormous
  • you can't overdose on cannabis
  • no addiction, toxicity, or mortality concerns with cannabis
  • you want what's appropriate for the patient, knowing the patient will be safe with cannabis

When to dose with THC, THC:CBD, or just CBD? (Dr. Michelle Ross PhD)

• THC only
  • what is the context?
  • what are the goals?
    • enhances creativity
      • puts you in that creative mindset and flow
    • generates intimacy with partner
      • enhances orgasm and sexual experience
    • enhances music appreciation (think concerts)
    • small doses of THC counter anxiety for some patients
      • 1.5 - 3mg doses of THC
• CBD only
  • stimulates the serotonin receptors to counter anxiety
    • 5 - 25 mg per day
  • CBD can be used to get away from addictive drugs
    • patients uncomfortable with trading one high for another
    • patients who can't test positive for THC
    • we know THC isn't a gateway drug to addiction
  • can be used effectively by some patients to control chronic pain
    • 5 - 25 mg doses per day
  • has wide range of dosing levels
    • at high end we find
      • seizure disorder patients
      • schizophrenics
    • can require 200 - 600 mg per day to control with CBD
  • does product have terpenes or other cannabinoids included?
    • if so, doses can be reduced and still have equivalent efficacy

• THC and CBD combined
  • the power couple works best together
    • CBD
      • counters THC's euphoria
      • extends THC's therapeutic window for pain, spasticity, etc.....
  • 1:1 THC:CBD is a good starting point for building a regimen
    • patients that respond positively to 1:1 ratio
      • autoimmune
      • chronic pain
      • inflammatory pain
    • if you're uncomfortable with the euphoria adjust that ratio to CBD dominance
      • either decrease THC or increase CBD
    • check your labels that you're reading the ratios correctly
      • 20:1 CBD:THC products are used for seizure
      • CBD-dominant products are for those not wanting to feel much euphoria
• Can't find the ratio you want?
  • combine two products to get the ratio you need
• find your optimal ratio and let it help you dial in the MED

Keep a cannabis journal

• track
  • How does this product make you feel?
  • What was significant about this product?
    • ratios
    • terpene profile
    • chosen dose
  • When did you take it?
  • How did you feel at dosing?
  • How did you feel after dosing?
• slight changes can make significant changes in effect
  • the better you track, the easier to dial in your optimal regimen

The real goal: Feel comfortable with whatever dose you're on.

 

[SweetSue]

Titrating & Micro-dosing for Minimal Side Effects: Green Flower Media Fundamentals of Cannabis course

(Drs Jessica and Rachel Knox)
Titration: the slow ramping up of a dose of medication to hit your exact therapeutic effect

• With cannabis
  • start with a low dose - 2.5 - 5 mg total cannabinoids
  • take note of the effects
  • next dose make incremental adjustments
    • keep adjustments small, possibly as small as 1 mg shifts
  • The Goal: keep from overshooting your minimal effective dose (MED)
    • slowly creep closer and closer to your target dose (your sweet spot)
    • you want optimal results with minimal, if any side-effects
    • you minimize complications by titrating slowly and thoughtfully
    • The ECS prefers a feather's touch over the sledgehammer approach.
  • when you feel the effect you want you're near the therapeutic window
    • get there slowly
    • once you're there, take it up another notch to see if it'll give you better relief
      • if it's too much you can drop back

Microdosing: using fractional doses across the day to achieve symptomatic relief

• Benefits include
  • better control
  • saves resources
  • eliminates many, if not all unintended side-effects
• They've noted a 3-hump process
  • Hump#1: High dose that offers symptomatic relief with side effects
  • Hump #2: Medium to Low dose that offers symptomatic relief with little or no side effects
  • Hump#3: Micro-dosing minute values throughout the day for symptomatic relief with great benefit and no side effects
• The doctors Knox have seizure patients that have achieved therapeutic relief with microdosing
  • not all patients fit the profile, but a small number have benefitted from micro-dosing
  • one thing noted was that linalool in the formula makes a difference
    • some CBDV might make more positive difference
  • they're using fractional doses with these patients, and getting good results for seizure control
    • patients are using micro-dose with linalool

(Dr. Michele Ross)
cannabis therapeutic window can be incredibly wide

• varies from patient to patient as well as cannabinoid to cannabinoid
  • some anxiety patients can microdosing 1.5 mg of THC multiple times across the day for control
  • cancer patients may be taking 500 mg of THC a day or more
• cannabis is the safest medicine for any treatment
  • no toxicity
  • no addictive concerns
  • no fatal doses possible
    • no eCBRs in the brain stem controlling respiration or heartbeat
  • if your protocol has high doses of THC its ok, you're safe with cannabis
  • with most therapeutic drugs one pill too many will be problematic
  • a cannabis THC overdose is totally different
    • dizziness
    • sleepiness
    • paranoid
• The risk of complications with cannabis is extremely low, and none will be toxic or deadly

Titration is finding that perfect dose for you

Start low Go slow Stay low
​

• Many edibles are packaged in the standard 10 mg dose of THC
  

  • that may be (probably will be) too high a dose for a new consumer to cannabis​
  • start around 2.5 mg THC​
  • see how you feel after taking it for a couple days, minimum
    

    • I usually suggest wait at least 4 days, preferably a week or longer to let the system adapt to the new level of cannabinoids.​
• Cannabis experience is very contextual
  • your experience at home will be different with the same dose outside the home
  • use in a new setting will change perceptions
  • what you ate last, how long ago you ate, who are you with and how do you feel about them, what activity are you engaged in...... the variables never stop presenting themselves
  • make sure you're paying attention to what that dose is doing for you in the context and intention of your use
    • if you're not getting relief it's safe to begin adding on incremental increases (titrate)
      • Dr. Ross suggests possibly bump up another 2.5 mg
      • check your responses and evaluate whether you'll need another increase or decrease
      • take it slow - once you find the sweet spot you'll be thankful you took the time
• Starting off too high is a recipe for failure
  • maybe add different cannabinoids to get to the sweet spot with less THC
    • terpene profiles can help in the same way
• Your perfect dose won't be the same as for someone with your same build, lifestyle, activity levels, and treatable condition
  • we are all individuals
  • our individual ECS will respond in our way, not like someone else's ECS

 

[SweetSue]

General Tips on Finding And Maintaining your Optimal Cannabis Dose

Tolerance Breaks & Resetting Your Cannabinoid Receptors Green Flower Media Fundamentals Of Cannabis course

(Drs Rachel and Jessica Knox: Canna MDs)

best way to handle tolerance build-up, should it occur

Sometimes we become desensitized to cannabis effects

• with some patients, over years of cannabis therapy, the therapy loses effectiveness
  • may be due to tolerance to using the same
    • dose
    • chemovar

If tolerance occurs you can reset the cannabinoid receptors to once again

• accept the medicine efficiently
• offer the desired results

Do a reset:

• Abstain from any cannabis use for 48 hours.
  • let the ECS relax and reset
• Day 3 begin with lower doses and titrate slowly to a minimal therapeutic effect
  • micro-doses
    • for ex., one puff, and wait to see if you feel anything
    • tincture or edible would be 1/10 the regular dose
  • keep titrating micro doses until you feel anything
    • STOP right there
  • take time to be present with yourself and listen to your body
• Take up to 3 days to get to minimum effective dose, your sweet spot
• From Day 6 on stick to that minimal effective dose.
  • you may/probably will find it takes less cannabis to get the same effect

Why do a reset?

• Your current cannabis dose isn't working the same way anymore.
• If you find yourself increasing the dose without appreciable benefit.

Those who take the time to reset the receptors find they can take a significantly lower dose.

• spending less money
• experiencing fewer side effects
• become more attuned to your body and its reaction to cannabis
  • promotes mindfulness when dosing
  • develop responsible habits of use
• cannabis is a personal experience
  • reset process builds more self-awareness

Any technique that helps bring you back into the habits and expression of health and wellness is a good thing.

Rachel suggests you try a reset before you switch chemovars or product

• especially if that chemovar was your favorite, your go-to

 

[SweetSue]

What to do if you Become Uncomfortable Green Flower Media Fundamentals Of Cannabis course

(Drs Jessica and Rachel Knox: Canna MDs)

It's pretty much impossible to OD on cannabis

• We lack the receptors in the brain stem that could
  • stop us from breathing
  • stop our heart from beating
  • compromise basic bodily functions that keep us alive
• brain stem has numerous opioid receptors
  • that's what's driving opioid crisis; pharmaceuticals overwhelming bodily systems
    • OD on opioids shuts down brain stem and you die

Side effects of cannabis are much more benign

• anxiousness
• paranoia

Unintended side effects of cannabis last only as long as it's in your system

• very much dependant on delivery method
  • worst case with edibles will be 8-12 hours
  • worst case when smoked is 3-5 hours
• they won't last
• they won't threaten your life

(Mara Gordon: Aunt Zelda's)

It's a bigger issue with women then with men

• new consumers and patients who are women have a lower tolerance for the side effects of cannabis

Her suggestion is to approach cannabis therapies by learning how understand

• how they're feeling
• what's going on with their bodies

Start very, very, very low

• You color your hair after you do a patch test - why jump into the deep end with this big therapy when you've never tried anything like it before?

There are no clinical trials offering dosing guidelines

• Every patient becomes a new exploration
  • pay attention to what works and what doesn't for you
  • try to track how you feel when you dose
    • until you're familiar, before and after

If you're feeling uncomfortable, ask yourself

• What is it I'm feeling?
• What is it about this experience that makes me feel this?
• What is it about this experience that I'm not ok with?
• What's going on around me?

use this opportunity to do whatever you need to do to feel better

• take a nap
• read a book
• watch YouTube videos that make you laugh
• take a shower

Personal growth benefits us at every age.

Common Mistakes With Dosing

(Dr. Michele Ross, PhD)

The most common mistake is taking too much

• edibles are the most common overindulgence pathway

Ask yourself, "What am I using?"

• In social settings the joint being passed doesn't often come with a label.
  • potency?
  • terpene profile?
• different ratios and profiles offer different consumer experiences
• It's acceptable to pass and abstain or use your own.

With edibles other components can greatly impact experience

• fats
• terpenes
• other cannabinoids

Start low with edibles and adjust levels as you determine how your body responds

• give it time
• small first dose, wait an hour or so, and see if more is necessary

Leveling the high

• vape, smoke or take a tincture dose of a high-CBD product
  • will temper THC's euphoria
  • will help you feel more grounded
  • may help the high wear off faster
  • She recommends new consumers keep some emergency CBD on hand while you start learning your tolerances.
• caffeine consumption will temper the high
• smelling products high in pinene will soften overwhelming euphoria
  • Interesting...pinene accelerates the high when smoked.
• new products are being marketed to this population of cannabis over-consumers
  • Undo (?) is a product that can be used to bring you right back to sober.
    • providing you haven't consumed alcohol
    • good backup for any cannabis consumer
      • Even experienced consumers sometimes overshoot the mark or run into a product that took you by surprise.

Cannabis dosing is all about you being in control of your experience.

• So you get the experience you wanted.

 

[SweetSue]

The Importance of Tracking your own Experiences: Green Flower Media Fundamentals Of Cannabis Course

(Dr. Michele Ross, PhD)

How often can you dose with cannabis?

cannabis dosing is personalized

you can overdose without fear of toxicity or death

• dose as little or as much as you need
• it often depends on the type of product used
  • pain patient
    • dosing with combustion may need hourly hits
    • with patch may only need one every day
    • may also supplement with CBD tincture and capsules

There's no dosing standard

• it's about how you feel when you're dosing
• when are effects wearing off?

Manage the condition by dosing before effects wear off

• if you know the tincture wears off about 3.5 hours in, dose every 3 hours

Your dose will be different than someone else's dose

• we metabolize cannabinoids in our body in individual ways
  • Different
    • diets
    • medical conditions
    • dosing schedules
    • history of cannabis experience

(Max)

With so many variables in conditions, settings, products, etc, etc, it can be confusing keeping it all straight

Keeping a cannabis journal will simplify that effort to find your MED

• Personalized for your specific goals, expectations, and conditions
• tracking and recording the experience with individual products helps you fine-tune
  • How did you feel at dosing?
  • What product used?
    • At what dose?
    • At what time?
  • Fed and hydrated?
  • Other meds?
• record the outcome too
  • How were your results?
  • Did you take too much? Too little?
  • Did something work particularly well?
  • Did something work in a way you weren't fully pleased with?

Tracking the experience with every cannabis product keeps you on top of finding the dose that works for you consistently.

• It'll help you avoid habits and practices that'll push you out of balance

 

[SweetSue]

Terpenes 101 Green Flower Media Cannabis Fundamentals course

Terpenes and terpenoids are

• aromatic molecules
• produced by thousands of plant species
  • in abundant quantity
  • including cannabis
• along with other compounds (like esters) they’re responsible for
  • aroma
  • flavors

Essential oils are mixes of

• terpenes
• terpenoids
• small fraction of other volatile compounds

Widely used industrially in

• cleaning products
• perfumes and fragrances
• flavorings
• natural pesticides
  • growing use

Demonstrate significant medicinal properties, and may have properties as/for

• antibacterial
• anti-inflammatory
• anti-anxiety
• sedative
• relaxant
• anti-cancer effects

combined with pharmacologically-active cannabinoids (like THC), synergistic effects may be

• intensified
• modified

over 120 identified terpenes and terpenoids isolated from cannabis

• many with their own medicinal power and potential
• many interact with cannabinoids to modify effects
  • myrcene + THC = “couch-lock”
  • limonene or linalool + THC = reduced anxiety levels

Primary terpenes and terpenoids identified in cannabis

• Limonene
  • specifically D-isomer
  • monoterpene
  • gives citrus fruit their smells
  • pure D-limonene has strong orange smell
    • widely used in
      • flavorings
      • perfumery
    • used in alternative medicine
      • reduce heartburn (gastric acid reflux)
  • thought to have properties of
    • anti-cancer
    • antioxidant
    • anti-anxiety
      • may help counteract anxiety effects of THC
  • little real research has been done on limonene/ECS/THC interactions
• Myrcene
  • monoterpene
  • most abundant terpene found in cannabis
    • up to 60% of oils of some strains
  • found in
    • bay leaves
    • wild thyme
    • hops
    • ylang-ylang
    • lemongrass
    • verbena
  • more correctly known as Beta-myrcene
    • a-myrcene isn’t found in nature
  • responsible for “green hop aroma” in dry-hopped beers
  • aroma
    • resinous
    • herbaceous
    • metallic
    • pungent in high concentrations (skunky)
  • rat tests have myrcene reducing
    • inflammation
    • pain
  • in mice studies found to
    • be sedating
    • have motor-relaxant effects
    • limonene and citral exhibited same tendencies
• Pinene
  • monoterpenes expressed in two isomers
    • Alpha-pinene
    • Beta-pinene
  • both occur in many cannabis strains
  • usually sourced from turpentine
    • also found in
      • pines
      • other conifers
      • sage
      • sagebrush
      • eucalyptus
  • A-pinene is most widespread in nature
    • found in
      • olive
      • rosemary
      • sassafras
      • bergamot
  • B-pinene also found in
    • hops
    • cumin
  • In small doses A-pinene acts as bronchodilator
    • also shows effects as
      • anti-inflammatory
      • antibacterial
      • anti-catabolic (prevents muscle wasting)
      • acts as acetylcholinesterase inhibitor
• Linalool
  • monoterpenoid (C10H18O)
  • found in hundreds of plant species, incl
    • mint
    • laurel
    • cinnamon
    • birch
    • some citrus
  • has two isomers
    • S-linalool
      • found in
        • coriander
        • palmarosa grass
        • sweet orange
      • has sweet, floral scent
    • R-linalool
      • found in
        • lavender
        • basil
        • bay laurel
      • has woody, astringent aroma
  • appears to have strong anti-anxiety properties
    • used for thousands of years as
      • calmative
      • analgesic
  • may have
    • antipsychotic properties
    • anticonvulsant properties
• Eucalyptol
  • monoterpenoid
  • abundant in nature
    • eucalyptus
    • tea tree
    • bay leaves
    • basil
    • sage
    • cannabis
  • Medical properties
    • antiseptic
    • antibacterial
    • anti-inflammatory
• G-Terpinene
  • monoterpene
  • found in
    • various citrus fruits
    • herbs
      • oregano
      • marjoram
  • medical properties
    • antioxidant
    • anti-inflammatory
    • anti-proliferative
• B-Caryophyllene
  • sesquiterpene
  • earthy, spicy aroma
  • found in
    • Thai basil
    • cloves
    • carnations
    • black pepper
  • medical properties
    • antiseptic
    • antifungal
    • anti-inflammatory
    • antibacterial
    • analgesic
    • anti-cancer
  • selectively activates CB2R
    • may be why it has so many of these medicinal effects
• Caryophyllene oxide
• Nerolidol
  • sesquiterpene
  • found in
    • neroli
    • ginger
    • jasmine
  • fresh, woody scent
  • ability to penetrate skin has garnered attention for topicals
  • inhibits Leishmania protozoa
• Phytol

Suffix “-ene” denotes terpene. Suffix “-ol” denotes a terpenoid

There are indications that some other plant species contain cannabinoids

Terpenes and terpenoids aren’t unique to cannabis

Interactions Between Terpenes and Cannabinoids

THC and Myrcene

• Steep Hill Labs showed that “couch-lock” can be attributed to cannabis strains having more than 0.5% myrcene content
• Steep Hill also showed that myrcene saturates CB1R
  • allows for greater maximum psychoactive effect
• myrcene may increase permeability of BBB
  • making it easier for cannabinoids to pass through
    • to exert effects on brain

B-Caryophyllene

• known to be direct agonist of CB2R
  • can be classed as cannabinoid
• reduces inflammation and pain on both
  • neuropathic (nerve) pain
  • inflammatory pain
• recently shown in studies on mice with MS to suppress
  • paralysis
  • neuroinflammation

Myrcene and MS

• same MS mouse study investigated activity of B-myrcene at CB2R
  • concluded myrcene helps regulate required balance of crucial immune cells
    • regulatory T cells
    • T-helper cells
  • also reduced rate of atonal demyelination in MS

A-Pinene, THC and Memory

• inhibits degradation of acetylcholine
  • may counter memory-impairment concerns of THC
    • THCreduces acetylcholine levels in hippocampus
• acetylcholine is important neurotransmitter for
  • memory formation
  • memory retention
• ability of a-pinene and its effects with THC and memory lack good research

Terpene Chemistry

make up largest class of naturally-occurring organic compounds

• at least 20,000 distinct molecules
• also known as
  • isoprenes
  • isoprenoids

hydrocarbons with a basic molecular structure

• always a multiple of a molecular “building block,” the isoprene
  • molecular structure is C5H8

terpenes are repeating isoprene units

terpenoids are also repeating isoprene units

• also have extra “functional groups” within their molecule

The Isoprene Rule

terpenes and terpenoids are grouped, organized according to how many isoprene units their molecules contain

• isoprene is a hemiterpene (half a terpene)
• two isoprene units hooked together are a monoterpene (the two halves make one)
  • molecular formula = (C5H8)2 or C10H16
• terpenes with three isoprene units are sesquiterpenes (1.5 units)
  • (C5H8)3 or C15H24
• with four linked units = diterpenes
  • (C5H8)4 or C20H32
• there are sesterterpenes (C25H40), triterpenes (C30H48) and so on
• the “-oids” follow the same patterns
• monoterpenes/monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenes/sesquiterpenoids are most abundant in nature

The Isoprene Rule = (C5H8)n

• n = number of linked isoprene units in the molecule

Isomers of Terpenes and Terpenoids

Isomers are variants of the molecules

• structural isomers
  • same molecular formula
  • atoms are bonded in different ways in 3-dimensions
• stereoisomers
  • same bonds
  • different arrangement (a stereo representation)
  • stereoisomer D-limonene often expressed in cannabis
  • R-limonene has turpentine aroma
    • found in mint family

Terpenes in the Cannabis Plant

Terpenes and terpenoids are structurally similar to cannabinoids

• Cannabinoids often referred to as “terpenophenolic” compounds
  • some literature lists cannabinoids as terpenoids
• terpenes, terpenoids and cannabinoids are produced in trichomes
  • using polypeptide pathway
    • produces compounds in three parallel chain reactions

Pathways and compounds produced

• plastidic MEP pathway produces monoterpenes
• cytoplasmic pathway produces sesquiterpenes and triterpenes
• phenylpropanoid pathway produces lignans and flavonoids

Pathways are parallel, but not independent

• cannabinoid production depends on intermediate “step”products of
  • monoterpene pathway
  • sesquiterpene/triterpene pathway

 

[SweetSue]

Understanding Terpenes with Seshata - Green Flower Media Cannabis Fundamentals course

What are terpenes?
Why do we need them to keep us healthy?
What are the essential terpenes and terpenoids in cannabis?

• What do they smell like?

What are cannabis “strains?”

• What are the terpenes that make them unique?

How do terpenes interact with cannabinoids to produce synergistic effects?
What are the various medical conditions terpenes are thought to help treat?

Main terpenes, their characteristics, and medical applications

Pinene

• comes in two forms
  • alpha-pinene
    • more common variant in cannabis
  • beta-pinene
    • can be highly concentrated in some cannabis strains
      • may be the dominant terpene by weight in essential oils
• both are monoterpenes
• piney, woody, fresh green aroma
• found in
  • rosemary
  • sage
  • hops
  • cumin
  • some citrus fruits
  • most coniferous trees
• found in almost every tested strain of cannabis, in one or both forms
• often the most abundant terpene in nature
• alpha-pinene is used as insect repellent
  • also used by insects like olive flies
    • used as major component of breeding pheromones
      • increases mating success
• Medical applications:
  • Alpha-pinene well studied for effects as
    • antibiotic
    • anti-inflammatory
    • gastroprotective
    • brochodilatory
    • memory-boosting
  • used to treat
    • respiratory ailments
    • eczema
    • arthritis
    • parasitic infections
  • Beta-pinene may have antidepressant effects
    • may be amplified when used with linalool
  • known for stimulating properties
  • may give certain Indica strains (misnamed as ‘sativas’) their uplifting properties
  • coupled with high-THC/low-CBD ratios may cause anxiety found in many Indica strains (misnamed ‘sativas’)
    • People with anxiety should avoid such strains.
    • very good for those needing energy (i.e. chronic fatigue syndrome)
  • Side effects:
    • alpha-pinene may cause anxiety
      • particularly when used with high THC

Myrcene

• monoterpene
• fresh, herbaceous, resinous, slightly metallic aroma
• found in
  • mango
  • ylang-ylang
  • wild thyme
  • bay laurel
  • abundant in hops
    • closest relative to cannabis family
    • makes up to 70% of some hop varieties
• comes in two forms
  • alpha- and beta-mycerne
  • alpha- isn’t naturally occurring
• makes up a high volume of terpenes represented in cannabis strains
• appears to alter the high of THC to produce “couch-lock” effect
  • myrcene intensifies THC’s effects
  • this is by people eat mango before a high-THC cannabis dose
    • drinking hoppy craft beer may have the same effect (or it could be the alcohol affecting you)
• Medicinal properties include
  • analgesia
  • anti-tumor
  • sedating
  • anti-inflammatory
• May
  • treat muscle spasm
  • improve symptoms of psychosis

Limonene

• monoterpene
• D-limonene is most important type
  • strong, orange to lemon aroma
  • found in most citrus fruits
• L-limonene has piney, woody fragrance
  • found in citronella and lemongrass
• Di-pentene is equal mixture of both other types
  • has a less strong aroma comparable to D-limonene
  • found in mace and fennel
• found in most citrus fruits
  • D-limonene in particular
• found in almost all tested cannabis plants in various combinations of all three types
• D-limonene is second most-represented terpene in nature
  • found in many cannabis strains
  • used industrially as
    • cleaning agent
      • some perfumes
  • well-known insect repellent
  • kills harmful microorganisms that can kill plants
• Medicinal properties include
  • antimicrobial
  • antifungal
  • anti-tumor
  • anti-inflammatory
  • dissolves cholesterol
  • used to treat gallstones
• Side effect
  • May cause skin irritation

Caryophyllene

• sesquiterpene
• spicy, woody aroma
• found in
  • black pepper
  • cloves
  • rosemary
  • hops
• present in all tested strains of cannabis
• caryophyllene oxide is what drug-sniffing dogs are sniffing for
• considered a cannabinoid
  • selectively agonizes the CB2 receptors
  • probably accounts for wide range of uses
  • may be why it combats
    • depression
    • anxiety
• may act synergistically with CBC to produce antifungal effects
• Medicinal properties include
  • anti-inflammatory
  • analgesic
  • neuroprotective
  • antidepressant
  • anti-anxiety
  • anti-tumor
• May treat
  • arthritis
  • gastrointestinal problems
  • atypical dermatitis

Linalool

• monoterpenoid
  • floral, spicy aroma
• found in
  • bay laurel
  • basil
  • mint
  • cinnamon
  • birch
• widely used in
  • perfumery
    • present in 80% of all fragrance products
  • cleaning industries
• Medicinal properties include
  • anti-anxiety
  • sedative
  • relaxant
  • anti-seizure
  • when combined with Beta-pinene, may have antidepressant effects
• may augment anti-seizure effects of CBD and certain other cannabinoids
• may work with pinene to counter depression

Borneol

• pungent, camphor-like aroma
• found in
  • galanga
  • wormwood
  • sagebrush
• insect-repellant
  • present in many lest-resistant species
• Medicinal properties include
  • antimicrobial
  • antioxidant
• May be used to treat
  • hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Side effects: may irritate
  • eyes
  • skin
  • respiratory system
  • may be harmful if swallowed (the terpene on its own, not the buds)

Eucalyptol

• monoterpenoid
• pleasant, camphor-like aroma
  • said to have spicy, cooling taste
• found in
  • eucalyptus (gum tree)
  • tea tree
  • wormwood
  • sweet basil
  • bay laurel
• highly insecticidal (insect repellent)
  • also attracts male orchid bees that collect compound to synthesize pheromones
• found in high levels in Indica chemovars (misnamed as sativas)
  • in lower concentrations in Afghanistan strains, misnamed as Indicas
• Medicinal properties include
  • anti-inflammatory
  • analgesic
  • anti-leukemia
  • inhibits cytokine production
  • has properties related to
    • mucus production
    • respiration
• Used to treat
  • asthma
  • mucosal hypersecretions
  • nonpurulent rhinosinusitis
• May work synergistically with THC to produce energetic effects of Indicas (misnamed sativas)
• Side effects may be toxic in high doses
  • caused respiratory and CNS defects in rodents when given high concentrations

When experimenting with terpenes it pays to be careful.​

Citral

• monoterpenoid
• comes in two types
  • Citral A (also calls Geranial)
    • strong lemon aroma
  • Citral B (also called Neral)
    • less strong, sweet lemon aroma
• found in
  • lemon balm
  • lemon verbena
  • lemongrass
  • many citrus fruits
• makes up to 80% of the essential oils of many plant species
• used extensively in perfumery
• causes pheromonal effects in many insects
• Medicinal properties include
  • anti-oxidant
  • possible anti-cancer effects
  • antimicrobial
• Side effects include causing allergic effects in a small population of people

Geranoil

• monoterpenoid
• floral, sweet, fruity aroma
• found in
  • rose
  • Palma Rosa (?)
  • citronella
  • geranium
  • lemon
• used to create floral scents and flavors in
  • perfumery
  • flavoring industry
• attracts honeybees
• repels mosquitos
• Medicinal properties include
  • antioxidant
  • possible anti-tumor
• Side effects include
  • severe eye irritation
  • moderate skin irritation

Guaiol

• sequiterpenoid
• floral, rose-like aroma
  • not too dissimilar from Geranoil
• found in higher levels in Afghanica strains (misnamed Indicas)
  • found in lower levels in Indicas (misnamed sativas)
• found in high levels in
  • Cypress pine
  • ?
• strongly insect-repellent
• Medicinal properties include
  • antimicrobial
  • anti-inflammatory
• Kills
  • dust mites
  • allergens

Cannabis may contain 200 or more different terpenes, including

• phellandrene
• phytol
• humulene
• pulegone
• bergamontene
• farnesene
• D3-carene
• elemene
• fenchol
• aromadendrene
• bisabolene

The many combinations of terpenes and other components of the essential oils of cannabis are responsible for the many and varied aromas and responses everyone has.

Terpenes are important as medicine because

• they’re effective at very low doses
• they’re highly bioavailable
  • readily absorbed by humans
    • through lungs (aromatherapy)
    • applied to skin(topicals)

Our penchant for “One-size-fits-all” pharmacology isn’t working out as well as the originators envisioned.

• unsafe drugs have killed tens of thousands of people worldwide

We have the ability to tailor medicine for the individual based on

• individual genetic makeup
• disease state being treated
• many other factors

Tailored medicines would be

• more effective
• safer

Cannabinoid therapies are an untapped planetary resource

• could be solution to increased public health and well-being

The true studies of cannabis and the interplay of cannabinoids and terpenes won’t be realized until madness is set aside and cannabis legitimized.

Chinese traditional medicine has been insightful into terpene uses as medicine.

Conditions terpenes can be used to treat

Limonene

• depression
• anxiety
• dissolves cholesterol
• gallstones

Thought to interact with

• THCA
• CBDA
• CBCA
• CBC
• CBG
• CBD
• THC
• Caryophyllene oxide
• linalool

Pinene

• respiratory ailments
• eczema
• arthritis
• parasitic infections

Widely used in herbal medicines

May interact with THC to cause high anxiety in susceptible populations

May counteract some of THC’s effects on reducing acetylcholine levels and the resultant short-term memory loss

Myrcene

Works with THC to reduce

• pain and psychoactive effects

works with THCA to reduce

• inflammation

works with CBG to treat

• cancer

with CBD and linalool

• reduce psychotic effects

with THC, CBD, and THCA to reduce

• muscle spasms

Caryophyllene

• gastrointestinal problems
• atypical dermatitis

Eucalyptol

• asthma
• mucosal hypersecreations
• rhinosinusitis
• leukemia

Borneol

• hypertension
• high blood pressure

Citral
relaxant
gastrointestinal complaints

Geraniol

• anti-cancer

Guaiol

• Kills
  • dust mites
  • allergens

 

[SweetSue]

Cannabis Botany - Green Flower Media Cannabis Fundamentals course

Notes from reading material, combined with notes from video Botany of Cannabis with Mel Frank
- on botany of cannabis flowers

None of the terms used to identify flower parts of cannabis are cut in stone

• many are interchangeable
• many are misnomers that persist

When we talk of "flowers" we're speaking almost exclusively about female flowers

• sinsemilla are females with no seeding
• buds are the flowers
  • in any stage
  • the clusters of individual flowers
• nugs are manicured, dried flower buds
  • manicured is trimming away the excess leaf material
    • isn't as potent in volume as flowers

Buds are the highest concentration of cannabinoids and terpenes compared to any other part of the cannabis plant.

• the botanical term is racemes (the flowers stack on top of each other; oldest flowers in the bud are at the bottom of the bud)
• buds make up the bulk of a cannabis harvest
• individual buds can hold 20-150 individual flowers
• accounting for the majority of essential oils full of valuable components
• THC can make up 20-30% of the weight of a dried flower
• buds form progressively closer as you reach the apical tip
• You won't be able to easily distinguish buds at the tip
  • or easily separate them

Colas are the aggregate mass of buds that pack into the apical tip

• outdoors or in greenhouses colas can grow to over 3' long
• indoor grows typically have 8-10" colas
  • due to diminishing of light from source

Cannabinoids are the active parts most growers are looking for. As a bonus cannabis comes with

• terpenes
• flavonoids
• esters
• etc.

THC and CBD are principal active ingredients for recreational and medicinal uses

Flowers are actually only 1/4 - 3/4" long

The canopy controls light distribution

• the canopy is the level tops of the plants
  • under the lights
    • in an indoor grow
• light intensity deteriorates dramatically as you move away from the bulbs
  • experienced growers learn to maximize surface area exposure with a canopy
• light movers and a good canopy can increase cola size indoors

Axels/nodes are simply any point where something branches off a stalk/branch or stem

• every crook has an axle/node
• every axle/node grows a bud
• spaces in between nodes are called "internodes"

Trichomes(resin glands) become more visible at flowering

• sugar leaves (bud leaves) are so called because of appearance
• mature flowers are coated with trichomes
• the essential oils in the capitate-stalked trichomes hold the majority of cannabinoids and terpenes that make cannabis a prized commodity

Flowers have 2 stigmas attached to an ovule

• stigmas are joined at their base, making a joint passage into the ovule (bifed style)
• when pollen lands on either stigma it can fertilize
• ovule sits protected in the protective wrapping of its bract (often misnamed as the calyx)
• ovule will grow into seed if pollinated through the stigma
• the bracts are modified leaves that encase the ovule
• depending on genetics, stigmas can be
  • white
  • yellow
  • red
  • pink
  • purple

Stigmas have no resin glands

• their purpose is to catch pollen
• When not pollinated stigmas begin to die back
  • after four weeks or so

Every flower has one pistil

• pistil is all of the reproductive parts of a female cannabis flower
• composed of two stigmas
  • attached to an ovule
• the ovule will become a seed
  • if fertilization is successful
• stigmas are often mislabeled as pistils

When the seed is mature the bract will split

• seeds carry distinctive markings impressed in the shell tissues

The Perianth

• on other flowers, the caronna is the petals, the calyx the base those petals attach to
• in cannabis the cells of the calyx and caronna are combined in the perianth
  • because cannabis is wind pollinated
    • no evolutionary pressure for attracting pollinators with petals and pretty things.
• perianth, a thin papery layer of green tissue veil
  • typically covers 60-90% of developing seed (like an acorn cup)
• the markings you see on the perianth transfer to the seed surface
  • the markings may be carolla cells
• the perianth, carolla, and calyx cells have no trichomes
• perianth is only about 6 cells thick
• when dried the perianth rubs right off

There's speculation that the Corolla cells mark the seed surfaces to camouflage them from grazers while they're on the ground

Many growers let plants go until all stigma are rusted and beginning to fall off
Is this as true now as it was when this video was made?

Cannabis Botany 101

Roots - the absorbing underground source of nutrient and water uptake

• seed-grown will have strong tap root
• clones don't have big taproots
• healthy roots are
  • clean
  • white
  • well-branched
  • with plenty of fine root hairs
    • fine root hairs dramatically increase surface area for uptake

Stem - growing from roots, branching off to other structures

• the main passage for
  • food
  • water
• healthy stems are strong and straight
  • to support the coming flowers
• spindly stems suggest problems with
  • light source
  • distance from light
• woody stems suggest need for
  • better water control (too much drought going on)
  • nutrient deficiency
• nutrient deficiencies that often contribute to woody stems are
  • nitrogen
  • phosphorus
  • boron
  • sulphur

Stalks - secondary or tertiary branchings

• secondary are directly from stem
  • tertiary from secondary
• crucial transportation channels to
  • leaves
  • shoots
  • flowers
• seed-grown start off branching opposite and eventually go to alternating placement at different heights
• a better structure for wind pollination

Nodes - points where branchings occur

• buds grow in the nodes

Internodes are the spaces between nodes

• shoot for good node spacing to maximize harvest potentials

Leaves

• serrated (saw-toothed)
• pubescent (hairy surface)
• compound palmate
• leaflets are known as "digitate" structure
• classified as
  • linear (long, thin)
  • or lanceolate (somewhat wider in the middle, like a spear)
• between one and eleven leaflets per leaf
• leaflets increase in number with
  • age
  • and health of plant
• first true leaves follow cotyledons and have only one leaflet
• second and third leaves have three leaflets
• generally, sativa chemovars express more leaflets at maturity than indicas

Trichomes, the resin glands

• some are unicellular
• the entire plant has a covering of trichomes
  • most only one cell high
• hundreds of components are combined into the plant's essential oils
• trichomes can be
  • glandular
  • or non-glandular

Unicellular & Cystolithic Trichomes

• No resin glands
• no cannabinoids (that we know of)
• act to regulate plant temperature and transpiration
• deter grazers
• unicellular look like small hairs
  • only 50 microns long
• appear early on plant
  • on cotyledons
• commonly found on underside of leaves

Cystolithic contains a "cystolith"

• cystolith is a tiny mass of calcium carbonate
• around 150-220 microns in length
• sometimes appear on early leaves
• typically expressed on tops of leaves
• these may be the cause of allergic reactions with workers who are in close contact with large grows

Glandular trichomes

• all three types have resin glands at their tips
• even slightest pressure ruptures the glands
  • releasing the valuable oils

However, when the small trichomes sitting next to the taller ones rupture it signals the capped ones to produce more oils, increasing the harvest oil yields.

Bulbous trichomes

• tiny in size
  • only 1-4 cells
• very short stalk
• glandular head only 10-20 microns across
• appear prior to flowering
• appear on
  • stems
  • stalks
  • leaves
  • flowers

it's not clear whether their resin contains any trichomes or terpenes of value

Capitate-Sessile Trichomes

• glandular heads are 20-40 microns across
• heads are 4-8 cells
• no stalk
• have one cell (a stalk cell) connecting gland to plant epidermis
• produce oils with
  • cannabinoids
  • terpenoids
• found on
  • stems
  • stalks
  • leaves
  • flowers

Capitate-Stalked Trichomes

• the mother lode of oils
• resembles a mushroom on a stalk
• stalks can measure 40 microns across
• caps measure up to 135 microns across
• visible to the naked eye
• found throughout the plant
  • but most concentrated in the flowers at the apex
• begin forming just before flowering
• increase in size and length through maturity

Determining sex

• cannabis is dioecious species (usually produces male and female flowers on separate plants)

Males

• males flower first to be ready for the females
• grow taller to broadcast pollen further
• male preflowers look like tiny green balls/bags on a stem
• loose panicles (complex racemes) with multiple flowers
• male preflowers grow slightly off center of the axles
• each flower comprised of a set of 5 stamens (each comprised of an antler - pollen sac - hanging from a thin filiment)

Raceme - type of inflorescence containing multiple flowers clustered together

Complex raceme (panicle) is multiple racemes branching off a main axis

Females

• complex racemes, more compacted than with males
• reproductive parts (pistil) are 2 stigmas attached to ovule
• pistil is enclosed in perianth and bract
• trichome- laden bracts account for majority of the weight of flowers
• bracts are almost always misidentified as calyxes

Hermaphrodites

• under extreme conditions cannabis will self-pollinate
• you can force a female to produce pollen for feminized seeds
• feminized seed stock must be stabilized or the plant may hermie
• tropical or equatorial strains are more inclined to hermie than others
• a common stressor that causes hermies is disruption of night schedule
• another common cause is heat stress
• nutrient mismanagement can also hermie a plant
  • causing an imbalance of flowering hormones

The typical goal is a garden of females only

• pollinated females can have THC reduced by up to 75% per unit area (Potter 2004)

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology can determine sex at earliest stages

• as early as second set of leaves (~ 7 days)
• allows to test for y-chromosome
• only males have the y-chromosome

Sexual vs Asexual Reproduction

• plants can reproduce either way

Sexual reproduction

• a cell is donated from two parents
• pollen lands on stigma
  • roots itself
• if fertilization is successful the plant produces a seed
• advantage of sexual is diversity
• cannabis can be pollinated from multiple donors
  • increasing diversity potential

Feminized seed production

• under stress a female will hermie
  • produce pollen sacs
  • to reproduce on her own
• resulting seeds will lack the y-chromosome
• it's not know what long-term damage, if any, is done to the genetic line
• in the wild nature adjusts as conditions change
  • introduce males and females stop becoming self-pollinators

Asexual reproduction

• cannabis produces shoots that can be rooted
  • create a genetic match to the mother plant
• few plant species choose this as their only method of reproduction
  • too little diversity
• in commercial cannabis production genetic uniformity is an important feature
• in medical production you want a uniform crop
  • dependable yield of particular
    • trichomes
    • cannabinoids - Enter The Clones

Clones

• shoots are cut from plant during vegetative stage
  • through early flowering
  • with sterile tools
• cuttings are stripped of
  • non-essential leaves
  • secondary shoots
• prepared cuttings are treated with rooting hormones
  • planted in a medium conducive to rooting
• keep at
  • steady 70° a 73° temps
  • as close to 100% humidity as possible
  • until it has roots
• typically kept in a rooting container
  • with clear, tight-fitting top for light
  • far from direct light
• 7-10 days later you should be seeing roots

Clones give consistent

• genetics
  • structure
  • expressions
• cannabinoid and terpenes expressions
• growth patterns

 

[SweetSue]

Source

Efficacy and Safety of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabivarin on Glycemic and Lipid Parameters in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Group Pilot Study

1. Khalid A. Jadoon,
2. Stuart H. Ratcliffe,
3. David A. Barrett,
4. E. Louise Thomas,
5. Colin Stott,
6. Jimmy D. Bell,
7. Saoirse E. O’Sullivanand
8. Garry D. Tan

Author Affiliations

1. Corresponding author: Saoirse E. O’Sullivan,.
2. S.E.O. and G.D.T. contributed equally to this work.

Diabetes Care 2016 Oct; 39(10): 1777-1786. Efficacy and Safety of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabivarin on Glycemic and Lipid Parameters in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel Group Pilot Study

Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) are

• nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoids
• affecting
  • lipid metabolism
  • glucose metabolism
  • in animal models.
    

This study set out to examine the effects of these compounds in patients with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

In this

• randomized
• double-blind
• placebo-controlled study

62 subjects

• with noninsulin-treated type 2 diabetes

were randomized to five treatment arms:

1. CBD (100 mg twice daily)
2. THCV (5 mg twice daily)
3. 1:1 ratio of CBD and THCV (5 mg/5 mg, twice daily)
4. 20:1 ratio of CBD and THCV (100 mg/5 mg, twice daily)
5. matched placebo for 13 weeks.

The primary end point was a change in HDL-cholesterol concentrations from baseline.

Secondary/tertiary end points included

• changes in glycemic control
• lipid profile
• insulin sensitivity
• body weight
• liver triglyceride content
• adipose tissue distribution
• appetite
• markers of inflammation
• markers of vascular function
• gut hormones
• circulating endocannabinoids
• adipokine concentrations.
• Safety and tolerability end points were also evaluated.

RESULTS Compared with placebo,

• THCV significantly decreased fasting plasma
  • glucose estimated treatment difference [ETD] = −1.2 mmol/L; P < 0.05
• and improved pancreatic β-cell function
  • (HOMA2 β-cell function [ETD = −44.51 points; P < 0.01])
  • adiponectin (ETD = −5.9 × 106pg/mL; P < 0.01)
  • and apolipoprotein A (ETD = −6.02 μmol/L; P < 0.05)

• although plasma HDL was unaffected.

Compared with baseline (but not placebo)

• CBD decreased resistin (−898 pg/ml; P < 0.05)
• increased glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (21.9 pg/ml; P < 0.05)
• None of the combination treatments had a significant impact on end points
• CBD and THCV were well tolerated.

CONCLUSIONS THCV could represent a new therapeutic agent in glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes.

 

[SweetSue]

History Of Cannabis Green Flower Media Cannabis Fundamentals course

Cannabis and hemp before prohibition

At least 8,500 yrs of continuous use by Chinese (around 2737 BC)

• Chinese pharmacopeia not written until 100 yrs BC

Introduced into Europe and Asia between 1000 and 2000 BCE

• Used primarily for fiber
• limited intoxicant use
  • until prohibition
• People needed goods and slaves.
• Ships needed sail and ropes to supply both.
  • Hemp ropes and sails were superior quality
  • hemp cloth and paper were more durable
  • among other uses.

Introduced into

• S. America in Chile (1545)
• N. America in Port Royal, Acadia (1606)

Used as currency in VA, MD, & PA during early 1600s

Legislated household growing in VA (1619)

Presidents and notable persons who grew hemp
Note: All five owned slaves, mostly relying on slaves to work those crops. Cannabis (hemp) was extremely labor intensive to process.

• George Washington
  • for clothing
  • to repair fishing nets
• Thomas Jefferson
• James Madison
• Benjamin Franklin
• Henry Clay
  • Ashland in KY grew hemp as primary crop
  • An aggressive advocate for protections for hemp
    • Kentucky's Bluegrass region, hemp cultivation made the greatest use of slave labor of any crop

Hemp plantations ran on slave labor.

• extremely labor-intensive
• difficult work to harvest and process

Among the largest slave-holding states were the ones growing hemp

• VA and MD prior to US independence
• KY, IL, MO following behind

The Decline of Hemp...
By mid-1900s international trade evolved into “modern globalization”

• cheaper replacements came on the market
  • Russia and Baltic states undercut domestic prices
  • opening Asia and Africa to trade brought cheaper fibers
    • jute
    • sisal
    • Manila hemp
• these combined forces aided the decline of domestic hemp production

during Civil War farmers switched to cotton

• easier to sell overseas
• post-war many farmers went to growing tobacco instead
• further contributed to decline of hemp

Post-Civil War slavery was abolished

• hemp producers counted on labor they didn’t have to compensate for the toil
  • they took up the slack for a time with
    • indentured slaves
    • illegal-acquired slaves
    • ex-slaves
    • convicts
• eventually that paradigm became impossible to support
  • cheaper overseas labor put an end to the American production challenge

1898 acquisition of The Philippines brought influx of Manila hemp

• fiber derived from herb Musa textilis
• could be used for traditional uses of hemp, as in rope-making
• cheaper labor than American producers could adjust to

At turn of 19th century the Industrial Revolution introduced steam engines

• the shipping industry embraced steam-powered ships
• 1889: Ky produced hemp
  • valued at $468,000
  • on 23,468 acres
• 1909: Ky planted just
  • 6,800 acres
  • 76% of American hemp acreage that year

By 1920s and 30s synthetic fibers had taken even more of the market

• 1930 imports were 1,457 tons
• 1939 imports were 678 tons

Evidence doesn’t support the theory that DuPont used his banker to get said banker’s nephew by marriage set up to a way to keep cannabis from becoming a distraction to his investments in plastics.

• Sure does look suspicious, when you add in the part about Hearst and his support of the yellow journalism that set the stage and kept his paper money flowing when the decorticator might have made a significant impact on his personal investments in forest lands intent for paper production.
• hemp was already in decline by the time Aslinger made his stab at a new way to keep himself and his boys collecting a federal paycheck

...And the Rise of Cannabis

Cannabis use as an intoxicant has always been around

• used as pacificier for slave labor by
  • British
  • Portuguese
• may have been used the same in U.S.
  • not limited to slaves
  • 1619 VA law required households to grow both
    • English hemp
      • for fiber, etc
    • Indian hemp
      • also known to include the intoxicating oils
    • George Washington grew Indian hemp

By mid-19th century cannabis was a popular medicine for

• adults
• children
• animals

available for easy public purchase in dozens of

• tinctures
• ointments
• salves

1906 Congress passed Pure Food And Drug Act

• required labeling of cannabis in medicines

in 19th century hashish use became popular, leading to establishment of Turkish-style parlors in U.S. cities, incl.

• New York
  • in 1800s had est. 500 parlors open
• Boston
• Philadelphia

1910, following Mexican Revolution, immigration from Mexico increased

• Mexicans loved cannabis
• suddenly, cannabis consumption and use became a problem for white America

Industry, Politics and Racism Collide

As public opinion shifted to the negative doctors tried to stop that shift

• unfortunately, fear trumps science every time in history
• doctors were ignored, silenced, threatened by “Reefer Madness” yellow journalism-driven perceptions

Mexican immigrants were looked at with suspicion and distrust
Then jazz made itself know, and racism doubled down

• yellow journalism created a false connection between cannabis and violent crimes of
  • rape
  • murder

Anti-Cannabis Attitudes Intensify

1930 Aslinger gets Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) established

• made ‘marijuana’ the villain so he could
  • openly practice racism on the public dole
  • continue to collect a federal paycheck following the end of alcohol prohibition
    • which he also got paid to enforce
• he stayed at the post until 1962
  • ripping apart people’s lives as he went
• William Randolph Hearst printed an endless stream of anti-cannabis stories based on lies
• Aslinger had, previous to his post as head of FBN, said associating cannabis with violent crime was an “absurd fallacy.”

By 1931, 29 states had outlawed cannabis propaganda works
1937 the Marijuana Tax Act was the death keel for cannabis

• criminalized cannabis
  • set restrictive taxes on hemp and cannabis
    • import
    • export
    • production
    • sale
• opposed by American Medical Association
  • Act restricted cannabis
    • cultivation
    • research
    • prescription
• When AMA issued a book debunking Aslinger’s specious claims he threatened his staff with firing if any read it.

Hemp for Victory

The realities of the war put hemp back in production for a time, as hemp was needed for

• cordage
• parachutes
• other military equipment

Japanese occupation of the Philippines made hemp a necessary commodity

• USDeptofAg distributed hemp seed to farmers
  • issued draft deferments to those willing to grow
• saw 68,000 metric tons produced in 1943
  • on 59,000 hectares
• did little to offense military imbalance of supply
• after war effort hemp died out again

The Prohibition Era

By the start of the 1940s the sheep bought the story that cannabis (rebranded as marijuana) was dangerous
Research continues

• 1940, organic chemist Roger Adams (U of IL) was first to isolate cannabinoids from cannabis plant
  • identified
    • cannabinol (CBN)
    • cannabidiol (CBD)

By turn of 21st century populist voices began to speak out about misinformation about cannabis

• not before prohibition disrupted societies all around the globe
• Prohibition Acts hit first time offenders of possession with
  • minimum sentences of 2-10 years
  • fines up to $20,000
  • 1952 Boggs Act
  • 1957 Narcotics Control Act

1968 saw merging of FBN with Bureau of Dangerous Drugs (part of FDA) to form Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD)
May 1969 Supreme Court said Marijuana Tax Act was unconstitutional

• Congress repealed in 1970
  • in its place they drafted
    • Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention And Control Act
    • Controlled Substances Act

The War On Drugs Intensifies

As part of Controlled Substances Act Nixon appointed bipartisan Shafer Commission

• to assess cannabis
• he expected news to back up his intent to pass draconian laws
• In 1971, before Commission reported, he launched the infamous “War on Drugs”
  • he’d coined the phrase at his inauguration

1972: Shafer Commission came back after two years

• cannabis caused no physical addiction
• cannabis had not been proven harmful
• recommended personal use of cannabis be decriminalized

Nixon said “Go to hell! I’ll do what I want.” And then he did just that.

• mandated cannabis to the top of Schedule 1
  • strictest designation of dangerous drugs
  • deemed to have no redeeming medical value and be highly addictive by presidential decree, in flagrant disregard of science and reality
• 1973: as reinforcement, BNDD merged with Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement to become the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• All done so Nixon could legally suppress and intimidate blacks and Hippies

Throughout 1960s and 70s counter voices grew more powerful

Today the pendulum swings closer to reality as pertains to cannabis

• only ultra-conservatives fearful of sexual promiscuity really fight it now
  • unfortunately, they still hold enormous power
  • the movement continues

Tumultuous times during 60s and 70s we’re changing perceptions at a time when more potent genetics were being brought back from Vietnam and SE Asia

• it became more and more obvious that mandatory sentences weren’t deterring experimentation
• new Acts eliminated mandatory minimum sentences
  • except in extreme cases

Reagan brought back mandatory sentencing with a vengeance

1970 also saw creation of NORML

During 70s 11 states defied Nixon and decriminalized cannabis

• others reduced cannabis penalties
• Ford was softer during presidency, but took harder anti-cannabis stance later
  • advocated harm-reduction policies over harsh punitive measures
  • considered drug users victims, not criminals
  • made no positive legislative changes
• Carter was cannabis advocate
  • recommended decriminalization
    • ignored by ultra-conservative, anti-cannabis Congress
  • 1978 Carter established Compassionate Investigational New Drug program
    • provided cannabis to select number of patients
    • grown and supplied by UofMiss

Along came Reagan

• at inauguration, cannabis is probably “the most dangerous drug” in the U.S.
• oversaw massive buildup under Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Supression Program
  • DEA program begun in 1979
  • began in 7 states
  • by 1985 was active in all 50 states
• 1986 Regan Executive Ordered in the world of pee tests for Federal employees
• same year he signed the first Drug Abuse Act
  • established new set of mandatory sentencing
  • penalties for cannabis were as strict as for heroin
  • established “three strikes” rule
    • life sentence for repeat offenders
    • death penalty for high-level dealers
• 1988 he signed a more restrictive and punitive Anti-Drug Abuse Act
  • stiffer sentences
  • mandated recovery programs
  • denying of federal benefits for one year following conviction

1989 HW Bush re-declared the War on Drugs

• instituted Operation Green Merchant
  • going after vendors of grow equipment

1992 Bush closed Compassionate Investigational New Drug program to new patients

• said research showed it was medically ineffective

The Trend Towards Decriminalization

1993 Clinton took office

• actually increased drug war activity
• did little to change the course of cannabis during his terms

States started taking matters into their own hands

• 1996 California passed Proposition 215
  • The Compassionate Use Act
  • passed by 55.6% of vote

By 2014 23 states and District of Columbia had medical cannabis laws

• We now have 33 states with medical
• 10 states and DofC with full legal adult use
• Canada is fully legal

Medical use doesn’t contravene international law, distribution within U.S. does contravene national laws

• during Obama Administration raids increased until the Cole Act
  • protected state-legal sites and operations from federal interference

2014 Colorado became first state to go fully adult-legal

• by January 2019 the tide had shifted to more than 50% of states giving access to cannabis in one form or another

International legality as of 2019 (contravention to International Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961))

• Uruguay
• Canada

U.S.federal hasn’t yet legalized cannabis

• In 2018 legislated production and sale of hemp
  • completely removed hemp from Controlled Substances list

 

[RedZedHead]

1930 Aslinger gets Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) established

• made ‘marijuana’ the villain so he could
  • openly practice racism on the public dole

Anslinger was a real POS.
here's a few quotes of his:
"Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as whites"
"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind"
A lot of people would be a lot healthier and happier if it wasn't for him

 

[SweetSue]

Myths of Cannabis Green Flower Media Cannabis Fundamentals course
Including notes from videos (see below)

Myth: Cannabis Can Kill

• cannabis has never been implicated as the sole cause of death
• there are few eCBRs in the brainstem that could compromise your ability to
  • continue breathing
  • continue pumping blood
• it gets implicated all the time by coroners
  • lacks proof to back up
  • DEA states “No deaths from overdose of marijuana have ever been recorded.”

Not a single overdose death from cannabis. Ever. As in not once in all of the recorded history of mankind. Now that’s safety.

• Conditions claimed cannabis may complicate
  • cardiac arrhythmia
    • controversial claim, unsupported by data
    • recent study (Marijuana use and short-term outcomes in patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction) shows cannabis to be used to reduce risk of heart attack mortality

Myth: Cannabis Causes Psychosis

Both tobacco and cannabis smoking are associated with higher risk of psychosis.

• no clear causal links exist for either drug
• elevated risk for cannabis is very slight
  • something like 1 out of every 23,000 people
• research was done with trash weed resin
  • low-strength doesn’t correlate with today’s market availability that has
    • higher levels of THC
    • lower levels of other cannabinoids
    • probably more terpenes in today’s products too
• THC isolate does cause psychosis
  • which is why we don’t like to use it
• high-CBD varietals with other cannabinoids may decrease chances of psychosis
  • they moderate effects of THC
  • some varietals may even improve patient psychosis expression
    • much anecdotal evidence supports improvement of symptoms with cannabis use
• clinical researchdemonstrated CBD can improve symptoms of psychosis
  • Study Title: Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia.
  • German study in 2012
  • double-blind
  • compared cannabis to antipsychotic Amisulpride
  • 42 schizophrenic patients
  • significant reduction in psychosis symptoms
    • far fewer side-effects

Much research shows that cannabis is significantly safer than either tobacco or alcohol

• both legally and widely available to adults in the U.S.
• both potentially deadly
• both destroy the homeostatic proclivity of the human system

Cannabis has demonstrated itself to be an effective pathway away from opioids and all the crap that accompanies them.

• many opiate patients choosing cannabis instead find at least equivalent relief
  • with no nasty side-effects
  • no addiction with cannabis

No drug is safe for everyone.

No drug can cure everything. It’s the patient that cures anyway.

Cannabis produces complex oils with variable pharmacological activity

• unlike other meds it has cannabinoids
• it has a much richer terpene profile than other plants
• THC and CBD have been accepted for particular medical applications
  • MS
  • seizure disorders

Let’s be careful and stick to the facts.

Myth: Cannabis Cures Cancer

Both THC and CBD have been studied as anti-tumor drugs (shrinking tumors)

• both show some efficacy
  • in very different ways
• both also help with other concerns that accompany cancer
  • appetite regulation
  • mood
  • controlling side effects of chemotherapy

Cannabinoids are studied for their ability to limit tumor

• growth
• metastasis (tumor cell migration)
• there’s lots of international anecdotal evidence
  • clinical studies are more conservative and cautious
  • Cannabis may not be a good front-line drug for cancer.
    • too much variability to cancer itself
    • We can’t say with any authority that cannabis is the magic bullet for all of them.

Cannabis remains good adjunctive therapy to conventional treatments

• pain relief
• appetite control
• attitude balance
• improving general well-being

Myth: Hemp Can Save The Planet

claim is hemp can replace

• petrochemicals
• cotton
• paper products derived from trees
• various other industrial products

True

• Cannabis can replace all of these major polluters
• Had we chosen a renewable path we’d likely be living a better life planet-wide.
• Hemp’s nutritional value to mankind could offset planet-wide nutritional inequity.

However…..

• We’ve done a lot of damage that won’t be easily repaired.
• Major industry bases would need to be revamped or eliminated.
• Hemp can do a lot to help clean up the mess, but biodiversity will increase our chances of future success as a planet.

Myth: CBD From Hemp is Different Than CBD From Cannabis

The molecule is the molecule is the molecule…

Differences:

• Hemp-derived
  • grown outdoors in huge fields
  • takes enormous biomass to produce small amounts of oil
    • plants are low-CBD to begin with
    • usually whole plant used for extractions
      • may contain undesirable compounds from lower leaves and stalks
  • few, if any terpenes expressed
  • only CBD and minuscule THC represented as cannabinoids
  • May be cheaper and easier to resource, but not the same type of medicine at all.

• High-CBD medicinal cannabis-derived
  • grown indoors
    • if outdoors, greater care is used than with hemp
  • high in CBD
  • will have other cannabinoids
  • will have richer terpene profiles
  • usually made from flower tops and sugar leaves only
    • much higher-quality oils than hemp-derived

Video Notes: Myths Of Cannabis with Paul Armentano of NORML

Addressing Cannabis Health Fears

What are the risks of long-term cannabis use?

New Zealand longitudinal study found risk of periodontal disease

• from smoking
• onset late in life
• looked at 9 domains of health
  • cannabis only caused concern in one, periodontal health
    • arguably the least problematic of the domains studied
      • cognitive function
      • metabolic function
      • circulatory health
      • respiratory health
      • etc, etc….
  • cannabis consumers in study cleared all other domains in good standing
• One of side effects of inhaling cannabis is dry mouth (“cotton mouth”)
  • with dry mouth often comes periodontal disease

Longitudinal studies follow participants sometimes from birth to adulthood

• looking for behavioral triggers to health outcomes

Other studies have shown no connection between long-term cannabis use and

• decreased lung function
• COPD
• lung cancers
• emphysema

If you’re worried about combustible smoke components there are many alternative delivery systems available.

Papers implicating cannabis with cardiac risks aren’t standing on firm foundations of science.

Long-term use of cannabis may not be completely innocuous, but in context it comes out way ahead of other choices with its safety profile.

• as safe, if not safer than
  • alcohol
  • other recreational intoxicants
  • tobacco

Will I Become Addicted?

Will I Get Addicted?

“Addicted” is a loaded word

• scientists prefer “dependence liability”
  • the likelihood that an experimental consumer will become a habitual consumer
    • trying to cut back on use will be desirable but problematic
• addiction is a higher standard
• diagnosing “dependence liability” is done by patient questionnaire, asking things like
  • “Do you find yourself craving this at the end of the day?”
• many licit and illicit substances are judged by this same method
• cannabis “habitual users” turns out to be about 9% of the experimental community
  • very much in keeping with other substances
    • caffeine dependence is 7%
    • much lower than opioids and alcohol
      • alcohol is about twice the liability
    • tobacco has three times higher rate than cannabis

suggests that cannabis isn’t much more of a problem than caffeine

So what happens if someone does become dependent?

cannabis dependency presents much like caffeine dependency

• you wake up thinking about it
• crave it through the day
• make promises to use less, but ultimately use the same

being cannabis restricted might make you cranky, but it’ll pass

• after 36-48 hours the body settles down
• patient will be irritable, less patient
• quality of sleep will be disrupted for a couple nights
• appetite may change for a couple days

After 48 hours, dependent patients who abstained weren’t “craving” cannabis anymore

cannabis and caffeine act in similar ways on the body

cannabis dependency won’t look like dependency or addiction of other substances

• alcohol addiction will cause violent detox effects upon withdrawal

Could A Person Overdose On Cannabis?

Could a person lethally overdose on cannabis?

Commonly accepted OTC drugs are potentially toxic

• Tylenol
• Aspirin
• sodium and caffeine can cause lethal overdose
• you can kill yourself drinking too much water too quickly

You cannot physically consume enough cannabis to kill you.

Cannabis has a unique safety profile

In a 45-second ad for the pharmacy drugs you get 15 seconds of bliss about the effects and 30 seconds of background reading of adverse side-effects a normal dose can cause.

• “Safe” with these drugs does not mean innocuous

Cannabis is “safe” within the context of how other drugs are judged

• cannabis is safer than many front-line conventional medicines

Could Cannabis Cause Schizophrenia?

The concern about cannabis and schizophrenia is probably based on

• fear of the disease
• knowledge about schizophrenia is lacking

What we do know about schizophrenia

• people are born with it
  • you don’t “become” because of behavior earlier in life

Cannabis use will not “cause” schizophrenia in a person predisposed to the illness

• concern is that cannabis may exacerbate the condition in predisposed patients
  • make symptoms more pronounced
  • trigger earlier first episode

Shared vulnerability theory postulates

• individuals with tendency to express schizophrenia also have tendency to use cannabis
  • that’s why we see an overlap
• schizophrenics also use more tobacco than general population
  • as well as other drugs

If cause and effect is the concern, none exists

• schizophrenic population numbers have remained consistent for decades
• cannabis use has steadily and dramatically increased over same time period
  • no parallel increase in schizophrenia has followed the cannabis rise
    • anywhere in the world
  • no causal link between schizophrenia and cannabis use appears to exist in individuals not predisposed to schizophrenia

Will Cannabis Make Me Gain Weight?

One of the dramatic effects of cannabis is how it triggers appetite

• THC is responsible for this expression

There’s an assumption that cannabis consumers would have poor metabolic indicators

• overweight
• higher cholesterol
• poor circulation
• things of this nature

There now exist about a dozen studies saying otherwise

• largely observational, case-controlled
  • Ex: 5,000 cannabis users measured against 5,000 non-users with same
    • age
    • ethnicity
    • diet
    • family health history
    • etc
  • looking for differences in metabolic rates
• consistent findings are that cannabis users have better metabolic indicators
  • lower levels of “bad” cholesterol
  • less obese
  • lower levels of insulin resistance
  • fewer bio-markers for Type 2 diabetes

Evidently we have competing things going on that ultimately work in favor of the cannabis consumer

• THC stimulates appetite
• other synergistic components are counter-balancing the increased consumption of food
  • clearly acting on metabolism in a way that’s healthy

Will Cannabis Impair My Memory?

We have a fairly good understanding of

• what cannabis is
  • we know the biological components
• why it does what it does
  • we know
    • what receptors the cannabis components act upon
    • the purpose of the endocannabinoid receptor system

We don’t know the mechanism of action of all pharmaceutical drugs

• Ritalin: medicine still lacks a definitive explanation for why you can give certain stimulant to hyper-active patient and they become less hyper-active
• we know it’s a consistent finding
  • we have no answer why

With cannabis we know answers to the questions about cannabis.

Cannabis and memory

• You ingest cannabis.
• Cannabinoids enter the bloodstream.
• Cannabinoids have an affinity for particular receptors in the body - the endocannabinoid receptors.
• Here are many eCB receptors in the brain.
  • Many in the hippocampus.
    • controls memory
• When Cannabinoids are acting on receptors in that part of the brain they sometimes influence memory function.
  • commonly
    • short-term memory loss
    • inability to retain new information while under intoxicating effects
      • might want to temper use when learning new stuff or studying for exam.
  • Not a long-term effect
    • wears off when the drug wears off
• This is not a unique characteristic of cannabis.
  • alcohol is notorious for memory impairment

Do you regain your memory after a certain point?

Yes.

A number of cognitive studies using have been done

• a number of cannabis users against an equal number of non-cannabis users
• run through a battery of cognitive tests

Test results include:

• after 24 hours after of abstaining from cannabis, the habitual cannabis users didn’t perform as well on test
  • against control group
  • at baseline
• after 7-14 days there was no statistically-significant difference in test performance

There seems to be some residual effect on memory

• it seems to run its course
  • after a week or two had passed

This is habitual users. Casual users shouldn’t expect to see this.

 

[overlord]

Myths of Cannabis Green Flower Media Cannabis Fundamentals course
Including notes from videos (see below)

Myth: Cannabis Can Kill

• cannabis has never been implicated as the sole cause of death
• there are few eCBRs in the brainstem that could compromise your ability to
  • continue breathing
  • continue pumping blood
• it gets implicated all the time by coroners
  • lacks proof to back up
  • DEA states “No deaths from overdose of marijuana have ever been recorded.”

Not a single overdose death from cannabis. Ever. As in not once in all of the recorded history of mankind. Now that’s safety.

• Conditions claimed cannabis may complicate
  • cardiac arrhythmia
    • controversial claim, unsupported by data
    • recent study (Marijuana use and short-term outcomes in patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction) shows cannabis to be used to reduce risk of heart attack mortality

Myth: Cannabis Causes Psychosis

Both tobacco and cannabis smoking are associated with higher risk of psychosis.

• no clear causal links exist for either drug
• elevated risk for cannabis is very slight
  • something like 1 out of every 23,000 people
• research was done with trash weed resin
  • low-strength doesn’t correlate with today’s market availability that has
    • higher levels of THC
    • lower levels of other cannabinoids
    • probably more terpenes in today’s products too
• THC isolate does cause psychosis
  • which is why we don’t like to use it
• high-CBD varietals with other cannabinoids may decrease chances of psychosis
  • they moderate effects of THC
  • some varietals may even improve patient psychosis expression
    • much anecdotal evidence supports improvement of symptoms with cannabis use
• clinical researchdemonstrated CBD can improve symptoms of psychosis
  • Study Title: Cannabidiol enhances anandamide signaling and alleviates psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia.
  • German study in 2012
  • double-blind
  • compared cannabis to antipsychotic Amisulpride
  • 42 schizophrenic patients
  • significant reduction in psychosis symptoms
    • far fewer side-effects

Much research shows that cannabis is significantly safer than either tobacco or alcohol

• both legally and widely available to adults in the U.S.
• both potentially deadly
• both destroy the homeostatic proclivity of the human system

Cannabis has demonstrated itself to be an effective pathway away from opioids and all the crap that accompanies them.

• many opiate patients choosing cannabis instead find at least equivalent relief
  • with no nasty side-effects
  • no addiction with cannabis

No drug is safe for everyone.

No drug can cure everything. It’s the patient that cures anyway.

Cannabis produces complex oils with variable pharmacological activity

• unlike other meds it has cannabinoids
• it has a much richer terpene profile than other plants
• THC and CBD have been accepted for particular medical applications
  • MS
  • seizure disorders

Let’s be careful and stick to the facts.

Myth: Cannabis Cures Cancer

Both THC and CBD have been studied as anti-tumor drugs (shrinking tumors)

• both show some efficacy
  • in very different ways
• both also help with other concerns that accompany cancer
  • appetite regulation
  • mood
  • controlling side effects of chemotherapy

Cannabinoids are studied for their ability to limit tumor

• growth
• metastasis (tumor cell migration)
• there’s lots of international anecdotal evidence
  • clinical studies are more conservative and cautious
  • Cannabis may not be a good front-line drug for cancer.
    • too much variability to cancer itself
    • We can’t say with any authority that cannabis is the magic bullet for all of them.

Cannabis remains good adjunctive therapy to conventional treatments

• pain relief
• appetite control
• attitude balance
• improving general well-being

Myth: Hemp Can Save The Planet

claim is hemp can replace

• petrochemicals
• cotton
• paper products derived from trees
• various other industrial products

True

• Cannabis can replace all of these major polluters
• Had we chosen a renewable path we’d likely be living a better life planet-wide.
• Hemp’s nutritional value to mankind could offset planet-wide nutritional inequity.

However…..

• We’ve done a lot of damage that won’t be easily repaired.
• Major industry bases would need to be revamped or eliminated.
• Hemp can do a lot to help clean up the mess, but biodiversity will increase our chances of future success as a planet.

Myth: CBD From Hemp is Different Than CBD From Cannabis

The molecule is the molecule is the molecule…

Differences:

• Hemp-derived
  • grown outdoors in huge fields
  • takes enormous biomass to produce small amounts of oil
    • plants are low-CBD to begin with
    • usually whole plant used for extractions
      • may contain undesirable compounds from lower leaves and stalks
  • few, if any terpenes expressed
  • only CBD and minuscule THC represented as cannabinoids
  • May be cheaper and easier to resource, but not the same type of medicine at all.

• High-CBD medicinal cannabis-derived
  • grown indoors
    • if outdoors, greater care is used than with hemp
  • high in CBD
  • will have other cannabinoids
  • will have richer terpene profiles
  • usually made from flower tops and sugar leaves only
    • much higher-quality oils than hemp-derived

Video Notes: Myths Of Cannabis with Paul Armentano of NORML

Addressing Cannabis Health Fears

What are the risks of long-term cannabis use?

New Zealand longitudinal study found risk of periodontal disease

• from smoking
• onset late in life
• looked at 9 domains of health
  • cannabis only caused concern in one, periodontal health
    • arguably the least problematic of the domains studied
      • cognitive function
      • metabolic function
      • circulatory health
      • respiratory health
      • etc, etc….
  • cannabis consumers in study cleared all other domains in good standing
• One of side effects of inhaling cannabis is dry mouth (“cotton mouth”)
  • with dry mouth often comes periodontal disease

Longitudinal studies follow participants sometimes from birth to adulthood

• looking for behavioral triggers to health outcomes

Other studies have shown no connection between long-term cannabis use and

• decreased lung function
• COPD
• lung cancers
• emphysema

If you’re worried about combustible smoke components there are many alternative delivery systems available.

Papers implicating cannabis with cardiac risks aren’t standing on firm foundations of science.

Long-term use of cannabis may not be completely innocuous, but in context it comes out way ahead of other choices with its safety profile.

• as safe, if not safer than
  • alcohol
  • other recreational intoxicants
  • tobacco

Will I Become Addicted?

Will I Get Addicted?

“Addicted” is a loaded word

• scientists prefer “dependence liability”
  • the likelihood that an experimental consumer will become a habitual consumer
    • trying to cut back on use will be desirable but problematic
• addiction is a higher standard
• diagnosing “dependence liability” is done by patient questionnaire, asking things like
  • “Do you find yourself craving this at the end of the day?”
• many licit and illicit substances are judged by this same method
• cannabis “habitual users” turns out to be about 9% of the experimental community
  • very much in keeping with other substances
    • caffeine dependence is 7%
    • much lower than opioids and alcohol
      • alcohol is about twice the liability
    • tobacco has three times higher rate than cannabis

suggests that cannabis isn’t much more of a problem than caffeine

So what happens if someone does become dependent?

cannabis dependency presents much like caffeine dependency

• you wake up thinking about it
• crave it through the day
• make promises to use less, but ultimately use the same

being cannabis restricted might make you cranky, but it’ll pass

• after 36-48 hours the body settles down
• patient will be irritable, less patient
• quality of sleep will be disrupted for a couple nights
• appetite may change for a couple days

After 48 hours, dependent patients who abstained weren’t “craving” cannabis anymore

cannabis and caffeine act in similar ways on the body

cannabis dependency won’t look like dependency or addiction of other substances

• alcohol addiction will cause violent detox effects upon withdrawal

Could A Person Overdose On Cannabis?

Could a person lethally overdose on cannabis?

Commonly accepted OTC drugs are potentially toxic

• Tylenol
• Aspirin
• sodium and caffeine can cause lethal overdose
• you can kill yourself drinking too much water too quickly

You cannot physically consume enough cannabis to kill you.

Cannabis has a unique safety profile

In a 45-second ad for the pharmacy drugs you get 15 seconds of bliss about the effects and 30 seconds of background reading of adverse side-effects a normal dose can cause.

• “Safe” with these drugs does not mean innocuous

Cannabis is “safe” within the context of how other drugs are judged

• cannabis is safer than many front-line conventional medicines

Could Cannabis Cause Schizophrenia?

The concern about cannabis and schizophrenia is probably based on

• fear of the disease
• knowledge about schizophrenia is lacking

What we do know about schizophrenia

• people are born with it
  • you don’t “become” because of behavior earlier in life

Cannabis use will not “cause” schizophrenia in a person predisposed to the illness

• concern is that cannabis may exacerbate the condition in predisposed patients
  • make symptoms more pronounced
  • trigger earlier first episode

Shared vulnerability theory postulates

• individuals with tendency to express schizophrenia also have tendency to use cannabis
  • that’s why we see an overlap
• schizophrenics also use more tobacco than general population
  • as well as other drugs

If cause and effect is the concern, none exists

• schizophrenic population numbers have remained consistent for decades
• cannabis use has steadily and dramatically increased over same time period
  • no parallel increase in schizophrenia has followed the cannabis rise
    • anywhere in the world
  • no causal link between schizophrenia and cannabis use appears to exist in individuals not predisposed to schizophrenia

Will Cannabis Make Me Gain Weight?

One of the dramatic effects of cannabis is how it triggers appetite

• THC is responsible for this expression

There’s an assumption that cannabis consumers would have poor metabolic indicators

• overweight
• higher cholesterol
• poor circulation
• things of this nature

There now exist about a dozen studies saying otherwise

• largely observational, case-controlled
  • Ex: 5,000 cannabis users measured against 5,000 non-users with same
    • age
    • ethnicity
    • diet
    • family health history
    • etc
  • looking for differences in metabolic rates
• consistent findings are that cannabis users have better metabolic indicators
  • lower levels of “bad” cholesterol
  • less obese
  • lower levels of insulin resistance
  • fewer bio-markers for Type 2 diabetes

Evidently we have competing things going on that ultimately work in favor of the cannabis consumer

• THC stimulates appetite
• other synergistic components are counter-balancing the increased consumption of food
  • clearly acting on metabolism in a way that’s healthy

Will Cannabis Impair My Memory?

We have a fairly good understanding of

• what cannabis is
  • we know the biological components
• why it does what it does
  • we know
    • what receptors the cannabis components act upon
    • the purpose of the endocannabinoid receptor system

We don’t know the mechanism of action of all pharmaceutical drugs

• Ritalin: medicine still lacks a definitive explanation for why you can give certain stimulant to hyper-active patient and they become less hyper-active
• we know it’s a consistent finding
  • we have no answer why

With cannabis we know answers to the questions about cannabis.

Cannabis and memory

• You ingest cannabis.
• Cannabinoids enter the bloodstream.
• Cannabinoids have an affinity for particular receptors in the body - the endocannabinoid receptors.
• Here are many eCB receptors in the brain.
  • Many in the hippocampus.
    • controls memory
• When Cannabinoids are acting on receptors in that part of the brain they sometimes influence memory function.
  • commonly
    • short-term memory loss
    • inability to retain new information while under intoxicating effects
      • might want to temper use when learning new stuff or studying for exam.
  • Not a long-term effect
    • wears off when the drug wears off
• This is not a unique characteristic of cannabis.
  • alcohol is notorious for memory impairment

Do you regain your memory after a certain point?

Yes.

A number of cognitive studies using have been done

• a number of cannabis users against an equal number of non-cannabis users
• run through a battery of cognitive tests

Test results include:

• after 24 hours after of abstaining from cannabis, the habitual cannabis users didn’t perform as well on test
  • against control group
  • at baseline
• after 7-14 days there was no statistically-significant difference in test performance

There seems to be some residual effect on memory

• it seems to run its course
  • after a week or two had passed

This is habitual users. Casual users shouldn’t expect to see this.

I have a nephew who has been problematic since childhood. The Doctors have had him on Ritalin and other drugs most of his life.
After he was put on probation recently he transferred to Florida, was told by his P.O that if he had a Medical marijuana permit they couldn't touch him. So he obtained one, at the time he was staying with my parents who have in the past been against cannabis.
He would go outside and smoke one joint in the morning and one in the evening. They say he has never been more pleasant and stable.
He has stayed with them several times in the past, which never lasted more than two weeks before he would show his butt.
Although my parents had already started to come around to the idea that cannabis may actually be beneficial, this proved to them that it actually has legitimate uses. I think he stayed with them for 3 or 4 months before he moved into a place of his own. Which is something he would have never accomplished in the past.
His employer seems to favor him as well, he did not get laid off during the shut down, worked from home and now is going back with a promotion and raise.

In a nutshell cannabis has helped him by stabilizing his mental faculties and as a result he is now a welcome and productive member of society.

 

[SweetSue]

Thank you for sharing that M’Lord.

 

[SweetSue]

Source

In Search of Preventative Strategies: Novel Anti-Inflammatory High-CBD Cannabis Sativa Extracts Modulate ACE2 Expression in COVID-19 Gateway Tissues

The Canadians are looking for chemovars that will potentially cut the infection rate of COVID-19 by about 70%. They turn out to be high-CBD, low-THC.