One way to reduce opioid overdose death rates in American communities may be to expand legal access to another, less lethal drug. A study published in January 2021 in the BMJ suggests that U.S. counties that have more cannabis dispensaries also have lower opioid-related deaths. 

In a new policy effective retroactively to the beginning of 2021, the UFC has announced that it will no longer find fighters in violation of league policy if they test positive for THC in their urine. Part of the reason is that a urine test is not a very good way to determine whether someone ingested THC from cannabis.

Jeff Novitzky, UFC Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, said in a statement that the league no longer wants to use urine tests to look for marijuana use, because THC can remain stored in body fat for weeks after use.  

If you’re not currently receiving any treatment for insomnia, or if your current treatment isn’t enhancing the duration and quality of your sleep, you may want to give cannabis a try.

A pilot study being conducted at the National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine is investigating a controversial topic – how cannabis, medicinal or recreational, is used, accessed and how it may benefit individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.

Whilst recreational cannabis remains illegal in Australia, much of the research and thus the path to legalisation has been largely limited to the management of specific symptoms, such as pain.

Previous international research has shown some benefits of cannabis use in the improvement of both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that affects one in every 308 Australians.

A study observing the impact of medical cannabis on prescribed opioid usage in chronic pain patients has revealed interesting results.

The US opioid epidemic claimed 47,600 lives in 2017 and it’s estimated 10.3 million people were misusing opioids in 2018 – a staggering 3.7% of the US population. It’s thought medical cannabis may be able to help address the situation and various studies have indicated this might be the case.

One of the more recent studies involved 525 patients from three medical cannabis practice sites who had used prescription opioid medications to treat chronic pain for at least 3 months continuously – and were using medical cannabis in combination with these medications.

Cannabis is legal in some form in 34 U.S. states, with five more pending legalization. Of those states, most have legalized all forms of cannabis for medicinal purposes, though a handful have only legalized CBD oil.

Despite increased legalization, there remains a major void in the medical cannabis market: health insurance. 

The reason major health insurance carriers won’t cover cannabis is they require their drug formulary approved by the FDA before it can be covered in their medical plans. With cannabis still classified as a Schedule I drug at the federal level, no such drug has been approved with exception of Epidiolex, an FDA-approved CBD-based epilepsy medication developed by GW Pharmaceuticals. 

There have been a number of studies surrounding immunity, the flu and how the body responds to infection. These studies have also looked at how CBD and other cannabinoids could impact that response. Could CBD help people to feel better more naturally and possibly not feel as sick when they get sick.

Cannabinoids Suppress the Production of Cytokines in the Body

Cytokines are interleukin tumor necrosis factor. These are the chemicals that affect you when you get sick with a virus. Cytokines create body aches, nausea, headache, loss of appetite, all of the symptoms that make you feel terrible.

Atherosclerosis, often referred to as a hardening of the arteries, is a major issue across the globe. According to at least one study, roughly half of individuals 40-54 years old have hardened arteries.  That is obviously a significant number and includes people that do not smoke and/or are of normal weight.

Cannabis contains more than 100 cannabinoids. However, there are two that are the main and the most popular ones. These two cannabinoids differ in effects and legal status. We talk about THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol). Each one produces something different and contributes both to the sensation that marijuana produces and its therapeutic applications. Knowing both compounds allows you to better choose the variety when growing, as well as knowing what to look for according to whether you want something recreational or medicinal. The other components can also influence our body, but they are more difficult to isolate and we know less about their possible effects.