It is pretty clear that we should not be sharing joints, bongs, and vape pens. All of this is obvious, yet it is counter intuitive to the social atmosphere of marijuana use.

The explosion of coronavirus cases has awakened the world as to how quickly diseases may spread in our mobile society. We have all been given advice as to how to protect ourselves and the people we love. With the COVID-19 outbreak, is to time to change our habits and embrace safe marijuana use?

Although cannabis and hemp have been historically used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, the legal and regulated industry is still in its infancy.

In case you missed it, the World Health Organization (WHO) made the announcement that most people were expecting this past Wednesday, March 11: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is officially a pandemic.

More and more people are using CBD vape oil thanks to its convenience and fast acting effects

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 100 cannabinoids found in hemp and marijuana plants. Unlike the mind-altering THC, the cannabinoid associated with marijuana, CBD does not have the ability to make a user high. The hemp and CBD industry have seen immense growth over the last decade due to countless studies that suggest cannabidiol may provide various health benefits.

Though cannabis/hemp and hops belong to the same Cannabaceae family, cannabis offers an even broader range of flavors and aromatics than what can be found in hops.

A recent study found that cannabinoids have the potential to be used as an effective antibacterial agent against dental plaque-associated bacteria.

A January 2020 study published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science found something remarkable about marijuana’s effect on oral health. The study looked at the effect of marijuana or THC on dental plaque, a film that forms on the teeth and gums that can lead to heart disease. Examining the efficacy of multiple oral care products and cannabinoids together, researchers wanted to gauge which reduced plaque bacteria better.

The Coronavirus has swept its way across the market over the past month. In that time, world markets have declined to lower levels. But with this massive selloff comes the opportunity to find potentially lucrative marijuana stocks to buy at lower prices than usual. For those not privy to the MSO market, these marijuana stocks have managed to make continual gains while others have failed. MSO or multi-state operator pot stocks work by owning retail dispensaries around various states in the U.S. Because of their role in the retail market, they are not nearly as subject to the volatility of pure-play pot stocks.

Since industrial hemp was made legal in the United States, police forces have been scrambling around trying to figure out the difference between it and its outlaw cousin marijuana. It’s part of the reason that hemp was lumped into prohibition in the first place. Back then, lawmakers were concerned that people would use the guise of a legitimate crop to get away with growing pot. Because, well, the two plants are basically the same. They are both similar in appearance and have the same skunky odor. The difference is hemp is defined as having less than .3% THC.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell didn’t give much consideration to the confusion factor a couple of years ago when he worked his political magic to bring industrial hemp back from the dead.

What’s the most popular sport in the world? According to World Atlas, it’s football (soccer), followed by cricket, field hockey, and tennis. Other internationally popular sports include volleyball, basketball, baseball, rugby, hockey, and golf. What do they all have in common? They ban the use of performance-enhancing drugs and do not condone the use of cannabis.

Globally, many sports leagues prohibit the use of cannabis by athletes. The Olympics also prohibits cannabis use. Most leagues incorporate drug testing that looks for the presence of THC, but not necessarily CBD or other cannabinoids.

The days of “mom-and-pop shop”, small cannabis operations are becoming few and far in between as the industry demonstrates that it’s not immune to the wave of automation.

At the moment, cannabis industry employment is on the rise; and that trend can certainly continue upwards for higher-end careers. But just like any other industry, the lower end cannabis jobs are at the mercy of automation and are slowly being replaced by robots, AI, the IoT, and other modern technologies.