Author: Johnny Green

Study Finds Recent Cannabis Use Associated With Lower Resting Heart Rate

Written by Johnny Green on March 16, 2022. Posted in Science.

Heart health is extremely important. For obvious reasons, if your heart isn’t healthy then it will affect the rest of your body. Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalizations worldwide.

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are the three leading contributors to heart disease. Chest pain and discomfort, shortness of breath, numbness, and abnormal heartbeats are all symptoms of poor heart health.

One way that heart health is measured is via a person’s resting heart rate. A lower resting heart rate indicates that the heart is using less effort to pump blood. A higher resting heart rate indicates that the heart is working hard to pump blood, even while the body is at rest, which is not good news.

A team of international researchers recently examined cannabis consumption’s impact, or lack thereof, on subjects’ resting heart rate. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

San Francisco, CA: Current cannabis use is associated with lower resting heart rate, according to data published in The American Journal of Medicine.

A team of researchers from Switzerland and the United States assessed the relationship between cannabis exposure and heart rate in a cohort of middle-aged adults. Subjects in the study were participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study – which is a multi-decade assessment of cardiovascular health. Previous findings from the CARDIA sample have failed to link the use of cannabis – even long-term – with an elevated risk of either atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, ECG abnormalities, or other serious cardiovascular events at middle age.

Researchers reported that subjects who occasionally consumed cannabis (defined as five times or more per month) possessed a lower resting heart rate than did non-users, including those who were former marijuana consumers.

“Current cannabis use was associated with lower resting heart rate, but cumulative cannabis exposure was not,” they reported. “Our findings align with epidemiological research on thousands of participants from Europe and the USA that found no association between cannabis and cardiovascular disease, mortality, or surrogate outcomes.”

Authors concluded: “Current cannabis use was associated with lower resting heart rate, which supports findings from experimental studies. … Past cumulative exposure to cannabis was not associated with heart rate, indicating the effects of cannabis exposure on heart rate are transient. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting a lack of deleterious association of cannabis use at a level typical of the general population on surrogate outcomes of cardiovascular disease.”

Full text of the study, “Association between current and cumulative cannabis use and heart rate: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study,” appears in The American Journal of Medicine.

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Argentina’s Supreme Court May Decriminalize Cannabis Cultivation

Written by Johnny Green on March 13, 2022. Posted in Politics.

In 2017 lawmakers in Argentina passed a law that legalized cannabis for medical use. For the next few years, the new law essentially proved to be nothing more than symbolic as industry rules and regulations went nowhere. That had a direct, negative impact on patients who had no way of legally obtaining medicine.

In late 2020 Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández signed a decree calling for the legalization of home cultivation along with allowing pharmacies to sell medical cannabis products. Part of the decree also called on insurance companies to cover the costs of medical cannabis.

The catch to the 2020 decree, which is essentially the same catch that has hindered Argentina’s medical cannabis program since 2017, is that it relied on the creation of rules and regulations pertaining to licenses. Before someone can cultivate medical cannabis in Argentina they must first obtain a license from the government, and there is no licensing process in place.

Medical cannabis advocates are understandably frustrated with the situation, and some of those advocates are pursuing legal remedies. Argentina’s Supreme Court will hear arguments next month regarding the current status of home cultivation. Per excerpts from Mugglehead:

The court public hearings on April 27 and 28 will discuss whether it’s unconstitutional to criminalize cannabis cultivation for medical purposes. It will cover whether family members or organizations should be allowed to cultivate medical cannabis for patients, including children.

MAMAS Cannabis-Santa Fe (MACAME) — an organization of mothers who are advocating the therapeutic use of cannabis in Argentina — has been summoned to the hearing. Other professionals and organizations can sign up to speak as well if they have proven knowledge about medical cannabis. MACAME has put together a template to help people through the process if they want to speak.

The same group making the requests in this case made a similar request back in 2018 and it was rejected, however, a lot has changed since that time at the global level. Since 2018 Mexico, South Africa, and Italy have all had their Supreme Courts rule that cannabis prohibition as it applied to personal use (including cultivation) was unconstitutional.

The argument that is being made in Argentina also somewhat echoes what happened in the United States decades ago. When cannabis prohibition was first instituted in the United States it was via a ‘stamp tax’ which essentially meant that you could only have cannabis if you had a federal license, knowing that no such licenses would ever be created.

That public policy was eventually shot down by the Court in the United States because it’s a catch-22 that people could never get around. Something similar is occurring in Argentina, although only time will tell which way the Court rules on the specific arguments being made in this particular case.

Spanish Medical Cannabis Subcommittee Holds First Hearing

Written by Johnny Green on March 12, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Spain is a truly amazing place, especially when it comes to being a cannabis consumer. The European nation is absolutely beautiful, and cannabis is very easy to acquire if you know where to look.

Barcelona, where we recently held our first conference of the year, is a particularly fantastic place to be a cannabis consumer. Barcelona is home to more private cannabis clubs than anywhere else in Spain.

Unfortunately, Spain’s cannabis laws are in need of a lot of improvement. Cannabis may be decriminalized in Spain, and cannabis may be easy to acquire, however, many suffering patients still need better access to medical cannabis and selective enforcement needs to be mitigated via setting up a legal, equitable industry framework.

A key subcommittee tasked with exploring medical cannabis reform and regulations finally met in Spain, which will hopefully help yield future movement. Per ConSalud.es (translated to English):

The subcommission for the purpose of carrying out experiments in the regulation of cannabis for medicinal use , created in the Congress of Deputies to study a possible regulation in Spain, has hosted the first session of appearances on Tuesday. As approved by this commission a few weeks ago, there will be 26 experts who will tell their experience on this matter until the end of June.

Among the most outstanding is that of Manuel Ibarra Lorente , head of the Drug Inspection and Control Department of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) , who has provided the technical vision of the regulatory body in Spain, of its possible regulation. of the authorized clinical trials with cannabinoids and about the doubts that currently exist.

During the subcommittee meeting, Ibarra expressed doubt regarding the notion that “cannabis has multiple therapeutic benefits in many other indications: relief of chronic pain, prevention of nausea and vomiting, as an appetite stimulant, reducing depression, anxiety or disorders of the dream.”

Ibarra is pushing for a very controlled and regulated medical cannabis industry in Spain, and even then, only after a considerable amount of further research is conducted. Hopefully fellow committee members are listening to other sources, and not solely relying on Ibarra’s opinion.

It would be a much faster and more efficient approach if Spain relied on the enormous body of research that already exists to form its policies, as well as model the successful policies in countries that have already launched national, regulated medical cannabis industries, including Canada which has also legalized adult-use cannabis sales as well.

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Yet Another Reason Why Hemp Should Be Used To Clean Up Contaminated Areas

Written by Johnny Green on March 11, 2022. Posted in Science.

It is estimated that there are as many as 10 million contaminated sites around the globe, with over half of those sites involving heavy metal contamination specifically. Heavy metals are metallic elements that have a relatively high density compared to water, and heavy metal contamination involves soil (and water) being saturated with heavy metal pollution over time.

Some of the most common types of heavy metals found at contamination sites that are concerning to humans include cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead, and arsenic. Contamination sites can be found at old geogenic, industrial, agricultural, pharmaceutical, domestic effluents, and atmospheric locations.

In addition to harming humans, heavy metal contamination also negatively impacts wildlife and the environment. It can lead to a number of health issues, including disease and even death. If sites contaminated by heavy metals are not properly cleaned up in a timely manner, contamination can extend to local water sources.

Hemp To The Rescue

A major tool at the disposal of humans is the hemp plant. Per one of many studies on the subject, hemp plants have an uncanny ability to absorb heavy metals from the soil in which they are planted. It’s a two-edged sword, in that heavy metal fertilizers are commonly used by some cannabis growers and that is not a good thing. However, for the purpose of cleaning up contaminated sites, hemp’s ability to absorb heavy metals is incredibly useful.

Due to the stigma of the hemp plant, its use for cleaning up contaminated sites is still somewhat limited around the globe, although the practice is currently being put to use in some places. For instance, hemp is planted around the site of Europe’s largest steel plant in Italy to clean up the area’s contaminated soil.

Hemp matures notoriously faster compared to many other plants and trees that have strong heavy metal uptake abilities. It takes roughly 3-4 months for a hemp plant to grow from start to finish, and throughout its growth process, it is pulling heavy metals from the soil that it’s planted in. It’s an environmentally friendly way to clean up sites efficiently. As the political stigma surrounding hemp cultivation subsides around the planet, it’s a technique that will likely increase in popularity.

What About The Hemp Harvests?

One obvious question that people ask when the topics of hemp and contamination sites come up is ‘what do they do with the harvested hemp?’ It’s a logical question, and thanks to recent research out of Belgium there’s now some insight regarding an answer.

A team of researchers in Belgium recently planted hemp in contaminated soil for the purpose of testing the contamination levels of the hemp itself. The researchers wanted to know if the hemp fibers could still be used to make textiles even though they came from plants that were used to decontaminate polluted soil.

“…both Cd and Pb concentrations in the fibers were far below the heavy metal thresholds for textile product safety in all cultivars, while Zn is not considered toxic in textile production. In addition, low Pb, Cd, and Zn concentrations in the shives suggest the potential safe use of this residual fraction of hemp fiber production as well.” the researchers stated.

“These results are promising in terms of safe use of the produced hemp fibers in the textile industry and thus of the potential valorization of contaminated land through hemp cultivation and the development of non-food value chains within a phytoattenuation strategy.” the researchers concluded.

It is worth noting that this particular study only looked at contamination levels as they pertain to textiles. Hemp can obviously be used to make foods and other consumables, including ones that people inhale, and further research is needed regarding hemp harvests at contaminated sites and whether or not the harvests can be used for things that humans ingest/inhale.

Are Britain’s Terrible Cannabis Policies Holding Back Legalization In Bermuda?

Written by Johnny Green on March 7, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Cannabis reform is on the move in the Caribbean region, with several countries now operating legal medical cannabis industries. So far, no country in the region has legalized cannabis for adult use, however, at least one country is somewhat close to doing so.

Last year the lower chamber of Bermuda’s legislature passed an adult-use cannabis legalization measure. After passage in the lower chamber, The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 then went to the upper chamber where the bill hit a dead end.

The legislation was blocked from receiving a vote, and it has essentially collected dust for the last year. The upper chamber in Bermuda’s legislature can only hold up a bill for one year before it has to be sent back to the lower chamber for another vote, which is what has happened.

While the bill is likely to be approved once again by the lower chamber, it still faces an uphill battle after passage. One of the main reasons that opponents of the bill cite as to why they won’t support the measure is that they feel that Britain will not sign off on it. Per Royal Gazette:

The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022, tabled by Kathy Lynn Simmons, the legal affairs minister and Attorney-General, was drawn up to make recreational use of cannabis legal and to regulate production of the drug.

But, if passed as is likely, the legislation could create a flashpoint with Britain as Rena Lalgie, the Governor, has made it clear that the legislation would breach British international treaty obligations.

David Burt, the Premier, raised the stakes after he insisted that refusal of Royal Assent for the Act would “destroy” the island’s relationship with Britain.

Around the time of the passage of The Cannabis Licensing Act 2022 Premier Burt insisted that failure to grant Royal Assent to something that Bermuda passes would be unacceptable, as touched on above.

“This legislation will pass … If Her Majesty’s representative in Bermuda does not give assent to something that has been passed lawfully and legally under this local government, this will destroy the relationship that we have with the United Kingdom.” Burt said according to Royal Gazette at the time.

The best thing that Bermuda can do is to pass the legalization measure and put pressure on Britain to do the right thing and go from there. Unfortunately, as long as the threat of Britain blocking the measure is lingering out there, cannabis opponents will continue to point to it and drag their feet. It is up to supporters to overcome that hurdle.

President Of Guyana Wants To Boost Hemp Production

Written by Johnny Green on March 7, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Guyana (official name the Co‑operative Republic of Guyana) is likely not the first place that you think of when you think of cannabis reform and the emerging cannabis industry.

However, the country is in the process of trying to reform its cannabis policies and launch a legal cannabis industry. If the President of Guayana has his way, farmers will be able to cultivate hemp sooner rather than later. Per Demerara Waves:

President Irfaan Ali on Sunday announced that he plans to meet with marijuana farmers to encourage them to get into the cultivation of high-value hemp.

“I intend to have a meeting very soon with all the marijuana growers in this country. I intend to have a meeting and to let them understand that there is a viable future in the hemp industry and bring them into that discussion and move away from the marijuana that has social consequences and come into mainstream economic activity that does not have that impact and has that returns,” he told a news conference.

The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) last year seized 1,976,956 kilogrammes of marijuana and destroyed at least 10 acres of marijuana cultivations.

Cannabis reform has spread across both the Caribbean region as well as South America. Guyana is located in the northern part of South America, and while it is technically part of South America, the nation tends to trend alongside Caribbean nations when it comes to industry and politics.

It’s unfortunate that Guyana is not pursuing non-hemp cannabis legalization in addition to hemp legalization, however, even legalized hemp is better than Guyana’s current outright prohibition policies.

Guyana’s economy is ranked 148th globally (as measured by GDP) and its main industries are agriculture and mining.

Are Cannabis Expungements On The Way In Israel?

Written by Johnny Green on March 7, 2022. Posted in Politics.

News surfaced out of Israel yesterday regarding big changes to Israel’s current cannabis policy. A temporary order is currently in place in Israel that prevents criminal charges from being applied to cannabis-only offenses in certain instances.

Israel’s government announced plans over the weekend to make that temporary policy permanent. Per Haaretz:

The Israeli government is considering decriminalizing recreational marijuana use and expunging the criminal records of those convicted of personal possession or use of cannabis, President Isaac Herzog and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced Sunday.

On approval of the new regulations, those with recreational-use convictions would be able to submit a request to have their records voided, while those with pending criminal proceedings would be able to contact the police with a request to drop the charges. The move, said the statement, is intended “to lift the criminal labeling and the stain that accompanies it” and to “complement” decriminalization regulations published last month.

Unfortunately, the new policy does not extend to people that were charged/convicted during military service or to minors. The new policy does extend to drug paraphernalia charges, albeit not if the case involves a member of the military or a minor.

The policy announcement was coupled with news that personal cannabis use and possession would be ‘completely decriminalized’ with a maximum fine of 1,000 shekels. Passage of the policy change is expected as early as this week, and implementation would be immediate.

Last week Israel announced plans to decriminalize CBD over the course of two years. It’s unclear how this latest announcement affects the proposed CBD policy change.

Three Provinces Selected To Cultivate Legal Cannabis In Morocco

Written by Johnny Green on March 6, 2022. Posted in Business.

It is no secret that Morocco is home to some of the best hash on earth. It is also no secret that a lot of that hash, and even domestic cannabis flower, is smuggled out of Morocco and transported to other countries, including and especially Spain.

Much like other countries that are well-known for cannabis, Morocco has worked in recent years to try to bring its unregulated industry into the legal arena. That is never an easy task when so much of the country’s economic structure is built around an unregulated, illegal trade.

Morocco’s emerging legal cannabis industry passed a major milestone this week when industry regulators published a list of regions that have been selected to cultivate cannabis legally. Per North Africa Post:

A new step forward in the legalization of cannabis cultivation in Morocco was made Thursday as the government adopted at its weekly meeting a decree regulating the activities related to the culture of the plant and selected three provinces, namely Al Hoceima, Chefchaouen and Taounate that will grow cannabis legally.

This decree, drafted by the Ministry of the Interior in coordination with the ministerial departments concerned, is part of the completion of the application of the law that was adopted in May 2021.

Ultimately, the text will subject all activities related to the cultivation, production, processing, transport, marketing, export and import of cannabis and its by-products to a licensing system.

Make no mistake – Morocco’s illegal cannabis industry is not going anywhere, at least not any time soon. Cannabis is cultivated all over Morocco, and people that cannot obtain a license will likely continue to go about their business as usual.

With that being said, it is still very much worth celebrating the selection of provinces for legal cultivation. It’s a major step in the right direction, and hopefully licensing will be extended to the rest of the country sooner rather than later.

Global demand for cannabis products from Morocco is significant, especially in countries where cannabis cultivation is difficult to do at an elite level. If Morocco can get its legal industry infrastructure in place and embraces the cannabis industry versus only tolerating it, it will reap enormous financial rewards in the coming years.

Brittney Griner’s Arrest Highlights Harms Of Russia Cannabis Prohibition

Written by Johnny Green on March 6, 2022. Posted in Politics.

Unless you have been living under a rock then you likely heard the news that WNBA star Brittney Griner was recently arrested for cannabis possession in Russia. According to ESPN, “Griner is being detained in Russia after customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow…”

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Griner’s agent with Wasserman Group, told ESPN via a statement Saturday. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

Some cannabis observers, including some long-time activists, were quick to place blame on Griner for traveling to Russia, allegedly with vape pen cartridges in her luggage. However, the real blame lands squarely on Russia’s inhumane cannabis policies.

Assuming that the allegations are true, Griner was likely traveling with an amount of cannabis vape pens that is legal in a number of states back in the U.S. If the pens contained hemp-derived CBD oil, then what Griner was caught with would have been legal nationwide in the U.S.

Unfortunately, Griner is now facing up to 10 years in prison, and given the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it’s very hard to speculate as to if/when she will be released and allowed to come home. Hopefully her freedom will not be used as a bargaining chip by Russia, although, it’s something that cannot be ruled out.

Many are calling on the Biden administration to do everything that it can to free Griner, and rightfully so. With that being said, Biden has scoffed in the past when asked to do the same for cannabis prisoners in the U.S., so I am personally not holding out a lot of hope for Biden to step up to try to free Griner.

Cannabis prohibition is harmful to people’s lives, including professional athletes. No one should ever be arrested for a plant that has been found to be exponentially safer than alcohol. Russia needs to free Griner immediately, as well as every other cannabis prisoner within its borders. Anything short of that is unacceptable.