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Sardinia Begins Regulated Hemp Production To Remediate Polluted Land

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Science.

Italy’s second-largest island has passed a measure to create a regulated hemp market to help clean up the environment

A new law designed to increase phytoremediation of polluted land may well put hemp production on steroids on Italy’s second-largest island – Sardinia. The measure, which passed by unanimous vote on the island, regulates the entire supply chain – from farm to processing.

About 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of hemp were planted in 2019 – the last year such data is available. However, there has been a concerted push to cultivate more hemp – either from first-time farmers or those who want to convert existing agricultural operations to farm the same which has driven the measure politically.

The island’s governing council said that the old unclear laws and regulations were stifling this sector of the economy on the island.

Controlling Production Seed to Sale

What is interesting about this development is that the new law differs from Italy’s national law on hemp production because it imposes an obligation to report cultivation. This is intended to create a way of controlling and tracking what is produced here. The island will maintain a database to monitor cultivation and the intended use of such crops which will also be shared with the police.

The Great Italian Cannabis Question

Italy has subsided from the cannabis reform limelight somewhat over the past several years. Undoubtedly this is partially thanks to Covid. However, it is not the only reason. Indeed, at the beginning of just this year, the highest court in the country squashed a petition effort to hold a referendum on the legalization of recreational use.

However, Italy is far from out of the game. Medical cannabis is produced in the country and there is limited medical reform. Beyond that, hemp and CBD products continue to be popular here. Italy is also head of most European countries in that, like Malta, albeit via court case rather than legislation, patients can grow their own if they cannot access it elsewhere.

How the country will proceed post-pandemic is an open question. It is clear that reform here has not gone underground. It will just take a concerted political push to get the country’s national politicians to move forward on a recreational discussion.

In the meantime, regions like Sardinia are proceeding as best they can. Hemp production for environmental remediation is an increasingly popular, non-controversial way to proceed, although this project seems to be the first in Europe to specifically focus on the environmental benefits of growing hemp.

It won’t be the last.

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Study In Italy Finds That Patients Successfully Replace Opioids With Cannabis

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Science.

It is estimated that roughly 1 out of every 5 people on earth suffers from chronic pain, with the likeliness of someone having the condition increasing with age. The rate of people over the age of 65 that suffer from chronic pain is as high as 85% according to at least one study.

Chronic pain is defined as being ongoing and lastly over 6 months, and can be caused by any number of factors. For some patients, chronic pain is a symptom of another condition, such as cancer. For others, its the result of an injury or accident.

Whatever the cause, chronic pain can be very tough to deal with. In some cases, it can be extremely debilitating and interfere with virtually every aspect of daily life. To make matters worse, when pain patients go to their doctor they are almost always met with one form of recommended treatment – opioids.

It is always worth mentioning that just because someone takes opioids, they shouldn’t be shamed for doing so. For some patients, it’s their only option, and for many other patients, it’s effective for their specific situation. Just as people shouldn’t be subjected to negative stigma for using cannabis, so too should they never be subjected to negative stigma for using opioids or any other medicine for that matter.

With that being said, cannabis is exponentially safer than opioids, and according to a new study many patients are reducing their reliance on opioids after starting medical cannabis treatment. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Milan, Italy: The long-term use of plant-derived cannabis extracts by patients with chronic pain is associated with reduced reliance on prescription opioids, according to data published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences.

A team of Italian researchers assessed the use of prescription opioids and other medicines in a cohort of chronic patients in the six months immediately prior to and immediately following their initiation of medical cannabis.

Authors reported that a significant percentage of subjects ceased their use of prescription opioids by the conclusion of the trial. They concluded, “Analyses by subgroups showed a statistically significant difference in the proportion of female opioid non-users before and after cannabis-based oil treatment (34.1 percent to 56.1 percent), as well as in the proportion of under-65 years old opioid non-users before and after cannabis-based oil treatment (32.5 percent to 55 percent), in the proportion of opioid non-users with non-severe comorbidity (33.3 percent to 54.2 percent), and … in the proportion of opioid non-users with a chronic pain condition (32.6 percent to 59.2 percent).”

The findings are consistent with dozens of other studies showing that pain patients typically reduce or eliminate their use of prescription opioids following the use of cannabis. Inconsistent with prior studies, authors did not identify an association between medical cannabis use and a significant reduction in patients’ use of other prescription drugs, including benzodiazepines.

Full text of the study, “Long-term cannabis-based oil therapy and pain medications prescribing patterns: An Italian observational study,” appears in European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. Additional information is available from the NORML fact sheet, ‘Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.’ Information on cannabis in the treatment of chronic pain is available from NORML.

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Canadian Researchers Analyze Dozens Of Cannabis/Alcohol DUI Studies

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Science.

Driving under the influence policies as they pertain to cannabis is an extremely important area of public policy. Everyone should want to keep roadways safe and treat driving while intoxicated by any substance as a very serious matter.

With that being said, just because someone consumes cannabis does not automatically mean that they are too impaired to drive. Also, just because someone has cannabis in their system it doesn’t mean that they are impaired, and for that matter, it doesn’t mean that the cannabis in the person’s system indicates that they consumed recently.

Cannabis can stay in a person’s system for a very long time, and due to how fast the body metabolizes cannabis, having cannabinoids in the system could mean that the person consumed cannabis just hours prior, or a month prior – there’s no scientific way to know for sure once cannabinoids have been metabolized.

Policymakers and regulators are struggling with how to address cannabis DUI policies, with many trying to superimpose the approach to alcohol DUIs on the approach to cannabis use.

Unfortunately for those people, cannabis does not interact with the human body the same way that alcohol does, as demonstrated by the results of a new study. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Alberta, Canada: The magnitude of cannabis’ influence on driving performance is far less than that of alcohol, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Addiction.

Canadian researchers analyzed data from 57 studies assessing the influence of cannabis and alcohol on driving behavior and crash risk.

They acknowledged that cannabis exposure was typically associated with deviation in drivers’ lateral positioning (lane weaving) and a decrease in their average speed. Cannabis use was “not associated with an increase in crashes in experimental studies.” Authors also found “no compelling evidence” that cannabis influenced hazard response time, headway variability, time out of lane, speed variability, speed exceedance, or time speeding.

They concluded, “Specifically, for the measures reported here, there are no instances where the average effect of cannabis is equal to or greater than the driving performance decrements associated with BAC concentration ranging from 0.04 to 0.06 percent.”

Consistent with other studies, authors acknowledged that the combined use of cannabis and alcohol “is generally more detrimental to driving performance relative to non-intoxication or to either drug in isolation.”

NORML has long acknowledged that acute cannabis intoxication can influence driving performance, particularly if consumed with alcohol, and has opined that anyone inhaling cannabis “should refrain from driving for a period of several hours.”

Full text of the study, “Effects of cannabis and alcohol on driving performance and driver behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” appears in Addiction. Additional information is available in the NORML fact sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

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Study Finds Recent Cannabis Use Associated With Lower Resting Heart Rate

Written by Johnny Green on . 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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Yet Another Reason Why Hemp Should Be Used To Clean Up Contaminated Areas

Written by Johnny Green on . 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.

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Sativex Associated With Opioid-Sparing Effects

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Science.

In a perfect world, every suffering patient that could benefit from the cannabis plant would have safe access to it in all of its forms. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world.

In a less-than-perfect world, patients are at the mercy of what medical cannabis products are legally available in their area. Sativex is one option that is available in places that prohibit most, if not all, other forms of medical cannabis products.

A recent study found that Sativex may reduce opioid consumption rates among pain patients. It is worth noting that shaming people that have to use opioids for whatever reason is not OK.

With that being said, cannabis is absolutely safer than opioids so anyone that can transition from opioids to cannabis is a good thing. Below is more information about the recent study via a news release from NORML:

Oslo, Norway: Prescription opioid users who frequently consume the cannabis plant-derived extract medication Sativex (nabiximols) substantially reduce their opioid intake over time, according to data published in the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Technology.

Sativex is an oromucosal cannabis spray containing nearly equal portions of plant-derived THC and CBD. It is available by prescription in numerous countries, but it is not FDA-approved in the United States.

A team of researchers affiliated with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health assessed the relationship between the use of Sativex and opioids over a one-year period in a cohort of patients prescribed both substances.

They reported that those who filled their Sativex prescriptions three times or more during the study period decreased their use of prescription opioids. This decrease “was even more evident among those filling five or more prescriptions.” By contrast, an inverse relationship was identified among those infrequently engaged in the use of Sativex.

Authors concluded: “This is one of a few studies investigating the impact of medicinal cannabis use on individual level opioid use. … Looking at all those filling a prescription for Sativex, opioid use was only marginally lowered in the follow-up period. Some Sativex users, however, filled more prescriptions for Sativex and were able to reduce their opioid use substantially. Further studies are needed to elucidate more details on these patients, so as to know who can benefit from such cannabis-based extracts in reducing their opioid use.”

Numerous studies have previously identified a relationship between patients’ consumption of medical cannabis and a reduction in their use of opioids and other prescription drugs.

Full text of the study, “Possible opioid-saving effect of cannabis-based medicine using individual-based data from the Norwegian Prescription Database,” appears in Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. Additional information is available from NORML’s fact sheet, “Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.”

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Does CBD Help Reduce Methamphetamine Withdrawal Issues?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Science.

Stigmatizing drug use and treating drug addiction as a crime are both wrong. Drug addiction should be treated as a serious public health issue and not as a criminal justice issue.

Part of battling drug addiction issues is implementing meaningful strategies for mitigating harm and helping people that are addicted to harmful substances work through withdrawal issues as they quit.

Methamphetamine is a substance that is considerably more harmful compared to cannabis. Meth is very addictive and can wreak havoc on a person’s life. Meth is often combined with other harmful substances and the use of it can lead to death.

CBD Study

Researchers in Iran recently conducted a study in which they explored the potential for cannabidiol (CBD) to help people that are trying to quit using methamphetamine.

“In this review article, we focus on the effects of CBD in the treatment of addiction in a preclinical investigation concerning the pharmaceutic effectiveness and the underlying mechanisms of action on drug abuse specially METH.” the researchers stated.

“Through multiple-mechanisms, there is a belief that CBD modulates brain dopamine responding to METH, resulting in a reduction of METH-seeking behaviors.” the researchers went on to say.

“As our studies indicate, CBD can decrease METH addiction-associated problems, for example, symptoms of withdrawal and craving.” the researchers concluded.

The Safer Choice

As stated previously, no one should ever be shamed for their drug use, whether that drug use involves methamphetamine or not. With that being said, people should also be helped when they are trying to curb addiction.

CBD is non-psychoactive and by all measures is a safe substance. It is widely available and is now infused in all types of products, from gummies to tinctures to beverages.

Talking to a friend or family member that is battling addiction is not an easy task, and it takes tact, compassion, and understanding. If you feel comfortable discussing the matter with someone you know, offer up CBD as an option for battling withdrawals.

In addition to this study, other studies have found that CBD may be helpful in battling other types of addictions as well, including addiction to cigarettes and alcohol – two substances that are also more harmful than cannabis.

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Research Is Picking Up For Cannabis And Covid

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Science.

There are several studies and now a UK trial is planned to examine the efficacy of cannabis on Covid. What gives?

Since the beginning of the Covid 19 Pandemic, there have been growing claims, although not backed by research or trials, that cannabinoids can affect Covid. On the face of it, it makes sense, as cannabis has marked anti-inflammatory properties.

However, up until now, such claims have been mired in controversy, simply because there had been no formal research backing it up.

Medical Trials Are Underway

That appears to be now formally changing.

At the beginning of January, Oregon State University released research that revealed that hemp compounds, used via a chemical screening technique invented at the university, show the ability to prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells. The research shows that CBGA and CBDA bind to the SARS CoV-2 spike protein, thereby blocking a critical step in the infection process in humans. This “spike protein” is the same drug target used by the current Covid vaccines.

Beyond this announcement by the OSU College of Pharmacy, which was covered globally, an Australian company, BOD, has just announced a UK trial to use cannabis to treat long COVID symptoms. The company was given leave to test its CBD products by the UK’s Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency. 30 trial participants have already been recruited.

The Big Ifs

There are many in the industry who are looking at the development of such research with extreme skepticism. After all, this is hardly the first time such claims have been made. What appears to be different this time, however, is that there is the beginning of medical data and trial research to back them up.

However, those hoping that perhaps this development might immediately aid full cannabis reform might find themselves sadly disappointed, even in the UK. The best this might do is formalize the medical use of CBD, which has already been accomplished, and the cannabis used in turn would have to be EU GMP certified to qualify as a medical product. It is also unlikely that such pronouncements impacted the recent French decision to allow flower sales along with the rest of its CBD market (that has more to do with EU law).

Regardless, what this has done has again focussed the attention on the importance of (at least) formally and fully decriminalizing the medical use of cannabis. And this in turn will lead to greater reform, even if not in the next 12 months.

Be sure to book your tickets to the International Cannabis Business Conference this year as it returns to Barcelona, Berlin, and Zurich!

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Does CBD Impair Driving Ability?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Science.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of the several dozens of cannabinoids that are contained within the cannabis plant.

When it comes to popularity, not all cannabinoids are created equal, and that is particularly true when comparing CBD to other cannabinoids.

For many years the most popular and well-known cannabinoid was THC. However, in recent years THC’s popularity has lost ground to CBD, at least when it comes to Google searches.

CBD’s popularity has also risen dramatically when it comes to products due to its ability to treat various ailments. The rise in popularity is also due in large part to CBD policy reforms around the globe.

The ever-increasing rate at which consumers and patients are using CBD products is leading to concerns in some regulatory circles regarding if it causes too much impairment.

CBD And Driving

A team of researchers in Switzerland recently explored the relationship between the use of CBD products (cigarettes) and a consumer’s ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

“To investigate effects of smoking cannabidiol (CBD)-rich marijuana on driving ability and determine free CBD and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations in capillary blood samples, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover pilot study was conducted with 33 participants.” the researchers stated.

“Participants smoked a joint containing 500 mg of tobacco and either 500 mg of CBD-rich marijuana (16.6% total CBD; 0.9% total THC) or 500 mg of a placebo substance, then performed three different dimensions of the Vienna Test System TRAFFIC examining reaction time, behaviour under stress, and concentration performance. For further assessment of participants’ fitness to drive, three tests of balance and coordination were evaluated and vital signs (blood pressure and pulse) were measured.” the researchers went on to say.

“The results revealed no significant differences between the effects of smoking CBD-rich marijuana and placebo on reaction time, motor time, behaviour under stress, or concentration performance.” the researchers concluded.

Beware Per Se DUII Laws

Regulators around the globe are crafting cannabis policies specific to driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUII). It is one of many facets of public policy that gets reviewed when cannabis laws change.

DUII laws, for any intoxicating substance, fall into two ‘method of detection’ categories. One is detecting DUII via a comprehensive set of field sobriety tests.

The other category for the method of detection is relying on a per se limit. For instance, most jurisdictions have a per se limit for alcohol, such as .08 BAC in the United States.

Many regulators try to rely on a per se limit for THC, falsely believing that cannabis affects the human body the same as alcohol.

With that in mind, CBD consumers could in theory have THC built up in their bodily fluids, and if they have too much and get caught driving in a jurisdiction that has a per se law, it could result in some unfortunate consequences.