Articles

01/15/2023

CNN — 
In just five years, the number of small children in the US exposed to cannabis after accidentally eating an edible rose 1,375%, a new study says.
There were more than 7,040 exposures to edible cannabis in kids under 6 between 2017 and 2021, according to an analysis of records from the National Poison Data System, a central repository for data from America’s Poison Centers.

01/15/2023

Other presentations:  West Virginia, because the wonderful world of opioids, lost in the weeds;  beans, benzos, and bud.
Professor and Chair, Director of Addictions, Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry, Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute 
West Virginia University, 930 Chestnut Ridge Road , Morgantown, WV, 26508, 304-293-5323
jberry@hsc.wvu.edu,   Admin. Assistant: Lisa Terris lisa.terris@hsc.wvu.edu
 

01/15/2023

Among people aged 12 or older who vaped any substance in the past month, 71.1% vaped nicotine, 40.1% vaped marijuana, and 19.2% vaped flavoring

01/10/2023

More young children are getting sick from inadvertently eating marijuana edibles, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Pediatrics.

Calls to poison control centers about kids 5 and under consuming edibles containing THC rose from 207 in 2017 to 3,054 in 2021 — a 1,375% increase, according to the study. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Nearly all of the children — about 97% — found the edibles at home.

01/05/2023

Conclusion: Between 2015 and 2019, suicide ideation/behaviors increased for adolescents that used marijuana. As marijuana is legalized in more states, public health efforts are needed to curb increases in marijuana use among adolescents and to better understand the causal linkages between marijuana use and suicide ideation/behaviors.

12/13/2022

Tianeptine is widely available at gas stations in the United States. While the drug has no FDA approval, it is labeled as a dietary supplement. The highly controversial substance acts like an opioid does and is known to cause withdrawals.

In some Asian, Latin, and European countries, Tianeptine is marketed as an antidepressant drug. In the United States, the drug has not been approved for medical use by the Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, the drug is not classified as a controlled substance and is easily accessible.

Tianeptine is available to be purchased at gas stations throughout the United States and online. The product is being sold as a  The highly addictive drug is also showing up under brand names like TD Red, ZaZa Red, Tiana, and Nootropic. 

12/04/2022

Ten years of legal marijuana has not caused a collapse of civilization, but it is definitely harming people's lives. It is probably also creating a future class of brain-addled government dependents with a tendency toward psychosis and poor judgment. Congress should ignore Hickenlooper's proposal and resist the temptation to greenlight legal cannabis use nationwide.

12/01/2022

Conclusions and relevance: This study suggests that prenatal cannabis exposure and its correlated factors are associated with greater risk for psychopathology during middle childhood. Cannabis use during pregnancy should be discouraged.     

11/20/2022

Conclusions: This is the first characterization of the effect of cannabis exposure on the entirety of the rat sperm methylome. We identified CE-associated methylation changes across the sperm methylome, some of which persisted despite a "washout" period. Select methylation changes validated via bisulfite pyrosequencing, and genes associated with methylation changes were involved in early developmental processes. Preconception CE exposure is associated with detectable changes in offspring DNA methylation that are functionally related to changes in gene expression and cardiomegaly. These results support that paternal preconception exposure to cannabis can influence offspring outcomes.     

11/14/2022

10/24/2022

10/18/2022

The notion of legalizing intoxicating cannabinoids simply because they are derived or synthesized from hemp is ludicrous. A comparable scenario would be deregulating wine on the grounds that it derives from grape juice. An intoxicant is an intoxicant. Both common sense and public safety dictate that these substances must be handled with care. The proliferation of untested and unregulated synthetic and semi-synthetic intoxicating cannabinoids is a public health disaster. Action must be taken immediately to protect public safety. Specifically (see article)

Keep in mind that THC is a potent compound – a dose is typically measured in milligrams (thousandths of a gram), not grams. In the regulated California cannabis market, a single serving of an infused edible is capped at 10mg of THC per serving (and 100mg per package). If, as loosely interpreted, the Farm Bill allows for 0.3 percent THC in the final product and there is no cap on THC per package for “hemp-derived” products, here’s how much “hempderived” THC you could see in a single infused gummy, cookie, brownie, or 12-ounce beverage: PRODUCT TYPE 2 GUMMIES 1 COOKIE 1 BROWNIE 1 BEVERAGE UNIT WEIGHT (GRAMS) 5.8g 16g 70g 340g 0.3% THC (MILLIGRAMS) 17.4mg 48mg 210mg 1020mg Those are astonishingly high doses and mean we could have unregulated, hemp-infused edibles and beverages with up to 100 times the THC allowed in the regulated California cannabis market.

09/23/2022

Starting this Friday, July 1, all Oregon businesses—including gas stations and grocery stores—will be prohibited from selling any and all “artificially derived cannabinoids.” That means not just heavy hitters like delta-8 and THC-O, but non-psychoactive compounds like cannabinol (CBN) as well. 

Although a dozen states have moved to ban delta-8 and other hemp-derived cannabinoids that act similarly to THC, Oregon will be the first state to ban all artificially derived cannabinoids.

08/03/2022

Big Pharma and Big Tobacco are helping market high-potency, psychosis-inducing THC products as your mother’s ‘medical marijuana’
For 30 years, Dr. Libby Stuyt, a recently retired addiction psychiatrist in Pueblo, Colorado, treated patients with severe drug dependency. Typically, that meant alcohol, heroin, and methamphetamines. But about five years ago, she began to see something new.

07/11/2022

CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of delta-8 THC-containing products in the illicit drug market is increasing rapidly. Delta-8 THC products are now available in gas stations and in headshops. The clinical presentation of delta-8 THC exposure is similar to known effects of delta-9 THC exposure. These similarities limit the clinicians' abilities to determine the specific substance ingested. Symptomatic and supportive care remains an effective treatment for cannabinoid toxicity.

07/10/2022

06/26/2022

Miami, Floirida:  Can you tell this has Delta-8 THC?  

06/26/2022

06/26/2022

A new Minnesota law that took effect last week is intended to prohibit the sale of products containing high amounts of delta-8 THC but also has established a relatively high limit for total THC in hemp foods.

The measure, signed by Gov. Tim Walz in May, and which went into force Friday, July 1, allows adults 21 and over to possess and consume hemp-based edibles and beverages that contain up to five milligrams of total combined THC – such as delta-9, delta-8 and delta-10 – per serving, with individual packages limited to 50mg.

The company, Hemp Boms, is a Tampa based compay. Is this what we want Tampa to be known for?  Delta-8 is extremely harmful. It is being advertised as a hemp product and is not regulated.  
READ THE INFORMATION BELOW: 
TAMPA, Fla., June 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemp Bombs, the manufacturer and distributor of award-winning CBD, Delta-8 THC and Delta-9 THC Gummies, announces its newest line of gummies, Hemp Bombs High Potency Delta-8 THC Gummies.
There should be a red label with large letters WARNING.  Not how many should I eat!!!
"How many Delta 9 Gummies should I eat?   If it’s your first time trying Delta 9 gummies, we recommend starting with one-half or one whole gummy. This serving size should allow you to become accustomed to Delta 9’s effects. You can increase or decrease how many gummies you take once you’re familiar with the results. "
 

06/13/2022

Conclusions
Findings provide initial insight into the current state of Delta-8 THC use in the US. Given the limited knowledge on use of Delta-8 THC, and considering emergence of reports indicating its harmful effects, there is urgent need for nationally representative data to investigate correlates of Delta-8 THC use (e.g., effectiveness of state-specific restrictions on its products). Such information can guide public-health policy around Delta-8 THC use.

06/12/2022

The mass legalisation of cannabis has led to a mental health “time bomb” in the United States and scientists are warning that stronger strains are driving psychosis among young people.

05/11/2022

Given this backdrop, what about a tie to mass shootings? If shooters are deranged, anti-social youth with clear psychoses, what is the chance their psychoses ties to regular marijuana use?
Real answer is, we are not sure, but evidence is mounting in support of a material link – and it cannot be ignored. In short, corroboration exists – and appears statistically significant, or beyond random in the tie-back. Surprisingly, the association between regular marijuana use and mass murders is palpable. Experts like Dr. Daniel Amen, a child psychiatrist, are weighing in – as his interview with Dan Bongino attests. Is this because the alienated use drugs, or is it causal?

03/23/2022

TAMPA, Fla. — Products from cake pops to candy containing a chemical compound called Delta 8 are being sold legally in Florida without a prescription and with the goal of getting people high.
The I-Team has uncovered these products have caused hospitalizations and at least one death, sparking calls in Hillsborough County for better regulation of these products.

“It’s candy with drugs in it sold in your convenience store,” said Ellen Snelling, who chairs the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance.
She recently took packages of candy that looked like popular brands, including Skittles, Nerds and gummy bears.

03/01/2022

Research has found that prenatal cannabis use may adversely affect fetal growth and neurodevelopment, be associated with future learning and behavioral problems in children, and increase risk of neonatal morbidity. (Cornelius et al., 2002; Day et al., 1994; El Marroun et al., 2011; Fried and Smith, 2001; Fried et al., 1999; Fried et al., 2003; Fried et al., 1997; Goldschmidt et al., 2000; Goldschmidt et al., 2008; Goldschmidt et al., 2012; Metz et al., 2017; Noland et al., 2005; Willford et al., 2010; Ryan et al., 2018; El Marroun et al., 2018) Several US organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend abstinence from cannabis use during pregnancy. (Ryan et al., 2018; Gynecologists, T.A.C.O.O.A, 2020) Despite these recommendations, there are concerns that the trend of cannabis use during pregnancy will continue to increase as more states and countries legalize cannabis and allow for commercial sales through dispensaries. (Mark and Terplan, 2017)

02/22/2022

Cannabis can cross the placental and blood-brain barriers and is excreted in breast milk. The scope is wider than pregnancy alone as it accumulates and is active for many weeks. 

02/04/2022

Results
Rates of reported cannabis use in pregnancy increased from 1.3% to 7.5% over the study period with no appreciable change in slope after legalisation in 2018. Infants of mothers reporting cannabis use in pregnancy were more likely to have major anomalies and a 5-minute Apgar score ≤ 7, require NICU admission, and had lower birth weight, head circumference, and birth length than infants of mothers not reporting cannabis use. These associations did not differ before and after legalisation.

Conclusions
Reported cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with early postnatal complications and reduced fetal growth, even after taking into account a range of confounding factors. Rates of reported cannabis use during pregnancy increased over the past five years in Nova Scotia with no apparent additional effect of legalisation.

01/17/2022

Though research among pregnant women and marijuana-exposed neonates is limited, there is evidence to suggest that marijuana use may increase the risk of stillbirth and is associated with neurodevelopmental deficits in the infant.

Evidence-based programs to prevent initiation of marijuana use should target women of childbearing age.

In addition, THC passes from mother to baby through breastmilk; thus, cessation should continue post-partum. 

01/16/2022

“I started seeing people with the worst psychosis symptoms that I have ever seen,” she told me. “And the worst delusions I have ever seen.”

These cases were even more acute than what she’d seen from psychotic patients on meth. Some of the delusions were accompanied by “severe violence.” But these patients were coming up positive only for cannabis.
Now, she believes she’s seeing the same thing all over again: the specious claims of medical benefits, the denial of adverse effects. “From Big Tobacco to Big Pharma to Big Marijuana—it’s the same people, and the same pattern.”

They’re made by putting pulverized marijuana into a tube and running butane, propane, ethanol, or carbon dioxide through it, which separates the THC from the rest of the plant. The end product is a wax that can be 70% to 80% THC. That wax can then be put in a vacuum oven and further concentrated into oils that are as much as 95% or even 99% THC. Known as “dabs,” this is what people put in their vape pens, and in states like California and Colorado it’s totally legal and easily available to children. “There are no caps on potency,” said Stack.
“There is research out there supporting the use of cannabis for some medical conditions,” said Stuyt, “But it’s all less than 10% THC. Nothing has been studied greater than 10%. But we have all this research showing that greater than 10% puts you at risk for psychosis, addiction, suicide, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome [constant, severe vomiting]—all these things that high-potency THC is doing.”

01/04/2022

The proponents of Cannabis legalisation will often present their case as being pragmatic & evidence-based but the passions that are ignited by this issue belie the fact that what animates much of pro-Cannabis activism is fundamentally a moral argument that Cannabis ‘prohibition’ is on the wrong side of moral history.
The idea that Cannabis legalisation can be utilised as a means towards the ends of social justice by virtue of facilitating mass decarceration is a myth. Firstly, only a minority of American prisoners are incarcerated for drug crimes. As Barry Latzer has written: ‘if all drug prisoners, regardless of race, were removed from state prisons, the black inmate population would only drop only 0.36%, from 39.06% to 38.7%,’ whilst only 92 people were sentenced for Cannabis possession in the federal system in America in 2017.

01/01/2022

Data from the U.S. general population, especially more recent data, suggest associations between self-reported psychotic disorder and frequent nonmedical cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. Clinicians and policy makers should consider these relationships when monitoring patients and formulating programs.   (Nonmedical use does not mean they didn't use medical marijuana but used to get high or selfmedicated.)

12/24/2021

WHAT STATES HAVE BANNED DELTA-8? Delta-8 is currently outright banned or restricted in the following states:  AK AZ AR CO CT DE KY ID IA MS MT NY ND RI UT VT WA For sale at corner stores, grocery stores, vape shops, and online NO warning labels on packages NO federal or state laws setting a minimum age to purchase NO FDA Regulations so there is no way of knowing what you are purchasing I

11/05/2021

We report the death of a 22-year-old woman, with a 3½ year history of cyclic vomiting and cannabis use since age 14, who developed torsades de pointes cardiac arrythmia while being treated in the emergency room for nausea and vomiting. Resuscitation restored spontaneous cardiac circulation, however, due to post-cardiac arrest anoxic brain injury, she never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead 4 days later. Postmortem examination confirmed hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, in keeping with the in-hospital diagnosis of brain death.

07/24/2021

Delta-8 THC (or Delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol) is a naturally occurring chemical compound called a cannabinoid that’s found in small traces in hemp and cannabis (marijuana) plants. Its popularity is on the rise, and you can find it everywhere from boutique weed dispensaries to convenience store shelves.
 

Another reason for Delta-8’s growing popularity is that, unlike heavily regulated THC, Delta-8 is legal to use in most states. That’s because it’s extracted mostly from hemp-derived CBD, which is legal to farm across the U.S.

But Delta-8 sits in a legal gray area. Hemp’s legality stems from the so-called federal farm bill (the Agriculture and Nutrition Improvement Act of 2018), which removed hemp and its byproducts from the list of controlled substances. The reason: Hemp’s low THC levels (less than 0.3%). The bill doesn’t mention Delta-8 anywhere. Hemp advocates and others who sell it have used this loophole to legally market Delta-8 products, usually with no age restrictions. As a result, it’s now the fastest growing product from the hemp industry.

06/26/2021

03/24/2021

"What we're seeing here today is not the end result but the next step in the way to stone America," Sheriff Judd said. "I'm worried about the health of your loved one that drives on the same highway with a person that takes enough of this low Delta 8 to get stoned. So it's not going to be safe."

03/13/2021

A model of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from indoor cannabis cultivation across the US. Depending on the region, indoor cultivation results in between 2,283 and 5,184 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of dried flower.
In the five years after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana, indoor cannabis cultivation went from 1 percent of Denver's electrical consumption to 4 percent 

02/19/2021

Rep. Smith is pro-pot and rude to speakers... write on his twitter  https://twitter.com/CarlosGSmith/status/1361822803922722826
 
Dr. Madras speaks the truth:  “People who go into the emergency department with psychosis, due to their initiation into marijuana use, and they continue to use, they’re more likely to convert to full-blown schizophrenia, and the conversion rate is between 20% and 40%,” she said.
 

02/19/2021

What else explains the rapid march towards legalization by both Democrats
and many Republicans?

For two parties that can't even agree on the time of day, how does pot
become the ONE ISSUE that unites them? It is insane.

• In Florida, Ballard Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm once called “the most powerful lobbyist in Trump’s Washington” is tied to two separate FBI inquiries connected to Florida’s cannabis industry. The firm was subpoenaed by prosecutors from the Southern District of New York who are investigating the illegal foreign money donor scheme.
• Shortly after her 2018 election as Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried reported a $1 million increase in her net wealth, thanks in part to a gift from the CEO of a marijuana company that was awarded a license under a new Florida law who she was romantically involved with.
• Parnas and Fruman’s company, Global Energy Producers, donated $50,000 to the DeSantis campaign, and Parnas was a part of the host committee for a DeSantis fundraiser in July 2018. Gray Rohrer and Steven Lemongello, “DeSantis, Indicted Ukrainian-American Parnas Met at Least 6 Times, Governor’s Office Says,” Orlando Sentinel, November 15, 2019, https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-nedesantis-parnas-fruman-201....

02/19/2021

Caps on THC, the euphoria-inducing chemical found in many strains of medical cannabis, are again an open question in the Florida Legislature.
 

01/14/2021

10/13/2020

Updated information and brochure

08/10/2020

Maternal cannabis use in pregnancy and child neurodevelopmental outcomes We link pregnancy and birth data to provincial health administrative databases to ascertain child neurodevelopmental outcomes. We use matching techniques to control for confounding and Cox proportional hazards regression models to examine associations between prenatal cannabis use and child neurodevelopment. 
 

Marijuana Use During Pregnancy Linked To Autism In Children: Study
 

05/08/2020

To look for longer-term effects of cannabis, the experimenters called the subjects back a week later and tested them again on the word lists, this time with a few different dummy words thrown in. They also re-interviewed the subjects about the VR scenarios using a combination of old and new questions. As before, they found lower memory accuracy in the word-association test in those who had been intoxicated compared with sober participants. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups for the virtual reality scenarios, a result that Kloft says may indicate memory decay over time in all participants.

02/29/2020

E-cigarette use poses a significant – and avoidable – health risk to young people in the United States. Besides increasing the possibility of addiction and long-term harm to brain development and respiratory health, e-cigarette use is associated with the use of other tobacco products that can do even more damage to the body. Even breathing e-cigarette aerosol that someone else has exhaled poses potential health risks.

02/24/2020

The real cost in legalizing marijuana can be counted by the lives impacted- addiction, vaping, dispensing, traffic deaths, suicides, overdoses, … 
 

02/22/2020

As an educator, you can play an active role in fighting the teen vaping epidemic. FDA research suggests that when teachers talk about the health consequences of e-cigarettes and schools enforce anti-vaping policies, students may be less likely to vape. Use these resources to start an honest conversation with your class and help to change social norms at your school.

02/17/2020

CONCLUSIONS:
Drivers who test positive for marijuana are significantly more likely to test positive for prescription opioids. Longitudinal studies with rigorous designs and toxicological testing data are needed to further address the substitution hypothesis between marijuana and prescription opioids.

02/13/2020

In the United States, he is best known for almost single-handedly creating a narco-nation through legalization of marijuana, causing human suffering and environmental devastation on a scale most people do not yet comprehend.

With the nation focused on the opioid danger, and President Trump accusing China of pumping fentanyl into the veins of American victims through Mexico, the marijuana problem has gotten less attention. Indeed, liberal politicians and prosecutors, some of them getting Soros money, are treating the dope as a harmless substance and even a money-maker for local and state governments.