Category: Health

Marijuana Posted on

House Voted (Twice) to Allow Marijuana Banking Services

Democrats were joined by a growing faction of Republicans. In a stunning change of tone on marijuana policy on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives voted on a pair of measures affecting the legal marijuana businesses in Washington and Colorado and medical marijuana businesses in 23 states and Washington DC. Almost all Democrats were joined by a growing faction of Republicans in approving the access to legitimate banking services. The House also quashed an attempt to stop the Department of Treasury from allowing banks to do business with legal marijuana firms. “Though this isn’t as flashy a win as some other drug policy reforms of recent years, banking regulations have been one of the most significant obstacles to creating a well-run, safe legal marketplace,” said […] Read More

Food Posted on

If This Keeps Up, They Will Have To Start Putting Armed Guards On Food Trucks

The basic necessities in life just keep getting more expensive.  On Tuesday, Hershey announced that the price of all of their chocolate bars is going to go up by about 8 percent.  That is particularly distressing to me, because I am known to love chocolate.  But if it was just chocolate that was becoming significantly more expensive perhaps that would be okay.  Last month, it was coffee.  J.M. Smucker, one of the largest coffee producers in the United States, announced that it planned to raise coffee prices by about 9 percent.  And Starbucks has announced a bunch of price increases across the board on their coffee products.  Of course we could all survive without chocolate and coffee, but as you will see below just about […] Read More

Drug's Posted on

Florida Seniors Are Among Medical Marijuana’s Biggest Supporters

Florida is considering medical marijuana in November. The following article first appeared in The Fix. Also on TheFix.com: The New Recovery; No Drugs, No Drink, No Problem—Straight Edge, Then and Now;CNN Reporter Clearly High While Talking to Anderson Cooper This November, Floridians will decide whether to legalize the medical use of marijuana in the Sunshine State. As both sides of the debate gear up for election day, a seemingly unexpected demographic has revealed itself as one of legalization’s biggest supporters—seniors. Many senior citizens favor the initiative, called the Florida Right to Medical Marijuana Initiative, or Amendment 2. “What we’re hearing from older voters is not a lot different from the electorate as a whole,” said Ben Pollara, campaign manager for United For Care, which landed the issue on the ballot. […] Read More

Drug's Posted on

Drug Treatment Court Fatally Misunderstands Addict Psychology

My son’s experience of drug treatment court highlights a failed system of catch and release courts. The following article first appeared in The Fix. Also on TheFix.com: The New Recovery; No Drugs, No Drink, No Problem—Straight Edge, Then and Now; CNN Reporter Clearly High While Talking to Anderson Cooper At least if he’s in jail, I know he is safe, I thought, desperately, as I accepted the collect charges from my son. I’m not sure if it was his fourth or fifth incarceration since he’d entered the drug treatment court program—I’ve lost count of the seven to 14 day sentences he has “served” for his disease in the last four months (not to mention the associated fees). Four months ago (six years into his addiction) my son […] Read More

Food Posted on

The Free Range Meat Myth – Here’s Why It’s A Lie

Free range derived animal food and products refer to a system of farming where animals can roam freely outdoors as opposed to being confined in an small space for 24 hours a day. Free range usually applies to meat, eggs and/or dairy farming. This is one of the hardest things to write about, but staying silent doesn’t help. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. In fact, many “free-range” farms actually cram thousands of animals together in sheds or mud-filled lots. This is done to increase profits, and it’s a popular method used by many conventional factory farms. Many animals of “free-range” farms actually suffer through the same mutilations that occur on factory farms. These atrocities include debeaking, dehorning, castration without pain-killers and more. Here’s a […] Read More

Marijuana Posted on

Is Cannabis A Cure For Cancer?

Evidence points to yes, but research on humans is lacking. The following article first appeared on The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine. Find The Hemp Connoisseur on Facebook here. Does cannabis treat cancer? Does cannabis kill cancer cells? Does it cure cancer? We posed those questions, in that order, to one of the most knowledgeable people on Earth: Dr. Robert Melamede, a University of Colorado biology professor and world-renowned cannabis researcher. We also painstakingly reviewed dozens of preclinical studies on cannabis. Our goal is to understand whether cannabis could be the kiss of death for cancer and a panacea for the most feared diseases on the planet. There is no question that marijuana treats cancer symptoms, such as pain, inflammation, and nausea. The database for the National Institutions of […] Read More

Drug's Posted on

Why Growing Numbers of Pot Smokers Eat Mango Before Lighting Up

Not only are mangoes high in Vitamin C, they could be the secret to unlocking marijuana’s true potential. It’s not a proven scientific fact, but many pot smokers are consuming mangoes an hour before lighting up to boost their highs. According to Marijuana.com, there’s a good chance that the myrcene molecules found in mango can possibly “increase, strengthen and even lengthen” the euphoric feeling from smoking marijuana.   Marijuana already contains more than 100 terpene molecules that are responsible for affecting THC in the brain and giving highs their ebbs and flows. But marijuana contains the myrcene terpene more than any other kind. So, if you eat a mango rich in myrcenes, you can potentially improve the high for low-quality buds or give a high-quality […] Read More

Herbs Posted on

Nettle: An Incredibly Versatile Herb

If you are looking to stock your herbal medicine cabinet, nettle leaf is a staple for this purpose. The herb is considered a “spring tonic,” since that is when it is traditionally harvested and it has so many medicinal uses. It is inexpensive to buy dried nettle, but it can be harvested yourself, if you’d like (just make sure to wear gloves). If you can’t find anywhere to harvest nettle, you can plant it at home in a pot. It can be invasive when planted directly in the ground, though, and the last thing you want is a yard full of a plant that hurts when you touch it. Topical Uses for Nettle Hair – Stinging nettle is regularly incorporated into shampoos and hair rinses, as it reduces oil and dandruff, adds shine, and […] Read More

Marijuana Posted on

Bill Clinton: There Is ‘A Lot of Evidence’ for Legalizing Marijuana

Is former president finally ready to inhale? Back in ’92 when he was running for president, Bill Clinton was asked if he had ever smoked pot in college. In what became a running national joke, he famously answered that he’d tried it but he “did not inhale.” The political climate surrounding the infamous herb has changed drastically since then, and even the former president himself is singing a new tune about cannabis. NBC’s David Gregory asked Clinton during a recent interview at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Colorado whether he thought it was time to “give pot a chance.” Clinton came back with some comedy: “Rocky Mountain high?” he said. “Look, I think there’s a lot of evidence to argue for the medical marijuana thing. … […] Read More

Marijuana Posted on

Despite Science, New Medical Cannabis Laws Prohibit Smoked Cannabis

Smoking bans are not backed by scientific research and they serve to proliferate a black market. A CBS poll taken in early January of this year concluded that 86 percent of the nation now supports safe access to cannabis at a doctor’s discretion and there are no signs of public opinion reversing on any other element of cannabis legalization. As public opinion changes, legislatures around the country have explored ways to meet local demand for safe access. As marijuana becomes incrementally more legal for all uses, states grappling with implementing legislation responding to constituent demand for cannabis in all its forms have passed various measures restricting cannabinoid content or strains available. As Minnesota and New York become the 22nd and 23rd states to implement medical cannabis laws, both states […] Read More