The study found, among other things, that cannabinoids are potent pain relievers, especially for chronic pain. It also found that while cannabis smoke does not appear to cause cancer of the mouth, throat or lungs, toking up while pregnant can lead to reduced birth weights.
And though the study found that regular use may increase the risk of developing psychological disorders like schizophrenia, the biggest danger lies in weeds ability to temporarily stunt your cognitive abilities immediately after consumption.
There is little evidence that it makes you dumber over the long-term. Eh! Personally, since I started smoking again I’ve stopped doing brain surgeries. Not just because of the weed but the board of health suggested I stop too on account that I don’t have a license.
Similarly, there is scant evidence that cannabis can be linked to strokes and heart attacks or act as a gateway drug for users.
- There was conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids, found in the marijuana plant, can be an effective treatment for chronic pain
- With similar certainty, they found that cannabis can help treat muscle spasms related to multiple sclerosis and can help prevent or treat nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy
- The report showed moderate evidence that cannabis was not connected to any increased risk of the lung cancers or head and neck cancers associated with smoking. And of course we all know that cannabis doesn’t include nicotine unless you wrap it in a blunt
- Limited evidence showed a connection between cannabis use and impaired academic achievement, something that has been shown to be especially true for people who begin smoking regularly during adolescence.
As we all know it's hard to conduct research on marijuana right now. Because of regulatory barriers, including marijuana's Schedule I classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the fact that researchers often can't access the same sorts of marijuana that people actually use. Even in states where it's legal to buy marijuana, federal regulations prevent researchers from using that same product.
Without the research, it's hard to say how policymakers should best support legalization efforts — to say how educational programs or mental health institutions should adapt to support any changes.
If the State Board of Physicians’ recommendations are accepted by the Department of Consumer Protection, and after that a committee of state lawmakers, then shingles, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy and fibromyalgia will be added to the MMJ qualifying condition list.
However, the panel declined to endorse the addition of eczema, osteoarthritis and emphysema to the MMJ list.
Connecticut’s condition list already contains 22 ailments, and there are currently over 15,000 registered patients being served by six dispensaries with three more dispensaries opening in coming months.
It could, take up to a year for the latest additions to go fully into effect.
H.R. 331 was introduced January 5th and is sponsored by California Representative Barbara Lee of the 13th District. The official Congressional description of the bill’s purpose is, “To amend the Controlled Substances Act so as to exempt real property from civil forfeiture due to medical marijuana-related conduct that is authorized by State law.”
The bill was simultaneously assigned to both the House Judiciary and House Energy and Commerce Committees.
Outgoing Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Cody said quote "We are always looking at our policies and, when appropriate, adjusting them to ensure a broad scope of individuals are eligible to serve, these changes allow the Air Force to aggressively recruit talented and capable Americans who until now might not have been able to serve our country in uniform."
The Air Force will still have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to airmen using marijuana, but how many days, weeks or months prior to enlisting will no longer be a limiting factor.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo seeks to decriminalize pot.
The service is no longer considering how long it has been since an airman used marijuana prior to service in a move to "standardize" the questions asked of potential recruits.
What they decided to do is stop asking about prior marijuana use at the recruiter level because who really counts how many times they've used marijuana? So that came off the table.
Once a recruit enters the process of becoming an airman, any marijuana use detected will automatically cause him or her to be separated from the service.
Cuomo said quote: “The illegal sale of marijuana cannot and will not be tolerated in New York State, but data consistently shows that recreational users of marijuana pose little to no threat to public safety,”
Specifically, Governor Cuomo said New York state should remove the criminal penalties that too often result in the over-prosecution and jailing of nonviolent individuals. People caught with small amounts of marijuana wouldn’t be prosecuted under Mr. Cuomo’s plan, but dealing weed would still be a criminal offense.
Nearly 90% of pot violations recorded during 2016 were for possession and not sale, according to the governor’s report.
The Pew Research Center released a survey this week indicating more than two-thirds of the nation’s police officers believe marijuana should be legal for either personal or medical use, while about half of civilians believe weed should be legalized across the board. Governor Cuomo previously opposed legalizing recreational marijuana in New York State, but unsuccessfully tried to decriminalize possession in 2012.