Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Why Vape Cannabis Oil?
First off I’m sure a lot of you have never even come across cannabis oil, so for all you oil virgins I’m going to try and explain a little bit about it.
Cannabis oil is the extracted THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) from the bud and vegetable matter of the flowering female cannabis plant. It is typically extracted using some sort of solvent, usually either high-pressure butane gas forced through the material or by a process of washing the material in isopropanol.
It comes in a variety of colors and textures from a dark molasses type tar to a golden light honey kind of oil, all depending on the quality of herb and the process that was used to extract the oil.
So, why vape oil?
Well as many of you will know, burning cannabis oil may be damn tasty, but sadly it produces some of the same free radicals as burning herbal cannabis and tobacco, so the next logical step is to vaporize it which as we all know gives us all the good stuff and very little of the nasty stuff.
But and it’s a big but, these things get way hotter than your standard vaporizer. As a result, a lot of undesirable chemicals and compounds are being released that you really don’t want to be inhaling. It gets so hot I’m not really sure it’s technically vaporizing the oil but actually combusting it, but that’s an argument for another day.
So how do you vape your cannabis oil I hear you cry? Well, after a lot of trial and error I have whittled it down to two vaporizers, the Extreme Q and the AroMed. These are both excellent vaporizers for vaping oil. The AroMed even has foam pads that are designed for the purpose.
Admittedly, both of these fine machines are at the high end of the market, but as with most things in life you tend to get what you pay for.
If I’m using the AroMed I tend to dab my oil on a foam pad, or if I’m using the “Q” I make a little bed of vaped herb to place my oil on. Either way I turn the machine up to 220C (just my temp of choice), inhale deeply and watch the oils in the glass chamber bubble and pop as the air rushes over it.
The first thing you will notice is the intense flavor of your oil. It is so much stronger and concentrated than the bud that it was extracted from. The second thing you will notice is the high.
It’s also very important to keep on top of cleaning your vape when using oils. It’s very easy for your machine to clog up thus reducing air flow if you’re not making sure your screens are relatively gunk free.
Isopropanol is your new best friend; use him to clean your screens and tubes (keep the run off/residue for hash making on a rainy day). It’s fairly cheap and available in most hardware stores. It’s non- toxic when evaporated, but do be sure to wear gloves. It’s a low-level skin irritant in its liquid form.
A lot of the major vaporizer producers are also getting hip to the benefits of oil, so expect to see a few dedicated oil vapes coming into the market in the near future. My favorite dedicated model at the moment is the ESSENTIAL VAAAPP. It’s handheld and portable and very stylish. It’s well made but a separate heat source is required so this isn’t really one for concerts and gatherings.
It’s relatively easy to produce and to top it all off there are studies currently being conducted in the states into its cancer fighting properties
So I hope I’ve helped a little with some insight into the world of vaping oils and maybe inspired some of you to give it a try, it may be a lot of information to take in at first but trust me it’s well worth the effort of digging a little deeper.
Source -- http://www.vaporizerblog.com/guides/why-vape-oil/#more-3679
Expert calls for marijuana to be legalised to reduce harm of binge drinking in teens
THE head of Australia's leading alcohol research body has called for marijuana to be legalised to reduce the harm of drinking.
Robin Room, director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, says marijuana should be legalised under strict controls because the social harm associated with it was significantly less than from drinking.
"It makes sense to legalise marijuana in a controlled market," he told the Herald Sun yesterday. "We are in a situation where we need to look ahead. I think we need to have the discussion and it makes a lot of sense in terms of, among others, cutting down government costs to have a fairly highly controlled legal (cannabis) market and, while we are at it, tighten up the legal market of alcohol in the same way we tightened up the market of tobacco."
Prof Room, a leading academic at Melbourne University, is funded by the Department of Human Services.
In an ideal world, Prof Room said teens would not smoke marijuana or drink alcohol to excess.
But if an 18-year-old was going to use substances, he said they would likely land themselves in less trouble after using cannabis rather than bingeing on alcohol.
Teens were "better off" on a mixture of booze and marijuana rather than just pure alcohol in social settings, he added. Alcohol was more dangerous than cannabis because it had a closer association with aggression and violence, loss of co-ordination and impacts on work and family life, he said.
"Cannabis is not without harm but it's substantially less than alcohol and tobacco in terms of social harm," he said.
"If you are adding the cannabis to an equal amount of alcohol, then in some ways you'd be probably less likely to be aggressive but it's a bad idea to add it on if you want to drive a car."
Prof Room said if marijuana were legalised, among the measures to control the use should be "state sellers" and "state stores" where sales were regulated. It should not be sold in supermarkets nor advertised on TV or at sporting matches.
While Prof Room acknowledged many people would be "surprised" and even "bothered" by his stance, the statistics backed him up.
The controversial proposal comes as Melbourne continues to battle booze-fuelled violence, and alcohol-related hospital admissions soar for men and women.
Source -- http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/expert-calls-for-marijuana-to-be-legalised-to-reduce-harm-of-binge-drinking-in-teens/story-fni0fit3-1226676714223
Monday, 8 July 2013
Pot Smoking Lottery Winner, Bob Erb Shows 420 Spirit – Leaves $10,000 Tip For Cooks Ailing Daughter [Video]
Who, but a compassionate (and financially secure) Stoner, would leave a $10,000 tip for a greasy burger and some fries? Not many… I’d be willing to guess. Fortunately for Clifford Luther, the owner of a burger joint named Old West Express, Bob Erb is just that type of empathetic pothead.
On a recent road trip through the Canadian territory of Saskatchewan, Mr. Erb (suffering the munchies, I would guess) stopped in the Old West Express for some quick grinds…a burger and some fries. As the two men talked, Mr. Luther mentioned that his daughter had recently been diagnosed with cancer. To that, Mr. Erb confided in Mr. Luther that he had recently lost his 26 year old son to cancer. After finishing his burger Mr. Erb got back in his car and finished his road trip. A little while later… Mr. Erb found himself back at the Old West Express where he wrote a check for his meal…leaving a little something extra for the owner. About $10k.
Apparently giving, and getting high are nothing new for Bob…
Mr. Erb (no pun intended) is a committed marijuana aficionado who recently won $25 million playing the Canadian lottery. As a committed pot smoker who admits to consuming mad amounts of weed for the past 40 years. Proclaiming, “I generally smoke 10 to 15 joints a day… 7 days a week, 365 days a year.” With time, money, and chronic Canadian Bud to burn, many a lesser man could easily spiral into a very idle place – couch locked surrounded by cling-ons. Not Mr. Erb (Damn, I love this guy’s name). Instead Bob has been actively funding a campaign to legalize cannabis in Canada with a chunk of his fat stack of cash.
Source--http://www.marijuana.com/news/2013/07/pot-smoking-lottery-winner-bob-erb-shows-420-spirit-leaves-10000-tip-for-cooks-ailing-daughter/
Canine cannabis
Vet says it’s high time for sick pets to have access to their own medical pot.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. Until she introduced "magic cheese" to her sick and aging bulldog, Laura Bugni-Daniel watched him suffer for two years. He'd spend his days lying down or throwing up.
Today, at age 12, he plays like a puppy through the day, his fur is soft and he sleeps at night, soothed not by magic, but by the dose of marijuana in that cheese.
Bugni-Daniel is part of a growing movement to give medical marijuana to pets in pain. Many urge caution until there's better science behind it. But stories abound about changes in sick and dying pets after they've been given cannabis — even though it isn't a proven pain killer for man or mutt, and it's an illicit drug under U.S. federal law despite being legal for people in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Leading the charge is Los Angeles veterinarian Doug Kramer, 36, known as the "Vet Guru," who felt it was his duty to speak out while he has no family that would feel a verbal or financial backlash.
"I grew tired of euthanizing pets when I wasn't doing everything I could to make their lives better," he said. "I felt like I was letting them down."
Pot eased his Siberian husky's pain during her final weeks, after she had surgery to remove tumours. Not only did Nikita stop whimpering while using cannabis, but she started eating, gaining weight and meeting him at the door again.
It gave him six extra weeks with his dog before he had to euthanize her, he says. It wasn't a cure, but he thinks it freed her of pain and improved her last days.
Some other vets contacted said they share Kramer's view on pot, but they wouldn't talk on the record for fear of arrest or retaliation.
Kramer hasn't lost any clients over his view, but he was asked not to return to some of the clinics where he volunteered or relieved other vets because of concerns over the negative image his advocacy creates, he said.
Dr. Duncan Lascelles, a professor of surgery and pain management at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, thought about studying marijuana a decade ago. He didn't, not for lack of interest, but because the timing was wrong.
"I have been considering looking at that field again because I think it does have a lot of potential," he said.
He also figures those all-important grants needed for research will be available now.
Testing could take 10 years or more to be sure a pain killer will be effective and free of side-effects, Lascelles said.
Kramer said it's unconscionable to let a decade pass, when millions of pets will die of illness and old age.
Vets who want traditional testing point to a study by two Colorado animal hospitals that compared the number of dogs treated for what appeared to be accidental marijuana overdoses between 2005 and 2010 with increases in the number of marijuana licenses issued. As registrations increased 146-fold, the number of sickened pets went up fourfold.
"Sometimes public sentiment and activity gets ahead of the scientific background and that can be dangerous," said Barry Kellogg, senior veterinary adviser to the Humane Society of the United States.
While two dogs with pot in their system died in the Colorado survey, hallucinogenic reactions may make dogs wobbly on their legs, raise their pulse and cause dribbly urine, said Dr. Karl Jandrey, an emergency and critical care vet at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis.
But pot clinic managers say that a proper dose of the drug will prevent a bad reaction.
Jessica LeRoux of Twirling Hippy Confections in Denver made custom treats that helped extend the life of her last service dog, a black Lab-border collie mix named Thor.
"I got the 15th year out of that relationship because of the product I made for him," she said.
Old or ailing pets who take cannabis usually experience an immediate boost in appetite and relief from pain. That lets them get around, relieve themselves without help, sleep better and enjoy their families until age or disease catches up, LeRoux said in explaining how the cannabis helps pets.
At La Brea Compassionate Caregivers in Los Angeles, manager Megan Hanley recommends a drop of liquid marijuana extract marketed as Companion Cannabis for every 10 pounds of dog. It can be spread on cheese or bread.
"It's a revolutionary product and response to it has been tremendous in the last year," she said.
Bugni-Daniel, in Divide, Mont., is allowed to have four marijuana plants under state law for her medical needs. She turns that into extract for her and Rabito.
Marijuana has been like the fountain of youth for the American bulldog.
"It's really nice to see your sick pet, for his last moments or weeks or months, be happy and not real sick and dealing with needles and surgery," Bugni-Daniel said.
Source -- http://www.thespec.com/living-story/3877784-canine-cannabis/
LOS ANGELES, Calif. Until she introduced "magic cheese" to her sick and aging bulldog, Laura Bugni-Daniel watched him suffer for two years. He'd spend his days lying down or throwing up.
Today, at age 12, he plays like a puppy through the day, his fur is soft and he sleeps at night, soothed not by magic, but by the dose of marijuana in that cheese.
Bugni-Daniel is part of a growing movement to give medical marijuana to pets in pain. Many urge caution until there's better science behind it. But stories abound about changes in sick and dying pets after they've been given cannabis — even though it isn't a proven pain killer for man or mutt, and it's an illicit drug under U.S. federal law despite being legal for people in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Leading the charge is Los Angeles veterinarian Doug Kramer, 36, known as the "Vet Guru," who felt it was his duty to speak out while he has no family that would feel a verbal or financial backlash.
"I grew tired of euthanizing pets when I wasn't doing everything I could to make their lives better," he said. "I felt like I was letting them down."
Pot eased his Siberian husky's pain during her final weeks, after she had surgery to remove tumours. Not only did Nikita stop whimpering while using cannabis, but she started eating, gaining weight and meeting him at the door again.
It gave him six extra weeks with his dog before he had to euthanize her, he says. It wasn't a cure, but he thinks it freed her of pain and improved her last days.
Some other vets contacted said they share Kramer's view on pot, but they wouldn't talk on the record for fear of arrest or retaliation.
Kramer hasn't lost any clients over his view, but he was asked not to return to some of the clinics where he volunteered or relieved other vets because of concerns over the negative image his advocacy creates, he said.
Dr. Duncan Lascelles, a professor of surgery and pain management at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, thought about studying marijuana a decade ago. He didn't, not for lack of interest, but because the timing was wrong.
"I have been considering looking at that field again because I think it does have a lot of potential," he said.
He also figures those all-important grants needed for research will be available now.
Testing could take 10 years or more to be sure a pain killer will be effective and free of side-effects, Lascelles said.
Kramer said it's unconscionable to let a decade pass, when millions of pets will die of illness and old age.
Vets who want traditional testing point to a study by two Colorado animal hospitals that compared the number of dogs treated for what appeared to be accidental marijuana overdoses between 2005 and 2010 with increases in the number of marijuana licenses issued. As registrations increased 146-fold, the number of sickened pets went up fourfold.
"Sometimes public sentiment and activity gets ahead of the scientific background and that can be dangerous," said Barry Kellogg, senior veterinary adviser to the Humane Society of the United States.
While two dogs with pot in their system died in the Colorado survey, hallucinogenic reactions may make dogs wobbly on their legs, raise their pulse and cause dribbly urine, said Dr. Karl Jandrey, an emergency and critical care vet at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis.
But pot clinic managers say that a proper dose of the drug will prevent a bad reaction.
Jessica LeRoux of Twirling Hippy Confections in Denver made custom treats that helped extend the life of her last service dog, a black Lab-border collie mix named Thor.
"I got the 15th year out of that relationship because of the product I made for him," she said.
Old or ailing pets who take cannabis usually experience an immediate boost in appetite and relief from pain. That lets them get around, relieve themselves without help, sleep better and enjoy their families until age or disease catches up, LeRoux said in explaining how the cannabis helps pets.
At La Brea Compassionate Caregivers in Los Angeles, manager Megan Hanley recommends a drop of liquid marijuana extract marketed as Companion Cannabis for every 10 pounds of dog. It can be spread on cheese or bread.
"It's a revolutionary product and response to it has been tremendous in the last year," she said.
Bugni-Daniel, in Divide, Mont., is allowed to have four marijuana plants under state law for her medical needs. She turns that into extract for her and Rabito.
Marijuana has been like the fountain of youth for the American bulldog.
"It's really nice to see your sick pet, for his last moments or weeks or months, be happy and not real sick and dealing with needles and surgery," Bugni-Daniel said.
Source -- http://www.thespec.com/living-story/3877784-canine-cannabis/
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Marijuana and Creativity: Does Weed Turbocharge Outside The Box Thinking?
Rarely these days do you get a clearly delineated line in science – particularly when viewed through the lens of propaganda. The mouthpieces for the environmental rape machine – big business, would have us believe that the environment is fine. “No need to panic about global warming”… and this silly notion that “ocean levels are getting higher,” …it’s ridiculous. Despite the mountain of evidence to the contrary.
The argument surrounding marijuana’s net positive effect on creativity is no different. At least if you listen to the scientists who recite the cold hard data – but who’ve probably never smoked it.
In their limited and myopic study of 16 college kids, dosed with edibles containing approximately 0.3 mg of THC. Working under the assumption that amount was the average dosage of the psychoactive cannabinoids consumed during a given sitting. Dr. Jared R. Tinklenberg, from the Stanford University School of medicine concluded, “Marijuana did not enhance… Fluency, flexibility, elaboration, and uniqueness of creativity.”
Conversely… We have documented human history, which is rich with creative thinkers across a broad spectrum of disciplines, who say otherwise. That marijuana is indeed a Gateway… to creativity, insight, and acute pattern recognition, where life’s associative net truths become clear…an epiphany of interconnecting concepts.
From the beautiful mind that dared to roam the cosmos – Carl Sagan once famously spoke of marijuana’s ability to help mankind tap into
“the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”
Obviously, this was not a new concept at the time these words were uttered. But the simple fact that the likes of Mr. Sagan, Albert Einstein, William F Buckley, Louis Armstrong, Steve Jobs, Ted Turner, and a host of presidents throughout history have seen value in its contemplative value… Speaks volumes.
In this video, Jason Silva speaks about the beneficial nature of marijuana’s psychoactive cannabinoids, and their potential cause and effect within the realm of human creativity.
The Video -- http://youtu.be/8U-pEOJjuDI
Source -- http://www.marijuana.com/news/2013/07/marijuana-and-creativity-does-weed-turbocharge-outside-the-box-thinking/
Cannabis Compound Reduces Cigarette Consumption In Tobacco Smokers
The inhalation of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD (cannabidiol) significantly mitigates tobacco smokers’ desire for cigarettes, according to clinical trial data published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Investigators at University College London conducted a double blind pilot study to assess the impact of the ad-hoc consumption of organic CBD versus placebo in 24 tobacco-smoking subjects seeking to quit their habit. Participants were randomized to receive an inhaler containing CBD (n=12) or placebo (n=12) for one week. Trial investigators instructed subjects to use the inhaler when they felt the urge to smoke.
Researchers reported: “Over the treatment week, placebo treated smokers showed no differences in number of cigarettes smoked. In contrast, those treated with CBD significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by [the equivalent of] 40 percent during treatment.” Moreover, participants who used CBD did not report experiencing increased cravings for nicotine during the study’s duration.
Investigators concluded, “This is the first study, as far as we are aware, to demonstrate the impact of CBD on cigarette smoking. … These preliminary data, combined with the strong preclinical rationale for use of this compound, suggest CBD to be a potential treatment for nicotine addiction that warrants further exploration.”
Previously published clinical trials on CBD have found cannabidiol to be “safe and well tolerated” in healthy volunteers.
Separate investigations of CBD have documented the cannabinoid to possess a variety of therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-epileptic, anti-cancer, and bone-stimulating properties.
Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol reduces cigarette consumption in tobacco smokers: Preliminary findings,” appears online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Source -- http://www.theweedblog.com/cannabis-compound-reduces-cigarette-consumption-in-tobacco-smokers/
Investigators at University College London conducted a double blind pilot study to assess the impact of the ad-hoc consumption of organic CBD versus placebo in 24 tobacco-smoking subjects seeking to quit their habit. Participants were randomized to receive an inhaler containing CBD (n=12) or placebo (n=12) for one week. Trial investigators instructed subjects to use the inhaler when they felt the urge to smoke.
Researchers reported: “Over the treatment week, placebo treated smokers showed no differences in number of cigarettes smoked. In contrast, those treated with CBD significantly reduced the number of cigarettes smoked by [the equivalent of] 40 percent during treatment.” Moreover, participants who used CBD did not report experiencing increased cravings for nicotine during the study’s duration.
Investigators concluded, “This is the first study, as far as we are aware, to demonstrate the impact of CBD on cigarette smoking. … These preliminary data, combined with the strong preclinical rationale for use of this compound, suggest CBD to be a potential treatment for nicotine addiction that warrants further exploration.”
Previously published clinical trials on CBD have found cannabidiol to be “safe and well tolerated” in healthy volunteers.
Separate investigations of CBD have documented the cannabinoid to possess a variety of therapeutic properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-epileptic, anti-cancer, and bone-stimulating properties.
Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol reduces cigarette consumption in tobacco smokers: Preliminary findings,” appears online in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Source -- http://www.theweedblog.com/cannabis-compound-reduces-cigarette-consumption-in-tobacco-smokers/
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