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Guides
The 6 Best Marijuana Strains For Productivity
Sure, marijuana can be a part of a relaxing evening in, but it can also be consumed during times when you need to focus and get something done. This versatile plant has many different functions and using it to aid in productivity is growing increasingly popular, with plenty of new marijuana strains coming out on a regular basis. Marijuana and Productivity? While there has been research into cannabis’ association with creativity, the same kind of research has not been done on the drug's relation to productivity. This being said, many cannabis smokers would argue that marijuana is part of their everyday productive lives. Writer, producer and actor Seth Rogen called the idea that cannabis smokers were lazy and unproductive an antiquated thought and stated himself, “I smoke a lot of weed and I am extremely productive.” In other interviews he has noted that marijuana allows him to relax and create while working long hours. While Seth Rogen might be the ideal example of a productive, creative smoker, many ordinary people use cannabis to remain focused and productive throughout the day. Sativa or Indica? All cannabis use will trigger dopamine production, but the subclass of cannabis called sativa has been more closely linked to these feelings than its cousin, indica. Indica gives the user more of a body high, cerebral effect or zone-induced state. Because of this, you're going to want to turn to any of the following sativa strains when looking to be the most productive. Green Crack Green Crack is a sativa-dominant cannabis strain that is derived from Skunk #1. Users have found this strain to be useful for combatting daytime fatigue and inspiring sharp focus and energy. Also known as Green Cush, this strain has been described as having a tangy, fruity flavour. Grapefruit Sometimes when you need to be productive, you just need to block out all other stressors and just focus on the task at hand. Grapefruit, which get its roots from the strain Cinderella 99, has been known to energize and relax the user, clearing the mind of anxiety. As the name suggests, this strain has an intense grapefruit and citrus flavour. Jack Herer Named after late American cannabis activist Jack Herer, this sativa-dominant strain gets it lineage from Shiva Skunk, Haze and Northern Lights #5. Many users describe this as an energetic strain that clears the mind and increases creativity. If you're going to name a strain after a productive cannabis activist, it better pay tribute to the man himself. Even though this strain shares lineage with Green Crack, Jack Herer has a more spicy and pine-like taste when smoked. Haze Used as a parent for many hybrids produced today, Haze is a very popular sativa strain. Dating back to the 1960’s, this strain has been known to offer users a significant increase in energy and a creative buzz. Described as having a spicy scent accented by citrus and sweet, earthy flavors, it's been around for so long because of its unparalleled ability to deliver such positive effects. Maui Waui As you may have guessed, this strain originates from Hawaii. Described as allowing the mind to relax and venture to creative environments, this strain has natural sativa-like effects of high-energy euphoria. With the taste of pineapple and citrus, this strain even tastes of Hawaii. `Okole maluna! CBD Mango Haze This strain may be hard to find, but it's on the list for a reason. CBD Mango Haze was bred to have a nearly even ratio of THC to CBD. THC is what gets you that high effect whereas CBD offers other medical benefits without the same high feeling. CBD has been thought to counteract the sleep-inducing effects of THC on the body, so Mango Haze can still offer common sativa-like effects while keeping you awake and alert. Similar to its Mango Haze parent plant, this strain has tropical, spicy and sweet flavours. For some, cannabis is anything but a productive force in their daily lives, but for others it can be used to inspire focus and creativity. The drug, of course, affects everyone differently. These strains are grown to produce the desired energetic effects, so they should be experimented with in hopes of discovering which strain will lead you down the path of focused productivity. Photos: Wikipedia Commons, furvert101, Nickel Bag of Funk Feature Image: Doug Shutter / Shutterstock
Scientific Inhalations: Smoother Hits, Bigger Rips
The latest addition to my glass collection showed up in the mail last Thursday, courtesy of my new friends at Scientific Inhalations, aka, SI Pipes. They gifted me with “Thee Wicked Wizard,” a sturdy, American made, mid-sized bubbler with a top-loading glass-on-glass bowl and downstem and removable, glass-on-glass mouthpiece. A slender, Burton-esque green Wizard adorned the side, and though the name suggested a certain fiendishness of character, I saw more of Gandalf than Saruman within the fire-wrought rendering. At a glimpse, there was nothing particularly special about this pipe that entreated me to view it as necessarily superior to any others. I’ve seen this style before, more times than I could begin to count. Anymore, it seems like there’s a new glass company born every day, the majority functioning more as Xerox machines for pre-existing designs than purveyors of forward-thinking functionality or artistic expression. Not to say “Thee Wicked Wizard” isn’t a quality device. On the contrary, my new bubbler is a testament to flawless precision in execution. The welds are perfect and the design boasts a subtle superiority that is both elegant and clean. However, what sets this piece apart, along with the majority of the Scientific Inhalations line, isn’t something that can be pinpointed by a mere analysis of the glass. A good hint, though, is the pair of plastic tube containers that come with the piece, one containing organic cotton and the other filled with pellets of virgin coconut carbon. Spoiler alert: the cotton and carbon, as you may have guessed, are the necessary materials for Scientific Inhalations meticulously conceived “triple filtration” system, designed to dramatically cut down on the unwanted toxins that accompany the combustion of your favorite sticky sweet herb. Here’s how it works (at least, how the piece I received works): First, the smoke passes from the bowl through the downstem, the top half of which is filled with the carbon pellets. As anyone with half a brain and a rudimentary understanding of science knows, carbon of this type is one of the most effective ways to remove unwanted toxins from just about anything. Just ask the geniuses who invented the Brita water filter. Next, the smoke finishes the journey through the percolated downstem and passes through some good ol’fashioned H2O. Finally, there’s the cotton chamber just beneath the mouthpiece, providing that third tier of filtration and giving our lungs a much-needed respite from the daily abuse our that love for cannabis so often encourages. It’s not a gimmick either, as it often is with the majority of glass pipe companies out there who cleverly weave derivatives of words like “scientific,” and “medical” into their branding. It’s a legitimately new way to inhale, possibly the safest way to smoke, as proven by a study completed by an independent laboratory and then scrutinized by California’s Medical Board. It was no easy feat, as Victor, the company’s owner and founder was ready to point out, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding. “They had to duplicate the test,” he recalled, “because when we turned it into the medical board, they had to know what atmospheric pressure was for the day, the temperature in the room, stuff like that. So we had to redo the whole test with more parameters . . . then the Journal of Toxicology replicated the test and said it actually did what they said it did.” For the full report, click the graph: So what does this mean for the average user? Chris, Scientific Inhalations’ PR master, broke it down into its simplest form. “Smoother hits, bigger rips.” What else do you need? For medical patients and the more health-conscious among us, however, this means a lot more than just smoother way to toke up, although that’s definitely appreciated. We’re talking about a massive reduction not only in the standard carcinogens associated with the typical smoking experience, but also in the residues left behind from pesticides used for cultivation. One of the overlooked ironies of our culture is that while so many of us demand organically grown produce from the local grocery store, we never even think to ask for the same from our medicine. The fact that it’s green and not being created by chemists in labs and pushed through the mainstream pharmaceutical industry is somehow enough. Well, pesticides are pesticides, whether they’re lingering on the waxy surface of a store bought apple or tainting the trichomes of your stash. Either way, you’re being exposed to chemical agents, many of which have been linked to multiple ailments, cancer being the foremost among them. And unlike that of carcinogens, the problem of pesticides can’t be solved with a vaporizer. “Everyone says that vaporizing is the safest way to smoke,” Victor observed, “but of those seventeen chemicals we had tested, five of them will boil before your medicine vaporizes.” Ouch. Unless you're smoking organic cannabis, SI Pipes might be safer than a vaporizer. SI Pipes, though the latest incarnation of his life’s work, is by no way Victor’s first foray into the glass business. It just happens to be the first time he’s made smoking devices. A tradesman in the glass world since 1972, Victor has done it all leading up to this, first in lab glass, then high intensity lighting, and finally in medical glassblowing (conventional; not cannabis). He knows his boro. But never has he found such satisfaction as when he combined his forty years of experience producing glass with his lifelong passion for natural medicine, something which he understated to me with a genuine humility based in the stoicism of his generation. “We just wanted to make a scientific pipe that was a better way to smoke.” From the first hit, it was abundantly clear that my so called “Wicked Wizard” was indeed, that better way to smoke. As the sweet, skunky wisps crawled down my tired throat, I found myself amazed at the ease with which I inhaled. There was no burning sensation, no itchy tingle at the base of my chest, no coughing fit that left my head dizzy with oxygen deprivation. There was only the serenity that comes with the ingestion of nature’s greatest remedy. With every hit, I pulled harder, being sure to fill the chamber to the point of overflowing before I breathed it in, but with every hit, I felt nothing more than warm silk on my windpipe. The flower that had been so intricately woven into my life for so long had become my rose without a thorn. Thanks, Scientific Inhalations.
Spider Mites And Your Marijuana Plants
Spider mites are not insects; they arachnids with eight legs and no antennae, such as ticks or other species of mites. Their name comes from the fact that they actually leave a web of sorts on your plants when they have invaded. Spider mites reproduce at a shockingly rapid rate. Within just eight days of the new eggs being laid, an entirely new population of sexually mature (and therefore reproducing) mites will be running rampant on your marijuana plants. Millions of eggs can come from only one female mite within just a month, so a few mites turn into a big problem extremely quickly. Spider mites use their teeth to bite into your marijuana plants and suck out the chlorophyll within. One spider mite will do no noticeable damage; millions of spider mites will devastate your marijuana garden. They usually appear in soil-based systems because of the high amount of dead organic matter contained within, but sometimes they also show up in hydroponics systems or other ones as well. In other words, no garden (marijuana or otherwise) is completely safe from spider mites. Download my free marijuana grow guide and learn to grow like a pro! If the spider mite invasion is particularly severe, a plant could literally die in just one day. You, therefore, need to eradicate them immediately -- which is, of course, easier said than done. Spider mites are hardy, adaptable creatures that are able to adapt any of the methods you decide to use against them. Only a few spider mites left alive could cause a second swell of immune spider mites, requiring you to find a new method and try again. “The Borg,” or two-spotted spider mites, are notorious for this adaptability and their particular preference to consume chlorophyll from marijuana rather than other types of plants. A spider mite’s life is simple but effective when it comes to destroying plants. Its egg is laid, it hatches a few days later as a larva, which are not worm-like but rather have six legs and a round body. The young larvae eat from your delicious plants and then go into their first nymphal stage a few days later. They now have eight legs in total. The first nymph will feast for a few more days and then goes into the second nymph phase, which seems not to be particularly unique from the first nymph stage. After another few days of eating, it becomes a fully fledged, sexually mature adult -- and that means reproduction. Back to top Identifying spider mites Spider mites are tiny and hard to see -- until the infestation is already quite huge, unfortunately. Therefore, you need to take preventative steps to ensure that a spider mite infestation doesn’t get out of hand before you even notice it. Inspect the leaves of your marijuana plants regularly, making sure you are looking at both the top and underside of each leaf. Spider mites like to spin webs on the undersides of your marijuana plants’ leaves to keep themselves, their colony, and their eggs safe and sound. This makes things a bit easier on you -- you should be able to spot the white stringy webs relatively quickly, especially if they are hanging between leaves. You might notice your plant appearing dirty, but it’s just because the webs are sticky and, therefore, attract dirt and dust. Be extra cautious and aware during the flowering phase of your plants’ lives, as buds often end up covered in spider mite webs. Download my free marijuana grow guide and learn to grow like a pro! If you see miniscule spots on your marijuana plants’ leaves, there is a high chance that these are spider mite bite marks. The spots could be yellow or white, making them easier to see. A severely infected plant will look ill, discolored, and will actually start to die relatively quickly. Back to top Eradicating spider mites There are plenty of ways to solve a spider mite problem, without there being one catch-all method that works for everyone, unfortunately. To begin with, try preventing a minor spider mite problem from turning into a big one by using organic compost mulch, which includes predatory mites that will eat the mites on your plants. Additionally, be sure never to bring outside plants into your grow room unless it has sat in quarantine – two weeks is a good amount of time -- to ensure it won’t cause a mite problem in your garden. Dead leaves and other plant materials shouldn’t sit around once they’ve fallen; they need to be removed and discarded. Keep things clean and orderly to prevent a multitude of problems, including spider mites. Another predatory creature you can use to your benefit are ladybugs, which can be bought for this purpose. They will fly away when the food is gone, so you can’t use them to prevent an infestation. However, you may not need to buy them at all when spider mites start showing themselves, as they often show up in the wild just to eat those delicious mites. When you have a spider mite problem, first try spraying your plants with hard water three mornings in a row. The water pressure is what does the job; spider mites that have fallen to the ground will soon starve to death. Vacuum cleaners will do a similar job, but make sure to put the contents away safely and away from your plants. In fact, seal them in a plastic bag and then leave them in the freezer to kill off the mites altogether before discarding them with your trash. If the mites revive after you attempted to treat the problem, you will need to choose a new method. Store-bought sprays might work. You could also try a homemade remedy that calls for one tablespoon of bleach mixed with a gallon of water, or alcohol mixed with water (with a minimum of a third of the mixture being water). There’s also a homemade pepper spray that mixes water, dishwashing soap and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper. These are just some of a variety of other available options. When treating your plants for a spider mite infestation, use one method for 2-3 days, then use another method in addition to re-doing the first method again. Then keep doing this numerous times to be sure that the pesky spider mites are really gone. Thanks for reading. Please leave comments or questions below and don’t forget to download my free grow bible and/or visit us at Ilovegrowingmarijuana.com Robert www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
Profits and Expenses When Growing Marijuana
It is not hard at all to grow marijuana so long as you are willing to give the time and energy it takes to do this. It really only takes a few hours a week to get a great harvest. If you are growing marijuana for personal reason, then a large yield isn’t necessary. You can purchase a starter kit for just around $80, which will be a good place to begin. Now, you must keep in mind that the results you get can be different based on where you live. For more information on marijuana growing download my free grow guide. It doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money growing marijuana if you are only doing it for personal use. The simplest way to grow is outdoors since everything required is already provided by Mother Nature. The soil is packed with plenty of nutrients, every day the sun will rise and the plants will receive water when it rains. So, to get started you just need marijuana seeds and you will also want to buy things like fertilizer and pots to enhance the growing experience. Later in this article I will provide a list of prices for the items you'll need. Indoor growing does not have to be expensive either, as long as you know what you are doing. Using CFL lights will ensure a good yield and save you from having a high electric bill. If you don’t have many plants, then you will not need both a fan and carbon filter to cut down the odor. You just need seeds, CFL lights, a little fan, and pots, for as little as $80 or less. [gallery link="file" ids="1717,1716,1718"] Efficient systems for getting larger yields should cost a few hundred dollars. If you want, you can purchase a plug and play grow box from dealzer.com or create your own small grow space. You can find the shopping list below: Primary Indoor Growing – Amazon.com Total: $80 3, 2 size gallon container $3 1, 125-watt CFL light $30 1 miracle grow soil $4.97 3 good quality seeds $30 1 fan $12 Indoor Pro - A fertile World Total: $350 10, 2 gallon pots $10 1, 600-watt reflector $34.95 10, high quality seeds $80 1, 500 m3 exhaust fan $135 1, 600-watt HPS bulb $49 1, 600-watt ballast $51 1, 500m3 carbon filter $60 1 time switch $6.95 1 fan controller $50 3 miracle grow soil $14.91 Outdoor Growing - Amazon.com Total: $55 3, miracle grow soil $14.91 3, 15-gallon container $9 3, good quality seeds $30 As a first time grower, you may want to know how much yield to expect, or what amount of quality marijuana will come from one plant? This answer to this varies, and several possibilities will influence the outcome. Back to top Indoor growing Having proper lighting is one of the most vital aspects of indoor growing. Experienced growers could potentially get yields of almost 1 gram per watt of light. Take this, for instance, 400-watt HPS lamps may create about 400 grams of quality weed. If your grow space has 1200 watts of light you will get about 1.2 kilograms of weed. Having the right supplies, amount of nutrients, temperature, distance between each plant, as well as other determinants matter when it comes to getting quality results. If you are a newbie, your results may be as such: A median of about 1.5 to 2.0 oz (3.5 oz for experienced growers) with 200-watt CFL lamps in a grow space that measures 3.5 x 1.5 x 6.5 ft. A median of about 3.0 to 5.0 oz (9.0 oz for experienced growers) with a 250-watt HPS lamp in a grow space that measures 3.5 x 1.5 x 6.5 ft. A median of about 4.5 to 9.0 oz (14 oz for experienced growers) with a 400-watt HPS lamp in a grow space that measures 3.5 x 3.5 x 7 ft. A median of about 5.0 to 10 oz (21 for experienced growers) with a 600-watt HPS lamp in a grow space that measures 4 x 4 x 8 ft. A median of about 9.0 to 18 oz (36 for experienced growers) with a 1000-watt HPS lamp in a grow space that measures 5 x 5 x 8 ft. Back to top Outdoor growing You can’t just put your seeds in the soil and let them do their own thing because you will only end up with a few ounces of marijuana. It is necessary to add the right nutrients and nurturing. In the ideal environment outdoors, you may end up with about 18 ounces for every plant. It is necessary to keep a distance of at least 2 meters between each plant. Plants need to receive their proper nutrients and water without being harmed by pests or even catching diseases. If you are using containers, they need to be 15-liter ones. Sprouting your plants early in the growing season gives them time to grow much bigger. If could be a good idea to sprout your seeds indoors so as to maintain the right humidity and temperature. If all you want is your own personal stash of weed that is fine just make sure you properly nurture your plants. If you are unable to do indoor growing, you may want to attempt doing it in your garden or even a rooftop balcony. Some other great locations are parks, a friend’s garden, forests, and cornfields. If you feel that marijuana growing is right for you. Be sure to download my free grow guide to learn more about picking the right place to grow your marijuana, and purchase very good quality seeds from our shop. We ship to the U.S. and International. Every customer will receive 24/7 support for marijuana growing. Robert www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
History Of Tobacco, Hand Rolled Cigarettes, Paper Sizes and Rolling Papers
As time went on, tobacco and tobacco usage became very common in the Americas. There is a drawing of smoking by the ancient Mayas from about 1400 years ago. In it, a Mayan is shown smoking a roll of tobacco leaves tied with a string. COLUMBUS Tobacco was first discovered by Europeans via Christopher Columbus. Columbus received dried tobacco leaves as gifts when he landed in what is now the Caribbean. Two of his crew are credited with first observing smoking when they were exploring what is now Cuba. The natives taught them how to smoke and one of the crew, Rodrigo de Jerez took the habit home to Europe. In fact his neighbors were so frightened by seeing smoke coming out of his nose and mouth that they notified the local Inquisition. Jerez was jailed for 7 years (and you thought smokers had it tough nowadays)! By the time Jerez was finally released, smoking had become all the rage in Spain. BLUNTED ENDS Smoking at that time was done via loosely rolled, open ended cigar type products with multiple wrappers or binders held together by licking the ends of the leaves. As cigar smoking progressed many improvements came to Cigars. For example, one ‘new’ style of cigar rolling formed a rounded smooth tip. This “Blunt” end caused this new style to be called a Blunt. Nowadays most cigars, even Coronas and Robustos have this same rounded end but the original term Blunt still applies. INHALATION BEGINS The birth of the modern rolled cigarette happened in 1614 in Seville. King Philip III required all tobacco grown in the Spanish New World to be shipped to a central location in Seville, to control pricing and prevent oversupply. Because of this, Seville became the world center for the production of cigars. Street beggars would pick up the remainders of used cigars, take them apart and re-roll them in newspaper. Because of the scarcity of tobacco and their desire to enjoy every drop, they began holding the smoke in their lungs (inhaling). This took hold and made its way through the working class until the practice became common. Thus the modern hand-rolled cigarette was born. THE DAWN OF CIGARETTE PAPER Of course burning newspaper had its own problems, especially with the then lead based inks. Spanish merchants began offering plain unprinted paper for this purpose. One factory in Alcoy that was making specialized packing papers offered the first paper designed specifically for cigarette rolling. This paper was later improved and an additional factory in Alcoy opened to compete. Over time additional cigarette paper factories opened near Barcelona, then France, the UK and eventually there were many factories across Europe. In Alcoy Spain there still is one rolling paper factory left, which can actually trace its roots back to the first rollingpaper factory. This Alcoy factory produces many of our popular papers to date. Brands such as RAW, Elements, Juicy Jay’s & DLX are made using processes that date back to the origin of this factory. Some of the craftsmen at this factory have been making papers for generations! SIZES In Spain, the size that was developed based on consumer preference was approximately 78mm long by 44mm high. At first this was the size that dominated the entire European market. However, King James 1 and his later successors enacted heavy tobacco taxes. This led the British market to move to a smaller size which held about 25% less tobacco. This new small size was about 70mm long by 38mm high. As the British Empire grew, so did the proliferation of this smaller British sized rolling paper. In fact, to this date in most of the common wealth countries the #1 selling size is this small 70mm paper. This paper became known as “Standard Size” or “Single Wide”. The original Spanish 78mm paper became known as “Spanish Size”, except the British referred to it as One and quarter, in reference to how it holds about 25% more tobacco than a British Standard Sized paper. THE KING IS BORN Flash forward about 100 years and the industrial revolution allowed the mass production of machine made cigarettes. At first, most cigarettes were either 70mm or 78mm long without a filter. However in the 1950’s filtered cigarettes began to take over. Consumers were concerned that by purchasing a filtered cigarette they were getting less tobacco as the filter took up some of the cigarette’s space that used to be filled with tobacco. Thus large tobacco companies responded to this by increasing the length of cigarettes to accommodate the filter. Cigarette size increased from 70mm or 78mm to a new 84mm size. This new size became known as “King Size”, named after the King of England who was seen publicly smoking this new cigarette. Over the next several decades the shorter cigarettes saw their market share shrink dramatically until they were all but replaced by the new 84mm “King Size”. However rolling paper factories missed the opportunity to change their sizes to suit this new consumer preference and continued producing the legacy sizes of generations past. It wasn’t until 2009 when HBI finally produced the world’s first 84mm cigarette rolling papers with their launch of DLX brand 84’s as they are called. While it may appear that rolling paper companies are dramatically behind the times, this is common among rolling paper factories as most companies prefer not to change with the times. However this sort of dinosaur attitude has recently been changing as new and improved forms of cigarette papers have been launched in recent years. Among them are natural unbleached and unrefined papers (i.e. RAW), ultra thin rice papers (i.e. Elements), and extra slow burning papers (i.e. DLX). The next oldest significant rolling paper innovation was the invention of interleaved rolling papers which was launched 110 years ago at the 1900 wold’s fair, and led tothe formation of the Zig Zag brand. Zig Zag means how the papers are interleaved in a zig-zag format. CONFUSED? In Commonwealth countries the #1 selling size is still the 70mm standard size papers.However, in the rest of the world including the USA, Spanish Size (1¼) is by far the better seller. Overall there has been a market trend towards this original 1¼ size and sales data has shown that it is increasing in popularity, especially in the UK and Canada. Now that there is finally an 84mm rolling paper available, sales of that size are increasing steadily and will likely eventually become one of the most popular sizes, mirroring the extreme popularity of 84mm King Size Cigarettes. Now we’d like to address so-called King Size rolling papers which are actually miss-named. This date back to 1984 when Rizla launched their 100mm rolling papers catered towards women that preferred the 100mm cigarette size. People first referred to this as “Queen Size”. Another firm tried to outdo Rizla and launched a 110mm paper, and named it “King Size’. However this is a misnomer. King Size cigarettes are all 84mm long. A 110mm paper is actually a longer “Queen Size” and is much longer then the preferred 84mm standard King Size. The aforementioned “King Size” rolling papers were typically 110mm long and 52mm high. However the newer format of this “King Size” is 110mm long and 44mm high (sometimes called King Size, sometimes called King Size Slim). This has become one of the most popular sizes in Europe and is growing while the older King Size is decreasing. The difference is the 8mm in paper height. The 44mm height is the original “Spanish Sized” or 1¼ sized height, and seems to be the preferred height by most smokers for all rolling papers (regardless of length). BOOKLET The origins of the cigarette rolling paper booklet can be traced back to a Dominican priest, Father Jaime Villanueva Estingo (Jativa, Spain, 1765). Before Father Villanueva's invention, tobacco smokers laboriously and wastefully cut sections of large sheets of paper to roll their cigarettes. He devised a more convenient method of peeling small sheets from pocket-size booklet dispensers and brought his idea to Alcoy, where the first rolling paper booklet s ever were produced. People still pay homage to Father Villanueva in Alcoy to this very day. INFO ON PAPER COMPANIES There are 3 huge multinational rolling paper companies: One of the largest is Republic/Bollore in France. They make Job®, Top®, Zig Zag®, OCB®, Gambler® and Abadie®. Their key competitor is Imperial Tobacco UK. This large multinational tobacco company owns Rizla®, Joker®, and EZ-Wider®. Another very large outfit is Miquel Y Costas. They are the makers of Smoking brand, Bugler papers, Pure Hemp brand and Bambu. After these 3 big guys come a series of independent brands (RAW®, Elements , DLX®, Skunk®, Hempire ®, Chills®, Zen®, Juicy Jays®, etc.). Special Note about China - While China did invent paper; they did not invent cigarette paper with good cause. The Chinese Emperor Chongzhen banned tobacco and ordered that anyone who smoked it should be beheaded. Tobacco was completely forbidden in China for hundreds of years and thus no cigarette paper was ever developed there. It is only quite recently that China has begun producing any cigarette rolling paper. Most of the cheaper rolling papers now coming out of china are actually shoe paper (the crinkly paper that you find stuffed into the toe of a new pair of shoes) being marketed as rolling paper. While the two look similar, shoe paper burns fast and tears easily. The Europeans have a long head start over the Chinese when it comes to cigarette rolling papers, and have mastered their craft over many generations and hundreds of years. * There are also the large companies Gizeh of Germany and Op Paprina of the Czech Republic however these two mostly sell in their home markets. * One interesting note is that the first flavored tobacco was smoked by the ancient Mayans who perfumed their tobacco with reeds. That may predate Juicy Cigars for originality, but we’re certain that Juicy Cigars taste much better. * There is a story that cigarettes were invented in 1750 by Egyptian soldiers who had broken their only pipe. The story goes that they used leftover paper that had been used to wrap munitions in order to smoke. However there is no actual proof of this story whereas the Spanish street beggar story has much documentation.
What Are Stomata And Why Should You Care?
The tiny holes can be found on the underside of the marijuana leaf (and just about every other plant.) They’re called “stomata” and they require a microscope or at least a magnifying glass to see. As far as the second half of the question, you don’t care. Think of stomata as the respiratory system of the plant. They breathe in CO2 and breathe out oxygen. That’s exactly the reverse of what animal life does. The stomata use a vacuum system to suck in gasses and to expel them. Different stimulation on the plant causes repositioning. In fact, understanding how stomata work can help you grow the highest quality cannabis and achieve the best yields. In this article we will cover: How do stomata work Stomata climate cycles Managing CO2 in your plants Blue light and stomata The importance of moistur Back to top How do stomata work Stomata open and close regularly. They open to absorb CO2. They close to retain moisture. Marijuana grows while maintaining this balance. To be a successful grower, you need to stay on top of the balance. It’s not as crazy as walking a tightrope after nine or ten rips from a pop culture decorated Pyrex bong but it’s still a balancing act you need to think about. Regulating the growing environment regulates the stomata and in doing so keeps the moisture where it should be and the absorption of CO2 where it should be as well. Each individual stoma is comprised of a guard cell and an auxiliary cell. The guards open and close the hole. It’s accomplished by absorbing or releasing water so they either fill up or drain out like a water balloon, closing and open the hole by filling up the space or taking the filling away. This whole process is called osmosis. Nutrients and minerals build up in their cells, which attracts water. This is mostly potassium and sugars and this is why proper nutrition is critical for pot. The auxiliary cells accomplish the opposite, pulling potassium from the guard cells and then attracting water. When the plant is low on water, a hormone sends a signal to close the holes. One thing to remember is that the stomata are vulnerable just like a human. If you walk into a room filled with tear gas and breathe it in, your body will be damaged. Stomata absorb CO2 just like the plant needs but if the environment has bad gasses like carbon monoxide, which ends up getting absorbed as well. If you want to know more about marijuana growing, make sure you download my free marijuana grow guide. Back to top Stomata climate cycles Ever thought plants sleep? They sort of do. Stomata has a cycle just like people. They’re usually open during the day to pull in CO2 and they’re usually closed at night to retain moisture. Managing the climate and the light your plants received thus becomes critical to success in growing. The stomata operate the respiration of the plant in a complicated cycle affected by a great many factors. Imagine drowning. That’s what it’s like for a plant if the stomata cycle gets screwed up. In a best case scenario, the plant stops growing. In a worst case scenario, the plant dies. Back to top Managing CO2 in your plants The plant wants a balance between external CO2 and internal CO2. Light and CO2 concentration in the air play a big roll. Light intensity impacts things because the more light, the larger the stomata open. On the other hand, light causes the plants to lose concentration of CO2 in the leaf. That makes the stomata open to absorb more. The light causes the plants to lose concentration of CO2 in the leaf. That makes the stomata open to absorb more. The light causes… If there is too much CO2 in the air, the stomata openings will be smaller. That’s what causes leaves to turn yellow. Essentially, the plants overheat, and that’s why cooling your plants by maintaining airflow is important. It you’re super dedicated and can manage CO2 levels, you want about 1500 ppm (parts per million). Download my free marijuana grow guide for more about CO2 and ppm's. Back to top Blue light and stomata You may have read that you can manipulate the stomata process with blue light. It’s true that blue light is far more effective than red and strongly impacts the stomata cycle. Don’t go buying colored lights! One of the wonderful things about pot is that it’s a naturally incredible plant. If you screw with the very carefully balanced system of water and CO2 management, you’ll end up hurting rather than helping. Stick with the best choices, HPI and HPS lamps, if you want to grow indoors. Back to top The importance of moisture Water is simply critical to effectively growing weed . If a plant gets low on water, the stomata close. Sure, that means photosynthesis stops but retaining moisture saves a plant from drying out and dying. Worse than the lack of photosynthesis, though, is that the plant will overheat. Opening the stomata is how a plant regulates its temperature. Closed stomata make the leaves get hotter. The heat causes evaporation even when stomata are closed. Low internal moisture becomes an ongoing vicious cycle. The cycle gets worse. Without the stomata and the cooling effects, the humidity in the environment gets lower. With less moisture in the air, the already overtaxed plant creates more issues. The good news is that constantly high humidity allows plants to keep their stomata open regularly because there’s no risk of losing moisture. ( Some Dutch scientists at the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands figured that out.) Here’s the bottom line. Your plants need moisture and they need light. This is utterly critical, and you can’t screw with the cycle. Treat your plants right, and they’ll reward you. Many factors influence cultivation and your success is all about what you put into learning about it. The stomata represent a critical part of the picture, but it’s still just one part. For more tips on plant physiology, be sure to download my free Marijuana Grow Guide for a handy offline source or visit ilovegrowingmarijuana.com. Happy growing, Robert www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
How Osmosis Helps With Nutrient Absorption
Osmosis is how your marijuana plants stay in the right position, retain the proper tension in their cells, keep buds performing well, and get all of the nutrients it needs. The best part about osmosis – it doesn’t use energy. This article covers: What is osmosis Nutrients absorption by osmosis Reverse osmosis Plasmolysis and turgor What is osmosis Osmosis keeps your plants from lying flat on the ground or wilting. It does this by maintaining the correct tension in the cells. This process happens not only in plants but also in most things in nature. One example is how a liquid with some sort of dissolved solid seems to ‘pull in’ pure water. You may have seen this when you have two containers with water in them that is sealed off by a semi-sealed membrane. What happens is: the water will go through the membrane, but the solutes (whatever they might be) do not. The science lesson here is that water moves to where the concentration of dissolved liquids is higher. The result is a dilution. This process does not require any energy and it will continue until an equilibrium is reached. Cells work in a similar manner. Just like their vacuoles inside of them, the semi-permeable membrane of the cell store and keep certain materials out. The cells store important sugars, nutrients and proteins while allowing water through and keeping most solutes out. The water will continue to flow in, being attracted to the high concentration within the cell, only stopping until equilibrium is met. The cells swell as a result. With all of this water flowing into the cell, the cell well must work hard to keep from popping. This causes a strong counter pressure that helps plants stand tall and better reach their light source. Osmosis also has another important function in plants – it helps with the opening and closing of the stomata. The stomata regulate how a plant “breathes.” Read more in the article The function of stomata in marijuana plants Back to top Nutrient absorption by osmosis In a cannabis plant, nutrient absorption occurs in the roots. This includes the absorption of the dissolved salts located inside the nutrients (which requires osmosis). With nutrient absorption, osmosis causes ions to move from an area of greater concentration to one of lower concentration. Its ability to this is referred to as its osmotic pressure. The process of osmosis is rather simple, what’s more important is the amount and type of substances you have on either side of the cell membrane. Some substances that you would typically find both inside and outside of a cannabis’ cells are potassium (K), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) ions. Keeping these at the right level are critical to a marijuana plant’s health. Here is osmosis’s role in nutrient absorption. If a marijuana plant has used up some of its nitrogen ions, for example, it will automatically pull in more nitrogen from the outside. Once equilibrium has been met, no more movement will occur. However, if any of the levels drop, either outside the cell or inside the cell, movement will occur again. For example, sometimes phosphorus could be pulled out of the plant and cause a deficit. This occurs when there are more phosphorous ions inside the plant than in the water outside. If you want to know more about nutrient absorption, make sure you download my free marijuana grow guide. Back to top Reverse osmosis Reverse osmosis is a different process. It is used to remove dissolved salts from water. Reverse osmosis is used in laboratories, kidney dialysis, and a little bit when making soda or beer. Guess what else – it’s also used when growing marijuana. Many people think about reverse osmosis in terms of their water. Most of the time, you won’t need to worry about how much dissolved substances are in your tap water. Even if the water you use for your plants has a high amount of chlorine, it isn’t that big of a deal. Of course, there are some growers who want to control everything that is put into to their plants, and there are ways to do that. Try using demineralized water and then add the necessary nutrients, but again, this is optional. So we know with osmosis that a semi-permeable barrier partition allows water to flow between liquids with different concentration of solutes. This is an automatic process that cannot be prevented, however, it can be reversed. The way to do this is by putting pressure on the more concentrated solution. This pressure will prevent water from going through the membrane. The amount of pressure needed for this to occur is called osmotic pressure. Download my free marijuana grow guide and learn to grow like a pro! With enough pressure, the flow can be completely reversed. Water molecules will start going to the less concentrated liquid instead of automatically achieving equilibrium. This is reverse osmosis. If you think about it like it was “clean” or “dirty” water, putting pressure on the dirty water can produce pure water on the other side. This is how many clean (or demineralized) water solutions are produced. On the other side, a liquid or brine with a very high amount of salts is produced. Pure water produced by this method will have a pH level of 7 and an EC that’s nearly 0. If you decide to use demineralized water for your plants, keep in mind, there could be a lack of magnesium or calcium. Find out by learning everything about your current tap water first. Many cities make this information publically available. (It’s referred to as the hardness level) Generally speaking, when you use tap water for your plants, it typically gives a high amount of magnesium and calcium. When you use reverse osmosis on tap water, it takes these important minerals out of the water. Back to top Plasmolysis and turgor Turgor is the amount of pressure exerted on a cell wall. This is caused by a cell’s ability to draw water from spaces between cells or other cells. When this pressure increases, it cause the cell membrane to expand and stretch until it touches the cell wall. Then, the cell wall gives counter pressure. Think of it like a box that is pushing back on a balloon being blown up inside of it. That balloon is only going to get but so big. Turgor causes the stiffness that we see in plants. When there is not enough water, there is less turgor (i.e. the osmotic value of the outside area is greater than what is inside). When there is not enough turgor, cell membranes begin to break off from the cell wall in a process called plasmolysis. Plasmolysis is very bad; mostly because a constant state of plasmolysis causes cell death. No one wants dead marijuana plants… at least not until their done growing. Thanks for reading. Don’t forget to download my free grow bible and happy growing! Robert www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
What Is A Marijuana Plant?
Plants play a vital role in our ecosystem- we all depend on their presence. Simply put, we need them for our survival. Even though every plant goes through the photosynthesis process, they are not all created equal. The same goes for cannabis plants. So, let’s talk about how to recognize cannabis plants and how they operate. If you are planning to grow marijuana it is important that you understand the plant in its entirety. In this article we will discuss: Plant development The root system Stems: the nutrition highway The purpose of leaves Flowers on marijuana plants Plant development A plant grows through cell elongation and cell division. When the plant cells split in half and make imitations of themselves this is the division process, and elongation occurs as the cells broaden and get larger. Cell division happens on the ends of the roots, the crown, and the border of leaf nodes. You will know that cell division is happening rapidly in those places if you see the plant is growing. Once new cells are formed during cell division, they will go through cell elongation and take in water from the xylem and get much bigger. If a plant is in good condition and a great growing environment, it has the potential to grow as much as 3 inches per day. As baby cells grow they can serve many purposes for your plant, which is determined by what the plant needs. Several varieties of cells can be placed into groups of tissues. Cells can be divided into 3 main segments: vascular, ground, and dermal tissues. Ground cells also known as parenchyma make up the majority of cells inside of plants. This is the useful part of living things. For instance, leaf cells contain mostly parenchymal ground cells, except for the veins and stomata. The next ones are vascular tissues, which are cell systems that have to carry nutrients and water throughout the plant. The xylem moves minerals and water from the roots to the other parts of the plant, and at the same time phloem transports the output of photosynthesis from the leaves to wherever else it is required to be. For instance, various part of the plant need the energy of the sugars from leaves. And last but not least there is the dermal tissue, which is the external layer of plant cells. This part serves to protect it from pests, cold and hot temperatures, as well as parasites. The stomata, cell wall, and lustrous external layers make up the dermal tissue. This is what helps the plant to breathe and take in both CO2 and dissolving water. Back to top Root system There is so much more to a plant than most people consider. All we usually see is what lies at the surface. The root system can grow so large that it becomes about the size of the actual plant. The roots are how your plant endures dry conditions and also access additional nutrients in the soil. Your marijuana plant doesn’t require a large root system to grow well. It will do just fine with a small root system. You can grow it in pots or hydroponics, so long as you are willing to put in the necessary work to give it the light, water and nutrients it needs. Roots tips that are in good condition will be white with little hairs all over it. If you ever notice the roots have turned brown, most likely your plant is in bad shape. At this point, you will need to observe the soil for any signs of root problems. Read the article How to identify root problems for more information. Evaporation is the foundation for water and nutrient uptake in a plant. Extra water is evaporated through the stomae in the leaves while, below the ground, water presses up against the roots and creates pressure. The combination of root pressure below and evaporation above create a suction system in the plant that helps promote the flow of nutrients and water from the bottom to the top. Back to top Stems: the nutrition highway The main structural point of a plant is the stem. The stems are how water and nutrients travel all over the plant. They are the reason your plant can stand up vertically. The leaves connect to the stem at the node and the other part of the stem is called the internode. How tall a plant gets depends on the amount and how long the internodes are; how many internodes it has remains the same. Stems have phloem and xylem, which extend downward to the roots. The xylem moves water and minerals from the roots to the newer leaves. Starting inside the leaves, the phloem moves sugar and energy throughout the plant. It is important for a cannabis plant to have a very strong stems. A broad stem will enhance the movement of energy and make the plant solid so that it does not tumble over as it flourishes. You can make a solid stem through using air flow. Have a fan blowing on your plant at all times. That way the stimulation causes the plant to broaden the stem while it’s growing. More tips in my free grow bible at this link here Back to top The purpose of leaves The leaves are the most vital part of any plant because this is where photosynthesis takes place, making it a supplier of food. Plant leaves are made up of petiole (stalk), mesophyll and veins. The mesophyll is the leave’s flesh, and it is here that cells containing chlorophyll catch sunlight, along with CO2 and turn it into energy. The veins stretch from the leaf tips to the roots, which are made up of phloem and xylem. Xylem moves water and phloem moves energy. You can find the stomata on the bottom half of the leaf. These are the doors to the inside of a plant. They open and close when needed so that oxygen, water vapor, and CO2 can be transported. Leaves will definitely flourish best in the sun and produces an abundance of chlorophyll. The more chlorophyll a plant has, the more sugar, and since sugar is energy, the plant will be in better condition. Leaves that are in more dim areas will produce less sugar than those in sunlight. Download my Free marijuana grow bible and learn to grow like a pro! Nodes can found at the crossroads of leaf bundles. Nodes are a great way to determine how your plant is doing. The first nodes will grow single-fingered leaves, the second will have 3 fingered leaves and the 3rd 5 fingered leaves and it just keeps going on from there. If the plant is growing in good conditions, it will have more fingers on the leaves, which means a healthy plant. This is important to understand while pruning because plants can have preferences. Make sure you know what and why you are pruning. Having fans in your grow space to help keep the environment under control because different leaves may be experiencing different temperatures. Back to top Flowers on marijuana plants The flowers are the reproductive organs of a Cannabis plant. The flowers are rarely flawless because they are both male and female. The male flowers have stamen, which are a thin tube-like filament topped with pollen covered anther. The females have pistils, with a pillar-like stalk and a stigma at the end. Stigmas are generally sticky in order to catch pollen. Marijuana plants reproduce through pollination, which occurs through using pollen from the male’s stamen and moving it to the pistil of the female. The flowers also have CBD and THC in them. These are the two main active substances and the reason we want to grow and smoke the plant ;) You keep these substances at high levels by making sure the female flower never get fertilized. Fertilization causes the female plant to start adding resources to the creation of seeds. If the plant goes without being fertilized it will focus on giving to the creation of calyxes, teardrop nodules that usually have large amounts of trichomes. Those are what secretes THC, as well as other cannabinoids. Thanks for reading this article. Don't forget to download my free marijuana grow bible and happy growing! Robert Bergman www.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
Traveling With Marijuana Offers Extra Troubles From Legal States
While pot is currently legal in Alaska, Colorado, Washington and Oregon, traveling with marijuana across the border of any of those states while carrying your recent purchases makes you a felon in most cases. The difference of a few miles turns your legally purchased recreational substance into a Schedule 1 narcotic. This is comparable to a 12 pack of beer turning into heroin just because you happen to be a few miles further down the road. Unlike the repeal of the alcohol prohibition, which happened nationwide, marijuana legalization has been patchwork, piecemeal, and full of gray areas. Is there any 100% safe way to get your legal recreational marijuana products back home without becoming a criminal? In fact, there seems to be a paradox with coming of legalized marijuana. It seems to have grown more difficult and dangerous to travel around with it now that it's legal in some areas. Where once it was fairly easy to fly under the radar, the radars have gotten more sensitive. FLYING According to the Associated Press, 29 people were caught trying to board airplanes with marijuana last year in Denver. In all cases, no charges were filed and the passengers were allowed to board their planes after they disposed of their weed. Keep in mind, these were legally-purchased amounts (1 ounce for residents, ¼ ounce for non residents). Just as I was thinking of heading to the airport carrying a “MARIJUANA DISPOSAL” sign, it turns out the airport authority has already started an Amnesty Box program. A large green container advises travelers that taking marijuana substances onto airplanes is illegal. It has been reported that they are highly popular. And before you ask, the local Sheriff's are responsible for emptying the boxes. Originally there was said to be a $2500 fine and possible imprisonment for trying to conceal pot while boarding a plane or even bringing it onto airport property. But thus far, all cases the Denver TSA has turned over to the Pitkin County Sheriff have essentially been ignored. The only time local authorities get involved is when the case involves a minor, or looks to be large amount of marijuana packaged for distribution. Even if you get your products on the plane, there's no guarantee that you're home free. Although nobody has said it officially, incoming flights from Colorado could be monitored. Remember that Oklahoma and Nebraska are suing Colorado over their state's pot laws. Not unlike the angry neighbor calling the cops on the house party next door. What it comes down to is possessing any illegal substance in any airport is a federal crime. Proceed at your own risk. DRIVING If you travel to the Centennial State by car, once you cross a state line you are subject to the laws of that state. Of the seven states that surround Colorado, five of them still consider any type of marijuana or marijuana product 100% illegal. Thus, law enforcement can detain you for something as simple as failure to signal a lane change, call for a drug dog to walk around your car, and raise some revenue at your expense. NPR ran a story last year about B.J. Wilkinson, the police chief of Sidney, Nebraska near the border, lamenting how marijuana related arrests jumped 50% in the year after Colorado passed legalization. What isn't mentioned is how these arrests were initiated. Something that would be nice to know if you plan on sneaking some pot back home. There's no mention of profiling out of state plates, or if the suspects were speeding, or if they were doing dabs on Main Street, naked. The Deuel County Sheriff Department does report $18,067 in asset forfeitures for 2014. That's more than double what they reported the previous year, when legalization was just being passed in Colorado. While presenting themselves as protectors of the public from dangerous potheads, they are also filling county coffers to defray the cost of prosecution, buy new cars, and hire more personnel to seize more assets. But this is nothing new. Asset forfeiture for marijuana is still the favorite cash cow of law enforcement. If one was to ask a long time smoker from the prohibition era who's experienced in carrying illegal weed, he may tell you, “Only break one law at at a time. Don't drive under the influence while carrying. Obey all traffic laws. Make sure your vehicle has all headlights, taillights, signals working properly. Keep tags, drivers license, and insurance up to date. Act and look normal.” But truth be told, even carrying small personal amounts across state lines is still a risky business. OTHER STATES Washington State was the first to follow Colorado's lead on legalization. And although they haven't gone as far as the amnesty box policy, it seems most travelers caught trying to get small amounts of marijuana products on planes are simply asked to surrender them and proceed on their way. But try taking it into Idaho and you are likely to encounter the same scenarios as the states surrounding Colorado. But if you're traveling north to Canada, you could become subject to international law. And a warning to Canadian cannabis curious tourists, if you're caught trying to return home from Washington with a cannabis product, you could wind up being banned from the U.S. forever. In Alaska, as of right now, you can fly inside the state and take your stuff with you. However, crossing out of state jurisdiction turns the situation identical to Colorado's. Smile, you're breaking federal law again! The District of Columbia has the unfortunate circumstance of having a lot of senators and other legislative types living there who are threatening to dismantle their legalization laws. So at this time, weed is still subject to the draconian laws it has always suffered under. If you're a smoker used to traveling with your stash, none of this is probably news to you. You already have vast experience in covert transportation from the total prohibition days. But to you, the “cannabis tourist,” you're safest consuming all your purchases before you head to the airport or the state line. Educate yourself on the laws of the state you plan on visiting, as well as those of surrounding states before you travel. Bon voyage!
A Toke to Good Health: Benefits of Medical Marijuana
More unbiased, publicly available scientific research has been done in regard to the benefits of medical marijuana in the last decade in the United States than has been done in the plant’s history. Government red-tape has always made research into the illegal substance expensive and difficult, but perseverance and public support has helped to shed light on the plant’s many benefits. This information has become more readily available to both counter-culture supporters and the general public, resulting in an impressive 46% of the States adopting medical marijuana laws. At the current rate of increase, this number is set to gain traction every year. So let’s nip propaganda in the bud and reveal the burning truth in regards to marijuana’s potential benefits. We’ll start with one of the most commonly expressed medical uses, the treatment of glaucoma. Of course, when you first stumbled on your grandparents stash, they may have told you that it was to treat their glaucoma—and whether their statement was falsified or not is up to debate—but how much truth is there to the treatment itself? Let’s start with the basics. Glaucoma is an eye disease which increases intra-ocular pressure (IOP), which can cause damage and even loss of vision. Marijuana use can decrease this pressure substantially, leading to an increase in eye-health and a decrease in the disease’s damage creating potential. However, the biggest issue with marijuana as a treatment is the duration of decreased pressure, which lasts only a couple of hours during and after consuming THC. This would mean that for proper treatment, you would need to smoke every couple of hours, which may or may not be realistic for any given situation. This limits marijuana’s potential as a treatment, but it is still a viable option for those who react adversely to current medications on the market. According to the American Glaucoma Society, there is evidence that local administration (eye drops) containing marijuana’s active components could be effective, and even possibly protect nerve cells, but further research is needed. Slowing the Progression of Alzheimers A particularly interesting medicinal purpose for marijuana is that of slowing, or perhaps even stopping Alzheimer’s in its tracks. One of the effects of the disease, which diminishes mental capacity and degrades the mind, is that it creates a buildup of a specific protein, beta-amyloid, which becomes a plaque-like formation in the brain. A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease indicates that THC may slow down the production of this protein. In low doses, marijuana’s active ingredient can prove to be an invaluable ally in the fight against the symptoms and advancements of Alzheimer’s. This is a low-risk high-reward treatment, and we can only hope that advancements in research and implementation can help to fight the disease which currently affects over five million Americans ages 65 and older. Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Post-traumatic stress disorder is an extreme anxiety condition created due to traumatic experiences, such as war or sexual assault. The symptoms often include flashbacks, nightmares, emotional disconnect or extreme emotion, increased anxiety, isolation, and avoidance. Researchers at the University of Haifa in Israel ran tests using a synthetic compound very similar to cannabis called WIN 55,212-2. Researchers administered electrical jolts to a group of rats as a simulation of trauma. One group of rats was then exposed to the synthetic compound, while another group was not. When both groups were shown reminders of the traumatic experience, those exposed to WIN 55,212-2 showed fewer signs of anxiety and pain recognition when compared to the other group. While this research is both preliminary and on non-human subjects, it does show an intriguing basis for further investigation of cannabinoids to treat traumatic experiences. Just as important as the long-term benefits marijuana may pose for PTSD, it can also provide symptomatological relief. The Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access, through their work with those afflicted by PTSD, state that cannabis has greatly improved the quality of life for those who suffer daily battles inflicted by the PTSD. Naturally occurring cannabinoids help to regulate the brain functions that cause anxiety and fear, and it is thought that additional intake of similar cannabinoids can help to relieve many associated symptoms. Due to the lack of research done on humans, evidence is mostly anecdotal, but marijuana has been shown to provide a relief for the anxiety associated with the illness (and anxieties in general) and does so with fewer side effects than any other available medications. Stopping the Spread of Cancer Cells Cancer and marijuana use is a widespread topic of much debate, with more and more research coming to light every day. According to Cancer.gov, “Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis.” Molecular biologist Pierre Desprez and researcher Sean McAllister have done tests involving cannabidiol (a compound in marijuana) in which they mixed the compound with cells containing large amounts of 1D-1, the cancer spreading gene. The result was that the cells returned to normal, and the spread of 1D-1 was halted. Their intriguing research has concluded laboratory and animal testing, all of which reflected the above exciting results. The next step, human testing, has not been able to proceed as of yet due to government regulations, but the duo is hopeful that they can push forward in their research in the near future. Reducing the Side Effects of Chemotherapy While on the subject of the potential uses for marijuana and the treatment of cancer, we need to take a look at what it is doing for those who currently have the disease and are undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The benefits that marijuana can provide for the chemotherapy patient are vast. Chemotherapy is known to cause intense nausea, which marijuana use is able to calm. Marijuana is able to alleviate the pain associated with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is known to decrease appetite, and marijuana can counteract this by increasing metabolism and stimulating one’s want for food (marijuana can also be used as an edible). Marijuana is able to do all of this without the side effects of additional medication, pills which a cancer patient has already been overwhelmed with. I have seen firsthand how the quality of life is greatly improved when marijuana is used to counteract the effects of chemotherapy. More importantly, the medical community’s research has shown that treating chemotherapy’s side effects is one of marijuana’s greatest uses. Treatment of Epileptic Seizures Unfortunately, as has been true in regard to cancer research and PTSD research, seizure research has been greatly limited by government restrictions. However, research that has been possible has been centered on cannabidiol (the marijuana compound that may also stop the spread of cancer cells) which has shown great potential. One report explored the compound’s potential with children who had treatment-resistant epilepsy. According to the report, Sixteen (84%) of the 19 parents reported a reduction in their child's seizure frequency while taking cannabidiol-enriched cannabis. Of these, two (11%) reported complete seizure freedom, eight (42%) reported a greater than 80% reduction in seizure frequency, and six (32%) reported a 25-60% seizure reduction. While this small sample size limits the effectiveness of this study, the percentages are certainly astounding, and the results should motivate additional research. Speak up (and don’t forget to vaporize and make edibles for added health benefits) All of these medical benefits raise one glaring issue—that medical marijuana research is being inhibited by federal restrictions. Twenty-three states, thus far, have medical marijuana laws. With support, that number will continue to rise, and eventually marijuana will be federally recognized. Of course, medical marijuana performs better, and with fewer side effects, than many of its pharmaceutical counterparts. Because of this, there will always be opponents whose interests do not align with medical marijuana, and it is up to the people to make their voices heard. With uninhibited research, many of the above medical uses will become much more than simple potential, to the benefit of everyone.
