witch hunt

Stop the Marijuana Witch Hunt

A letter to the editor of the Bend Bulletin, as penned by our very own Jeremy Kwit.


10/29/14

Stop pot witch hunt

I write with human rights, sensible social policy and balanced criminal justice in mind. Nineteenth-century philosopher, political economist and social servant John Stuart Mill argued we are each our own sovereign nation. Individuals are rational enough to make decisions about their well-being. If adults of sound mind want to drink alcohol or consume cannabis, they should be able to do so.

In our time of increased libertarianism, I’m surprised so many people want to waste precious state resources creating a crime where none exists. Cannabis consumers cause little, if any, harm to themselves or to society. Squandering police, court and jail resources citing and arresting nonviolent, nonharming cannabis consumers is borderline ridiculous. Perpetuating prohibitionist policy serves only to perpetuate fear and hysteria.

Doing so obscures the lack of evidence or valid reasoning supporting the stated conclusion. Believing that marijuana is harmful for adults because marijuana is illegal is like concluding water should be illegal because someone once drowned in a lake.

Let’s consider facts. Let’s recognize and use data to support our public policy creation. Let’s stop the witch hunt.

I would prefer our schools to be adequately funded. I would prefer that prevention and rehabilitation services be available to individuals with addiction issues. I would prefer that our police have the guidance and resources to focus on violent criminal actors. I would prefer that we not clog our courts or jails with individuals choosing to use a botanical product for their own relaxation, stress-reductionor enjoyment.

Jeremy Kwit

Bend


For the full Bend Bulletin article, please click here.

doctor cannabis

How to Talk to Your Doctor or Health Care Provider About Cannabis

While medical cannabis has had a rocky history for the past century, as more people are becoming comfortable with it, each year more places have been legalizing cannabis for medical use. It can be difficult, however, to navigate all of the information out there. So, how do you know that medical cannabis is right for you? The first step is to ask your doctor. It is only through close work with your healthcare provider that you can decide whether or not cannabis will be helpful to you.

We know that talking about medical cannabis can be intimidating and confusing. Our goal is to remove the stigma surrounding this industry and empower patients to ask the right questions so they can get the treatment they need. Here’s a list of questions you can ask your healthcare provider to determine if medical cannabis is an option for you and, if so, what your next steps should be. These basic questions will help start the conversation between you and your healthcare provider. However, it may also be beneficial to write down a few questions that are specific to you and your medical history. Use this conversation as a way to debunk myths about cannabis use and figure out the facts.

 

  1. What are the health risks associated with cannabis use?
  2. What types of ailments can be treated with cannabis? Does cannabis seem like a good option for my ailments?
  3. What is your suggested cannabis consumption method? Should I smoke it, use medibles, or what about vaporizers?
  4. Does medicinal cannabis seem like a good option for my lifestyle?
  5. Where can I find more information on medicinal cannabis?
  6. Will I be able to perform my everyday duties while using medicinal cannabis?
  7. As a parent, will I be able to use my medicinal cannabis around my children?
  8. How do I stay safe while using medicinal cannabis?
  9. Will cannabis interact with my other medications?

 

In addition to asking your healthcare provider questions about medical cannabis, we encourage you to check out the Leafly Knowledge Center and our other blog posts on this site to educate yourself about the medical cannabis industry. If you do some research before you meet with your doctor, you can ask specific questions and will be better prepared to have a thoughtful conversation with your healthcare provider.

For more information on cannabis doctors in the Central Oregon area, check out our page here. To learn more about the general process of getting your OMMP card, please refer to our page right here.

The Benefits of Juicing Cannabis

As we all know, there are a wide variety of ways to ingest cannabis. You can find many of these on our page highlighting some of the more common methods of marijuana consumption right here. Recently. there has been a lot of talk about a relatively new method of cannabis ingestion; juicing. Why has it become popularized, and what makes juicing cannabis better than other methods of consumption?

Well, the parts of the cannabis plant used in juicing are the fan leaves or the cannabis bud itself. These parts of the plant contain not only over a hundred healing cannabinoids, but also contain photo-nutrients such as chlorophyll and chloroplast, which provide some of the best plant-based energy nutrients. Cannabis is rich in omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, which are essential nutrients that our bodies do not produce independently, so we must find them through the foods we consume. Cannabis has all of the essential amino acids we need, making juicing it a super nutritious option.

Juicing cannabis provides an excellent method of medicinal consumption of the healing cannabinoids present in cannabis. You can get these healing benefits from smoking cannabis, but this will also decarboxalyze the THC, inducing a psychoactive effect. While this may be beneficial for some, the non-psychoactive relief provided by the digestive absorption of cannabis juice may be more desirable for other folks. To put this in different terms, taking a hit of cannabis is comparable to taking a shot of medicine. Juicing cannabis is like drinking the bottle.

While drinking raw cannabis straight may not be so tasty, adding fruits and vegetables such as carrots, ginger and pomegranate can help out a lot with the flavor. Any fruit or vegetable juicer works for the process, but we recommend using a wheat-grass juicer for best results. Cannabis juice is best ingested fresh, in order to provide all of the medicinal benefits to patients. This means that juicing are best when they are homemade and 110% fresh.

Not only does juicing provide patients with non-psychoactive relief, but it also encourages us to use the entire plant and avoid being wasteful. Besides, the parts of the cannabis plant generally considered to be without use, such as the leaves and stems, can have their own medicinal benefit that we may not be completely aware of yet. Not only does cannabis juice provide medicinal patients with significant relief, but it also acts as a wonderful nutritional and healthy food option for many folks.

cannabinoids

Cannabinoid Breakdown

The Cannabis plant and its products consist of an enormous variety of chemicals, including over 100 unique cannabinoids. While some are more well known than others, each has an important part to play in the healing process. Here’s a handy guide highlighting some of the most notable properties of these remarkable cannabinoids.


Compound: Cannabigerolic Acid

Abbreviation: CBGA

Pharmacological Characteristics: Antibiotic


Compound: Cannabigerol 

Abbreviation: CBG 

Pharmacological Characteristics: Antibiotic, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, GABA uptake inhibitor, reduces keratinocytes proliferation in psoriasis, effective against MRSA. 


Compound: Cannabichromene

Abbreviation: CBC

Pharmacological Characteristics: Antibiotic, Antifungal, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic (weak) 


Compound: Cannabidiolic Acid

Abbreviation: CBDA

Pharmacological Characteristics: Antibiotic


Compound: Cannabidiol

Abbreviation: CBD

Pharmacological Characteristics: Anxiolytic, Antipsychotic, Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Anti-emetic, Antifungal, Anti-convulsant, Antidepressant, Antagonizes the effects of THC, decreases sebum/sebocytes proliferation, effective against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, pro-apoptotic against breast cancer cell lines.


Compound: Cannabinol

Abbreviation: CBN

Pharmacological Characteristics: Sedative, Antibiotic, Anti-convulsant, Anti-inflammatory, decreases breast cancer resistant protein, effective against MRSA.


Compound: Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol

Abbreviation: THC

Pharmacological Characteristics: Euphoriant, Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Antiemetic, Antipruritic, Bronchodilator. 


Compound: Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabivarin

Abbreviation: THCV

Pharmacological Characteristics: Analgesic, Euphoriant, Anti-convulsant in vitro. 


The human body produces endocannabinoids, its own natural version of cannabinoids. Cannabinoid receptors are found throughout the body, especially in the nervous and immune systems. The endocannabinoid system is involved in a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, sleep, mood and memory. Endocannabinoids and cannabinoid receptors respond to biological events—for example, endocannabinoid levels will rise in response to brain injury, strokes, nerve injuries and associated pain. Both plant cannabinoids and endocannabinoids bind to the body’s cannabinoid receptors. When this binding occurs, effects such as pain relief and the suppression of stress result.