Tuesday 6 October 2015

The Difference Between Cannabis and hemp

 You’ve heard both of these things, and a lot of times, people don’t really understand the difference. Here, we’ll go over a couple of the major differences s hemp and cannabis have, and why it’s important to know the difference between both of these items. 

The Difference 

Based on the agriculture improvement act that occurred in 2018, a new definition came about for both hemp, and cannabis as well.  It’s actually come down to one component: the THC present within this. Hemp is basically anything with less than .3% of the THC that’s within it. 



Plants that have more than that amount, are considered cannabis. The biggest difference really is the THC, so those that have more, which results in feeling high, is called cannabis.  Cannabis actually belongs inside a family of plants.  They have three major components, and they are: 

  • Sativa: this energizes the body, reduces the anxiety and stress, while also boosting mental focus, and creativity 

  • Indica, which is the sedative one, that gives you the full-body high that you’re looking for, improving both pain, insomnia, and relaxation too 

  • Ruderalis: this is one that’s low in THC, but very high in CBD 

These usually vary too, and some people may feel the effects from both sativa, indica, or it might vary based on your needs. Everyone is different, so you’ll have to check your endocannabinoid receptors to figure out what’s right for you. 



It’s also important to note too that each strain gives different effects, so talk with someone if you’re not sure whether a strain is right for you. 

Differences between hemp and Marijuana 

Now that there is a difference between both cannabis and hemp, let’s take it further and look at marijuana. 

A lot of journals actually used the name of cannabis to describe it.

When the early 1900s came about, marijuana soon became a more popular term, since this is because of the different restrictions that happen.

It was by the time 1916 rolled around that they tried to figure out that they could actually make four times the number of paper from hemp plants, than for trees. That’s also why a lot of people, despite not approving of marijuana, like hemp, because of the intense applications in the industrial world.

Then, when 1937 came around, the war on marijuana happened, and it’s also when marijuana came about.

This was something that actually was made for the sole purpose of trying to stigmatize cannabis as well. They put together a big taxation that happened on hemp, and also it would help plastic and nylon businesses, and also properly integrated the companies vertically, especially paper industries, and also was good for those in the lumber industry, helping them to thrive.



This is something that’s definitely important to understand, because at the base of it all, marijuana is something that’s less than .3% THC within this, and it’s usually a popular term for those users who utilize this recreationally. 

There are instances of them trying to destigmatize hemp too, as there are industries that actually wanted hemp, especially during World War II. Victory gardens contained hemp, and this was used for navy ships during the second world war. 

What we do know though, is despite all of this, people still think that it is’ on the same level as LSD, cocaine, and heroin, although it’s not a bad thing for a lot of people.

Hopefully, as we see cannabis continue to get legalized, we’ll see more and more people get excited about using this, and offer a way to improve utilization.


Monday 17 August 2015

Can CBD Prevent Viral Infections?

CBD is helpful in the prevention and the treatment of some viruses including covid and hepatitis C, but there are others that aren’t actually affected. There have been some in vitro studies and some controlled environments that suggest that this may be helpful for some viruses, but not for every single one of them out there. 

The Effectiveness in Studies 

Right now, studies show that the extracts of this, including CBD and the like, improve the natural response that’s there to treat along with the prevention of some viral infections. With the pandemic still being a big thing, there are studies that look at how effective the current medications are against the treatment of the COVID-19 virus.



CBD actually came out as a possible treatment for COVID due to the way it treats the symptoms, one of them being infection. It also lessens the symptoms of this, and it also prevents the replication of the virus within the lung cells of humans. Before this sudden surge of this information on it, there was some research already that was showing that CBD may be a good antiviral. It can help against hepatitis C, but not against hepatitis B viruses. 

It also found that it may help with Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpes viruses and it was also seen that it could actually trigger cell apoptosis as well. 

How this works 

While cannabis is something that’s been used for a long time as a specific kind of medicine, this is something that's only recently gained traction.

The different effects of this tend to be twofold. 

The first thing that it does is it helps with the inflammatory responses, so it prevents the autoimmune damage that’s out there. it then works directly with your immune system in order to replicate and prevent the way that the virus is spread. 



For COVID, it actually is something that does infect the host cells and replicate. 

It actually is used to stop the replication process of the covid virus.

In order for something to infect your cells, the virus needs to enter, and the SARSA-CO-V-2 was discovered when it binds directly to your ACE2 receptors, which is a protein that's found outside of the cells where humans are, and then the RNA gets in there to make the viral copies.

CBD and the metabolites of this actually prevent the RNA from getting into the host cells, and also prevents the genes from also being expressed as well. It also prevents the host cell from copying, but also it can destroy the RNA, and then, remove the entire infection.

For hepatitis C, this can lead to major damages, and usually, liver fibrosis is one of the big implications of this.

CBD can help directly with this. Since liver fibrosis occurs when the immune system attacks these healthy cells, this can actually prevent this damage from happening, destroying the tissue that’s there, and preventing the extracellular proteins from building up that would cause liver failure.

Right now, we don’t really know how deep this can get. It can, however, help with reducing the way that the hepatitis C cells do spread within the liver. 



Right now, the treatment is still in the in vitro stages, and it has yet to hit the clinical trials, the non-toxicity of the CBD and the oil itself also hints at this working as a form of antiviral treatment.

Some people have found that it works to put this on different sores, and also can work with chicken pox and cold sores, in order to spread the healing.


Wednesday 12 August 2015

Cannabis for ADHD

If you’re interested in getting cannabis for ADHD, you’re not alone. If you struggle with this condition, cannabis may not be the first thing that you think of, but there are different strains that can help. Some people have ADHD that results in hyperfocus. Instead of not having issues with recognition, or even remembering various things, a person is almost hypervigilant in the environment that they have, resulting in higher sensitivity. The sights, the sounds, the tastes, and the smells all get noticed, all at the exact instance.

For those who are struggling with ADHD, they may have symptoms that are disruptive, causing behaviors that arne’t fully understood, or even accepted. There are some prescriptions to help with this, but some haven’t enjoyed using those for their problems. 

How cannabis can help 

For some people who have ADHD in the form of anxiety disorders and fidgeting, cannabis can help calm them down, and anxiety is considered a condition that’s legally qualified for cannabis. Some also may say that it works for their symptoms.



There are various types of cannabis strains, in fact, over 700 different ones, and some can be a bit more sedative, which is good for those who have a lot of head chattering, especially when trying to focus, or even trying to sleep.

Other ones can boost the mood, which is good for those who feel depressed when they have ADHD symptoms crop up.

There are different strains that can benefit you, and they definitely can be good for many.

Strains for Anxiety Relief 

Some people who have ADHD struggle with energy spikes and anxiety as well. As there is usually a lot that’s going on, it can sometimes be a lot, and some people struggle to stop moving when they have this condition.

Some people feel like they need to calm down a little bit, and settle into smaller, more calmer states of energy, and sometimes, you don't want to feel like sedated, but more focused and calm. 

The best strains to help for that include: 

  • Super lemon haze 

  • Sour breath 

  • Strawberry cough 

  • Harlequin GDP 

  • Reg Congolese 

  • Some lucid blue 

Some of these are sativa based though, so if you have a lot of creativity and bursts of energy, it can be a bit much for you. If you're struggling to find relief for this, you should be mindful. A little goes a long way with these kinds of strains.

Indica for ADHD

Some people feel better when they take indica strains, as they are better for quelling the mind and body, and usually, those that are dominant in indica can be a better option.



If you’re someone with a laundry list of things to do, you should avoid indica for sedation too, since that’ll just make you feel couch locked. 

You may, however, want to consider this, especially if you’ve got some racing thoughts.

The best ones for that job do include: 

  • Sour diesel 

  • Harlequin 

  • Harle-Tsu 

  • Blackjack 

  • Star Master Kush 

  • Fire Alien Strawberry 

Some of these may be important to look at, as you might find one that’s good for moderating symptoms.

You should also consider using a CBD strain for ADHD, as they can calm the body down, and they usually are good for making sure that you have a calming experience, but also aren’t feeling super jittery.



A strain that’s full spectrum is the best, or you might want to pick one that’s pure CBD, because that might be the better option to help with treating your ADHD symptoms, and improving this as well.


Wednesday 6 May 2015

Can Cannabis Make You angry?

For some people, marijuana makes them nice and soothed, but in other cases, it may do the opposite. There are certain interactions that arne’t totally known, but you might wonder if there is a risk for anger. If you have a lot of cannabis, or are trying to withdraw, you might experience some effects, and some high-THC strains do cause anxiety and paranoia in a lot of cases.

Marijuana and Mood 

Marijuana has a lot of THC, which works directly with the ECS, that plays into the mood that you have and how it’s regulated. The receptors do respond better to certain cannabinoids, with the CB1 receptors helping with mood and anxiety. CB1 is usually found within your brain locations and helps with the emotions that are there. THC is a sort of agonist to this, and it can activate it. 



It can improve your mood and impact the motor control and some of the other changes that are there. Remember though, that the effects of this do vary from each person to the next.  Sometimes, people feel high when the neurotransmitters with weed get stimulated. It can cause a dopamine rush and release. But the problem is, if you take too much, it can overload this, thereby creating the opposite kind of effect. 

The mental Health Effects 

There are some feelings of euphoria that happen when you smoke, improving the senses, but it also can cause you to take more risks and impair the way that your motor skills work, depending on the tolerance level. Some people argue that marijuana can help with creativity, but if you take too much, the opposite happens.

There was creativity that was looked at with the low and high potency. Those who had higher levels had a lessened performance, so it can affect the way that we’re creative in much larger dosages, but we need more research to make this the case.



Sometimes, those with anxiety do struggle with this.  Some also may struggle with higher anxiety especially if they take too much cannabis. It was found that those that had a bit of anxiety were over three times more likely to have a psychotic disorder, compared to those that never used cannabis period, so poor mental health may be a bad and detrimental effect of this, but we do need more research on this. 

So does it automatically Make you Angry? 

It ultimately depends on your own personal usage. Some people may have their mood swayed a bit too hard by marijuana. Usually, cannabis creates euphoria, but it can cause paranoia, anxiety, and other panic disorders at higher levels. We also need to look at more research to see how it plays into psychosis, and also irritability as well. With psychosis, it was found that if you smoked a lot more marijuana, especially those that are very potent, it was found that you’re more likely to develop a form of psychosis compared to those that didn’t smoke. 



The genetic variability, the age they started using, and the potency all played an effect.  It also was found that there was a predisposition if you used cannabis too much, too early.  Some people also use cannabis in a way that’s a bit excessive. While it can help with certain conditions, too much of a good thing can be bad for you, as in the case of this. Overall, it’s important to look at how marijuana makes you feel, and always start at lower doses before you consume too much, as it can play a big part in your own mental health issues, and anger too.