Get a Clue - Weed

Details: Published: 28 November 2024; Hits: 484

The Vote 4 Medicine Debacle is a ‘gift’ that just keeps on giving!

The use of cannabinoids in medical treatments for children and adolescents is rising, often to manage conditions like epilepsy or chemotherapy-induced nausea. While this approach may seem promising, comprehensive research sheds light on the serious risks associated with these substances for young individuals.

Increased Risk of Adverse Events: A detailed review of 23 clinical trials involving over 3,600 children and adolescents revealed significant risks linked to cannabinoid use. Compared to other treatments or placebos, these substances were associated with a higher likelihood of unpleasant side effects. Many participants experienced such severe adverse events that they withdrew from the studies altogether.

For developing bodies, these risks are especially troubling. Symptoms like diarrhoea, extreme drowsiness, and signs of liver stress or damage were frequently reported, raising serious concerns about the impact on children’s health.

Concerns in Key Treatment Areas: Cannabinoids are often used as treatments for epilepsy and to manage chemotherapy-related nausea in children. However, the findings from the review call into question whether the potential benefits justify the heightened risks. Both conditions require effective relief, but exposing young, developing bodies to substances with such serious side effects demands caution and careful consideration.

Long-Term Risks and Unanswered Questions: One of the major concerns highlighted by this research is the lack of information on the long-term effects of cannabinoids in younger individuals. Most trials only tracked participants for short periods, meaning the potential for chronic health impacts, dependency, or other developmental issues remains largely unknown.

(For complete research J.A.M.A)

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Details: Published: 28 November 2024; Hits: 547

weedleaf2 The impact of cannabis on human fertility has emerged as a critical public health concern, particularly as global cannabis consumption has surged by 23% since 2010. With 209 million users worldwide and growing, most being males of reproductive age, understanding cannabis’s effects on fertility has never been more urgent. This increase coincides with a troubling trend – global sperm counts declined by 51.6% from 1973 to 2018, and continue to fall at an accelerating rate.

The convergence of rising cannabis use and declining sperm counts has spurred renewed scientific interest in how cannabis, particularly its primary psychoactive compound THC, affects male fertility. Two landmark studies – Morishima’s groundbreaking 1984 research and Kuzma-Hunt’s comprehensive 2024 analysis – provide crucial insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which cannabis influences reproductive outcomes.

(Source: https://wrdnews.org/cannabis-male-fertility-epigenetic-harms-a-four-decade-research-evolution/)

Details: Published: 28 November 2024; Hits: 595

THC and sperm: Impact on fertilization capability, pre-implantation in vitro development and epigenetic modifications

Global cannabis use has risen 23% since 2010, with 209 million reported users, most of whom are males of reproductive age. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive phytocannabinoid in cannabis, disrupts pro-homeostatic functions of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) within the male reproductive system. The ECS is highly involved in regulating morpho-functional and intrinsic sperm features that are required for fertilization and pre-implantation embryo development…findings suggest that THC may alter key morpho-functional and epigenetic sperm factors involved in fertilization and embryo development. This is the first study [since 1984 when Morishima noted the lower quality of zygote production and zygote division] to demonstrate that sperm exposed to THC in vitro negatively affects embryo quality following IVF

(Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0298697)

Details: Published: 20 November 2024; Hits: 705

(D.I comment: Toxic Cannabis Industry and the Three Market Debacle – ‘Regulating’ psychotropic toxins of idiosyncratic unpredictability is a farcical shell game for the entire sector with an incredibly inadequate and often tokenistic effort toward ‘health’ practices. Words like ‘safe’ or ‘safety’ and cannabis products in same sentence is at best an oxymoron; at worst it is just indicative of the level of denial, willful ignorance, or plain cover-ups in the addiction for profit sector that is the ‘Cannabis Industry’.)

University of Bath researchers found seven vaporizers sourced from the US contained dangerous SC compound Hannah Harris Green Sun 6 Oct 2024

A new study from the University of Bath revealed that seven vaporizers claiming to contain cannabis actually contained a much more dangerous “synthetic cannabinoid” (SC) compound.

Earlier this year, the same lab published a study showing that over one in six vaporizers confiscated from schoolchildren across the UK also contained SCs.

Sam Craft, an author on both studies, says his team decided to investigate the contents of seven vapes that one person presented to a drug and alcohol service after experiencing strange effects.

The person “was an experienced cannabis smoker”, says Craft, and they had decided to switch to vaping because they thought it would be less harmful.

One million people in England vape despite never having smoked regularly, study finds

Analysis of the vapes revealed that all of them contained the SC 5F-MDMB-PICA. There are hundreds of different SCs – officially named with these letter-number combinations, and referred to colloquially as “K2”, “Spice” and other slang terms.

Unlike natural cannabis, they are frequently associated with severe negative outcomes, including seizures and fatal overdoses. In England and Wales, SCs were responsible for nearly half of unnatural prison deaths from 2015-2020.

SCs are also illegal in the UK and the US. Still, they are showing up in the unregulated US hemp market that emerged as the result of the 2018 Farm bill, which inadvertently legalized all cannabis-derived products containing less than .3% delta 9 THC, cannabis’s most well-known psychoactive component.

SCs are distinct from semi-synthetic cannabinoids, like THC-O, and sometimes HHC and Delta-8 THC, which can be made by combining natural cannabis extracts with synthetic materials, and which are legal in much of the US.

That doesn’t mean they are without risk, according to Michelle Peace, a professor in the department of forensic science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Peace’s lab has studied the contents of vapes seized from a person who was arrested after experiencing schizophrenia-like symptoms. Her lab found the vapes contained semi-synthetic cannabinoids like THC-O.

Jim Crotty, a former DEA deputy chief of staff, says that SCs are appealing to illicit manufacturers because they are incredibly cheap to make and to sell. Instead of growing fields, manufacturers can make SC vapes with packets of powders they buy online.

Crotty says these products could be appealing to “vulnerable populations with limited income like youth and unhoused people”, who might find legal dispensary products unaffordable.

It’s unclear how big this problem is, partly because consumers themselves are unlikely to know they are using contaminated products. Peace says most consumers will “walk into any store” and assume that someone has made sure whatever they are buying has been tested for safety. But there is not yet federal regulation for the legal hemp market – “nobody’s watching”, what manufacturers put in their products, says Peace.

Crotty adds that cannabis is an easy drug to fake, because it’s so unpredictable.

“It doesn’t fall neatly into any one of the drug categories, right? Because depending on the amount, the potency, the individual that’s using it, it could lead to different effects,” he explained, adding that cannabis can feel like a stimulant, a depressant, a hallucinogen, or a little bit of all three.

Craft says that SCs can seem similar to natural cannabis, especially in very small doses, like in the vaporizers they studied. But, he said, the risk of “cardiovascular problems, the lack of consciousness and the acute psychotic symptoms are going to be far higher”.

At the moment, it is very difficult to tell if unregulated hemp products are labeled accurately in the US. Peace says that if you live in a state with legal recreational cannabis, you are much safer buying products from an authorized dispensary, although these are not entirely without risk either.

Legal and industry efforts are under way to bring safety standards for currently unregulated hemp products at least up to par with the state-legal cannabis industry. The Cannabinoid Safety and Regulation act, introduced in Congress in September, would empower the FDA to regulate hemp products.

Some cannabis brands are taking it upon themselves to ensure products only contain what they say they do.

The recreational cannabis brand Wana launched a direct-to-consumer platform that sells vetted hemp products, and also educates consumers on what products are safe.

“We apply the same rigor of testing, transparency and ingredients to the hemp side as we are to the regulated markets,” says Joe Hodas, the Wana CEO. But, he says, “it’s a tough and lonely road”, in a side of the industry that seems largely unconcerned with safety.

(Source: Guardian October 2024)

Details: Published: 20 November 2024; Hits: 595

Cannabinoid-mediated targeting of mitochondria on the modulation of mitochondrial function and dynamics

A B S T R A C T: Mitochondria play a critical role in the regulation of several biological processes (e.g., programmed cell death, inflammation, neurotransmission, cell differentiation). In recent years, accumulating findings have evidenced that cannabinoids, a group of endogenous and exogenous (synthetic and plant-derived) psychoactive compounds that bind to cannabinoid receptors, may modulate mitochondrial function and dynamics. As such, mitochondria have gained increasing interest as central mediators in cannabinoids’ pharmacological and toxicological signatures. Here, we review the mechanisms underlying the cannabinoids’ modulation of mitochondrial activity and dynamics, as well as the potential implications of such mitochondrial processes’ disruption on cell homeostasis and disease. Interestingly, cannabinoids may target different mitochondrial processes (e.g., regulation of intracellular calcium levels, bioenergetic metabolism, apoptosis, and mitochondrial dynamics, including mitochondrial fission and fusion, transport, mitophagy, and biogenesis), by modulating multiple and complex signaling pathways. Of note, the outcome may depend on the experimental models used, as well as the chemical structure, concentration, and exposure settings to the cannabinoid, originating equivocal data. Notably, this interaction seems to represent not only an important feature of cannabinoids’ toxicological signatures, with potential implications for the onset of distinct pathological conditions (e.g., cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndromes), but also an opportunity to develop novel therapeutic strategies for such pathologies, which is also discussed in this review.

Conclusion: Findings thus far suggest that cannabinoids directly or indirectly affect mitochondria functioning through multiple molecular mechanisms. Ultimately, these cannabinoids’ actions may lead to biologically relevant effects on distinct cell lines and tissues, both damaging and protective. It is worth mentioning that cannabinoids are a structurally diverse family of compounds with numerous biological targets. This multiplicity of targets may justify, at least in part, the differentiated or preferential intracellular responses of specific cannabinoids and adds a new layer of complexity to distinguish the effects of cannabinoids through a specific receptor or signalling pathway. Further studies addressing the mechanisms of action of cannabinoids at the mitochondrial level will thus be fundamental to a deeper understanding of their pharmacological activities and risks associated with their misuse. Moreover, the cannabinoids’ modulation of mitochondrial activity and dynamics may be particularly crucial to the toxicological signature of cannabinoids and constitute an opportunity for developing novel therapeutic strategies. In fact, defects in mitochondrial function seem to be a common feature of many human pathological conditions, such as cancer, metabolic syndromes (e.g., obesity) and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Huntington’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease) [176]. The selective targeting of mitochondria through the activation of specific cannabinoid-induced cellular pathways might become an appealing approach to obtain efficient treatments for mitochondria-related diseases in the future. (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36516885/)

(D.I. Commentary: You will find in studying the above excerpt (and full research) that there is, in a number of instances, a dose dependent effect of cannabis shown on for example mitochondrial function.

It is important to understand that to control all they do mitochondria have their own genetic blueprint.

High cannabis doses cause mitochondria dysfunction cellular damage and death. So, this is the problem with having unrestricted upper limits on available cannabis products.

Therefore, simply looking at urine samples, as some pregnancy studies do, only tells you if women have used cannabis in the last month, so we don't separate low from high use and any immediate effect will be lost and we are not getting any real accurate understanding of the impact being made on the mitochondrial function, because there is no, or little data on THC and CBD or other cannabinoid concentrations in the cohort studied.

We are playing with receptors and functions we are only now learning the tip of the iceberg about. A broad-brush estimate of the number of mitochondria per cells is something like 5,000 for heart, around 2000 for liver, but 100,000 or so for oocytes, so these are the cells that can get really disrupted and none of this is good for foetal and human healthy development.)

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