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Australia’s medicinal cannabis industry, once touted as the miracle cure for everything from stubbed toes to existential dread, is now revealing its true colours – and they’re not so green and wholesome after all. Recent investigations have peeled back the tie-dye curtain to expose a cesspool of dubious practices, gaping regulatory black holes, and a cavalier attitude towards patient safety that would make even the most hardened snake oil peddler blush.
This “wonder drug,” championed by hipsters and desperate patients alike, was supposed to be the panacea of the 21st century. Instead, it’s shaping up to be nothing more than a cash grab, with profit-hungry vultures circling vulnerable patients like moths to a flame – or should we say, stoners to a dispensary. As accusations of reckless prescribing and marketing tactics fly, one can’t help but wonder: Is this the second coming of reefer madness, now with a shiny “medical” label slapped on for good measure?
The Dispensed Controversy: A Tale of Two Tragedies
At the heart of the controversy are telehealth platforms and clinics specialising in medicinal cannabis prescriptions. These businesses, operating in a regulatory grey area, have led to an explosion in cannabis prescribing, raising alarm bells among medical professionals and regulatory bodies alike.
(For complete story WRD News)
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As cannabis legalisation expands across the United States, understanding the impact of cannabis smoke on indoor air quality has become increasingly important. A recent study published in Atmospheric Environment: X delves into the concentrations of fine particles (PM2.5), emission rates, and decay rates resulting from cannabis use in a residential setting. This study provides critical insights into how different methods of cannabis consumption compare to traditional tobacco cigarettes in terms of indoor air pollution.
Study Methodology: The study involved 60 controlled experiments conducted in a 43 m³ room. Researchers measured PM2.5 concentrations using real-time monitors specifically designed for this purpose. The experiments focused on four methods of cannabis consumption: pre-rolled marijuana joints, bongs, glass pipes, and electronic vaping pens. For comparative purposes, emissions from Marlboro cigarettes were also measured. An experienced smoker followed a standardised puffing protocol across all experiments to ensure consistency.
Key Findings: The findings revealed significant differences in PM2.5 emission rates among the various cannabis consumption methods and compared to tobacco smoke:
- Cannabis Joints: These produced the highest indoor PM2.5 concentrations and had the largest emission rates. The average emission rate for the joints was 7.8 mg/min, which is 3.5 times higher than that of Marlboro cigarettes (2.2 mg/min).
- Cannabis Bongs: The emission rate was approximately 67% that of the joint, indicating a substantial but lesser contribution to indoor PM2.5 levels.
- Glass Pipes: These devices had emission rates at 54% of the joint’s rate, highlighting a moderate impact on indoor air quality.
- Vaping Pens: Interestingly, this method resulted in the lowest emission rates (44% of the joint’s rate). However, the decay rate of PM2.5 from vaping pens was higher than that of other cannabis sources, suggesting quicker dissipation of particles.
Each consumption method’s emission rates were statistically significant compared to the joints, illustrating distinct profiles in terms of indoor pollution.
Implications for Indoor Air Quality: The study underscores the significant impact of cannabis smoking on indoor air quality, particularly from joints and bongs, which produce higher PM2.5 levels than tobacco cigarettes. This insight is crucial for public health, especially in jurisdictions where cannabis use is prevalent.
Given the health risks associated with PM2.5 exposure, such as respiratory and cardiovascular issues, these findings highlight the need for effective ventilation strategies and public awareness to mitigate indoor air pollution from cannabis smoke.
Study Limitations and Future Research: While the study provides valuable data on PM2.5 emissions, it is limited by its focus on a single residential setting. Further research should explore a broader range of environments and consider additional factors like room size, ventilation rates, and varying user behaviours that may influence particle concentrations.
Future studies could also investigate the long-term health impacts of exposure to cannabis-derived PM2.5 and explore mitigation strategies to reduce indoor air pollution. (Source: Science Direct)
Also see Is Your Rental Property Toxic – Residential Drug Use & Need for Protective Legislation.
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(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)
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Preoperative Considerations: One of the primary concerns in treating cannabis users is preoperative counselling. Patients are often advised to taper their cannabis use before surgery to minimise the risk of adverse effects. Increased cannabis use is associated with higher rates of myocardial ischemia and a greater tolerance to standard anaesthesia doses, which can complicate surgical procedures. Therefore, thorough preoperative evaluations are essential to identify and mitigate potential risks associated with cannabis use.
Intraoperative Challenges: During surgery, cannabis can influence anaesthesia management. Patients using cannabis may require higher doses of anaesthetics due to increased tolerance, leading to prolonged sedation and recovery times. These factors necessitate heightened vigilance and potentially adjusted anaesthetic protocols to ensure patient safety.
Postoperative Care and Cannabis: Postoperative care for cannabis users presents additional challenges. While studies offer mixed results, some suggest a correlation between cannabis use and increased incidences of postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting. Conversely, topical cannabinoids may enhance wound healing, presenting a nuanced picture of cannabis’s role in recovery.
Drug Interactions and Cannabis Use Disorder: Cannabis also poses significant drug-drug interaction concerns, particularly with anticoagulant medications commonly used in postoperative care. These interactions require careful management to avoid complications. Additionally, the prevalence of cannabis use disorder among patients underscores the importance of screening. Short screening tools can help identify patients at risk, providing an opportunity to address potential complications proactively. (Source: JAMA)
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Review of the oral toxicity of cannabidiol (CBD)
A B S T R A C T: Information in the published literature indicates that consumption of CBD can result in developmental and reproductive toxicity and hepatotoxicity outcomes in animal models. The trend of CBD-induced male reproductive toxicity has been observed in phylogenetically disparate organisms, from invertebrates to non-human primates. CBD has also been shown to inhibit various cytocahrome P450 enzymes and certain efflux transporters, resulting in the potential for drug-drug interactions and cellular accumulation of xenobiotics that are normally transported out of the cell. The mechanisms of CBD-mediated toxicity are not fully understood, but they may involve disruption of critical metabolic pathways and liver enzyme functions, receptor-specific binding activity, disruption of testosterone steroidogenesis, inhibition of reuptake and degradation of endocannabinoids, and the triggering of oxidative stress. The toxicological profile of CBD raises safety concerns, especially for long term consumption by the general population. (Click Here for Complete Research)
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