Marijuana Blog

A new study published in the journal PLOS One, as well as by the National Institute of Health, has found strong evidence that activation of our body’s cannabinoid receptors – something done naturally by cannabis – can treat osteoarthritis (OA), which, according to the study’s researchers, is “a prevalent disease accompanied by chronic, debilitating pain”. It’s the most common joint disorder.

 

While studying the effects of cannabinoid receptor activation on OA-related pain, researchers found “new clinically relevant evidence that joint damage and spinal CB2 receptor expression are correlated combined with converging pre-clinical evidence that activation of CB2 receptors inhibits central sensitization and its contribution to the manifestation of chronic OA pain.”

 

They conclude that; “These findings suggest that targeting CB2 receptors may have therapeutic potential for treating OA pain.”

 

The study was funded by Arthritis Research U.K., as well as the National Institute of Health.

 

Source: http://www.theweedblog.com

The authorities seem to have a real issue coming up with ideas of how to catch those who indulge in smoking the reefer. From sobriety checkpoints to drug sniffing dogs, nothing really seems to work that well for them. Now this new method of tracking down bud smokers is a little odd but apparently, seems to be all the rave in order to catch smokers. This invention is called the Nasal Ranger and allegedly can track down a pot smoker in a public place.

 

This device is placed over the user's nose and detects the potency of certain odors, like pot. The Nasal Ranger (Am I the only one that laughs at the name?) produces an odorous baseline gas that compares unwanted odors to itself, thus allowing the user to figure out how near or far the odor actually is. Not only that, but this tricky little machine comes with a tool to calibrate itself to different "sniffers". Pretty crazy right?

 

If a stoner gets busted smoking in a public place, the fines reach up to $2,000. This includes states such as Colorado, where it is illegal to smoke in public places. Authorities seem to think that by using the Nasal Rangers, they can keep public pot use to a minimum. Possible, but have they really taken the vaporizers in to consideration? And why is it not allowed to smoke pot in public but people can rip cigarettes where ever and whenever they want. At least marijuana smoke smells far better than the awful smell of cigarettes.

 

Smoking in public should not be a worry of the authorities. There are other things that could be bought with the money that will be poured in to supplying police departments with the Nasal Ranger. While it is quite a funny contraption, they're not cheap. As they develop more, the price tag will probably increase, which is another factor to take in to consideration. Whatever the case, if you're smoking in public, it's best to carry a smoke buddy or spoof with you. I realize that this resorts us back to being 16 years old in our parents house but it is what it is! Stay sneaky, my fellow stoners!

Researchers at the University of New Haven in Connecticut took a close look at some marijuana under their microscopes and found something disturbing: mold, invisible to the naked eye. And it has made the scientists concerned that marijuana users could unknowingly be smoking contaminants along with their weed.

 

Mold isn't the only thing that has been found on marijuana -- mildew, insect parts, salmonella and E.Coli are just a handful of substances that can also be found in marijuana, said Heather Miller Coyle, forensic botanist and associate professor at New Haven who was involved in the study, to The Associated Press.

 

Now that Colorado and Washington have legalized recreational use of marijuana, and twenty states and Washington D.C. have legalized medical marijuana, Coyle is busy working on a new and faster process that will create DNA profiles of potentially harmful substances on marijuana to aid in their detection and the quality control of the plant.

 

Although the Department of Justice announced that it will allow Colorado and Washington's new recreational pot laws proceed, marijuana remains illegal under federal law and that means that government agencies like the Food and Drug Administration won't oversee the testing and policing of the products.

 

So it's up to the states to come up with a testing and certification process.

 

"It's important for us to do it because it's public safety and there's no U.S. FDA oversight here," said Randy Simmons, the Washington State Liquor Control Board project manager in charge of implementing Initiative 502 which legalized marijuana for recreational use, to NBC News. "Things that would be FDA rules don't exist."

 

Many states, including Washington and Colorado, already require quality control testing of marijuana.

 

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com