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Rest In Peace Raphael Mechoulam, 1930-2023

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We honor the life of Professor Raphael Mechoulam, who died in March 2023. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest scientists in the field of cannabinoid research and was an active researcher up until his death. Born in Bulgaria together with his Jewish parents, he emigrated to Israel in 1949. He obtained an MSc in biochemistry in 1952 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and subsequently a Ph.D. in chemistry from the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, near Tel Aviv.

He then carried out postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller Institute in New York, before returning to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1965, where he was appointed as Associate Professor in 1972 and as Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in 1975. It is at The Hebrew University where he began his prestigious cannabinoid research career.

Weed from the Police

While working as a chemist in the early 1960s at the Weizmann Institute, in Israel, Mechoulam got some weed from the Israeli police with his goal to discover and isolate what makes pot psychoactive. A medicinal chemistry professor his work laid the groundwork and got the ball rolling to prompt future breakthroughs, such as illumination into the human body’s internal cannabinoid receptors in the 1980s and ’90s. It is detailed in the 1993 academic paper titled Molecular characterization of a peripheral receptor for cannabinoids.

For nearly two decades after the identification of THC in the plant marijuana, its mechanisms of action were believed to be entirely “non-specific”. However, in the 1980s, findings obtained by several research groups suggested there was more to investigate.

Discovering The Endocannabinoid System

Mechoulam encouraged a search for a cannabinoid receptor in mammalian tissues, and this search led to the discovery of two G protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors, the first (CB1) discovered between 1988 and 1990. The second (CB2) was discovered in 1993.

The evidence obtained in the late 1980s that mammalian tissues express the CB1 receptor immediately prompted searches for a chemical produced by these tissues that can activate this receptor. The race to discover such an “endocannabinoid” was won by Mechoulam. He led research that provided convincing evidence that N-arachidonoyl ethanolamine, which he and his collaborators named anandamide, after the Sanskrit word ananda or “bliss”, is an endogenously produced compound that can activate the CB1 receptor. He also discovered the endocannabinoid receptor-activating the CB2 receptor CBD or (2-arachidonoylglycerol).

Mechoulam decided to look for endocannabinoids among endogenous lipophilic compounds rather than endogenous peptides, even though certain peptides, named endorphins, had already been found. Other lipophilic endocannabinoids were also subsequently discovered. Among Raphael Mechoulam’s many other achievements are the design and synthesis of numerous important novel cannabinoids that serve as valuable experimental tools or have important therapeutic potential.

Meet EPM301

“EPM developed a method to work with the original substances of cannabis,” the Professor explained in a recent exclusive interview. “So, while everybody is discussing THC and CBD, these cannabinoids are actually a secondary substance; they only appear later in the plant.” Mechoulam’s recent revelation stems from the development of a method that allows the modification of acids in a way that keeps them stable enough to allow for their large-scale use. This opens the door for further pharmaceutical experiments, the professor explained. Dr. Mechoulam shared the history of the journey behind this revolutionary process and its significance in evolving the use of CBD as a pharmaceutical drug.

However, these cannabidiolic acids were unstable, and therefore useless in pharmaceutical drug development. Until now, that is. “Originally there is an acid that appears in the plant, and those acids are these mysterious worlds of compounds that are much more potent than cannabinoids,” he added. Strict drug laws in the United States and around the world suppressed research and kept the derivatives of cannabis off the market. Watch a video of Mechoulam on YouTube.

Register for Cannabis Education on the 1st Saturday of the Month from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Vault Dispensary Lounge. Register at Eventbrite.com

The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills

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Recent studies indicate that hypnotics (a sleep-inducing drug) might take as much as five years from the life span of the average hypnotic drug taker. Daniel F. Kripke, M.D., a Senate Emeritus in Psychiatry at UCSD, “maintains by endorsing addicting hypnotics, the FDA bumps off old folks and reduces the population. In reducing the U.S. population, hypnotics would reduce those human-made pollutants that cause global warming.”

Controlled clinical trials proved that hypnotics doubled occurrences of depressed moods and added about 44% to new infections. Hypnotic hangover causes average patients more sleepiness the next day. Pharmaceutical sleep aids are associated with increased lung and esophageal cancer, perhaps multiplying those risks several times.

Kripke’s eBooks are on the web for free: Happiness needs Bright Light and The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills Kripke demonstrates statistically significant cancer risks specifically for zolpidem and temazepam. For patients prescribed over 2-3 sleeping pills per week, there was a 35% increased risk of developing cancer within an average of 2.5 years.

A new study from Taiwan studied zolpidem, which is the most popular hypnotic in Taiwan and the United States. With over eight years of follow-up, the Taiwan authors found a considerably larger cancer hazard associated with zolpidem than the Kripke study found with shorter follow-up. There have been additional studies with similar results.

Sleeping Pills Associated with Significant Mortality Risk
Zolpidem, Temazepam, Eszopiclone, Zaleplon, Triazolam, Flurazepam, Estazolam, Quazepam, Barbiturates (esp. phenobarbital), Antihistamines, mainly diphenhydramine are all linked to mortality risk.

All approved sleeping pills can cause “hangover,” that is, they not only reduce the action potentials of our brain cells during sleep, but they can also reduce brain cell activity during the day. This can make a user sleepy, less alert, confused, and weak. Falls are much more common among elderly people who are taking hypnotics. Of patients given Lunesta, 10% had accidents as compared to 6% given a placebo.

Why is Insomnia so Hard to Treat? Sleep disorders are a symptom of many chronic diseases. There are over 80 million sleep disorders in six categories, and 18,000+ studies in Pub.Med.gov.

  • Insomnia – when one cannot fall asleep or stay asleep.
  • Sleep apnea – which involves impaired breathing while sleeping.
  • Restless leg syndrome – characterized by tingling, discomfort and even pain in the legs that increases at night and is relieved by movement.
  • Circadian rhythm disorders – when one’s internal clock is off and one’s sleep patterns are disturbed.
  • Parasomnias – which entails abnormal movements and activities while sleeping, including sleep-walking and nightmares.
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness – when an individual experiences persistent drowsiness during daylight hours from narcolepsy or another medical condition.

Given the problems with conventional sleep medications, medical scientists are exploring other ways to improve sleep by targeting the endocannabinoid system (ECS). As the primary homeostatic regulator of human physiology, the ECS plays a major role in the sleep-wake cycle and other circadian processes.

Cannabis has been used for centuries. A German researcher Bernard Fronmueller observed in 1860, of all anesthetics ever proposed, Indian hemp is the one that produces a narcotism most closely resembling natural sleep without causing any extraordinary side effects and does not kill. People with mood disorders who use cannabis have the highest rates of sleep benefits at 93%. (Babson & Bonn-Miller, 2014).

There is conflicting research on cannabinoids, especially cannabidiol (CBD). CBD has a biphasic dose response. A low dose increases wakefulness and calm. However, a high dose of CBD will act as a sleep aid. A high dose can be up to 160 mg. Cannabinol (CBN) can potentiate sleepiness when combined with THC or CBD. Melinda Misuraca gives a recipe in projectcbd.org for a one-to-one of THC and CBD that is very effective.  Her recipe is rich with ginger, passion flower, chamomile, valerian, dried hops, CA poppy, and lemon balm.

For more information on Marijuana Without the High contact me at the Vault Dispensary Lounge.
Previously published in https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/the-dark-side-of-sleeping-pills/

A Pandora’s Box of Unregulated Cannabinoids

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A white paper report recently issued by the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA), declares a nationwide sale of hemp-derived intoxicants is a “public health disaster.” Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC, THCO are synthetic cannabinoids developed with hemp products. The 2018 Farm Bill created a loophole in regulated hemp vape products and high-potency edibles readily available on the Internet. Synthetic cannabinoids do not occur in nature like the Delt-9 THC.

Deaths from Synthetics Made from Hemp

Deaths are occurring in Virginia, Colorado, Vermont, and Iowa, due to the contaminants in these gummies and hemp vape products. These products fall between neither non-psychoactive “hemp” nor regulated “cannabis.” of this so-called hemp THC, and THC-like products are sold online and in convenience stores, gas stations, and smoke shops and are rife with contaminants and chemical byproducts. Brazen marketing of products in a way intended to appeal to children is strictly forbidden. In contrast, “hemp” products need not abide by any such restrictions.

Absent a single federally regulated cannabinoid market that oversees both hemp and cannabis, the 2018 Farm Bill urgently needs to be amended. The loophole that allows the unregulated sale of concentrated, intoxicating, and/or synthesized cannabinoids must be closed.

A Message to Parents During the Holidays

I have written several times about synthetic cannabinoids, but these deaths are always blamed on plant cannabinoids. See my April 3, 2022, article on Super-potent Synthetic Cannabinoids are Escaping the Lab. Because these synthetics are so dangerous I propose a message to all parents during this holiday season.

While you are sitting at the dinner table eating your feast are you teaching your children how to drink alcoholic beverages?  I know when I was a little girl in an Italian family I was introduced to wine at the table. My brothers were introduced to beer. When you discuss alcoholic beverages are you also telling your children the dangers of alcoholic drinks?

Do you tell them how it can be addictive and lead to alcoholism? Are you telling them how excessive use can lead to the hardening of the arteries? Are you telling them it can lead to liver failure and cirrhosis a disease for which there is no cure?

Your children will come into contact with students who want to entice your child into drinking alcoholic drinks and marijuana. Which one are you telling them to try? Are you telling them that no one in 500 thousand years has died from using the botanical plant cannabis? But 95,000 Americans die every year from alcohol-related diseases. I want you to make a concerted effort to compare the safety of ingesting cannabis to alcohol.

Please during this holiday season protect your children by educating them on the dangers of drinking and driving as well as the surreptitious dumping of hallucinogen substances into their unprotected drink. More than 6,000 fatal crashes in the U.S. during the holidays stemmed from drunken drivers, or 667 on average per year, from 2010 to 2018. More than 6,700 people were killed in these holiday crashes in that same period. Do not mix drugs as they can potentially have lethal effects. Cannabis alone will not be deadly, mixing it with alcohol or other substances can lead to an ER visit and death. If they want to take marijuana be sure you provide it for them from a dispensary as that is the marijuana that is safe, tested, and regulated.

The synthetic marijuana obtained on the street or from friends is NOT tested, regulated, or safe. In fact, synthetic marijuana is Lethal. Anyone even a friend can spike their drink with a date rape drug, or another hallucinogen. Cannabis has an addiction rate of 9% the same rate as coffee. Alcohol has an addiction rate of 30% along with opiates. A fentanyl lased candy or pill leads to immediate death.

Please during this holiday season, protect your children, by educating them on the dangers of drinking and driving as well as the surreptitious dumping of hallucinogenic substances into their unprotected drink.

Learn more about how to use Marijuana Without the High at the Vault Dispensary Lounge. Starting in January 2023 lectures will be on the 2nd and 4th Fridays from 6 PM to 9 PM

How is Marijuana Effectively Ingested Medicinally?

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Most people who do not use cannabis believe everyone smokes and gets high. The modes of administration are the same as any pharmaceutical: inhalation. These include oral ingestion, sublingual, buccal, topical, transdermal, and suppositories (rectal & vaginal). Recent studies have highlighted the challenges associated with cannabinoid’s formulation.

Formulation challenges

  • Low ability to dissolve in water,
  • how quickly it is converted in the digestive system,
  • how much of the dose is actually utilized in the body
  • the erratic activity of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD) in the body over time
  • how is it absorbed, distributed in the body, localized in the tissues, and excreted.
  • all of these things contribute to the limited efficacy of cannabinoids.
Inhalation mode

Unfortunately, smoking is the most inefficient form of adult use and not the most appropriate for medicinal use. Let us look at why. When smoking a joint at high temperatures much of the terpenes and 60% of the cannabinoids get evaporated. However, it is the most immediate response thus it is used medicinally for breakthrough pain, nausea, or anxiety. The effect can last one to two hours. A cleaner more efficient way to inhale is a vape pen (30% is lost) or through a volcano (54%)    is gained, similar to using an Albuterol (ProAir) as a bronchodilator. Presently there is no way to measure the exact dose when inhaled.

Sublingual mode

The sublingual mode is using tinctures or sprays. Onset is quick in 15 minutes, similar to when a heart patient takes a nitroglycerin tablet for chest pain. Duration lasts 4-6 hours. Cannabis is lipophilic meaning it needs fat to metabolize. So, if no relief in an hour, take a fat snack like cheese, or avocado. If you do not like the taste, take it on a cracker. Tinctures are the best way to determine sensitivity to THC or CBD. Start low (2mgs) and build up slowly (10mgs) and space out the dosing.

Edible mode

The edible form is infused with the CBD or the THC molecule. It can be pills, capsules, gummies, tea, coffee, water, soda, pops, or chocolate. The edible follows the same path of digestion as food with the onset of 30-90 minutes and the duration is up to 12 hours. Edibles can be cut into smaller squares to lower the dose ingested. Some cultivators fill the capsules with broad-spectrum oil instead of just the infused molecules.

There are individual genetic differences that result in the dose taking 2-3 hours. This is because THC is turned into a metabolite by the liver that is stronger than THC. (11-Hydroxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol). For this very reason, tinctures are the recommended mode of administration for individuals using marijuana for the first time.

FECO vs RSO

FECO (full extract cannabis oil) and RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) are highly concentrated forms of cannabis in which the whole plant is extracted and ingested orally. This process offers a broad spectrum or full-spectrum representation of the full cannabinoid and terpene profile found in that cannabis strain or cultivar. These products are usually used for cancer patients or children with seizures.

Topical mode

Topicals are CBD or THC rich in creams, balms, or liquids. Apply after a shower and 2-3x/day depending on the intensity of the pain. Onset is in minutes duration is up to four hours. Most topicals do not enter the bloodstream. Transdermal patches do penetrate the bloodstream for a slow-paced relief of up to 48 hours. Individuals with sensitive skin may get a rash when the patch is removed. It is not the marijuana that is the culprit, but the adhesive used to adhere to the skin. Patches are expensive because one is needed every 48 hours. Some users cut the patch in 2’s or 4’s.

Suppositories Dabs Wax

Suppositories vaginally or rectally are used for severe pain with menses or cancer. Dabs—also referred to as wax, shatter, amber, honeycomb, or budder—are concentrated versions of butane hash oil (BHO) which contains highly-concentrated levels of THC. These can be very irritating to the throat, and are not suggested for medical use.

Learn more about how to use Marijuana Without the High on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the Month from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Vault Dispensary Lounge. Call 760-866-9660

What Does Cannabis Tax Reform Look Like?

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California has a difficult time closing out illicit cannabis growers. Our legislative wizards have over 50 bills to reform the cannabis tax structure. Many are in suspense. But the two that have an impact on the cannabis economy are SB 195 and AB 2691. Governor Newsom signed the 2022 Budget that included SB 195, the repeal of the cannabis cultivation tax. Let us ask ourselves: “Is this reform enough to drive out the illicit market”.

California Senate Bills

First, we digest SB 195 which suspends the CA State cannabis collection of the excise tax on the distributor and moves it to be collected at the point of sale. The caveat to this reform is the “California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is required by the law by July 1, 2025, (CDTFA) to adjust the excise tax every two years by a rate, not to exceed 19%, which would generate an amount of revenue equivalent to what would have been collected from the cultivation tax”. Is this fuzzy math?

Other provisions would allow qualified cannabis businesses to claim a credit of up to 25% of their qualified expenditures (employment compensation, safety-related equipment, training and services, and workforce development and safety training) up to $250,000 maximum. Allows equity retailers who have received an equity fee waiver from the Department of Cannabis Control to retain 20% of the excise tax they collect.

California Law Enforcement Tracking System

SB 195 requires cannabis businesses to enter into labor peace agreements with their employees with additional enforcement tools and lowers the threshold of applicable businesses from 20 employees to 10 employees beginning in 2024. What is a “peace agreement”? Does this mandate a union?

Each cannabis delivery will have a unique “trip” number assigned to it in the track and trace system and this information will be interfaced over to California Law Enforcement Tracking System for law enforcement to verify the delivery doesn’t cross the state line. California cannabis farmers will put between 30 and 55 million plants in the ground every year. The tags can only be used on one plant and never re-used.

The majority of California’s weed is grown on unlicensed, illegal farms. Plants grown illicitly are not tagged. Plant tags are overkill. They don’t address the preponderance of illicit cultivation. There’s also the ancillary waste: the 30-55 million zip ties, the plastic packaging that the tags and zip ties are shipped in, the containers necessary to retain and store those tags for seven years (as required by law), and the garbage bags used for disposing of them.

The bottom line is that every single cannabis plant in the entire state of California must have an individual plastic RFID-enabled tag zip-tied to it. It will generate a quarter-million pounds of waste per year. I wonder which genius thought this up.

Pushback on CA Cannabis Laws

Now let us look at AB 2691 Cannabis: temporary cultivator event retail license, which has been in suspension. Over forty California Cannabis groups are asking Assembly Member Wood, who represents the Emerald Triangle, to resurrect this bill into law. Consumer and patient access to farm-fresh cannabis and small-batch products at retail have substantially diminished since legalization. As an annual plant, California’s extraordinary cannabis genetic biodiversity will be lost permanently.

AB 2691 would provide a pathway for small producers to re-establish these consumer relationships, and in turn, would help build a niche market for craft cannabis produced by California’s world-renowned cultivators. Equitable access to marketing is an essential lifeline for small producers and vital to consumer education efforts.

The illicit market makes up 80% of California’s market. Most consumers decide to purchase unregulated cannabis products because those products are at times half the price of regulated products.

Craft legacy producers have largely lost access to these opportunities to connect directly with well-established and loyal medical cannabis consumers, as well as the burgeoning recreational consumer base. Vertical integration is financially out of reach and land use regulation restricts the opportunity to sell directly from the farm. Give your views to Assembly Member Wood.

In summary, do you believe these reforms will drive out the illicit market?

Psychedelics Makes a Debut at the 2022 Cannabis Science Conference West

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If you attend any conference, it is familiar to see multiple tracks of lectures. The 2022 Cannabis Science Conference, held at the Long Beach Convention Center had an Analytical Cannabis Track, a Cultivation Track, a Hemp Track, a Medical Track, and wait for it, drum roll please, a Psychedelics Track.

Dr. Scott Kuzdzal, from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, gave a stunning lecture titled, “Witnessing the BioRevolution: Drug Discovery Comes Full Circle.” Kuzdzal discussed the current phase of gene therapy/editing, stem cells, microbiomes, and exosomes, with wearable and connected devices taking center stage. A return to extracts of psychoplastogenic compounds has been proposed for potential use in treating depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders as well as end of life treatments.

Just like voting NO on any cannabis law in the past, it fries my brain, right, I believed psychedelics caused you to go insane. It angers me to see how the government has lied to us for their own monetary gain. When Nixon, in 1970 placed cannabis/marijuana in Schedule I with heroin and LSD, he instituted the greatest censorship on medicinal plants in the history of the world, and I bought it hook line and sinker.

Joseph Rootman, from UBC Okanagan, discussed microdose.me, an ongoing large-scale observational study of psychedelic microdosing that recruited over 10,000 participants to date. Join the study by downloading the app on your phone. Becca Williams, an emotional therapist, discussed “The Advent of a New Paradigm: Cannabis and Psilocybin Microdosing as ‘Psychic Vitamins’ to Release Trauma and Support Emotional Healing.” Microdosing mushrooms?

My previous beliefs came tumbling down like Humpy Dumpty. I was dumbfounded. When I asked how to describe this research to my friends back home, many pointed me in the direction of the history of psychedelic research back 5,000 years that was censored by that one law Nixon passed.

Dr. Denise Vidot, a charismatic presenter out of the University of Miami, discussed her study on the Co-use of Cannabis and Psilocybin to Manage Mental health amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Results from the International COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study. The efficacious (medical term for effective drug results) effect on anxiety and insomnia was remarkable enough to add oh my fungi gummies to my cannabis diet.

The crowning topic was a study by Dr. Anahid Jewett from the UCLA School of Dentistry and Medicine, “Targeting Stem-Like/Poorly Differentiated Aggressive Tumors and Activation of Natural Killer Function by Cannabinoid Agonists.” A young child was brought to the stage to visualize her recovery from cancer. She was consuming cannabis since she was a baby with a brain tumor. NKore BioTherapeutics teamed up with Dr. Jewett, the director of tumor immunology laboratory at UCLA.

Jewett’s research demonstrated a lack of natural killer cells in the brain which contributes to cancer in children. Jewett devised a stem-cell transfusion from the father’s natural killer cells. Jewett also has her own protocol for probiotics. The results were evident by the child getting out of her wheelchair and climbing the dais to the stage and thanking Dr. Jewett for her recovery. Jewett proposes a three-pronged treatment of her patented probiotics, cannabis, stem-cell natural killer cells, and chemotherapy.

Now I must analyze for my friends the California bill in the current legislature, SB-519 Controlled substances: decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances. How do I change their views on this when just a week ago my view was in sync with theirs?

“This bill would make lawful the possession, obtaining, giving away, or transportation of, specified quantities of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (MDMA) for personal use or facilitated or supported use, as defined, by and with persons 21 years of age or older. The bill further defines the allowable amount of these substances, who will facilitate this healing, a working study group that will educate the public on the safety and use of psychedelics, and the qualifications of the facilitator.

This psychedelic track was mind blowing. Now how do I convince by conservative friends to decriminalize psychedelics?

Bong Smoking is More Dangerous than Cigarette Smoking and Other Fake Research

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It does not stretch credulity to assume the bias in discussing the harms of cannabis while reading research papers. Just like the media journalist are no longer investigating the truth about masks, vaccines, mandates, and natural therapeutics as a treatment for all sorts of disease manifestations, they ponce on all manner of harm legitimate or fake. This article will illustrate some of those fake accusations.

I was always taught that marijuana fried my brain. It was not until I needed marijuana due to the inadequacy of opioids for chronic pain that I delved into the science of cannabis hidden from medical curricula. I found how the legacy media seems to be in favor of both the alcohol and pharmaceutical industry.

Let us first look at the publication in JAMA Network Open. A study recently published concluded that secondhand cannabis smoke released from bong hits contains fine particulate matter at a concentration dangerously higher than secondhand smoke from tobacco cigarettes.

Subjects smoked their own weed, used their own bong (clean or dirty, as a dirty bong means they are inhaling tar), unknown home conditions, unknown number of people in home, unknown if anyone smoked cigarettes, and unknown air flow which is critical for determining secondhand smoke. No controls, no peer review, yet the author claims secondhand cannabis smoke is more dangerous than secondhand smoke from tobacco cigarettes. Fake science.

A Harvard study on cannabis and driving risk published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the article unequivocally states in the title: “Recreational cannabis use impairs driving performance in the absence of acute intoxication.” The researchers (Mary Kathryn Dahlgren et al) state their results may be related to other factors. You think. The cannabis-using group was 82% male, while the control population was only 38% male. Men are more likely to smoke cannabis than women. Male teens normally have a higher accident rate as evidenced by insurance rates. Yet the study did not control for sex. Fake science.

Adrian Devitt-Lee, from projectcbd.org,  highlights how to spot faulty research data and misinformation. “ Time and time again, diehard prohibitionist have argued that cannabis legalization should be forestalled because stoned drivers will cause fatal accidents. The Harvard study will provide more fodder for their feckless arguments. But closer inspection shows that blood levels of THC are not correlated with driving risk.

A Norwegian epidemiologist, Ole Rogeberg, deconstructs how the metrics used in traffic research exaggerate the danger of cannabis. “The average person who gets high on cannabis before driving appears to have a 30% increase in the likelihood of crashing. (By comparison, driving with a passenger increases the crash risk by 60%, twice as much as cannabis.) Fear about cannabis and driving seem to be more motivated by a political ideology of criminalizing cannabis use rather than genuine concerns for safety.” Fake science.

A May 2014 article in Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior examined the addictive potential of cannabinoids. Using rats or mice as a subject infers injecting ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or other cannabinoids intravenously or force-feeding with a syringe. The excessive dosages/kg used are never applicable to humans. Also, the solvent used to extract the cannabis is neurotoxic, not what the cannabis industry uses.

Animal models of disease are created, for the mice and then treated with cannabinoids (rarely cannabis itself). But a disease model is not the same as an actual disease, and data from animal studies are not always applicable to humans. Animals don’t have the exact same proteins, anatomy, and brains as people. Fake science.

Research on cannabis and pregnancy, where women who drink alcohol while pregnant are rarely excluded from studies. Instead of comparing pregnant cannabis smokers who don’t drink to other pregnant women who don’t drink, scientists may attempt to statistically control for the effect of alcohol on the fetus. But some cannabinoids, in fact, exacerbate fetal alcohol syndrome. Fake science.

The dangers of cannabis require a deep dive into alternate sources of information which have become more prevalent since COVID. The public is learning how the government lies about science and how biased our medical research publications have become.