Does “low dose” CBD pose a risk to liver health?

A recent clinical trial raises questions about the safety of widely consumed CBD capsules, gummies, edibles, oils and lotions that are omnipresent in the United States and many other countries. But pioneer cannabis clinician Bonni Goldstein, MD, cautions patients and physicians not to overstate the findings of the new FDA study, which was published in…

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Remembering Wade Laughter, the Unsung Hero of CBD

Wade Laughter passed away last week after a long battle with cancer. Beloved within the cannabis community as the modest, softspoken horticulturist with a big heart and a great last name, Wade is one of the unsung heroes of botanical CBD that took root in northern California in the early 2010s. At that time, hardly…

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CBD Topical Medicine: What Does the Science Say?

Consider it a testament to the ubiquity and flexibility of the endocannabinoid system: we can inhale medicinal cannabinoids via combustion or vaporization; ingest them via food or drink; and absorb them directly through the skin, the body’s largest organ. This latter category is broader and more complex than many of us give it credit for.…

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Intoxicating Hemp Swindle

A new study from an industry advocacy group in California examines the content of dozens of unregulated intoxicating “hemp” products that are easily available in the Golden State despite being banned by state law.  The study, entitled “The Great Hemp Hoax,” was released February 13th by the San Diego/Imperial Counties Joint Labor Management Cannabis Committee…

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Dr. Andrew Weil on Cannabis and Integrative Medicine

Dr. Andrew Weil is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. His early publications (The Natural Mind and From Chocolate to Morphine) focused on exploring altered states of consciousness. He is the author of several bestselling books, including Spontaneous Healing (1995), Eating Well for Optimum…

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The Cannabis Cancer Connection

Adapted from The Cannabis Cancer Connection: How to use cannabis and hemp to kill cancer cells by Joe D. Goldstrich, MD, with Angela Bacca (Flower Valley Press, 2023). There is a growing body of anecdotal and scientific evidence that the “major cannabinoids” tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), certain “minor cannabinoids” (some without a name), and other…

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From MMJ to Special K

Every five months Irvin Rosenfeld has gets a FedEx shipment, courtesy of the federal government, containing six metal canisters, each with 300 perfectly rolled joints of what today would be considered rather mediocre weed. But the quality of the government-issue reefer matters less than the fact that Uncle Sam has been supplying him with it…

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Three Delicious Raw Cannabis Smoothie Recipes

It was once a common assumption within the cannabis community that plant cannabinoids aren’t “activated” or useful until they are “decarbed” — short for decarboxylated — which refers to the process of heating cannabis before it is consumed. But that notion has proven to be way off the mark. The major and minor cannabinoids in raw,…

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Gut Feeling

Pain, anxiety, and sleep are major drivers of medical cannabis use. But gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and upset stomach, aren’t far behind.1 Even small doses of cannabis can soothe the stomach and stimulate the appetite. In fact, of the four cannabis-derived drugs approved so far by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, three are…

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