Cannabis in the 21st Century

Antiquity shows us the history of how long humans have utilized cannabis for medicine; ancient texts from China, India, Egypt, the Middle East and across the Roman Empire all cite cannabis for treating a wide range of conditions. In Europe, Materia Medica from the Middle Ages onwards acknowledged the healing power of cannabis for conditions ranging from headaches to rheumatism, gout, depression and womens’ reproductive health.

In 1850 the United States Pharmacopeia listed cannabis as treatment for over thirty ailments, including opiate addiction, alcoholism and convulsive disorders.

Despite the thousands of years of cannabis’ medical credibility it all ended with the criminalization of cannabis in the twentieth century.

Since the 1960s cannabis activists have pushed back the negative propaganda surrounding cannabis and worked tirelessly for legalization. This persistence eventually led us to legal medical use with the 1996 Compassionate Care Act in California and full state legalization 20 years later with the 2016 MURSA Act.

Unfortunately, despite the many significant scientific advances the old negative stereotypes of the shiftless, lazy pot-smoker still lingers in the media and popular imagination.

A new large scale study of adult cannabis users in the U.S. and Canada reveals a very different reality and discredits these outdated tropes. Dutchie, the largest cannabis tech company in the world recently commissioned a study of 5000 adult participants to find out what the modern cannabis user is really like.

Instead of the unmotivated bedraggled pothead they found that 54% of users in the sample were highly educated with a college degree or higher to their credit. Users were also more likely to be active in the workforce and well represented professionally: doctors, lawyers, professors, nurses and therapists.

Women were the highest users with treatment for reproductive health, depression and insomnia most quoted. The big takeaways, 58% of users led an active lifestyle exercising regularly and taking hikes and 57% considered themselves health conscious, even preferring recreational cannabis over alcohol and tobacco.

Overall the study showed a diverse group of intelligent, hard-working community minded people who are embracing the scientific discoveries of medical cannabis and that normal day citizens are making the most of the options provided by the new legalized environment; the study also showed that safe, transparent and legal procurement was a high priority for the users, 55% using dispensaries and 24% buying online.

Although we face stiff challenges in the 21st century, the adoption of legal cannabis shows how our culture is capable of radical change. This new data is a positive indication that appreciation and understanding of the value of cannabis has permeated our society on many levels. Baby Boomers who now hold seniority in society are significant influencers and users. Our growing awareness of how many different uses and applications cannabis has can only be a harbinger of positivity for the future.

New Year Walnut Cookies with CBD

Nut cookies are a traditional Lunar New Year treat, almond cookies and cashew cookies are popular but walnut cookies have an irresistible, slightly salty flavor that sets them apart. According to Chinese tradition, walnuts symbolize family happiness and as such are a great addition to a healthy diet, they contain hefty amounts of omega - 3 fatty acids, folate and vitamin E, with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This tasty oily nut is recommended for a wide range of conditions: arthritis, type 2 diabetes, brain function and sleeplessness. The addition of CBD oil complements the sweet salty nutty flavor profile and adds relaxing and anti-inflammatory value.  There's no need to feel guilty about holiday cookies when they are this good for you!

This is a very simple recipe, the trick to getting the dough infused with the flavorsome walnut oil. To do this, heat the nuts in a skillet over a medium heat, stir occasionally until you can smell the slightly salty oil, then turn off the heat and cover until you are ready to crush the nuts and add them to the dry ingredients.

Ingredients

2oz/ 56 grams raw walnuts, lightly toasted

4oz/ 112 grams unsalted butter or vegetarian substitute

3oz/84 grams sugar, white or light brown

2 eggs ( 1 for glazing)

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2oz coconut oil

60 drops Synergy CBD tincture in olive or sesame oil.

10oz/280 grams  plain flour

Instructions

Prep time : 30 minutes

Baking time : 15-20 minutes

First, lightly cream the butter and sugar together, the sugar should still crunch in the mixture.

Lightly beat 1 egg and the vanilla extract, add this to the butter mixture and cream together.

Gently heat the coconut oil until it is liquid then stir it into the butter mixture.

In a separate mixing bowl sift the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder together.

Crush the toasted walnuts in a sandwich bag with a rolling pin or clean glass bottle, add the walnut pieces to the dry ingredients and mix.

Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until a dough forms, then chill the dough for 20 mins.

While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 180OC and either line the baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease and flour the sheets.

Roll the chilled dough into one inch balls and place on the baking sheet an inch apart. Gently flatten the balls with a flat-bottomed glass and then lightly glaze with beaten egg.

Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Leave the baked cookies on the sheet to cool for five minutes  before moving them to a cooling tray.

Happy Year of the Water Tiger! Enjoy!

New Developments in Cannabis Medical Research

The first month of 2022 has seen cannabinoids splashed across headlines as the world’s press seized upon the heartening news that cannabinoids have been shown to prevent and treat SARS Covid-19 infection. The great hope is that this positive research on cannabinoids and Covid will be quickly developed and that it will provide impetus for more clinical cannabinoid trials and studies to be funded and undertaken.

The positive benefits of using cannabis for a wide range of conditions from cancer to epilepsy have been understood through time. Sadly, for the last fifty years academic and privately funded research have been hampered by cannabis’ illegal status. Even now, research is hard won, particularly in terms of funding and permitting, the process often takes several years of application procedures for a study to be approved and undertaken. Despite all the difficulties, in the last twelve months some very encouraging results have been published. Researchers from Denmark to Brazil are studying the many different cannabinoid interactions in both human and animal subjects, all of which moves the cannabinoid debate and the scientific evidence further towards acceptance and availability.

The big news first: cannabinoids are shown to be effective in preventing and treating Covid. To recap: the first research on cannabinoids and Covid that came to the public’s attention was in July 2020, when a research team at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada published their paper on preventive treatments using CBD in the treatment of SARS Covid-19. Their research showed CBD could be used to combat Covid by modulating levels of ACE2 receptors: these receptors are found in vulnerable gateway tissue: lungs, kidney, liver, they act as entry portals for virus’ to gain access to cells - CBD blocked ACE2 receptor sites at a 70% percent success rate - radically reducing the possibility of infection.

This month new research from the Oregon State University published results of tests using two cannabis compounds : CDGa - cannabigerolic acid and CBDa - cannabidiolic acid which were found to have potential to fight coronavirus. In laboratory tests these two compounds bound to the virus’ spike proteins and blocked a step that the pathogen uses to infect cells. The researchers used an “affinity selection-mass spectrometer “, a very powerful microscope that identifies the shape of the smallest particles and how they bind to targets in the body. Interestingly neither CBDa nor CBGa are designated controlled substances. In terms of extraction neither compound can be heat processed as this alters the chemical composition turning CBDa to CBD and CBGa to CBG.

This new research from OSU has provided the medical cannabis industry with valuable insights. Synergy Wellness is now producing a full spectrum capsule of CBDa/CBGa which will boost the immune system, reduce inflammation and provide support against coronavirus infection.

This is a new product we made specifically based on this latest research, together with Dr. Moskowitz. We are calling this new product, “Super Immune” capsules , #241, 25mg CBDa + CBGa in a ratio of 2:1 CBDa:CBGa.

This product will be on sale for the next month at a 20% discount. A bottle of 25mg x 30 capsules will regularly cost $75, now reduced to $60 until the end of February 2022.

Last year topical cannabinoid use gained some traction with some promising research into the effectiveness of cannabinoid topical creams for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, a painful side effect of chemotherapy treatment and also a symptom of Long Covid. Neuropathy is caused by nerve damage, symptoms include numbness, weakness and pain in the hands and feet. In November 2021, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Sutter Health in California published the results of their clinical study of 26 neuropathy sufferers using topical cannabinoid creams to treat symptoms. 22 of the participants reported that they had experienced significant relief. In early December a Brazilian research team released data from a study where CBD and a chemotherapy drug were administered to mice with allodynia, a form of neuropathy, long-lasting pain relief was noted.

CBD has a long history in cancer research and has previously been shown to combat several different types of cancer cells. In 2021 researchers in Denmark reported their study on the effect of CBD on cancer stem cells in lung tissue. Stem cells are a small subpopulation of self-renewing cells that drive tumor initiation and progression, lung cancer stem cells are notoriously difficult to treat. In the Danish study they discovered that CBD decreased viability and induced cell death in both lung cancer stem cell and cancer cell populations.

More good news from CBD cancer studies: researchers at Canada’s Ontario Veterinary College conducted a study of CBD’s ability to treat canine urothelial carcinoma, the most common form of canine bladder cancer. The study treated dogs undergoing chemotherapy and dogs who had cancer but weren’t on chemotherapy. In veterinary practice, using chemo as a monotherapy gives a low life expectancy surviving a year is considered normal.

In this new study, published in the journal PLOS One, CBD was shown to reduce cell viability and induced cell death in canine urothelial cells on its own and worked even better in combination with chemotherapy.

All these discoveries are first steps in the ongoing process of cannabinoids being accepted into the pharmacopeia of western medicine. Current research is revealing the attributes of cannabinoids that traditional medicine systems have long attested. The scientific community and the present-day cannabis practitioners are moving cannabinoid-based therapies forward into academic awareness and community access. After much dedicated hard work and many set-backs the scene is set for cannabinoids to take their well deserved place in twenty- first century medicine.