Cannabis Therapy Magazine Vol. 2 by cannathemag

02 Vol. 1/2021 free of charge

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e z i l a g ! e y L globall Scott “Shantibaba” Blakey: Exclusive interview

First encounters: Start slow, go low

CBD, THC & Covid-19: Promising early results

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Editorial

Return of the Hero

ho would have thought a year ago that the world would resemble a post-apocalyptic movie? Or an existential horror film where the main protagonists are medical staff in overcrowded hospitals, or researchers finding innovative solutions to save millions of lives in the greatest health crisis of the modern era… But who knows, maybe a hero has returned to save the day – this one from the plant kingdom. We have a dream that one day even the most conservative countries will again welcome and embrace cannabis. The plant has been known to humankind for many thousands of years; it may even have played a crucial role in the evolution of our species. The versatility of its healing properties is manifest by the existence of the endocannabinoid system in our body, with its receptors located at the cells of the nervous and immune systems. The endocannabinoid system regulates many processes, including pain sensation, appetite, mood, muscle tone and immune function. Its receptors are activated by endocannabinoids commonly produced from within the body – or by the phytocannabinoids present in cannabis. Obviously, it is too early for conclusive claims that cannabinoids such as THC and CBD may have a vital role in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19. However, there are very promising signals from studies in Canada, Israel and from clinical use in Austria. As has been documented in the past, both cannabinoids have strong anti-inflammatory properties, and cannabidiol (CBD) can regulate the extreme immune reaction known as the “cytokine storm”. When used wisely, cannabinoids may become one of the safe and easily available tools to handle this as well as other exigencies – including the opioid crisis and the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. Yes, we, all of us – cannabis researchers, entrepreneurs, growers and users alike – have a dream,

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and the implications of this dream even reach beyond human wellbeing. Hemp is a great sustainable source of fiber and food and can be used literally in all areas of our existence. The states and countries that have legalized not only hemp production but also medicinal and recreational use of cannabis (we are refraining from the tainted term marijuana) are prospering today: new jobs are being created on a massive scale, public safety has increased, and tax revenues are being used to support youth education, just to mention a few benefits. There is no other plant whose contribution to the inhabitants of this planet may reach such heroic heights. The array of benefits associated with cannabis expands with every new study, especially in the field of medicine. And this is where Cannabis Therapy magazine comes in. With our highly experienced and ever-growing international team of doctors, pharmacists and journalists, based around the Czech print bimonthly Konopí [Cannabis] since 2018, we systematically explore the shifting frontier of knowledge on cannabis and pass this knowledge on to others. In this online magazine, we hope to regularly broaden the horizons of our global readers – both common medical users finding relief in this tried and tested herbal medicine, as well as medical professionals and other experts who want to be updated about the latest knowledge in a simple, yet comprehensive way. Dreaming or not, please enjoy this issue with its special emphasis on CBD, the cannabinoid that redefined the market with medical products made from cannabis.

@CannaTheMag

Bob Hysek | Editor-in-Chief

@CannaTheMag

office@cannathemag.com

Contents

Cannabis Therapy #2 24

CBD: A Safe Drug Cannabidiol is not considered a narcotic nor psychotropic substance.

Why CBD Is the Go-To Cure for Athletes Athletes choose this natural product to help them with muscle recovery.

Infographic

The Doctor Is In Are you afraid to ask your doctor? Ask ours!

How to choose your THC/CBD ratio.

News Harvested from around the world.

First Encounters with the Effects of Cannabis Start slow, go low is the main rule in cannabis treatment for novices.

Mike and His Bamboo Spine

Cannabis and Covid-19 Even cannabinoids might help, but the method of application matters too.

Opioids and Cannabinoids Formerly demonized drugs are earning their place in modern medicine.

Cannabis helps people better endure severe autoimmune diseases.

Research Reports Latest findings from scientific studies.

CANNABIS THERAPY Magazine #2, published online February 25, 2021 Editor-in-chief: Bob Hysek Deputy editor: Luke Hurt Editor and translator: Matthew Sweney Editorial board: Daniel Barta, Tibor Beres, Michaela Blumtritt, Karhlyle Fletcher, Martin Helcman, Filip Ostrowski, George Pastera, Michal Ruman, Vapor Guru, Kristina Stastna, Robert Veverka Graphic design: Jan Buble Photography: Andy Zuckerstein Illustrations: Lucie Muchovicova, Vojtech Velicky

Contents

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Watering Gardening guide on water hardness, EC, pH and more.

Cosmetic Extract and Make-up Remover Ideal cosmetic care is based on hemp.

Caring for Bulldogs CBD care for rescue dogs.

Medical Strains New strains with higher CBD and lower THC content.

Bhang Masala Recipe to warm your body and soul.

Buying CBD? How Not to Get Burned Follow your nose and don’t ignore warning signs.

Scott Blakey: It’s Been an Accidental Evolution We interview Shantibaba, the legendary breeder and grower.

VapeReview: Volcano Hybrid

Thick clouds with no ash.

What Are Your Experiences with CBD? We asked our readers.

Advertisements: Please contact office@cannathemag.com Telephone: +420 737 300 375 Publisher: Green Publishing s.r.o., Na Folimance 2155/15, Vinohrady, CZ-120 00 Prague 2, Czech Republic Website: www.cannathemag.com Adult content: Intended only for persons aged 18+. Reproduction of this material without the written consent of the publisher is prohibited, although please contact us if interested in authorized re-use. The publisher assumes no liability for the content of, or reply to, any advertisement. © 2021 Green Publishing s.r.o.

Infographic

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR THC:CBD RATIO Many cannabis patients ask how to choose a strain for the treatment of their ailment. A useful guideline is the strain’s ratio of THC to CBD, which determines how psychoactive it is and which diseases and symptoms can be treated with the given strain. Of course, one should remember that cannabis therapy is highly individual, and that every patient has a different reaction. So bear in mind that this is just a general overview.

THC : CBD

10 : 1

PSYCHOACTIVITY

2 : 1

1 : 1

1 : 2

1 : 10

100 10 33 100 50 100 55 100 90 100

Highly psychoactive ratio of 10:1 or higher (often even 20:1, sometimes up to 50:1). Prescribed for severe chronic pain and for unbearable muscle cramps, or in palliative care for oncological patients. It can be a strong sedative.

Mild-to-moderately psychoactive cannabis used for example as an antispasmodic, for neuropathic pain and for nausea and loss of appetite.

An equal balance of the two main cannabinoids, usually quite well-tolerated by patients. Only slight psychoactive effects. Used often in treating multiple sclerosis, arthritis and fibromyalgia.

This ratio ensures a good synergy of cannabinoids. May be psychoactive for inexperienced patients when taking higher doses. Used for treating chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome, also in relieving stress.

Non-psychoactive ratio. Used for cramps, neurological tremors and epilepsy. Also used to relieve depression and anxiety, and suitable for use in patients (including children) who cannot tolerate THC.

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News

Harvested from Around the World Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Argentina allows patients to grow their own cannabis • In November 2020, the Argentine president issued a decree that allows patients to grow their own plants at home for medicinal use. The system of licenses will even enable patients who cannot grow cannabis themselves to delegate a close person who can. In addition, the government is setting up programs for professional education and research into medical cannabis. Contrary to the vast majority of countries where medical cannabis is legal but patients are not allowed to grow their own medicine, Argentina has opted for a comprehensive approach where no one is disadvantaged.

Legendary player scores cannabis cosmetics Cannabis job growth exceeds any other industry in the U.S. • From Snoop Dogg to Martha Stewart, one celebrity after another is entering the cannabis sector. However, few would have expected the legendary English footballer David Beckham to join the ganja gang. Via his personal investment firm DB Ventures, he bought a stake of the UK company Cellular Goods, which makes skincare and topical athletic recovery products infused with cannabis compounds.

Large pharmaceutical group takes over reins of cannabis medicine

Photo: unsplash.com

• At the beginning of February, representatives of the Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc announced the acquisition of the GW Pharmaceuticals Plc for $7.2 billion in cash and stock. GW, based in Cambridge, England, is currently the only real “cannabis-pharmaceutical” company in the world that develops approved drugs derived from the cannabis plant. Jazz Pharma is a giant in the market for conventional pharmaceuticals, with focus on neurological and oncological diseases. Both cannabinoid preparations produced by GW are designed for patients with neurological problems – Sativex (based on THC/CBD) is used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, while Epidiolex (based on CBD) is used for children with severe epilepsy. Deal-making is in full-swing again in the cannabis industry: in December, two of the biggest players, Tilray Inc. and Aphria Inc., agreed to combine in a deal valued at $3.8 billion.

• According to an annual report from Leafly, the cannabis industry added about 77,000 jobs last year, and now employs more than 320,000 people (a 15% increase over 2019). California tops the list with nearly 58,000 jobs statewide. However in Michigan, which legalized in December 2019, the number of cannabis industry jobs is growing faster than in any other state where cannabis businesses were classified as essential services during the coronavirus outbreak. “There are now more cannabis workers than cops in Michigan,” writes Leafly. “In a state known for its auto industry, the number of cannabis workers is now roughly equal to the number of auto repair mechanics.”

News

• Several major breakthroughs were achieved by the end of 2020. The United Nations has taken a step forward by deleting cannabis from the list of Schedule IV substances, which includes potentially harmful drugs with extremely limited medical use, such as fentanyl. It means cannabis and cannabis resin are now listed only as Schedule I, alongside cocaine and morphine. Additionally, the EU’s highest court had already ruled CBD is not a narcotic back on November 19th, 2020. Now America is pushing forward with the well-discussed MORE Act, and the Medical Marijuana Research Act, which will make it easier for researchers to access medical cannabis. Several more American states have legalized cannabis recently, others are likely to do so, and even some cities are pushing against their states’ laws. In today’s U.S., federal legalization seems inevitable.

Photo: unsplash.com

Shifts in attitudes towards cannabis felt around the world

Record revenues from recreational cannabis result in more scholarships

Photo: pexels.com

• Colorado was one of the first states to legalize the purchase, use and possession of recreational cannabis in 2012, and even the most daring optimists did not foresee what was going to happen. For instance, Pueblo County officials announced in January that thanks to record revenues from cannabis sales, they will be able to help significantly more students than ever afford a college education. The county has a population of 160,000, and the amount allocated to the scholarship fund to date is $1.95 million. Institutions such as Pueblo Community College, Colorado State University Pueblo, Pueblo African American Concern Organization and the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation will receive their portions of the fund and distribute scholarships to their students.

CBD is not a narcotic

Weed recipes for health and wellness in Thailand

• Further progress in the perception of cannabis – at least as far as cannabidiol (CBD) is concerned – can also be seen at the highest European level. For example, the European Court of Justice ruled in December 2020 that CBD should not be classified as a narcotic drug. More recently, the EU’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs has updated its guidelines to add plant-derived CBD as a legal ingredient in cosmetics. Previously, only synthetic CBD was listed in the agency’s database. EU regulators now list plant-derived CBD as a skin protectant and conditioner, also confirming its antioxidant properties.

• Thailand has been the most progressive country in South Asia, having legalized the medical use of cannabis in 2019. In addition to the booming research, production and utilization of hemp in the cosmetic, textile and food industries, the Thai government decided to officially support training in recipes and methods to produce meals and products from hemp. Wider use of the crop is supposed to boost Thailand’s agriculture and tourism industry, hit hard by the pandemic. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul noted on the prospect of improved herbal cuisine, “Once the country is reopened, everyone will want to try the new must-taste menu.”

Feature

First Encounters with the Effects of Cannabis You’ve just brought home doctor-prescribed cannabis. You have no prior experience with cannabis, and you probably have a lot of questions which you’ve forgotten to ask your doctor. And you also have some qualms which are connected to certain deep-rooted biases about the herb and its effects.

T text

Luke Hurt

here are a number of prejudices which surround cannabis – nevertheless, compared to alcohol and many drugs, cannabis is generally well tolerated, and even when taking extremely large amounts, there has never been a single known fatal case. And as opposed to the majority of medications, it does not harm the liver, kidneys nor digestive system, even after long-term use.

Directions for first use Together with the dried flower buds, you have received an information sheet from your doctor

containing information on possible side effects and directions on how to take cannabis. Most such information, however, is written somewhat dryly and sometimes even too scientifically. So let’s go through what you need to know, step by step. When you decide to take your herbal medicine for the first time, make sure you give yourself enough time and privacy. Don’t plan any other activities for the period when the cannabis will have its effects (it might take six or more hours depending on the amount and method of intake). It

Feature

Start slowly The basic rule for first using cannabis is to maintain the proper dosage. The dosage which will give you relief from your complications cannot be guessed in advance; and it is quite likely that it will be much smaller than you imagine.

doesn’t matter whether you decide to take it at night or during the day. Most patients however take cannabis a little while before getting ready for bed, for it usually induces and supports a good night’s sleep. In conjunction with your personality or level of apprehension, choose whether you would like to be at home or if you’d like to first experience cannabis while out for a walk. If you have an introverted nature and being alone for you is akin to a safety net, then take measures to ensure that nobody will surprise or interrupt you when taking it. (You might want to set your telephone to “silent”.)

Common contraindications Have a good meal before use, and if you are planning to relax, don’t drink so much that you’ll have to keep running to the toilet. And never mix cannabis with alcohol! Contraindications with other medicines you might be taking are quite individual – depending not only on the kind of medicine and its effects, but also on the ability of your body to process all the effects simultaneously. If at all possible, do not take cannabis at the same time as other medicines, or at least not during first use. The effects could mutually influence each other and/or could be distorted. If for example you would like to use cannabis to reduce pain, try not to take other medicines you may be using for that in order to test the analgesic effect of cannabis itself. •

Téma Feature

Beware of edibles! While it might seem to the majority of inexperienced users like a safe and suitable method of taking cannabis, it is not a good idea to take it for your first time in the form of food. Therapeutic cannabinoids are very soluble in fats, which is why people use hash brownies, cookies and other edibles for consumption, but they have a great number of disadvantages. First, it is very difficult to estimate the dosage, and the consumer has to wait for the effect – in conjunction with one’s individual metabolism and other factors, cannabis taken in the form of food starts becoming active in one to three hours. Oftentimes people get impatient and make the serious mistake of taking a second dose before the effects of the first one are even felt. It is also very common that the amount of THC in innocent-looking cookies, brownies, gummies, etc. is intolerably high for beginners, and instead of relief, it will bring on symptoms of overdosage, which is something you definitely do not want. What is more, such a mental state will last much longer than when inhaling (i.e. vaporizing/smoking). In short, consumption of foods containing cannabis is an advanced discipline, one really for more experienced users. They can better estimate the desired amount of cannabis in foods and also how the given amount will affect them. Beware: even patients who are experienced and have built up a resistance to cannabis are often taken completely by surprise when consuming cannabis edibles.

The safest way to take cannabis is in gradual dosages.

Cannabis can also increase the effects of other medicines by its influence. This is especially true of sedatives, antidepressants and the analgesics mentioned above. From research and patient testimonies, cannabis can also have an effect on reducing blood pressure and blood sugar levels. If you are taking any medicines for these, or if you know that you have a tendency to feel faint when your blood pressure goes down, it is necessary to take that fact into consideration. Your doctor should ideally be informed of all the meds you are using or planning to use once you have decided to try cannabis.

Feature

A higher amount of CBD balances and decreases the effects of THC.

[ Cannabis can give you the munchies.

Inhalation The best way to control the onset of effects from your cannabis is via inhalation. The ideal, safest way would be to use a vaporizer rather than smoking a joint or using a pipe. However if you haven’t decided to purchase a vaporizer (their price can go to hundreds of euros/dollars) until you are sure you would be using one regularly, there’s nothing left to do but inhale it by smoking – but in a way which allows you to do it slowly, and controlling the dosage. Be aware that the fumes created by smoking are not healthy for the body, so this method is only suitable when kept to a minimum. Whether you choose smoking or vaporizing, during first use it is best to inhale only once or twice while holding the vapor or smoke in your lungs for a short time before exhaling. The effects will come within just a few seconds or minutes, with the height of the effect after about 15 minutes. In case the effect is not enough, you can inhale once or twice again, and wait another 15 to 20 minutes. This kind of gradual dosage of cannabis is the safest. Use this method for the first few days you are taking cannabis. The effects may differ in conjunction with one’s metabolism and many other factors. Caution and prudence are the ticket – learn how to control the dosage so that the induced state is maximally comfortable while at the same time helping you with your health problems. What can I or should I expect? After use, move to a place which you have chosen and prepared in advance. Relax, breathe calmly, and if it suits you, listen to your favorite music and rest. Feel the effects cannabis is generating in your body. Enjoy the pleasant feeling of release. You can support the therapeutic effect on problematic

places in your body mentally, trying to relax them consciously. The physical aspect is above all muscle relaxation, during which tension is released, causing pain to subside. Cannabis provides fast relief for trembling and cramps brought on by certain medical conditions. It also provides quick relief from nausea and other digestive problems. Among the first feelings you can expect are a sense of release, a pleasant feeling of drowsiness and a lightness in the body. This state is quite agreeable and relaxing. In case you need to move from place to place in your home, be aware that you may experience some instability when walking, your relaxed muscles may give way to staggering, and you might even have trouble navigating through a place you know well. So move slowly and carefully, light your path, do not hurry. Until you get used to movement under the influence, which can be unusual especially for patients suffering from stiffness and pain of the motor system, there is a higher risk of falling down.

Dry mouth and the munchies A very common side effect of consuming cannabis, especially when inhaling, is dry mouth. Therefore, you should always have a non-alcoholic drink of your choice close at hand. Another common side effect is the appetite which comes on during or at the end of using the substances in cannabis. If you don’t want to stuff yourself to the bursting point when you get what people call “the munchies”, then prepare some food beforehand, obviously in small portions and greater variety. One’s taste buds become very receptive when using cannabis. Many patients who suffer from loss of appetite or nausea due to their health problems or the side effects of conventional treatments will find they are able to get rid of their diges- •

Feature

Guides are priceless A priceless aid for your first spiritual encounter with cannabis would be the company of someone whom you trust and who has had some experience with the effects of the herb. If you find yourself not feeling “right”, the presence of a friend will improve your mood, make you feel at ease and assure you that you’re in safe hands.

common when used long-term. If, however, you are just starting your cannabis therapy and you begin to have unpleasant feelings or physical or mental states, don’t panic. The change in consciousness brought on by the psychoactive cannabinoid THC can take on a number of forms and various phases, usually only lasting a few minutes, even though it might seem like all eternity. To relieve such feelings, it helps to open one’s eyes and concentrate on exterior objects, such as listening to relaxing music, or having something sweet to eat. If you feel uncomfortable, change your position and go for a walk. A change of position or activity shifts your attention elsewhere and the uncomfortable feelings will not be so intense or will even disappear as fast they occurred. In time, you will find your own method which will help you at those times when you begin to feel uncomfortable. To repeat, don’t panic.

[ Dried buds are best stored in glass containers.

tive problems thanks to this herb and regain their former appetite.

Don’t panic Cannabis is usually extremely well tolerated when following these rules and recommendations, and the appearance of side effects which are perceived as unpleasant are not

I think, therefore I am Patients who want to try cannabis for the first time mostly fear changes in their mental state. Among the pleasant psychoactive effects are a good mood, fits of laughter, a feeling of release sometimes to the point of euphoria, and an increased sharpening of all the senses. All experiences are more intense. The psychoactive components of cannabis, primarily the above-mentioned THC, have the effect that they change our way of thinking about ourselves and the world around us. The mind can start firing on all cylinders to such an extent that your head will be filled with hundreds of ideas and thoughts which are new, wonderful and transformational. And some of them really might be so – increased creativity has been confirmed by a number of world-famous artists and scientists. These pleasing states can also be used in therapy. You might try art therapy, music therapy, various medita-

Feature

The psychoactive components of cannabis change our way of thinking about ourselves and the world around us.

tion techniques (breathing exercises, yoga) or ordinary muscle exercises. After the relief which cannabis brings, and with the increased sensitivity of the body, experiences from physical activities and creative work are more intense. In time, you will learn what will be pleasing for you and also what will help you in terms of therapy.

Minimizing risk When talking about the fear of uncomfortable psychoactive effects, it is important that everyone who is considering cannabis therapy responsibly consider whether they are ready for it psychologically and whether they do not have a tendency toward depression or suffer from any psychological disorders. In such cases, starting with cannabis is definitely not recommended, unless your doctor approves. If you are aware that mental states caused by commonly used medicines or drugs are not good for you psychologically, before using cannabis you ought to assess your previous experiences with altered states of consciousness. People who react negatively to changes in perception and distortion of known reality and have panic reactions should think twice about cannabis therapy, and as regards first use, they should prepare themselves well and begin with what are called microdoses. The way out Among the most common negative psychologic effects of using cannabis are feelings of anxiety and panic; paranoid scenes may unfold in one’s mind, evoking a feeling of being trapped or threatened. “Why is everybody staring at me? They can tell that I am under the influence! Are they going to call the police and put me in jail? Are they talking about me, about doing something to me?”

If you find yourself sucked into the maelstrom of similar questions, don’t panic. Try to gradually focus your attention elsewhere – go for a nice walk, take a shower, eat, drink. Switch the television news off and go for Tibetan meditation music or turn everything off and try to take in the calming silence. Just one small change can free your mind from unpleasant thoughts and feelings. The altered state usually lasts from minutes to hours, depending on how quickly your body processes and breaks down the compounds contained in cannabis. Negative effects are a sign and result of having taken a dosage with too much THC. A better option for patients are CBD-rich strains, which in recent years are as readily available as the classic THC-rich strains. When using CBD strains, thanks to the ratio of the main active substances, the changes in consciousness are not so marked. A higher amount of cannabidiol (CBD) balances and decreases the effects of THC. At the same time, strains with a higher CBD content tend not to have such a high concentration of THC as the “classic” varieties which one used to find on the black market.

Hallucinations and delusions Perhaps your qualms about the influence of cannabis on one’s state of mind come from the oft-quoted study in which it was stated that cannabis can induce several serious psychological disorders – including schizophrenia. Since that study, however, it has been proven that such disturbances occur only in individuals who are genetically predisposed to such disorders. If on the other hand you know stories of people who have experienced panic attacks, hallucinations and delusions after using cannabis, it’s very likely that it was because they used cannabis with a very high concentration of psychoactive THC, which can be disturbing psychologically for novices. When following basic advice and principles – and ideally, after consulting your doctor – there is no reason to fear such overreactions, especially if you stick to the rule of using small doses. If, however, you do experience significant changes in your mental state which remain after the effects of cannabis wear off, then inform your doctor as soon as possible. •

One Patient’s Story

Mike and His Bamboo Spine Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic disease, without a cure. Its signs often appear as reduced movement as a result of rapid reduction of joint lubrication, and inflammation extending to various parts of the body, from the joints to the tendons, even to the eyes. It is common knowledge that cannabis helps people to endure autoimmune diseases better – so how does cannabis help a thirty-four-year-old truck driver Mike?

text

Kristina Stastna

When did you start having health problems? It started when I was about fifteen. Specifically, these were sharp pains in my right hip. Then I began suffering maybe four times a year from a painful and unpleasant inflammation of my iris. I was sent to the Rheumatology Department, where blood tests showed I had morbus Bechterew, Bekhterev’s disease – ankylosing spondylitis. What were your symptoms? Initially, the changes were not so dramatic. I did certain exercises which helped keep my body functioning, but afterwards sometimes made me feel like I had been beaten up. Over time I realized that unfortunately there’s not much I can do about it, and that the disease’s symptoms come in waves. After every attack, part of my spine ossified, and then movement of that part stopped. It got to the point where it became a “bamboo spine”, which means completely ossified. And my job as a truck driver certainly didn’t help me any. When did you first think of trying cannabis for your condition?

For quite some time I took cannabis only as a recreational drug and blithely gobbled up the painkillers the doctors prescribed for me. But that regime had a few serious flaws. The medicines, which did not cure me, only reduced the pain. And they came with a price tag: a ruined stomach and a damaged liver. What short-term effects does cannabis have on your condition? Whenever I use cannabis, I always feel enormous pain relief – and without any side effects. And thankfully, it works almost instantaneously. And what long-term results have you seen, if any? Compared with other medicines, cannabis definitely has the advantage of lower toxicity on the body, it helps the immune system and improves overall resistance to inflammation. And its painkilling effects are better, in my opinion. Which is why I prefer it to opioids. What form of cannabis do you take for your treatment? I make my own cannabutter and then bake cookies with it. I also inhale it in all forms – joints, bongs, vaporizing, what have you.

One Patient’s Story

Illustration: Lazybastard.cz

Ankylosing spondylitis This chronic disease, also called “Bekhterov-Strümpell-Marie disease” (among others), has different case histories in different patients. It is most often diagnosed in young males. Typically, it appears as chronic pain and stiffness in the lower spine. The pain intensifies when the patient is at rest, and slightly improves with physical activity. The flexibility of the spine gradually decreases, and some patients have a spine like a stiff rod in the final stages of the disease. Ankylosing spondylitis is also accompanied by chronic fatigue and inflammation of the iris and the ciliary body, manifesting itself as eye ache and increased sensitivity to light. Some of the less common symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis are joint inflammation, lung fibrosis, and fingernail and toenail separation. In juvenile patients, it can appear as inflammation of the larger joints in the extremities.

When I use cannabis, I always feel enormous and almost instantaneous pain relief. What strains are best for you – higher CBD, or higher THC with lower CBD? Since I suffer from really serious pain, the best strains for me are those with a high THC content. Have you discussed official cannabis therapy with your doctor? Yeah, I had to ask my rheumatologist for a referral to a specialist pain center, and she wrote “consider medical marihua-

na” on it. I’m curious as to whether the authorities will allow me access to a substance that will actually help me. The alternative is to turn me into a junkie for life. Because you can get easily addicted to opiates, hardcore. So you haven’t tried official medical cannabis yet? Not yet, I still have the status of “applicant”. !

News

Findings from the latest research and studies in the field of cannabis treatment today.

Research Reports

text

Tibor Beres

Mild traumatic brain injury (concussion), especially if repeated, can lead to serious complications, including impaired cognitive functions and even dementia. A team of Canadian and Australian scientists investigated the therapeutical potential of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In their experiment, rats were exposed to a side impact to the head with a device that simulates a sports injury. Subsequently, the rats were subjected to a series of behavioral tests focusing on the symptoms of the concussion. Later, their brains were examined by molecular biological and biochemical methods. Researchers found that tetrahydrocannabinol administration was beneficial to three of the six behavioral outcomes affected by brain injury (reducing anxiety and depression while also mitigating injury-induced deficits in short-term working memory). There were no notable benefits of THC when administered prior to injury, suggesting that THC may have potential therapeutic benefit on post-concussion symptoms when administered post-injury, but not pre-injury. The new regulations in North America allowing post-match cannabis use for athletes in sports such as ice hockey, basketball, and mixed martial arts will be like a balm for athletes’ heads. •

Photo: pexels.com

01 THC helps mitigate repeated mild brain injuries

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02 THC and CBD help cope with side effects of cancer chemotherapy Preliminary results from a new clinical study suggest that cannabis reduces nausea and vomiting in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. These side effects are often the primary causes of treatment discontinuation. Coping with nausea and vomiting improves patients’ quality of life and allows them to complete their treatment. The pilot phase of the study lasted 30 months and involved 81 patients. The inclusion criteria in the study were persistent nausea and vomiting, despite the use of medications for them. Patients took capsules with a balanced ratio of THC and CBD from a Canadian cannabis company. Side effects such as drowsiness and dizziness were rated as mild to severe in about one third of patients. According to the researchers, these side effects were manageable. Nausea and vomiting are among the most distressing and feared consequences of chemotherapy, said chief investigator Peter Grimison, a medical oncologist and associate professor at the University of Sydney. “These encouraging results indicate medicinal cannabis can help improve quality of life for chemotherapy patients. The trial will now move to a larger phase to determine with much more certainty how effective medicinal cannabis is and whether it should be considered for use in routine cancer care,” Grimison said. •

Treatment with medical cannabis oils was safe and well tolerated, and resulted in reductions in pain intensity, spasticity and sleep disturbances.

03 THC derivative reduces intraocular pressure Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve by various mechanisms, such as increased intraocular pressure, decreased blood flow and poor outflow of intraocular fluid. This can lead to irreversible vision loss. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is known for its ability to reduce intraocular pressure and at the same time protect the nerve tissue. Inhalation or peroral consumption of cannabis can reduce the pressure to three to four hours; however, the problem is its low and variable bioavailability as well as psychoactivity. Also, penetration into intraocular tissue after direct application to the eye is limited by the low solubility of THC in water. A few years ago, American chemists from the University of Mississippi in Oxford modified the THC molecule to improve its solubility. They patented their invention as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-valine-hemisuccinate (THC-VHS) and currently are testing methods of its effective administration. Especially promising is a nano-emulsion containing liquid particles of THC-VHS hundreds of nanometers in size, dispersed in another liquid. The THC-VHS nano-emulsion was more effective in tests on rabbits compared to the commercial drugs timolol and latanaprost. Future plans include testing on other biological models and a longer duration of application. •

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04 Successful clinical use of CBD-rich extracts in Covid-19 patients Researchers in a hospital in Klagenfurt, Austria, reported that Covid-19 patients in the local intensive care unit experienced alleviation of inflammation and faster recovery after experimental administration of cannabidiol (CBD). During three weeks of their standard treatment, patients were initially administered 200 milligrams of CBD broad-spectrum extract daily, but the dose was gradually increased to 300 mg. “Blood tests after cannabidiol administration have shown that the rate of inflammation in patients is reduced. Those who received CBD were released earlier compared to those who did not receive it,” said the head of the Klagenfurt ICU, Rudolf Likar. “Apparently, CBD supports immunity.” The success of the treatment might be due to the fact that some CBD-rich extracts can suppress viral cell entry and spread by

Broad-spectrum CBD extract had a significant advantage over pure CBD: its effect increased with the administered dose.

inhibiting the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptors, which the SARSCoV-2 spike glycoprotein binds to. These receptors are expressed in lung tissue as well as oral and nasal mucosa, the kidneys, testes and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD extracts reportedly outperform conventional drugs, since cannabidiol can cross the blood-brain barrier more easily and thus prevent some of the serious neurological consequences associated with long-term coronavirus infection. Research into the impact of CBD on inflammation at the Klagenfurt clinic is not over, but the preliminary results appear to be very promising. “We are currently assessing the data, and they look quite good. We will probably start administering cannabidiol to all patients simply because it has no side effects,” added Likar. A similar study on the effectiveness of Covid-19 treatment with CBD-rich cannabis extracts is now underway in Israel. Meanwhile in Australia, drug developer Incannex has been evaluating the anti-inflammatory capabilities of its lead drug candidate IHL-675A against sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (SAARDS) – the leading cause of death in patients who have contracted the Covid-19 virus. IHL-675A is a combined formulation of CBD and the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. In November, the company revealed positive animal study results that showed IHL-675A outperformed CBD significantly across the five inflammatory cytokines analyzed. •

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05 Effect of cannabinoids on the inflammatory processes associated with Covid-19 A recent in vitro study examined the effect of various cannabis preparations on the inflammatory processes associated with Co vid-19. The researchers worked with an extract from the Arbel variety, which they divided into fractions dominated by either THC or CBD. While the THC fraction was almost identical to pure THC, the CBD fraction also contained other cannabinoids, especially CBG and THCV. In total, cannabinoids accounted for 66% of this extract, the remainder being largely various terpenes. In order to be able to distinguish the effect of the combination of cannabinoids from the other substances present, the study authors also created a standardized mixture in the same proportion of cannabinoids: CBD 93%, CBG 6.1%, THCV 0.4%. The anti-inflammatory activity of these three samples was then compared with pure CBD and with dexamethasone, a synthetic corticoid that had shown good activity against Covid-19 in previous studies. While the effect of the THC extract on the cells was negligible, the CBD extract was able to reduce the production of all observed pro-inflammatory factors, comparable to dexamethasone. This broad-spectrum CBD extract had a significant advantage over pure CBD: its effect increased with the administered dose, while pure CBD worked only to a certain extent: too high a dose was as ineffective as too low. Interestingly, however, the broad-spectrum CBD extract also had some pro-inflammatory activity that could be counterproductive in treatment. In contrast, the standardized CBD/CBG/THCV mixture did not have this undesirable property, so it is possible that some of the terpenes present in the CBD extract were responsible. •

Covid-19 patients experienced an alleviation of inflammation and faster recovery after experimental administration of CBD.

06 Safety and efficacy of cannabis oils on multiple sclerosis In this observational safety study, a team of scientists from the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center and the Department of Neurology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, monitored 28 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). They were treated with medical cannabis oils (THC-rich, CBD-rich and combined THC+CBD). The average dose was 4 milligrams for THC and 7 mg for CBD. The patients were undergoing neurological and other examinations during the four-week treatment. Pain decreased from average 7 to 4 points on the NRS-11 numeric rating scale, spasticity from 6 to 2.5 pts, and sleep disturbances from 7 to 3 pts, on average. Side effects (dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea) were reported when using the THC-rich oil but evaluated as moderate. The authors of the study came to the conclusion that “treatment with medical cannabis oils was safe and well tolerated, and resulted in a reduction in pain intensity, spasticity and sleep disturbances in MS patients. This suggests that medical cannabis oils can be used safely, especially at relatively low doses and with slow titration, as an alternative to treat MS-related symptoms when conventional therapy is inadequate.” •

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CBD: A Safe Drug In recent years, there has been a furor over cannabidiol, more commonly known as CBD. It has taken the spotlight away from its cousin tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the most famous cannabinoid, which we introduced in our previous issue.

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Michal Ruman

BD is one of more than one hundred cannabinoids, the resinous compounds found mainly in cannabis flowers and in smaller amounts in its leaves. Cannabidiol has one huge advantage in comparison with THC: it is not considered a narcotic nor psychotropic substance. Manufacture and use of products containing CBD is generally legal today, with a few exceptions. Countless companies are taking advantage of this to offer a plethora of CBD products on the world’s marketplaces. Cannabidiol first attracted the notice of scientists more than 60 years ago. Its breakthrough discovery took place in 1955 at Palacký University (later also the alma mater of cannabis researcher Lumír Hanuš)

in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia. The scientific team there isolated and identified cannabidiolic acid (CBDA, the substance which turns into CBD via a process called decarboxylation) and also demonstrated its antibacterial effects. In 1979, the Australian team led by B.E. Belgrave proved that even fairly high doses of CBD have no psychotropic effects on humans.

CBD fever Science has made leaps and bounds since then. New studies demonstrating the wide spectrum of physiological and medicinal effects of cannabidiol on animals and people have been popping up like mushrooms in recent years. In conjunction, the number •

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Where and how CBD helps 1

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CBD and children One of the areas where cannabis products with a high CBD content are made best use of is in pediatrics. In 2013, the world’s media reported the case of sevenyear-old Charlotte Figi of Colorado, USA, who thanks to using specially bred cannabis strains rich in cannabidiol and containing a minimum of THC, was freed from debilitating epileptic seizures and was able to return to a normal life. Thanks to the instant efficacy of her treatment and the positive media coverage of CBD in this high-profile case, experts began to openly discuss CBD and other cannabinoids as medicine suitable for children, where the benefits enormously outweigh the possible risks.

Side effects of CBD 5

1 Brain antioxidant, neuroprotective, antiepileptic, antipsychotic and antidepressive effects 2 Skin used against inflammation and irritation 3 Heart protects against atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease 4 Digestive tract anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, relaxant against cramps 5 Joints pain relief for rheumatoid arthritis, anti-inflammatory effects

A number of studies state that even in extremely high doses (more than 200 mg daily), CBD is well-tolerated without any significant side effects. Cannabidiol, even in large quantities, has no influence on the pulse, body temperature nor digestion, and does not affect psychomotor nor cognitive functions. Minor side effects from the use of cannabidiol in the first phase of treatment can include lower blood pressure. Also, patients should be careful of the influence of CBD on the absorption and efficacy of some other drugs. As in any form of cannabis therapy, it is always better to consult every possible issue with your doctor and simultaneously monitor the level of other medicines in the blood. This is the only way to optimize correct dosing of CBD, or any other medicine. Note: CBD can interfere with the metabolism of other medications in the same way as grapefruit, but even stronger. If your doctor told you not to take grapefruit with your specific medication, the same rule applies to CBD.

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It is crucial to carefully choose products from trustworthy manufacturers. of products containing CBD are multiplying. And anyone who has visited a cannabis trade fair recently has even encountered high CBD content buds, which are indistinguishable from the standard (and in the majority of countries, illegal) strains with more than 0.3% THC. There is a huge boom in CBD drops and oils, e-cigarette liquids, cookies, honey and coffee – not to mention massage oils and many other cosmetic and food products. Of course, in addition to foods, food supplements and cosmetic products, pharmaceutical companies with patent medicines are also entering the market. One example is Epidiolex from the British company GW Pharmaceuticals, which contains an extract of 98% CBD, and was recently given the first ever approval of a cannabis-based drug in the USA.

Universal and safe The fact that CBD is legal does not explain its growing popularity alone. Cannabidiol, after several decades of research and a few years of clinical use, has shown that it is rightly considered one of the most universal and at the same time safest medicinal substances of vegetable origin. Studies have proven its ability to reduce the symptoms of many serious and chronic illnesses – among them: obesity, epilepsy, dystonia, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Crohn’s disease, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. CBD also works effectively against anxiety, so it is successfully used for example in treating post-traumatic stress disorders. Its antibacterial properties protect against infections and help manage inflammation. In its acid form, cannabidiol is effective against staphylococci and streptococci. Powerful antioxidant CBD also has antioxidant, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that it is a more powerful antioxidant than ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or

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tocopherol (vitamin E). It is physiologically effective however with dosages lower than 20 milligrams per day. And that is another one of the reasons for its rising popularity. People who are seeking out CBD products include patients with serious illnesses as well as those who just want to keep their body and mind fit, whether they be seniors, sportspeople, or top managers.

Risk? So far, putting CBD products on the European and world market is not clearly regulated, especially in terms of its sales via Internet. Not all manufacturers openly declare the contents of their products, the method of CBD extraction, nor the concentration of their active ingredients. Some CBD oils or drops can for example contain a trace amount of THC. There is nothing wrong with that, in fact a number of studies have shown that when CBD works together with other substances naturally found in cannabis, whether they be can-

CBD is a more powerful antioxidant than vitamins C and E. nabinoids like THC, terpenes or phenols, it increases the effectiveness of the drug. In addition, CBD dampens the psychotropic effects of THC. Those who are sensitive, however, might be surprised by a slight psychoactive effect of such products and may even fail police or employer drug tests. Another risk can take the form of poor-quality extraction or extraction via solvents deleterious to one’s health, or low-quality starting material (cannabis plants), producing end products which may contain heavy metal residues or even mold. This is why it is crucial to choose products from trustworthy manufacturers who openly declare their origin and ideally even provide lab analyses of their product. This is the only completely safe way to use CBD products for your health. •

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Why CBD Is the Go-To Cure for Athletes For the first time in the history of doping, a substance derived from cannabis is not considered a doping product. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, was removed from the list of substances banned for professional athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2018. Since then, more and more athletes have chosen this natural product to help them with muscle recovery.

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Thibault Ricciardi, M.D., Kalapa Clinic

How muscle recovery works During intense or unusual physical activity, muscle microtrauma can occur. These microlesions of the tissues trigger an inflammatory reaction which leads the body to repair them. The process is called delayed onset muscle sore-

ness (DOMS), or more commonly, stiffness. In other words, stiffness is the result of a damage-related rise in passive tension within the muscle. Pain can also occur, generally lasting 4 to 5 days, depending on the intensity of the effort. Eccentric muscle movements, which correspond to the stretching of the muscle, benefit stiffness more than concentric movements (contraction and shortening of the muscle). To reduce aches, different methods are used to recover after intensive effort: rest, ice baths, hot/ cold showers, hot/cold packs and stretching before and after physical activity.

Pain and inflammation The endocannabinoid system, which is composed of cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids and enzymes, regulates the activity of neurotransmitters and many

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CBD can be an interesting anxiolytic for the treatment of various anxiety disorders, panic disorders and social anxiety disorders.

physiological processes in the body such as appetite, mood, memory and pain. Pain and inflammation are physiological responses of the body to tissue damage, infections and genetic modifications. They are divided into two phases. The first one is the “acute phase”, characterized by the release of inflammatory mediators (cytokines, lymphokines, histamines...) which cause hyperalgesia, an abnormally severe pain caused by a painful stimulus. This sensitivity to pain is due to the activation of nociceptive receptors – sensory pain receptors. However, if the damage is not treated, it can develop into chronic inflammation, and in the most extreme cases, inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, etc. Synthetic drugs are used to reduce these pro-inflammatory agents, but some may have side effects, such as osteoporosis, impaired wound healing, ulcerogenic effects and stroke. Preclinical studies suggest that cannabinoid receptor agonists, the molecules that interact with them, block pain in chronic or acute pain/inflammation. CB1 and CB2 receptor agonists have an antinociceptive activity, which means that they inhibit the sensation of pain. CB2 mediates analgesia by altering proinflammatory molecules, and thus, it is particularly important in the central nervous system pain circuits: it releases dopamine in the midbrain areas, contributing to descending pain control.

Anti-inflammatory Cannabinoid receptors in the endocannabinoid system may interact with exogenous cannabinoids (cannabinoids not produced by the body) such as those that come from •

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the cannabis plant, like CBD and THC. The interaction between exogenous cannabinoids and receptors will cause biological reactions that differ according to the receptors and cannabinoids involved. CBD has anti-inflammatory pro perties because when it interacts with the adenosine receptor, it inhibits NF-kB signaling, which plays a central role in inflammatory responses by inducing the expression of several pro-inflammatory genes such as cytokines and chemokines. Deregulated activation of NF-kB contributes to the pathogenic processes of various inflammatory diseases.

Better absorption Recent studies have suggested the existence of an endocannabinoid skin system whose role is to maintain the physiological functions of the skin (proliferation, differentiation and death of cells) and disruption of its functions could be the cause of skin diseases such as psoriasis and acne. Therefore, the application of a CBD-based cream to the painful area will allow better absorption of CBD through the skin’s endocannabinoid system and therefore faster relief of inflammation and pain. CBD for anxiety and sleep Although CBD studies are still in their infancy and larger-scale investigations will need to be conducted, existing studies have shown that CBD can be an interesting anxiolytic for the treatment of various conditions such as anxiety disorders, panic disorders or social anxiety disorders. The results of these studies showed a rapid decrease in anxiety in subjects observed after CBD use. In addition, they have shown better tolerance to CBD than traditional drug treatments, with a decrease in side effects.

CBD is a real alternative for athletes who want to replace their synthetic drugs with a natural product.

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Kalapa Clinic Kalapa Clinic is the first medical consultancy in Spain and across Europe that specializes in hemp oil and cannabinoid treatments. The clinic is supported by licensed physicians that are trained in cannabinoid therapies for all those who have a chronic condition. Web: www.kalapa-clinic.com/en/

Anxiety can be a major problem for athletes, who often face stressful situations. This prolonged stress can lead to sleep problems for athletes, and sleep is essential for muscle growth and recovery. Poor quality sleep can severely affect athletes’ performance. Indeed, a lack of sleep has disastrous consequences on one’s health because it contributes to the loss of muscle mass and hinders muscle recovery from the damage caused by intense physical activity or injury. Therefore, by reducing anxiety, CBD improves sleep quality and thus muscle recovery.

First choice for athletes It can be concluded that CBD is a real alternative for athletes who want to replace their synthetic drugs with a natural product. Its anti-inflammatory and relaxing properties encourage better muscle recovery through the reduction of pro-inflammatory agents and pain sensation, reduction of anxiety, and better sleep. •

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Advice for Patients

THE DOCTOR IS IN NO CHANCE OF FATAL OVERDOSE Can one fatally overdose on cannabis, or on THC contained in cannabis? text

Daniel Barta, M.D.

Cannabis and all the cannabinoids contained in it – including THC – have a very low toxicity. Cannabis does not damage the body physically after one use or even long-term use (with the exception of smoking it due to being exposed to toxic chemicals). The amount of THC it would take for a fatal overdose is roughly 5000 times more than the ordinary dosage a person would take. Thus during normal or even massive use, a person consumes nowhere near the toxic level. The US Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has for some time published a list of all chemical substances and the yearly total of deaths connected with them – and during that whole period there has not been a single death connected to cannabis as such. •

METABOLISM AND DIETING I’m about to start the ketone diet – can taking cannabis influence that diet in some way? I read somewhere that cannabis slows down one’s metabolism to the point where no diet works. The use of cannabis influences a number of processes, including one’s entire metabolism. The effect mainly depends on the amount and the way it is ingested. Generally, smoking cannabis leads to quick “intoxication” and if the dosage is high, the body tries to neutralize its effect by an intake of saccharides and fats (i.e. “the munchies”), which will break cannabinoids from their bonds with transporting proteins in plasma. Of course, once a person falls prey to the munchies, it tends to bust up any diet. With oral use, the substances contained in cannabis enter the circulation gradually, so it does not result in the rapid intoxication which the body would have to neutralize. In this case, simple willpower will suffice to stay on the diet. In addition, cannabinoids harmonize blood sugar, fat and protein levels via the endocannabinoid system of receptors in the intestines. This helps the metabolic processes leading to balance in the body – so here it is not true that cannabis slows down the metabolism, for recent studies have shown just the opposite. In any case, if your goal is a healthy lifestyle, you will have to decide for yourself where cannabis will fit into that. •

Advice for Patients

Daniel Barta, M.D. is a general practitioner from the Czech Republic. After finishing his degree in medicine, he worked for several years as a doctor in Malta, Nepal and the Philippines. In Malta, he took part in research on the effects of cannabis extract on leukemia cells. He has wide experience with patients who use cannabis as part of their treatment.

CROHN’S DISEASE AND ANXIETY I’m 42, and since 2011 I have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and its accompanying symptoms (joint pain and eczema). Associated with it, I suffer from panic anxiety disorder, which is putting me off from trying cannabis therapy. I am taking corticoids; opioids, which work well for pain and diarrhea; and in times of high crisis I take antidepressants. Are cannabis products with a certain THC content good for me, or should I completely avoid them? With respect to the fact that you have an increased tendency toward anxiety, I would not recommend starting a treatment with preparations containing a higher than trace amount of THC. Even though small doses of THC are usually not enough to bring on anxiety, the fear itself that “it might” could be a trigger factor. And legally, it is much easier to obtain CBD products in most countries. Because you have strong aggregate symptoms (bowels, joints, skin), it may be necessary to up the dosage. I would try CBD oil with at least a 10% CBD content, which ought to have antispasmodic, analgesic and anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) effects. If you don’t feel any relief after high dosages of CBD, then it might be worthwhile to consider starting to gradually add small amounts of THC. Because Crohn’s disease may have a psychological element to it, it would be good to work on both your body and mind, in order to achieve overall health. CBD helps on the physical level, while THC can help on the mental level. Thus it would be more effective to use them in combination, but you should certainly start with CBD and monitor the reaction of your body. In any case, consult your doctor before using either. •

STRONG PAIN Sixteen years ago, my mom had two difficult operations on her spine. Since then, she has been taking Tramadol (Ultram), Clonazepam (Rivotril) and Baclofen (Liorezal) for pain – all of them twice daily. When these are not enough, she has to increase her dose of Tramadol. We would like to get her off these heavy drugs in favor of cannabis. Could you advise us on how to do it? From the combination and dosages you state, it is obvious that the pain is intense and it would certainly not be advisable to wean your mother off of all her meds at once. It’s a question of first saturating the body with cannabinoids in a daily dose which would be comfortable for the patient on both the psychological level as well as for treating pain. She needs to get into the state when a person does not have the feeling they need to take their painkillers earlier than what is prescribed. At the same time, you keep increasing the dosage of cannabinoids. If it were legal, cannabis extract, which contains the complete profile of cannabinoids and terpenes, would be best for that. For fits of acute pain, vaporizing dried cannabis is good due to quick onset of pain relief and easy dosing, with short-term effect. Keep in mind that the feeling of pain and the feeling of being “too high” are individual, so it is not possible to easily determine the period of time it will take to transfer from opioid treatment to cannabis therapy, nor the timeframe of reducing the opioids. You need to consult your doctor about all this. And read the interview with Dr. Hřib in issue no. 1 of Cannabis Therapy. •

Pharmacopeia

Cannabis and Covid-19 How afraid should I be? How seriously should I take the media coverage? Could substances present in cannabis help me through Covid-19? Can other natural substances and freely available drugs help me? We’ve probably all asked ourselves such questions…

nything new and unknown evokes fear, anxiety and sometimes even panic. On the other hand, if we learn the risks as well as means of protection, we’ll all have a better chance of safeguarding our health and remaining calm.

Where’s the danger? The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 attacks the human body and causes Covid-19, which primarily means impaired immunity. The cells of the immune system stop working properly, leading in rare cases to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The symptoms of ARDS include severe shortness of breath and rapid breathing due to low oxygen content in the blood. There is an increased incidence of sepsis (a response to infection) and a high concentration of inflammatory markers in the blood. Patients with these markers often develop interstitial pneumonia, sometimes requiring mechanical lung ventilation. The virus also produces proteins in the body that can, so to say, cleave an iron molecule from the hemoglobin in red blood cells. Red blood cells thus lose their ability to transport oxygen from the lungs. Can cannabinoids help? Cannabis can help with Covid-19 – but could also be harmful if delivered by smoking. Smoke contains toxic particles (such as tar) which themselves cause inflammation in

lung tissue. Such substances can generally worsen the course of Covid-19. Smoking aside, current research suggests that terpenes and CBD could be more effective in treating inflammation than corticosteroids. A clinical study was conducted in Israel to find out whether co-administration of CBD would increase the efficacy of steroids administered to patients with Covid-19 infection. CBD treatment turned out to increase the effectiveness of steroids in critically ill patients. One of the factors that causes death in Covid-19 patients is the “cytokine storm”, resulting from an inadequate immune response. Cytokines are proteins that are part of the normal immune response to infection. They can both suppress and increase the immune response – inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effect of THC has been demonstrated in an animal model (mice). This cannabinoid also suppressed the cytokine storm in mice. Be that as it may, smoking does not help one overcome Covid-19. And the results of experiments on mice cannot be projected onto humans. Whether THC can help peo-

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George Pastera

The anti-inflammatory effect of THC has been demonstrated in mice.

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A special nebulizer could also be used to inhale CBD or THC, thus eliminating the pitfalls of smoking. ple with Covid-19 can only be confirmed objectively by a randomized controlled trial – a clinical scientific study. There would certainly be plenty of volunteers. Nonetheless, it would take a long time before the authorities would allow such a study.

What about other natural substances? Vitamin C in high doses can help with Co vid-19. Mouthwashes containing essential oils and other disinfectants have antiviral effects. Of course, mouthwashes are not a cure, but they can effectively reduce the viral load. However, I certainly do not recommend drinking mouthwash. In China, Covid-19 is treated via traditional Chinese medicine – for example, the herbal mixtures Sang Ju Yin and Yu Ping Feng San. There was also a clinical study on the effects of extracts from these plants. The study showed that the duration of the disease was shorter, and the clinical manifestations of Covid-19 were milder. Another natural substance with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties is propolis, the fragrant substance produced by

[ Nebulizers could become a healthier alternative to smoking or vaping.

the honeybee, a mixture of plant resin, beeswax and saliva. Propolis was used in ancient Egypt and Greece. A clinical trial of propolis extract for treating Covid-19 patients was conducted in Brazil. The treatment was evaluated as safe and beneficial and was associated with a reduction in the length of the hospital stay. Hypertonic saline solution (sold in pharmacies) administered by inhalation also has antiviral effects, it supports the defensive activity of white blood cells and therefore could help against Co vid-19. If a device called a nebulizer (a device that produces droplets micrometers in size) were used, the inhalation of microdroplets of a hypertonic saline solution could alleviate the symptoms of Co vid-19 much more effectively than a nasal spray. A special nebulizer could also be used to inhale CBD or THC, thus eliminating the pitfalls of smoking.

Common sense This pandemic has been a challenge for medicine and pharmacy, but time is on our side. Several vaccines have already been made available globally and the results are very promising. In addition, there are drugs that work directly on Covid-19. One of the effective methods of treatment is the infusion of convalescent plasma from cured Covid-19 patients. Large pharmaceutical companies have already started isolating hyperimmune globulins from convalescent plasma. What is absolutely essential – and something everyone can do themselves – is to observe the basics of good hygiene. I believe that common sense will prevail. The coming months still won’t be easy, and caution will be necessary. • The author is a pharmacist.

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Opioids and Cannabinoids Two seemingly incompatible, long demonized and banned “drugs” – cannabis and opium – are earning their place in modern medicine. What is more, scientists and doctors are surprised that cannabinoids and opioid medicines mutually influence each other, improving the overall therapeutic effect.

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Martin Helcman

he oldest proofs of the use of opium – i.e. the juices obtained by slicing immature poppy (Papaver somniferum) pods – come from the Neolithic Age (ca. 5000 BCE), in the Mediterranean. People had already by that time noticed its unwanted effects, such as constipation, drowsiness, slowed breathing (in high doses, resulting in death), and above all addiction from regular use. However, opium for quite some time was a luxury good and its consumption was reserved for the upper classes. It wasn’t until

the end of the 18th century when the British in India began producing the drug in mass quantities, which they exported mainly to China. The unprecedented growth in the number of people addicted to opium had an extraordinarily negative impact on the Chinese economy, triggering the Opium Wars of the mid-19th century.

Opioids: natural and synthetic In 1804, German pharmacist Friedrich Sertüner was the first person to isolate mor-

Pharmacopeia

The main reason is the preference of patients for whom the use of cannabis is a more acceptable alternative, because it has less of an impact on their daily lives. The majority of patients suffering from chronic pain do not refrain totally from the use of opioids, but thanks to the use of cannabis they are able to significantly reduce their dosage – and thus their unwanted side effects.

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Why patients substitute opioids with cannabis

phine, which he later correctly identified as main source of the effects of opium. Incorrectly, and fatally to the discoverer, he assumed that morphine would be less addictive and have less toxicity than opium. Later other active ingredients – such as codeine, thebaine, paramorphine, etc. – were discovered. These natural components, together with dozens of synthetic ones which have been extrapolated in chemistry laboratories, are what we call opioids. The most common indication for the use of opioids in medicine is pain reduction, followed by cough suppression (codeine and its derivatives), and suppression of chronic diarrhea. While natural opioids are still in use, more often they are substituted by synthetCBD on its own seems ics (e.g. tramadol, fentanyl, etc.). to be a promising In addition to their drug – not only for high physical addictiverelief of physical ness and narrow therwithdrawal symptoms, apeutic scope (i.e., the difference between an but also in reducing effective and toxic dose), cravings. the biggest drawback to

opioids is the development of tolerance. It is not at all unusual for long-term users to require a dose which would be deadly for a first-time user. The majority of these medications also influence the production of various hormones, which can bring about sterility and osteoporosis, for example. During withdrawal spasms, serious damage to the digestive system can occur, especially to the pancreas.

A way out of the opioid epidemic According to global statistics on prescribing opioids as pain relief drugs, the USA is number one – by a huge margin. Since 1991, the number of annual prescriptions in the US has increased by 300 percent. Eventually 80 percent of the world’s production of legal opioids makes its way to the USA. The result is that the USA is at present fighting the largest drug crisis in its history. One hundred fifteen people die there daily on average due to reasons connected with the use of opioids, which is more than the number of people killed by guns or automobile accidents. Such high numbers are made possible to a large extent because •

Pharmacopeia

During the course of the first year after the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes, the number of people in those states who died of opioid overdoses fell by an average of 24 percent.

people who are addicted to legal analgesics (usually in the form of tablets) for whatever reason are not able to get a prescription for their next dose, so they look for it on the black market. However the price of such tablets is astronomical, which is why many turn to heroin and fentanyl, which are much cheaper, and which they inject intravenously. What is interesting, however, is that the number of victims of this epidemic is much lower in some states compared to others. And those are the states which allow (at least) the medical use of cannabis. Studies carried out in 2017 show that during the course of the first year after the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes, the number of people in those states who died of opioid overdoses fell by an average of 24 percent. A similar drop can be seen in the number of prescriptions for analgesics. Further studies in both the United States and Canada have shown similar numbers, time and time again.

Surprising synergy Subanalgesic doses of morphine do not influence pain perception. However, if they are used in conjunction with a below-threshold dose of THC, the drugs achieve a strong analgesic effect. This synergy was noted in patients who vaporize cannabis in a 2011 study by the renowned American oncologist Donald Abrams. In addition, it has also been shown that such below-threshold dose of cannabis in no way influences the ability of the body to process opioids (i.e. it does not increase their effectiveness by slowing down their breakdown and elimination), which is crucial from the safety perspective.

The synergetic effect is likely created via the complex interaction of CB1 and opioid receptors in the brain. Preclinical studies on animals have shown that administering HU-310 (a synthetic cannabinoid similar to THC) with opioids reduces increasing tolerance to their effects.

Cannabis therapy for opioid addiction Slightly more controversial is the use of cannabis (i.e. cannabinoids) for treating opioid addiction. Quality studies in this area are still lacking, though in practice it is evident that in some cases vaporizing cannabis can alleviate acute withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, digestion problems, pain and cramps. In other patients, however, the symptoms may increase. The deciding factor is likely the ratio of THC:CBD content; a higher CBD content is desirable. CBD on its own seems to be a promising drug not only for relief of physical withdrawal symptoms, but also in reducing cravings in addictions to various addictive substances – in addition to opioids, to amphetamines, alcohol and nicotine. On the other hand, THC (or cannabis with a high THC content) likely worsens symptoms in certain individuals. An increase in cravings and eventual relapse of addiction has been well-described in the use of several synthetic cannabinoids, which compared to THC have a much better capability to activate the CB1 receptor. Paradoxically, a synthetic analog to THC called dronabinol is being clinically tested now on people as a drug for acute withdrawal symptoms when weaning people from opioid addiction. Despite unwanted side effects (increase in heart rate), it is highly likely that the drug will be approved as a registered drug (in the USA it is being used in practice for treating nausea caused by chemotherapy). Whereas CBD, which has been given greater attention in reducing nausea, has not been officially clinically tested for this yet. • The author is a pharmacist.

YOUR PASSION OUR PASSION DUTCH PASSION www.dutch-passion.com

Animal Care Photo: unsplash.com

Caring for Bulldogs When I was growing up, we always had at least one dog at home, and my husband and I have maintained this tradition. Thanks to our first bulldog, my protracted illness and other things which were going on, we started to become interested in rescuing dogs who had been abused and who had never had the good fortune to live in a loving household.

ver time, a succession of about a dozen dogs – mostly French bulldogs – have come to our place, and those who clung to us the most remained with us permanently. We call it a bulldog ranch – a temporary refuge for dogs who are waiting for a new home with a kind master, and a permanent home for dogs who, due to their background, had a number of problems which ordinary veterinary care just could not handle. Through love, care and the help of various natural medicaments – including cannabis, of course – we have become permanent caretakers of dogs who would otherwise be locked up in kennels or cellars and condemned to a life of pain and fear. Below, we share three of our shared stories.

Olive – The first cannabis patient The first dog we had was Olive, a bulldog, who when our friend first brought her to us, comfortably fit in the palm of my hand. Our doubts about whether the puppy was old enough to be taken from its mother were soon confirmed: Olive was a runt, skinny, and had serious problems with her diges-

tion, which got so bad we had to take her in for an emergency operation, where they removed part of her intestines. At that time, it was a fairly rare operation on dogs, but the puppy luckily survived. Olive was the trailblazer for our canine journey – thanks to her we started to develop an interest in how dogs are treated in kennels where we live and how puppy mills operate. At the same time, we had to cure her health problems. Because of the reasons mentioned above, her gut flora had not developed, which led to permanently poor digestion. After the difficult operation we had to put her on a special diet in order for her wounds to heal. As is common with many puppy mill dogs, her vertebrae were fused in several places – which is not only painful, but there is also practically no cure. We first tried cannabis on Olive in the form of CBD oil, which we had to get from abroad. We used it for pain reduction and for sparking her appetite. The thing that worked best on her post-op scar which refused to heal proved to be homemade coconut oil-based cannabis salve.

text

Michaela Blumtritt

Animal Care

CBD drops heal dogs’ psychological wounds. Adela – Lady Bulldog With increasing frequency, we kept hearing stories about dogs who came from puppy mills and needed new owners and patient care. Our advice on treating with cannabis helped many others with diverse problems – most coming from mistreatment, poor diet and trauma. One day we saw an ad in which the lead photo showed a dog cowering in a dark, dank hole, covered in blood and filth: it was

clear that this would be an especially horrifying case. We got Adela right after she had given birth: her womb was swollen, and she had a long, deep wound on her back. She was so flea-bitten that her bites merged together to create one huge festering mass of eczema. The veterinarian estimated her to be one year old at most and said she had never been socialized. Whenever someone raised their voice, there was a sudden movement, or she encountered a strange man, she would get frightened, lose control of her bladder and hide under the furniture. We treated her skin with veterinary disinfectant shampoo, which must have stung •

Animal Care

Homemade cannabis salve worked the best on her post-op scar that refused to heal. like hell. After every bath we poured a cannabis decoction over her skin and I rubbed potent cannabis salve over the most painful places, including the wound on her hip. In the places which were not healing at all I used cannabis extract – it actually took us a long time to select and get hold of a strain that would have the right ratio of THC and CBD for dogs, in our case one that favored CBD over THC. Eventually, the extract from this strain helped us as well as many others. For her mental health, I gave Adela CBD oil. It helped her relax and sleep better without being constantly on guard. She stopped fighting with food and started gaining weight. Treatment – from the time of her worst condition up to when her fur was healthy, her wound was healed, and her trust in us and our closest friends was on a good level – lasted half a year. Unfortunately, the torture she experienced finally caught up with her. After about three years of a happy life with us, Adela began to suffer from epileptic fits, evidently the result of older head or spinal trauma. Veterinary medicines did not help: the exact cause of the fits could not be determined, so they could not be relieved. Through the help of cannabis, we were able to significantly reduce the fits, thanks to a strain with a low THC content. We also used touch techniques and paw pressure points according to Rudolf Desenský’s method, which also significantly reduced the severity of the fits. In spite of all this, the fits increased, and sadly, Adela passed away about a year later in the futile fight against their repercussions.

Emma – Our last bulldog friend (so far!) Emma was an English bulldog whose mission in this life on this earth was to keep giving birth to puppies. For roughly her first six years, she lived in a pigpen where hun-

dreds of dogs were packed together in kennels, living on grain, grass and occasional scraps of food. Every time she was in heat, she was let out, in order to give birth to another cash crop. Bulldogs rarely give birth without complications, so most of the births were via caesarean section with the help of a village vet. Emma was extremely malnourished, she had several wounds on her belly and hips which had healed very badly after the caesarean sections, and she had a huge tumor which was swollen and abscessed. She had lost almost all her teeth. Her legs and back had been deformed by a life lived within one square meter. To get such a dog back on her feet was a real job, not only in terms of time, but also because it was a drain on one’s psyche, as it was a rude awakening as to how inhuman people can be. Again, I healed wounds with cannabis salve and cleansed the tumor (which had to be operated on) with cannabis extract. CBD drops accompanied Emma throughout her whole life, because her mental health was never completely well. In the last year of her life she suffered from senile dementia and fits, she would get lost in the flat, and she also lost a lot of weight. Hempseed oil helped with her appetite; I gave her stronger CBD oil (10%) when I saw one of her fits coming on, without which she would pace through the house all night in confusion. I’m convinced that it also helped her cope with the joint and back pains she suffered during her old age. Emmy died last December after being with us for more than six years. I believe that all the dogs which we have cared for finally found some contentment and peace. My basic recipe for gaining the trust of a wounded canine soul? Love, good quality meat – and cannabis. •

Note: If you are looking for the right strain for your dog’s needs, consult a veterinarian with experience, and patronize our advertisers! There are lots of seed companies offering a huge variety of available strains.

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Medical Strains

Kannabia Seeds is a Spanish seed bank that has gained an outstanding global reputation over the years. Their seeds are the result of intense selection, with many years of work dedicated to stabilizing genetics and adapting strains to the needs of cannabis growers. In recent years, they have also come up with remarkable medical varieties rich in CBD – such as Swiss Dream Rosé Auto and BCN Diesel.

Kannabia Seeds Photo: Kannabia Seeds

Photo: Kannabia Seeds

Genetics:

Indica-dominant hybrid

Flowering:

63–65 days

Type:

Autoflowering

THC:

< 0,6%

CBD:

17%

THC/CBD

1:30

Analysis results: THC: 0.55% CBD: 16.87% CBN: < 0.1% CBG: < 0.1%

SWISS DREAM ROSÉ AUTO CBD Great muscular relaxation! Rosé, proud heiress of the legendary Swiss Dream CBD Auto, has low levels of THC and high CBD. As a result of crossing with Kush varieties, it has more indica morphology and medium height. The buds are tight and fat, with a striking purple color (hence its name). Rich in delicate aromas of conifers and red berries, contrasting with a well-balanced flavor between earthy and fruity. Rosé is endowed with incredible stability. Its resistance and low sensitivity to stress make it especially suitable for therapeutic cannabis growers with little or no experience. Fertilizing should be smooth but constant.

Genetics:

Sativa-dominant hybrid

Flowering:

55–60 days

Type:

Feminized

THC:

13%

CBD:

THC/CBD

2:1

Analysis results: THC: 13.28% CBD: 6.99% CBN: 0.16% CBG: 0.29%

BCN DIESEL CBD Beware, it may reach two meters high! This sativa-dominant CBD variety has a higher THC to CBD ratio at 1:2, making this strain suitable for daytime medical use. Its bright lime-green buds have a compact structure and tend to form round shapes without tips. BCN Diesel CBD is highly flavorful, with the characteristic citrus/fuel notes of the original Diesel, a famous medicinal strain from the USA. The effect is relaxing and long-lasting. This vigorous Barcelona strain is easy to grow and highly pest resistant. It is ready for harvest by the end of September.

Interview Photo: Cannabis Therapy

SCOTT BLAKEY It’s Been an Accidental Evolution

Interview

Scott Blakey, perhaps better known under his alias Shantibaba, is one of the pre-eminent breeders in the modern history of cannabis cultivation. He saw great medicinal potential in CBD-rich strains before medical users even knew what cannabidiol was. He was born in Australia, made a career in the Netherlands, and moved to Switzerland twenty-three years ago. On the terrace of his house with a breathtaking view of Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains, I had an amazing opportunity to interview this living legend, and it was both enlightening and highly entertaining.

Life must be really great here… I am hardly ever here, I am travelling basically non-stop because I don’t trust most people. I go straight to the source, I knock on doors and ask questions myself, even now. The advantage of being an Australian compared to most Europeans is that thousands of kilometers is nothing for us. I can get into my car, drive one thousand kilometers to have dinner, and then drive back the next day. In Europe, people don’t talk to each other even when they are only 100 kilometers away. But my power has always been finding people and putting them in the right place. During the past six months I have been everywhere – Australia, Norway, Spain, Holland, even Portugal, where I’ve got a new license for a 500-hectare farm. Tomorrow I have some Australian guys coming who want me to sign a consulting contract with them. It’s just happening everywhere. You are one of the most famous cannabis breeders in the world, but when I tried to look you up on the Internet,

it was hard to find more than a handful of articles and videos. You don’t care much for crowds, fame, attention? Rather the opposite. People have to come to see me. I live in the back corner of Europe and I am quiet here. I write my articles, do my things, enjoy my kids who have grown up to the point where now I can “run around” a little bit more now. I think I am in a good stage of life when I can start re-enjoying myself, but no, I am not and nor have I ever been looking for fame. What does “Shantibaba” mean? Many years ago, I was in India at an ashram in Poona, attending what they called the multiversity there. I just had a motorbike and a girlfriend, and I used to smoke chillums with the saddhus. One day they started calling me Shantibaba because “shanti” means peace and “baba” means person, so Shantibaba equals peaceful man. They kept calling me “shanti, shanti, shantibaba”, so it somehow stuck with me. Later I started a company called Shantibaba Enterprises and I have been using it as my penname in •

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Luke Hurt

Interview Photo: Cannabis Therapy

[ On the terrace of Scott's house with a view of Lake Lugano.

magazines, etc. Also, the initials correspond to my real name, Scott Blakey – SB – Shanti Baba. The truth is that the vast majority of cannabis lovers know you simply as Shantibaba. I often meet people who say, “Hi Scott, nice to meet you,” and talk to me about a guy called Shantibaba, and I tell them, “You are not going to believe it, but that’s me,” and they go, “Nooo, he is six feet tall, he is a freaking mountain,” and I say, “Well, that was a few years ago.” When and why did you leave your country of origin? I left Australia a fair few times as a young university student to visit Asia and South America. I left for good in 1989; however, it wasn’t planned, I just wanted to travel the world for a year or so – like every other

Australian. But I fell in love with travelling, I started hitchhiking around Australia, then I went to Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, India, and ended up in Holland, where I started trading gemstones. Did you finish school before leaving Australia for good? I finished my studies at Melbourne University, where I did a Bachelor of Science in plant biology and sport psychology – I had a double major. Originally, I thought I would stick with psychology, but instead I started travelling. When you arrived in Holland for the first time, you had no intention to start growing and breeding cannabis? Not at all. I went from Delhi to Amsterdam in 1990, and I had the address of one friend in Leiden. So I tossed a coin as to whether I would go to a youth hostel in Amsterdam

Interview

I always choose flowers over animals – because animals age, but with plants, there is some longevity around them. or visit my friend, and Leiden won. Along the way I met so many funny characters, some of them helped me, they rented me a house and so on. That is how the story began – you think you are starting one thing and you end up doing fifty other things, and suddenly doors start opening and things start evolving. You weren’t selling cannabis seeds then, in the early 1990s? No, I was just collecting cannabis and other plant seeds, which I had started doing when I was a kid. And I still do, today I have some 50 different landrace seeds still to be worked on. And since I’ve always smoked cannabis, it was a natural thing for me to collect its seeds. How did the legendary Green House Seeds company come into existence? Arjan Roskam had already got one coffee shop in Tolstraat street when I first came to Amsterdam. Together with our partners we then built, decorated and opened up two more coffee shops. Then I wanted to start a seed company, so in 1992 we started outfitting a big farm outside of Amsterdam and in 1994 we founded Green House Seeds and hit the market with White Widow and all the other strains. Those were great times, but that’s all history now. So that was when you finally made use of your collection of seeds from all around the world? Seeds and plants. But there were many different people involved, lots of knowledge shared. These were the days of David Watson, Rob Clark, Nevil Schoenmakers and others. Everybody was sitting around, enjoying discussing breeding and coming up with new ideas, areas to visit to pick up seeds, and so on. The nineties were the gold-

en years in Amsterdam, it was fantastic. We were all friends, although we had some differences. You met Nevil Schoenmakers, who was also from Australia, before you met Arjan? First I met my girlfriend, who was working with Arjan, in 1990, and we all got together and worked together from 1992 to 1998, when I sold my share in Green House and moved to Switzerland. I met Nevil in Amsterdam the same year as Arjan, and we became really good friends because we had so many things in common – like breeding coy carp as well as different varieties of birds. But obviously your biggest hobby was cannabis. When you breed, you try to find the quickest way to second generation, so that you can see if your work has been successful. And cannabis ended up having the quickest turnaround. With animals, it takes a year to get to second generation. So that was a natural progression: cannabis became our main focus because we made money from it, we were good at it and we had a different taste. Super Silver Haze, Mango Haze, Critical Mass, White Rhino, White Widow, Great White Shark, La Nina – so many things came out of that time. I had all the building blocks to create all these strains and to this day I am still making strains for other seed companies because they know they get guaranteed quality, and I do all the hard work for them. Why did you sell your share in Green House Seeds and move to Switzerland in 1998? I didn’t really see Holland getting further than being a glorified dope dealing place, and I have always wanted the medical as- •

Interview

Scott Blakey (b. 1964) Scott Blakey, a.k.a. Shantibaba, is a legendary breeder and grower of cannabis from Australia. He has lived in Europe since 1990 – first until 1998 in the Netherlands and then in Lugano, Switzerland. The co-founder of the renowned Green House Seeds seed bank and the creator of famous strains such as White Widow has gradually become an advocate for the medicinal properties of cannabis. In 2007, he founded the CBD Crew seed bank and was the first in the world to breed and sell varieties with a high content of cannabidiol. His companies sell medical products made from his own cannabis in Colorado and Washington state, Switzerland, Spain, the Czech Republic and other European countries.

pect of this plant to come out. I was pretty strong about that. I hadn’t been to Switz erland before and I didn’t know anything about it when a group of Swiss people approached me. Two years before that, I met Howard Marks and, with Nevil contributing, we started Mr. Nice Seed Bank the same year when I left for Switzerland. Even though it was hard to go from such a big thing as Green House where we were the dream team, we had won everything – 28 Cups at that stage – it was the logical thing for me to do and it was better than where I was. Switzerland is more pharmaceutically oriented, and they had all the greenhouses, which I prefer over indoor growing. I like to turn off the sun rather than turn on light. It sounds like you didn’t do much planning before leaving for Switzerland, either. Have you ever thought that in a way, the cannabis plant is leading you? I feel that the plant has chosen me, my whole life. Of course, we are all responsible for our deeds, but I’ve often felt that I was an “accidental” hero because the plant chose me to do this and that. But no one is the “first” person, you inherit things down the line. Take cherry tomatoes – someone decided that was a good thing and commercialized it. It’s someone’s choice that we have certain things. If you look at agriculture and cannabis like that, we made a big difference in the world of marijuana in the nineties when we came out with the strongest THC plants

and made them stronger and stronger. But in a way we were our own worst enemies at that time, because we were hurting ourselves by making it too strong. This is where all the negative criticism came from – the young kids smoking strains containing 20 or more percent THC and then bang, they were having bad times. At that stage it was all about THC: even when I moved up here, we were working with high-THC plants until 2003. What exactly was your job in Switzerland when you first came here? I was working on the extraction of essential oils with absolutely no trace of THC because we were exporting it to the USA to body shops – twenty liters a month. We were the only ones doing this with flowers, using the whole plant. At that time, in 1998, nobody really understood what we were doing; it was basically steam distillation. Thanks to this contract we were able to run nine farms and were processing twenty tons of plant material every month. I used to go to work with a video camera and drive and then review it in the office later for quality control, because there was so much of it. A drone would have been great in those days. Was it a mere coincidence that Shantibaba moved to Switzerland, where not much was happening in terms of cannabis, and then some fifteen years later CBD-rich strains with less than one percent THC are legal and can be

1 Even hashish can be made from CBD-rich flowers.

Interview Photo: Cannabis Therapy

No one can really tell the difference between 0.3 and 1 percent THC anyway. Those rules are all arbitrary. bought at every gas station in every town in Switzerland? When I started CBD Crew with Jamie from Resin Seeds in 2007, everybody laughed at me, and we didn’t even know if we were going to survive, if anyone was going to buy CBD seeds. But in 2009 we went on the market and the next year I was making seeds for every other seed company. They were sending me their mother plants, which is unheard of in the seed bank business because the companies don’t share their mother plants. But they sent them to me because they wanted me to “CBDize” their most popular strains. At that stage no one knew how to do it, and we did it first and we had all the business, and we still do to this day.

As regards the CBD boom in Switzerland, the reason why CBD came here was probably pretty much because of me, I was bringing a ton every month from my farm in America four years ago already. This is no longer possible. I knew about the one percent THC law here and, since my cannabis in America was under 0.3 percent, I realized I could import it to Switzerland because there was more of a market for my product than in America, where the market was flooded. It was a no-brainer for me, so I just got all the permits from the Department of Agriculture and so on and started bringing in tons. I was the first one on the market, and my product was in the first CBD cigarettes. •

Interview Photo: Cannabis Therapy

I remember European newspapers publishing stories a couple of years ago about “marijuana cigarettes” sold in Swiss supermarkets such as Lidl. Yes, that was me partnering with the Heimat company. I always try to innovate, and I know when I’ve got a good product. It’s nice to see how Switzerland became a bit more lenient with the one percent THC rule because no one can really tell the difference between 0.3 and 1 percent anyway. Those rules are all arbitrary. What brought your attention to CBD more than twenty years ago? There were not so many studies back then and nobody was talking about it. There were no studies, we were just looking for something different. I had some problems in Switzerland in 2003 when I ended up in jail because some farmers who were under contract with us were selling some stuff and

I was the person responsible for everything. In prison, I had time to think and I realized I am not going to leave the plant, so I need to reinvent a way to do it legally – but at the same time, to make sure we don’t lose integrity along the way. And as it happens, one thing led to another – a friend told me he tested one plant and how interesting it was. He said: “Scott, maybe you should look into it.” So I did, and decided to breed it, and that is how we started. We didn’t have any money We were our own in the beginning, for two years we didn’t sell a sin- worst enemies at that gle seed because no one time by making our wanted CBD, most people plants too strong. didn’t even know what it was. But then some studies started to come out, and I was already working with some PhD students from universities and we had made a few inroads, we did understand a few things about this plant,

Interview

I can get into my car, drive one thousand kilometers to have dinner, and then drive back the next day.

0 Everyone should have THC as well as CBD available, not just one of them.

and all of a sudden, Charlotte’s Web came on the market in the States. Which I sometimes think was one of our seeds, but you never know. Anyway, that’s not important, everyone is doing good work. Around the time, there appeared another phenomenon in the cannabis world – “Rick Simpson oil”, which was supposed to be the strongest possible THC extract. Have you had any personal experience with it, and what do you think about preferring one cannabinoid over another? Of course, I knew about it; I’ve met Rick Simpson a few times as well. Right at the beginning it was hard to say how much you needed of what. The thing was, and I still maintain it today, the plant is the recipe. We are just trying to replicate what we’ve found. You find a certain plant and that does something to you and then we work backwards – how much THC is in it, how much CBD, which terpenes are there, which flavonoids and other compounds. And we work out the combination that makes us feel good. However, we haven’t been able to measure everything, so as the technology gets better, we can measure things like how many terpenes there are and in what quantity, and so on. I have always thought the whole plant is the recipe, and I still maintain that to this day. Which are your favorite CBD strains today? Yummy, Recovery and Therapy – these are the strains I use for production in the US. Of course, in my seed business I have 45 different mothers – all the THC and CBD stuff, but in the production in America I use mainly these three varieties rich in CBD. I grow them in Colorado and Oregon, and in Washington state I also grow THC-rich plants,

such as Super Silver Haze and Critical Mass. Then I bring my CBD plants from Colorado and Oregon to Washington and I can make the 1:1 THC/CBD products there, which is what I recommend. Everyone should have THC as well as CBD available, not just one of them. For me the 1:1 ratio is the answer to so many things. And then terpenes make a big difference. Today science is slowly catching up with what I believed many years ago, and thanks to science I can finally prove it. I have gone from the subculture of cultivation to a businessman and a scientist, I suppose. It looks like the world has changed. Yes, and I am glad that I just persisted, that’s all. At least there are a good few varieties in the world that came from our camp. Now you have cannabis businesses all around Europe and in three states in the US. What about South America, have you been there? Have you thought about starting a business there too? I have been there, but I am concentrating on my high-end products, not on taking over the world. South America is good, but they are a long way behind with growing. If I went there, I would be going backwards. Europe and North America have been the breeding grounds for me where I can test everything and where I have been successful. Where do you keep all your famous genetics? In one place or all around the world? If I told you that, I would have to kill you and eat you alive, but I am a vegetarian, so I am not going to do that (laughs). The truth is I keep a copy of my genetics in America, a copy in Spain, a copy in Germany, one in Switzerland and one in another country. I don’t trust anyone; I am a bit of a control •

Interview

freak in this sense, because those plants have been alive longer than my kids – most of them are from 1992. Sometimes I even tell my kids that I am going to see my “real” girls if they don’t stop with their nonsense. But that’s only teasing, of course. I have also inherited a lot of plants from Nevil which originated already in the eighties, so they are probably older than you.

called Dr. Nice. We had to reinvent ourselves because obviously feminized and autoflowering seeds took a huge share of the market. But there are still breeders who are looking for original male plants, and they come to me. I believe Mr. Nice has one of the best reputations in the seed business, but it is far from a commercial thing. It’s kept alive for people who care.

You have always maintained that you prefer regular seeds over feminized. Why is that? Mr. Nice is probably the only seed company that sells only regular seeds. Regular seed is still a bred seed. You need male and female. You are looking for different characteristics and traits and you are blending them and doing the right work. Feminized seed, on the other hand, is what I call a production seed. When you find a good female and you want to replicate it for commercial purposes, then you produce a large amount of seeds, but there is no breeding involved. Mr. Nice’s philosophy was to keep old-school genetics alive, and that means keeping male and female alive. That is why we don’t sell any feminized or autoflowering seeds. Autoflowering is what I call population breeding because you can’t keep parent plants alive. I make feminized and autoflowering seeds for other companies, I just don’t work with them myself. Only CBD Crew strains come in feminized versions because they are intended for sick people, and me and Howard thought that growing from regular seeds would be harder for them. In this case it made sense to produce and sell feminized seeds. I just don’t want feminized or autoflowering plants in my breeding populations because they reverse a lot of our work. It’s neither a true male nor a true female, and with it you are slowly breeding in different things we were breeding out for many years. From that point of view, the purest are plants from regular seeds. But I make them for others, some very good feminized versions, although it is true that not every strain feminizes so well.

What do you think about one of the latest trends when it comes to seed banks selling male pollen? I’ve tried it, and it has a very quick use-by date. Years ago with Nevil, we used to send pollen around to different countries. Selling it by grams – what a job… It worked in limited ways, but it was difficult. Until you’ve got tissue culture, cryogenics and all of that working on your side, I don’t think it’s very useful. It can be used in the agriculture industry where they have all the technology.

Is Mr. Nice Seed Bank’s philosophy successful? We are still alive, and we celebrated twenty years with a new line of medical products

Do you work with tissue cultures and cryogenics? I have access to it in Holland and Switzerland, and we’ve definitely tried a lot of tissue culture stuff for the last several years. I am following everything that’s going on. What do you think about the indica/ sativa concept? Isn’t it outdated in the light of what we know now about cannabinoids and terpenes? I have never looked at the plant in terms of indica and sativa, rather in terms of building blocks – Afghani, Thai, Nepalese, Indian, South American. Who knows what the pure breed was? Cannabis has been around longer than humans. I mean, how far can the bumblebee fly? There were definitely landraces and pockets in Burma, Cambodia, I have always thought Laos and other places, but in most places, there the whole plant is the was some THC inbred recipe. throughout history because people were trading it and looking for the high. So, it is really hard to say such and such is a pure indica or pure sativa. This classification is just a human thing. We only do it to try to compare our notes and do other breeds, but nature

Interview Photo: Tereza Jirásková

Some of my mother plants have been alive longer than my kids. actually doesn’t give a rat’s ass about it. Species evolve naturally; with cannabis we may just have hurried it up and catalyzed things. What is your preferred method of cannabis consumption today? Orally. Of course, I use my own CBD products, such as vapes and liquids. Do you think that CBD will play an important role in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19? In my years of experience with cannabis and the various strains and the various compounds sought after and synthesized, the body benefits most definitely from using cannabis versus not using cannabis. We have receptors and an entire endocannabinoid system in the body for using cannabis. This tells me that the body homeostasis

is balanced when it has been satisfied with [ CBD Crew the elements it uses once we ingest canna- at Cannafest, Prague bis. CBD is a well-known anti-inflammatory – as is CBG. I take my own Rebound and Rebound Plus pills daily and use my own Flucann lozenges if I start to feel a sore throat coming on... And these all help me in mind and body while keeping my immune system strong. So to simplify my answer to whether CBD helps with coronavirus – well, it is a definitive yes in my opinion. Since cannabis helps me already all my life with so many other issues both physical and mental, I keep it close at all times. To conclude, I would state that cannabis has made me a better person and strengthened my body and mind, while keeping me free from side effects. I only use cannabis and tea tree oil for all my ailments and avoid using anything else if humanly possible. •

You think you are starting one thing and you end up doing fifty other things, and suddenly doors start opening and things start evolving.

How about your children and cannabis life, does it go together? How did you educate them in this regard? I put my kids through college and everything, so I think it’s all good. It’s very hard to make rules for parenting and decide what’s right and wrong. I’ve always told them to find something they are passionate about and follow it because then it becomes an enjoyable thing to get up in the morning and go through your day. And you really need that. Because after ten years of something you can be either half-dead or double alive. I still jump out of my bed every day even with my old back and all the aches and pains, but I love what I do and I can’t wait. But waking up to some office job, getting into a car and putting on a suit – oh, I just wouldn’t fit in that world. What about making money as a way of life? I have never tried to be greedy, you know – taking more than you really need. I have met a lot of greedy people along the way and I still do, but I recognize them a bit quicker nowadays. It has been only a few years since Howard Marks passed away, and now Nevil in 2019. How do you reflect on your cooperation within the cannabis legalization movement? Of course, I miss them most. It’s a mortality check. No doubt we are getting older. Looking at my kids I can see it already. But when I look at my plants, I don’t feel any older, because they look the same to me. That’s why I always choose flowers over animals – because animals age, but with plants, there is some longevity around them.

What are your brands at the moment? CBD Crew, Shantibaba Seeds, Mr. Nice Seed Bank, Dr. Nice CBD products and the newest addition are the Prague-based companies called Sciva Corporation and Sciva International. When I have been looking around Europe for some good laboratories, good GMP facilities and good people to work with during recent years, naturally I went to the Czech Republic. For me, Czechs are the same as Germans and the Dutch in a way that they get things done; however, Czechs do it with a little bit more humanity and passion. They’ve got a bit more heart involved when it comes to cannabis. It’s not just money, it’s not just technology, and it’s not just proving the scientific point. It’s the whole combination of everything and being human about how we can move this thing forward. Because there are no set rules – they’ve been writing them ever since I started in this business, and they’re still writing them to this day. Anyway, I like to work with companies that are like-minded, professional, with GMP backing, scientific laboratories, certifications and legal stuff. And I met a lot of these people in Prague, funnily enough. By the way they are all women and they are amazing. They have really revived the innovation genie that I have inside me to find a new product and to go forward and formulate the recipe. We’ve worked a lot, and my base products are consistent now and I can replicate them again and again. Without knowing it, I built up the whole of my plants’ stuff, my seeds’ stuff, I’ve got everything selected, made the production, got the extraction, and now I’ve put it together with a Czech company to make it into finished products ready for the European and world markets. It’s just been an accidental evolution, that’s all. It’s been a pleasurable ride. Have you thought about writing a memoir? I had thought about it when I was with my ex-girlfriend in Spain who is a writer and film editor. She’s already started to write something, but then I realized I need to be finished with what I am doing before I can write about it. As the saying goes: When you are finished, write a book. But I am not finished yet, I am still a youngster at 56. •

CBD Gandhi

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world” Feminized Hempseeds CBD : 8 to 12% THC : >0.2%. With a fruity aroma and a strong dense series of flowering clusters, this plant is a wonderful sight to behold in a flowering field. Developed by Shantibaba (CBD Crew & Mr.Nice Seeds) and his partners, through experience and hard work.

Available through: shop.mrnice.nl More information: www.mrnice.nl .

VapoReviews

Volcano Hybrid:

Thick clouds with no ash For all you vapeheads and inhalers out there, welcome to part one of a new series on vaporizers, where we will profile the most bodacious vapes.

T text

Vapor Guru

he Volcano Hybrid is a tabletop model, quite a robust machine for home use. It’s made for our pleasure in Germany by the experts at Storz & Bickel. The first Volcano vaporizer hit the market way back in 2000, and since then the firm has proven time and time again that it certainly knows what it is doing. We can find the Volcano in healthcare facilities: the Medic versions of the tabletop Volcano and the Mighty portable vaporizer are medically approved as aids for inhaling medical cannabis in Europe, Canada and Israel.

Photo: Storz & Bickel

The new Volcano keeps its titular shape, just like its predecessors, the Classic and the Digit. Unlike them, the Hybrid’s functions are run by touch buttons integrated into the display, where you can set the temperature and turn on or off the fan for filling the balloon with vapor. The other way of operating the Volcano Hybrid is by connecting it to a smartphone via Bluetooth – all you have to do is download the app for Android or Storz & Bickel’s web app which is also a substitute for the banned iOS app. Via the apps, you have complete access to the vaporizer’s settings, including tweaks such as timed automatic shut-off and adjusting the brightness of its display. Let me save you some trouble by revealing that the code for pairing the device is located underneath the machine.

New: Balloon plus tube kit The previous versions of the Volcano were constructed only for inhalation via a balloon – and here is the biggest change in the Hybrid: now you can switch out the balloon and vaporize via a tube. This will be appreciated by anyone and everyone who prefers to vape directly from the chamber. Using the tube is also great for reducing noise – since the fan is not on and there’s no

VapoReviews

Volcano Hybrid quickly reaches the pre-set heat and then gives you the maximum clean taste of fluffy vapor.

Volcano Hybrid – Technical Specs

Heating

convectional (hot air)

Temperature

40–230 °C / 104–446 °F

Power Source

electric – plugs into the wall socket

Pre-Heat Time

1–2 minutes

Chamber

1 gram capacity

Dimensions

200 × 180 × 180 mm (77/8 × 7 × 7 in.)

Weight

1800 g (4 lbs.)

Pluses:

Minuses:

uick heating weight + qclean − price + balloonvapor − plus tube kit +

Accessories What else is included in the package with your new Volcano Hybrid? In addition to the vaporizer itself and its power cord, you get four balloons for vapor, the tube kit for the other way to vaporize, the filling chamber with accessories, a spare air filter and a quality grinder.

rustling from the balloon, you can watch your movies in comfort. Of course, using the balloon has its own perks, especially when you have more “vapeheads” on hand to pass the balloon around.

Better chamber and pre-heat speed The German engineers have managed a masterstroke in the placement of the herb chamber. In the previous versions, multiple vape sessions posed a problem. The chamber got so hot that it was no longer possible to hold it in your hand – now that trouble is gone, thanks to the chamber being placed in an extended plastic body with vents. Now you can comfortably refill the chamber repeatedly, and no burnt fingertips! Another significant improvement is in the speed it takes to heat up. For example, the Digit model took 3–5 min to heat up, whereas the Hybrid won’t even let you make a bathroom stop, as it can be ready to go within 40 or 60 seconds in my experience. And while we’re on the subject of heating, it works on the good old convection principle (hot air). And since your hit oughta be nice and fresh, the Hybrid has a bigger air filter, which can be taken out and cleaned, or even replaced to ensure only the best va• porizing experience.

VapoReviews

Controls You turn the Volcano Hybrid on and off via the HEAT button on the machine or via the Android or the web app – the apps show the same display. The figure below is the set temp and above it is the actual temp. You can set your Hybrid for between 40–230 °C (104–446 °F). Once the vaporizer reaches the set temp, press the AIR button – this activates the fan which pushes the vapor into the balloon. Pressing the AIR button again turns off the fan in order to remove the filled balloon. The vapor can be stored in the balloon for almost an hour, without losing any of its potency; the patented valve takes care of everything for you. If you decide to vaporize through the hose, all you have to do is set the temp and vape. Best in its class Overall opinion? Though it might seem too heavy for some, for me its slight heft is okay and comes with the territory of stabilizing a tabletop vaporizer – you wouldn’t want such a gem to shatter on the floor!

Photo: Storz & Bickel

Preparing the contents The Volcano can be used with both dried herbs and herbal extracts. The chamber can hold up to one gram of dried material. If you want to vaporize extracts, then there is a small drip pad for insertion into the chamber, onto which you can add drops of extract. If you don’t have such high needs and a smaller amount of herbs would suffice, there is also an insert which reduces the volume of the chamber. In order to prepare the contents properly, the high-quality grinder which comes in the package will serve you well. This is a fantastic grinder; it’s light and it grinds extremely fine, making it an essential component of my basic vaporizing gear.

The enlarged, adjacent filling chamber body allows you to comfortably refill herbs again and again… The vaporizer quickly reaches the pre-set heat and then gives you the maximum clean taste of fluffy vapor which you can take hits of via the balloon, or through the tube. The slightly noisy fan which fills the balloon does take a little bit of getting used to. The enlarged, adjacent filling chamber body allows you to comfortably refill herbs again and again and because “you can’t stop progress”, you can also control the vaporizer via an app. The Volcano Hybrid is the most expensive tabletop vaporizer on the market today, but because the manufacturers stand by their volcano, they offer a three-year warranty. If a higher power forces the machine to go awry afterwards, it can be serviced and repaired directly by the manufacturer. I really enjoy my evenings with my volcano, and it doubles as a handy paperweight and groovy LED lamp. Wishing you all massive explosions of vapor! •

with voucher code:

Your Turn

WHAT We asked our readers what they think of CBD and CBD products.

Dita CBD is important; I work in psychiatry and I would welcome it with open arms if they prescribed that instead of some of those other meds!

ARE YOUR Leni CBD is great – it’s helped a ton with my multiple sclerosis, cramps, sleep, pain and depression. And I could write a book on my digestion problems alone. Thanks to CBD I’m living, as opposed to just existing!

John CBD cannabis helps me a lot with pain and muscle relaxation. In my experience, an equal 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD works best. It even helps me with the tingling I have in my extremities after a serious head injury I had, and thanks to it I have no problems going to sleep.

Liam I used THC cannabis for years, but now it’s not doing me much good. I’m really happy I found CBD cannabis, which I’ve got growing in my garden. CBD cannabis keeps me calm and gives me a good night’s sleep.

Michael After working out it’s the greatest, it loosens me up. Also, I never have to worry about taking it and then getting behind the wheel. And it’s absolutely ideal as a sleep aid.

Your Turn

EXPERIRose CBD oil should be given to everybody, the whole population, as mandatory – for prevention. My experience? It’s been keeping my gravely ill mother alive for weeks.

Martin CBD helps my arthritis and my wife with her epilepsy. Since my wife started taking it, her seizures have almost disappeared.

ENCES

WITH CBD? Tanya I use it for musculoskeletal cervical pain and immunity: I’ve been off painkillers 6 months. And I also give my four-legged friend CBD for his skin problems, to calm him, and for immunity.

Matthew CBD is a step in the right direction to destigmatizing cannabis as a whole. More and more people are using CBD for insomnia and anxiety, instead of sleeping pills and antidepressants. Personally, it came in most handy when I hurt my ankle – the pain brought tears to my eyes when I had to get up and walk to the bathroom. After a few tokes, the pain was bearable.

Vern CBD helped my dad after his stroke. He stopped having fits, his hands stopped trembling, and it helped his memory.

Gardener’s Guide Photo: unsplash.com

Correct watering does not only consist of mixing water and fertilizers according to the instructions on the label. There is a bit more behind the preparation of a well-rounded diet for our plants than it might seem at first glance.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Watering

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Filip Ostrowski

lants are capable of creating their own food from inorganic sources available to them. Using energy obtained from light, they convert carbon dioxide and mineral ions into more complex organic compounds. The plants absorb the carbon dioxide through their leaves with the help of tiny pores called stomata, which at the same time allow the evaporation of excess water from the plant. The evaporated water is replenished by plants from the soil through the roots.

Constant water cycle The evaporation process – transpiration – is indispensable for the movement of water in plants. The amount of evaporated and absorbed water depends on many factors, although the plants are able to regulate the amount of water absorbed to some extent by means of various refined mechanisms. The main external factors influencing transpiration are temperature, humidity and air movement around the plant, as well as the intensity of light.

Gardener’s Guide

WATERING temp. 20–25 °C / 68–77 °F pH 5.5–6.5

Ilustration: Lazybastard.cz

YOUNG SEEDLINGS EC 0.5–1.3 mS low water and nutrient intake

Correct watering

VEGETATION/GROWTH PHASE FLOWERING PHASE EC 1.3–1.7 mS EC 1.3–2.0 MS high water and nutrient intake gradually decreasing intake of water and nutrients

As the plants gradually grow in size, their leaves are able to evaporate more water, and thus absorb more water from the roots. The water in the substrate contains not only hydrogen and oxygen molecules but also many mineral ions, which serve the plants as a source of nutrients. Due to the different concentration of minerals in the water inside the plant and around the roots, a phenomenon known as osmosis can occur. Osmosis is a type of passive transport in which a solvent, in this case water, passes through a semipermeable membrane from a space with a less concentrated solution to an environment with a more concentrated solution. Thanks to the simultaneous action of all these factors and forces, the plant maintains a constant water cycle, and with it a supply

of nutrients. The water content in plants is between 60 to 90 percent of their total weight; the plant will perish if the water saturation of its tissue falls below 50 percent. When watering, you can add specialized fertilizers to the water which can positively affect the plants’ health and the quality of the harvest. When preparing the mixture, you need to pay attention to several rules so as not to disturb the balance of the complex organic system.

Water of life Before deciding on which cultivation technique you want to use, it might be a good idea to take into account the source of water at your disposal. In general, untreated water from natural sources, such as wells and lakes, and/or rainwater is suitable for growing in soil and other organic substrates. The microorganisms present in such water will contribute to the rich microbial life in the soil and improve the nutrient uptake by the roots. •

Gardener’s Guide Photo: unsplash.com

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The pH value needs to be measured every time you add fertilizers, because they can often drastically affect the resulting acidity. On the contrary, growing systems using materials such as mineral wool, perlite and clay pebbles, which are of purely inorganic origin and do not contain any nutrients, are very sensitive to the presence of unwanted microorganisms in the watering solution. For these cultivation methods, it is better to purify natural water using special filters – or choose tap water, but beware of chlorine! See the spotlight on the opposite page.

Water hardness and EC In addition to organic impurities, water can also contain inorganic substances, most often various positively charged ions of these substances. These can be beneficial in small amounts for your plants, especially calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions, which are essential for proper plant nutrition. Conversely, free ions of other substances, such as chlorine (Cl+) and sodium (Na+), have a negative effect on plants. A good example of water not suitable for watering is sea water, which contains a very high amount of chlorine and sodium ions in the form of salt. Increased amounts of calci-

um and magnesium can be found in underground water sources; these minerals are also added to tap water. Exact determination of all the impurities in the water would require laboratory analysis, but there is a handy solution for home growers: a device called an EC meter, which measures the electrical conductivity (EC) of water or a nutrient solution. The more inorganic substances are in the water, the greater the conductivity of the solution. Distilled water, which is freed of all impurities by filtration, will have an EC value of zero millisiemens (0 mS). Rainwater also has a zero ion content. Water from the tap and water from wells and other natural sources may have a different EC range. Growers often mistakenly consider high EC water to be hard, and low EC water to be soft. Water hardness is defined by the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium ions, without taking into account other impurities that have effect on increasing EC. Needless to say, adequate amounts of calcium and magnesium benefit plants, and growers sometimes even add them to the watering solution.

Gardener’s Guide

If your water source has EC values of 0.5 mS and higher, use specialized fertilizers for hard water or consider the purchase of a reverse osmosis filter, which will remove all impurities from the water. If the EC value of your water is higher than 1 mS, water treatment is necessary. However, remember to add magnesium and calcium back to the treated water– or use fertilizers intended for use with distilled water.

Fertilizers and pH The acidity of fluids is commonly described by pH values, with the number 7 describing the neutral state. For the correct function of plant roots, a slightly acidic environment with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 is most suitable, depending on the chosen growing medium and the method of irrigation. Litmus papers or an electronic pH meter can be used to measure pH. The pH value needs to be measured every time you add fertilizers, because they can often drastically affect the resulting acidity of the mixture. It is not good to mix fertilizers and additives from different manufacturers. At first glance, they may appear similar in composition and dosage, but the recipes are different and such an imbalanced mixture could hurt the plants rather than help. Before measuring, always let the watering solution rest for 20–30 minutes so that the pH values stabilize, and only then, if necessary, adjust the acidity of the solution. In circulatory systems, where unused watering is returned to the irrigation tank, pH control and maintenance is essential for the success of the entire growing operation. Watering frequency and the ratio of fertilizers The frequency and amount of watering varies according to the growing method or system you are using, but in general, several rules apply. Young plants and clones need a sufficiently moist substrate for the proper development of their root systems but should not be overwatered. At the same time, seedlings are not able to absorb a solution which is too concentrated. Therefore, in the first phase of growth, go for more frequent irrigation

Beware of chlorine and chloramine The trouble with tap water is in the presence of chemical cleansers which are added in public water treatment plants to improve water quality. The most fundamental issue for growers is the presence of chlorine. It not only kills both harmful and beneficial microorganisms but also has a negative effect on root growth and function during long-term exposure. The good news is that chlorine can be removed from water easily, by evaporation (up to 4 or 5 days; UV light, water circulation and aeration will speed the process up) or by boiling (6–8 minutes); the bad news is that nowadays it is being replaced by the more stable chloramine. And chloramine can only be removed with the help of a special filter or a chemical dechlorinating agent.

The more inorganic substances are in the water, the greater the conductivity of the solution.

with a smaller amount of water and with no or next to no fertilizers. As the plants gradually grow in size, their leaves are able to evaporate more water, and thus absorb more water from the roots. Their demand on the amount of nutrients also increases, so watering can contain a larger proportion of fertilizers. In the flowering phase, plants need a different composition of nutrients, so it is advisable to choose a brand with fertilizers that distinguish between recipes for growth and flowering. As the plants gradually mature and naturally lose their leaves, their ability to transpire also decreases, and they require less fluids. Many growers strongly believe in the benefits of a simple technique called flushing. In the last few days or weeks, they only water the plants with clean water to rinse away excess minerals and improve the taste of the buds. There have been long-standing disputes among growers over whether this method is really effective. No matter whether or not you flush, be sure you nourish your plants with care and precision! •

DIY

A quality make-up remover is essential for every woman – ideally one from hemp! Why? Its active ingredients have a wide range of beneficial effects, including antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. The first step on the path to clear skin is preparing the key ingredient – cannabis extract.

Cosmetic extract and make-up remover text

Michaela Sucha

CANNABIS EXTRACT FOR COSMETIC PURPOSES

In extraction for cosmetic purposes, food-grade alcohol or various oils are usually used. Extraction with pentylene glycol is less common, but it has its pluses. Pentylene glycol is a synthetic humectant with antibacterial effects. It also allows oils to be evenly dispersed in water. Most importantly, it has great extraction properties – equal to or better than alcohol or ethanol (when heated to 70–80 °C / 158–176 °F).

Dry herbs need to be ground, cooked, and extracted for 15 minutes in a ratio of dried herbs to pentylene glycol of 1:9. The extract can be added to skin, body and haircare cosmetics in a 1–5% concentration. Its concentration in aqueous cosmetic products may be up to 5%; in emulsions (creams) only to a maximum of 2%, to avoid breakdown of the emulsion.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

5 5 g (0.2 oz) dried hemp (ideally high in CBD) 5 45 g (1.6 oz) pentylene glycol

1 2

EQUIPMENT

5 grinder/shredding mill 5 ceramic mixing bowl 5 cooking vessel 5 cheesecloth 5 scale

Grind the hemp buds – the finer, the better. Put the ground hemp and pentylene glycol (1:9) into the bowl and heat in a double boiler. Do not bring the water to a boil – tiny bubbles are enough. Once the water starts to bubble gently, slightly reduce heat and let the mixture cook for 15 minutes. Remove the bowl and allow the extract to cool. After cooling, filter it through the cheesecloth.

DIY

Ilustration: Lazybastard.cz

TWO-PHASE MAKE-UP REMOVER

Two-phase products visibly contain both the oil- and the water-based phases. Their manufacture is simple, and their effectiveness and quality match any OTC products. Glycerin hydrates the skin, while hemisqualane, a compound made from sugar cane on an ultra-light plant-derived oil base, perfectly cleanses the skin. The cannabis extract on the pentylene glycol base moisturizes the skin and nourishes it thanks to its many beneficial substances. This make-up remover is great for every skin type, including sensitive skin.

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

5 5 g (0.2 oz) glycerin 5 5 g hemp extract on a pentylene glycol base 5 20 g (0.7 oz) hemisqualane 5 0.6 g (0.02 oz) common Sensicare preservative 5 60 ml (2 oz) water 5 2 citric acid granules

Measure and add the extract, glycerin, hemisqualane and Sensicare directly into the bottle in any order. You can also use a beaker and then pour its contents into the bottle.

Pour water into the bottle and add the citric acid granules, because the preservative used only works at a pH lower than 7. (You can use any floral water instead of ordinary water, but then do not add the citric acid granules. Floral infused waters made via steam distillation are naturally more acidic.)

EQUIPMENT

5 100 ml (3.4 oz) bottle with a cap 5 scale 5 beaker The bottle and the beaker need to be disinfected, preferably with alcohol.

The make-up remover must be shaken before use. Apply it on make-up pads and cleanse the skin in a circular motion. Repeat until the pads come out clean.

70 70

Recipe

71 71

Recipe

Bhang is a spicy cult beverage originally from India, where it was drunk during Hindu rituals in order to deepen meditation and increase concentration. Its use has a sacred character – as a means of worshipping the god Shiva who brought cannabis from heaven, according to an Indian myth. Bhang is also used in traditional Indian medicine, or Ayurveda, to treat high blood pressure, digestion problems and insomnia. In the original recipe, powder from dried cannabis buds is mixed with spices in water or milk. Here we offer you a slightly improved vegan version, with ingredients which will warm your body and soul.

Bhang masala

Ingredients (4–5 persons): 3–5 grams (0.1–0.2 oz.) of dried cannabis (according to desired potency) 1 tablespoon of coconut oil 750 ml (3 cups) of almond or other vegetable milk 2 tablespoons of crushed almonds 150 g (½ cup) of honey or 100 g (½ cup) of coconut sugar 1 cm (½ inch) long piece of fresh ginger, sliced 1 teaspoon of rose water (not required)

Spices ground in a large mortar: ½ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon fennel, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon coriander, 5 black peppercorns, 2 whole cloves, 5 cardamom pods

1 2 3 4 5

Directions: First, decarboxylate the cannabis. Crush the dried buds by hand, place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and put into an oven preheated to 115 °C (240 °F). Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Grind the spices in the mortar and put them aside. Heat about 120 ml (½ cup) of the milk, dissolve the coconut oil into it, and add it into the mortar. Add the decarboxylated cannabis. Mix thoroughly for 10–15 minutes with a pestle; the idea is to create a liquid paste. In the meantime, on low heat, warm the rest of the milk with the ginger, ground spices, almonds and rose water (if desired). Cook the mixture for 8 minutes and then add the cannabis paste. After thoroughly mixing, let it cook for another 8 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve and add honey or sugar to taste. Spicy bhang, or bhang masala, is best enjoyed on cool evenings.

Cannabis Therapy tip: In place of almond milk, you can also use dried coconut or soymilk powder mixed with water. Available in health food stores everywhere.

Life with Cannabis

Buying CBD? How Not to Get Burned Legally available buds with a minimum of THC and a high CBD content are enjoying extraordinary attention from sellers and purchasers alike in many countries now. For the ordinary medical user, it can be hard to distinguish between the myriad of strains on the market. What should one look out for so as not to get burned?

text

Filip Ostrowski

Information first The first thing to do is to always buy from sellers who are completely open and honest about their goods, and eager to provide essential info. It’s a good idea to ask about the origin of the varieties on offer. In addition to the USA and Canada, the main exporters of CBD buds are Switzerland and Italy, but producers from other countries are catching up. When asked, the proprietor should let you look at the results of lab tests which they should have on hand in case of visits from state inspectors. You should check on at least two items in the lab documentation: the measured content of the most important cannabinoids, and the date the test was carried out. From the date you can figure out the approximate age of the dried buds and the regularity of sample control analysis. This is extremely useful information with respect to the volatility of several substances contained in the plant, as well as how much interest the proprietor really has in the goods they are selling. CBD buds come under many fancy names associated with legendary strains – this is mostly an advertising gimmick. If you ask what variety it actually is, you usually will

not get a clear answer. The truth is that the majority of growers make use of just a handful of proven strains for commercial purposes, because they require stable, reliable results.

Warning signs The most problematic development on the CBD bud market currently is dried plant material for sale which has already been used for extracting resin. In some countries, e.g. Italy and Switzerland, the limits for THC content are higher than elsewhere and so some opportunists have come up with a method of how to pad their pocketbooks… selling the buds in question twice! With the help of CO2 or alcohol extraction, the majority of the resin can be removed from the plant material, leaving the buds mostly intact, and reducing the cannabinoid content to almost zero. This kind of denuded cannabis is legal to sell in many countries, but cannabis of this sort has absolutely zero medicinal use. After extraction the buds will have a brown hue, including the stems and petals, and they will appear somewhat shriveled. If you took a magnifying glass to them, you could see the evident lack of intact trichomes.

Life with Cannabis Photo: unsplash.com

Buds which have been quality grown, processed and stored can be recognized by the deep green color of their petals. Another controversial technique is “improving” the aroma of the buds via various combinations of natural terpenes, because poorly handled or already extracted cannabis does not have a strong aroma. Terpenes are aromatic substances, and many experts are certain they play a key role in several therapeutic properties of cannabis. It is thanks to the terpenes that the plants captivate us with their special combination of sweet and harsh aromas, but the smell of gummy bears left on the backseat of your car on a hot day is not something you want to associate with your buds. There isn’t much research to date on the risk of inhaling vapor from terpene essences, but it is a factor that every experimenter should take into consideration. Don’t forget that at present, we buyers cannot easily nor reliably determine wheth-

er the goods in question contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, mold or pesticide residues without proper laboratory analysis. The presence of mold can sometimes be ascertained on dried buds with the naked eye. The warning signals are white “fluff” and colored flecks of an obviously different hue than the flowers and stems. Avoid such cannabis like the plague.

Follow your nose As opposed to the criteria mentioned above, which one could consider objective, choosing a specific product mostly comes down to personal preference. The anecdotal experience of many users and the most recent studies indicate a remarkable connection between how we like the smell of a certain strain and the effects which its use may have on us. If you have the •

Life with Cannabis Photo: unsplash.com

gether in larger quantities within a suitable container, away from heat and light. Only the amount necessary for a few days’ sales should be taken from said container at a time. Buds which have been quality grown, processed and stored can be recognized by the deep green color of their petals, sometimes reaching even purple hues. There can be many reasons for a brown or gray-green color, but this always means an inferior product. Buds should also have their proper humidity, which can be determined by seeing if they are sticky to the touch and slightly springy when pressed between thumb and forefinger. The optimum humidity for cannabis storage is approximately 50–60 RH, depending on the strain and the bud structure. A useful aid is a handheld magnifying glass with at least 300% magnification. With it, you can check the color and amount of the trichomes, which are the main source of the medicinal substances in cannabis. Trichomes look like tiny translucent hairs with spheres of resin at their tips. In mature cannabis, the resin should have a milky to golden color. At such magnification, one can also detect mold, which has the appearance of tiny white cobwebs.

Ideally, the seller should store buds together in larger quantities within a suitable container, away from heat and light. chance to sniff the buds before purchase, certainly take advantage of it, and choose your strain by smell. Also pay attention to the package in which the sample is sold and stored. Transparent packaging is not the most suitable, as it allows light to enter, degrading the sample. Plastic containers are unsuitable, because the buds inside can steam up. Packaging should be airtight in any case. Ideally, the seller should store buds to-

Buyers’ etiquette Despite being quite critical on several aspects of CBD cannabis for sale, it was not my goal to give the impression that you cannot find honest and trustworthy sellers. Many of them are true enthusiasts and are doing their best to find wiggle room within the narrow confines of not very well thoughtout legislation. Keep in mind a few unwritten laws when buying: Never manipulate the samples on display without prior permission, and neither buds nor containers should be placed directly under one’s nose. Evaluating the aroma can be done easily by sniffing from a distance. In closing, a word on e-shops and other forms of Internet sales. When buying online, one has limited possibilities of determining the quality of goods purchased, and so you should ask beforehand for laboratory certification and other information. •

PROFESSIONAL CANNABIS PRODUCTS THAT STAND ABOVE THE CROWD

• Flucann® vegan lozenges contain CBD and vitamin C to support the natural function of the immune system and to protect cells from oxidative stress. • 5mg CBD/CBDA in lozenge, packaging contains 6 or 12 lozenges. • Dosage: 1-6 lozenges/day (let it dissolve in your mouth every 2-3 hours). • Manufactured by Pharmaceutical EU GMP and FDA certiﬁed company. • Under Novel Food registration process by EFSA.

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What is your story? children exposed only to cannabis prior to birth were almost 50% better at global motion perception (gmp) tasks than children with no cannabis exposure. source: chakraborty, a. et al. prenatal exposure to recreational drugs affects global motion perception in preschool children. Scientific RepoRtS, 2015

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