New cannabis research roundup

you’re smoking a hybrid. Maybe choose a few upbeat songs for the first few, followed by slower ones that will hit when you start feeling the effects of that perfectly rolled joint you learned how to roll.

Resolution #3: Learn to make your own edibles

We all love edibles, although some of us love them more than others. So what could be better than spending a little time at the start of the new year learning how to make the perfect edible? There are tons of resources available online, and plenty of books cover how to make pretty much any kind of edible you crave.

Maybe you like peanut butter cookies with M&M’s but have never seen any infused ones for sale in your area. This is the perfect opportunity to come up with the best recipe and impress all your friends with your perfect cookies.

Maybe gummies are your thing, and you found the coolest T-rex mold on eBay that you’ve been dying to use. Why not do your part to bring the dinosaurs back from extinction with your own homemade gummies?

Resolution #4: Learn to grow your own weed

Have you toyed around with the idea of seeing how green your thumb actually is? Well, 2023 is the perfect time to test it out. But wait. Quick disclaimer: You will need some supplies to get this going, and it definitely isn’t the cheapest resolution, so make sure you’re well aware of that first. However, it might be the most rewarding.

Anyway, for starters, you are going to need a dedicated grow area with a grow light. Depending on the growing space’s temperature and humidity, you will also need climate control gear — fans, ACs, heaters, or dehumidifiers. To round it out, you will need some seeds, soil, and containers for your plants.

You can find many tips for growing online that will help you produce the best possible flower. Your first tries at it might not be the most successful, but with time, practice, and patience, you should be on your way to growing some great buds.

Just remember to brush up on the grow laws where you are at. Colorado allows up to six plants per person 21 and older, and up to three flowering at one time. But you should also remember that counties and municipalities can pass stricter laws. For instance, Denver limits home growing to 12 plants in a residence, even if there are three or more adults over the age of 21.

And, marijuana plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area that can’t be viewed openly. This means the plants can’t be outside.

In homes with residents under 21, any marijuana grow area must be enclosed and locked in a separate space that minors can’t access. Extra precautions must be taken at homes without residents under 21 to ensure any visiting youth don’t have access to marijuana plants. And don’t forget that none of your homegrown can be sold, so don’t even try it.

Resolution #5: Take a tolerance break

We know that taking a tolerance break sounds like the most challenging resolution you could possibly think of, but it can also be incredibly rewarding if you can make it through. After all, it is way too easy to end up with tolerance that’s through the roof if you are constantly partaking alone or with your friends.

Giving your body a break and allowing for a reset will bring your tolerance levels back down, and it will save you a little money while you’re on your break. Pick how long you want your break to be and stick with it. Don’t be unrealistic, though; pick a number you know you can achieve. And don’t pick anything less than a week because that short of a break is not going to do you any good. If you go 2-4 weeks, you will feel like that reset did you well and will feel the goodness of getting super high again.

The idea behind these resolutions is to help you get started on a new you in 2023. If none of these hit home, get stoned and think of what you can do to make your year-in-cannabis more productive or more in line with how you want to live. Good luck, and happy New Year!

» But not if it involves using cannabis like their parents — at least according to new research, anyway

We’ve all heard the old argument that if cannabis remains illegal, it will deter more kids and adults from smoking it. It is an idea that has been lodged into people’s brains for decades, thanks to programs like D.A.R.E., which convinced impressionable children that cannabis use was going to be the downfall of society.

While D.A.R.E. has become a little antiquated, there are still vocal critics of legalization around these days, as you’re likely well aware. And those folks like to say that it ramps up marijuana and other drug or alcohol use, increases crime, makes traffic more dangerous, harms public health, and lowers teen educational achievements.

Hell, you probably even know a few people who believe that, and they’re almost certainly not calling cannabis “cannabis.” They’re calling it dope, just like your mom’s fourth husband, Jeff, who knew a guy in college who knew a guy who “lost it all” because he started smoking weed.

Well, you can finally tell Jeff to shove it, because recent studies have proven that such nonsense is not the case.

Legalization has no impact on kids’ attitudes toward cannabis

A recent study, published by Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, focused on children’s attitudes toward cannabis in both legal and non-legal states. What researchers were curious about was the idea that the continuing growth of the acceptance of marijuana would lead to younger people not viewing cannabis use as risky.

These researchers, who were affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, assessed children’s perceptions of cannabis for three years. They used data from a multi-state adolescent brain and cognitive development study to see if and how these kids’ views changed over time.

And, here’s where it gets good. What they found that there was no effect on kids’ perceptions of cannabis due to laws from states with recreational cannabis. Cannabis legalization had no impact on their tiny minds, meaning that the kids in legal states didn’t have significantly different perceptions of cannabis legalization compared to the kids in states where prohibition is rampant. Suck it, Jeff!

What this means is that fear tactics, which are common in prohibition states, likely don’t deter kids from wanting to try weed (or not). Rather, it’s individual, child-level characteristics that affected the kids’ view of cannabis.

That said, researchers admit that this is a short-term study, and are now curious to see how these kids’ and adolescents’ views might change as they move into adulthood.

Adolescent marijuana use in legal states is dropping

And, what’s more is that a study conducted in 2021 showed no increase in child marijuana use in states that have legalized recreational use. The results of this study, which was a 10-year study that lasted from 2009-2019, were bolstered by a similar study that lasted even longer but showed the same result.

Even better? Some recent studies show that marijuana use in the youth has actually taken a nosedive, and the legal states of Ohio, Rhode Island, and Hawaii have all shown significant decreases in adolescent cannabis use as well.

Wait, what? The kids aren’t all getting high because you can buy weed in their states? Go freaking figure.

The U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse also released the results of its Monitoring the Future survey last year, and what it showed was that marijuana use in all forms dropped significantly for 8th, 10th, and 12th-grade students.

These results will be surprising to some, but facts are facts.

What this says to us is that the crowd who claims that legal recreational weed use causes an increased use in young people is going to have to find another argument. The baseless claims have continually proven to be proven false — and will almost certainly continue to be debunked.

The same crowd seems to throw whatever they can against the wall, hoping it will stick, and unfortunately, it does in some states (and some households).

The best thing we can do is share information from researchers that debunks their claims so we can move forward with medical and recreational legalization in states that are still dealing with outdated marijuana laws.