Edible cannabis medicine is highly effective and can be engineered to fight specific and highly targeted ailments and symptoms
Grandma may not smoke a joint to relieve chronic arthritis pain, but she sure does enjoy her pumpkin pie pastry pop that not only tastes great but also provides her with hours of daily, pain-free relief for her hands and fingers. On other days she eats her bacon and cheddar cheese pastry pop.
That does sound yummy, but hold on: a pastry pop?
That's right, as the medical marijuana industry quickly matures one great outcome for patients are the development of better and more efficacious products, such as smoke-free medibles that come in many shapes and forms such as pastries, caramels, candies, cookies and tinctures.
Simply put, medibles are specific strains of cannabis packed into edibles, resulting in a longer duration and a deeper, body side effect -- without the up and downs associating with needing to frequently medicate via smoking.
Even more important, patients are also finding that medibles compare favorably to providing the desired, pain-mitigating effects from taking a Vicodin or another opiate-based pain killer.
To the point, medibles are highly-effective medicines specifically engineered to fight highly-caustic ailments including: chemotherapy, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, Crohn's and IBS, cystic fibrosis, RLS; as well as common ailments such as back and neck pulls, sprained ankles, sore muscles and joints.
For chronic pain management indica strains are used to produce a relaxed, heavy body effect. And for nerve-related issues such as fibromyalgia, whiplash, sciatica, sativa strains are used to produce a body-based, clear-headed effect.
In addition to THC, medibles engineered for evening usage contain high amounts of Cannabinoids (such as CBDs or CBNs), which do not have psychoactive properties but encourage immune systems to "kick in" and induce sleepiness. Consuming cannabis also allows the full uptake of many beneficial Terpenes, which have been shown to add to the effect and assist the body in using the compounds found in cannabis.
Like with any medicine, treatment with medibles can be varied by size and does. For example, some medibles (candy, caramels, peanut butter cups, cookies, chocolates) can have a longer duration then combusting, and low tolerance folks may find they only need .5gm (a single candy) or less of cannabis to have an effect.
Also, anything that melts in the mouth such as chocolate or caramels will have a sublingual effect, allowing the patient to "control" the desired and immediate effect. Naturally, taking smaller bites while also keeping the medible in the mouth instead of swallowing provides a bigger, initial brain effect. The key is to focus on size and portion.
Sublinguals such as tinctures and candies are used when fast-acting relief is required, such as the onset of a migraine headache, while gummies or other high-starch items (containing bread, dough, etc.) must be digested before they are effective.
Another great thing about medibles is that customized medicine treatment plans can be created, for example in the case of a car accident the patient may suffer from back pain which is muscle-related, and whiplash which is nerve-related. In this scenario the patient would eat low-strength, sativa-based edibles in the morning to enable functionality.
These are also high in THC which acts as anti-inflammatory for acute pain, and, as a stimulant, working on the brain to provide energy. At night, the patient switches to a blend created to provide pain management and induce sleep at night.
Conclusion
Smoke-free medibles are not only removing some of the stigma surrounding the use of medical marijuana for treating chronic conditions mentioned above, but they also make it much more appealing for baby boomers, weekend warriors, and those with active lifestyles looking to manage sports injuries, common ailments, and stress.
To that end, in addition to medibles, the industry continues to innovate with products such as creams, waxes and ointments reduce inflammation, pain, and aches but without a body or head "effect".
Of course, inhalants remain the fastest way to get medicine into the system, and if you go that route many folks are opting instead for vaporizing which provides a safer alternative to combusting (smoking).
3 November, 2011
Ben Reagan
Co-Founder, The C.P.C
Toke of the Town
Ben Reagan, co-founder of The C.P.C , was inspired to join the industry after seeing the benefits of medical cannabis first-hand with a very close family member. Ben brings a deep intelligence, vision, and dedication to his craft, and has an insatiable desire to seek out what's new in the industry. The C.P.C was co-founded as a means to assist those in our community who are seeking out alternative medicines and treatments under Chapter 69.51A RCW in the state of Washington.
According to a new study out of Brown University, legalizing medical marijuana would most likely not turn all of America's teenagers into potheads. The study compared rates of marijuana use in Massachusetts to those in Rhode Island—where medical marijuana was legalized in 2006—and found that it had no influence on teens’ drug habits. We guess this means alarmists will have to start blaming teen pot use on the return of Beavis and Butthead.
“We wanted to pair these two states because they have so much in common culturally and geographically,” Dr. Esther Choo told Time, explaining why researchers chose to compare Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the study. She further explained why it's ridiculous to think that teens would be influenced to emulate sick people who use medical marijuana: "Whether they are taking it for pain or for vomiting control or appetite, this is not a group we think of as superinspiring for young people to take up their drug patter. It’s an older population that is generally very ill.”
This past summer, a group of of NY State politicians led by Sen. Thomas Duane and State Sen. Diane Savino banded together to sponsor a bill to legalize medical marijuana in NY state, through a "registered dispensing facility" with doctor approval. Savino told us at the time that as someone who "has watched family members suffer incredible pain as a result of terminal illness...there's nothing [currently available] that can deal with the nausea of chemo therapy." She reasoned that if medical marijuana can provide some level of relief, and in particular, act as an appetite stimulant, "we should do whatever is possible to remove the roadblocks for distribution of medical marijuana."
The new study comes out at the same time that a recent Gallup poll found that, for the first time since 1969, more Americans think weed should be legal than don't. Hey, if it was legal, the whole country would probably be a lot less obese.
5 November, 2011
Ben Yakas
Gothamist
Alcohol consumption causes far greater harms to the individual user and to society than does the use of cannabis, according to a new review published online in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, the journal of the British Association of Psychopharmacology.
Investigators at the Imperial College of London assessed “the relative physical, psychological, and social harms of cannabis and alcohol.” Authors reported that cannabis inhalation, particularly long-term, contributes to some potential adverse health effects, including harms to the lungs, circulatory system, as well as the exacerbation of certain mental health risks. By contrast, authors described alcohol as “ a toxic substance” that is responsible for nearly five percent “of the total global disease burden.”
Researchers determined, “A direct comparison of alcohol and cannabis showed that alcohol was considered to be more than twice as harmful as cannabis to [individual] users, and five times more harmful as cannabis to others (society). … As there are few areas of harm that each drug can produce where cannabis scores more [dangerous to health] than alcohol, we suggest that even if there were no legal impediment to cannabis use, it would be unlikely to be more harmful than alcohol.”
They concluded, “The findings underline the need for a coherent, evidence-based drugs policy that enables individuals to make informed decisions about the consequences of their drug use.”
The researchers’ findings should hardly come as a revelation. Last week, a just-published study that was completely ignored by the mainstream media reported that alcohol consumption increased lung cancer risk by 30 percent.
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. After all, a February 2011 World Health Organization report concluded that alcohol consumption causes a staggering four percent of all deaths worldwide, more than AIDS, tuberculosis or violence. A just-published analysis in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that in the United States alone, an estimated 79,000 lives are lost annually due to excessive drinking. The study further estimates that the overall economic cost of excessive drinking by Americans is $223.5 billion annually.
Naturally, any health costs related to cannabis use pale in comparison. A 2009 review published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal estimated that health-related costs per user are eight times higher for drinkers of alcoholic beverages than they are for those who use cannabis, and are more than 40 times higher for tobacco smokers. “In terms of [health-related] costs per user: tobacco-related health costs are over $800 per user, alcohol-related health costs are much lower at $165 per user, and cannabis-related health costs are the lowest at $20 per user,” investigators concluded.
In an op/ed I wrote last year entitled “Pot Versus Alcohol: Experts Say Booze Is the Bigger Danger,” I cited the findings of numerous independent commissions, all of which pronounced that the risks of marijuana were nominal compared to those associated with booze. You can read these findings here and much of this evidence is discussed in even greater detail in my book, Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?
Nevertheless, despite its enormous societal toll, alcohol remains celebrated in this country — American Craft Beer Week is now endorsed by the U.S. Congress — while cannabis remains arbitrarily criminalized and demonized. It’s a situation illogical enough to drive most anyone to drink.
1 November, 2011
Paul Armentano
NORML Deputy Director
THE WEED BLOG
Smoke-free medibles are not only removing some of the stigma surrounding the use of medical marijuana for treating chronic conditions mentioned above, but they also make it much more appealing for baby boomers, weekend warriors, and those with active lifestyles looking to manage sports injuries, common ailments, and stress. 
