Cannabis

Can Cannabis Help Seasonal Depression

Published

8 months ago

September 14, 2023

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The weather and foliage on the trees aren’t the only things that are changing around this time of year. As the sun starts to set earlier and earlier, peoples moods can be affected by the decrease in sunlight. This is often known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and it can make the winter months miserable for lots of people. Can cannabis help seasonal depression?

Fortunately for those that do suffer from SAD, there are numerous remedies that can make this time of year more bearable. Exercise, vitamin supplements and even marijuana can have an enormous impact on fighting against the disorder. While there are resources for offsetting the disorder, getting a full understanding of the problem is paramount in being able to overcome it.

5 Signs You Might Have Seasonal Depression — Photo by Dmitry Schemelev via Unsplash

Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms

One of the most crucial steps in combating SAD is properly identifying its symptoms. Some of those symptoms include:

Anxiety
Social withdrawal
Sleepiness and fatigue
Weight gain
Suicidal thoughts
And several others

Those who are suffering from any of these symptoms should refrain from self-diagnosis and seek professional assistance. That professional assistance could lead to more resources to fight the disorder such as an antidepressant prescription.

How Common is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

In recent years, more and more people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder have begun opening up about their struggles. An estimated 10 million Americans are said to be currently dealing from SAD. Additional research shows women are four times more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder than men. SAD also appears to be more prevalent among people with pre-existing mental health conditions like bipolar disorder.

The number of people across the globe who suffer from seasonal depression is slightly lower than that of the United States. Only about 1-2% of the global population is said to suffer from seasonal depression while about 5% of the U.S population suffers from SAD.

man wearing knit cap on grey background — Photo by Andrew Neel via Unsplash

How to Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder

There are a number of proven ways to offset some of the sadness that comes with the changing of the seasons. For example, cannabis contains cannabinoids that can have a positive impact on mood, while potentially increasing serotonin levels. When it comes to decreasing anxiety levels, that’s where CBD comes into play. By working with our body’s endocannabinoid system, CBD has been seen as instrumental in boosting dopamine levels.

Aside from cannabis, there are a handful of other at-home methods that can help alleviate the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Spending more time with friends, family and loved ones can be highly effective in offsetting some SAD symptoms. The same can be said for making an effort to get lots of sunlight and getting regular exercise.

Ultimately, seasonal affective disorder can set in as quickly and seamlessly as the fall foliage on the trees outside. Knowing that you aren’t alone, and having the best practices for fighting it, can make the fall and winter months better than you could have ever imagined.

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Advice

5 Key Things To Check On A CBD Label

Published

3 hours ago

May 9, 2024

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Science and the public have been good to CBD. It helps with the ever popular issue of sleeping and it can help reduce anxiety. Discreet, convenient and semi fast acting – it can be a help mate for first dates, stressful family events, or just rough days. The CBD/cannabis Epidiolex has been proven to reduce seizures and is the first cannabis-derived medicine approved by the FDA. So lots of benefits, but since it is still a bit of a newbie on shelves…you need to be careful of what you buy. Here are 5 key tags to check on a CBD label.

Reading product labels is often confusing, overly technical and filled with materials no one understands. Add to the mix the fact CBD is still in FDA limbo, and you need a list like this to point you in the right direction. Here are 5 things to check when reading a CBD label.

Make sure CBD is in on the label and in the product

First thing’s first: make sure there’s actually CBD in your CBD product. Today’s CBD landscape is filled with products that claim to contain CBD while really containing just hemp oil, or lie about the amount of CBD they contain. Look for either CBD or cannabidiol and be wary of products containing hemp seeds, cannabis sativa, hemp seed oil, etc. Although these ingredients sound weedy, they’re not the same thing as CBD.

The FDA's Relationship To CBD Is Confusing Everyone — Photo by IRA_EVVA/Getty Images

Check the dosage and ingredients

Dosage in key in how effective it will be. Be understanding it you time the amount you need then time out when you might want to take it again. Additionally, look for a full list of ingredients, including the carrier oil used. Check for any potential allergens or additives you want to avoid.

Keep an eye out for COA

COAs guarantee the product you’re looking at has been tested by a third party facility that has no relationship to the maker. Their results are unbiased and thus trust worthy. Reputable companies should feature this information on their labels, which should come in the shape of a bar code and should be easily accessed via smartphone. If this isn’t the case, the COA should appear on the product’s website.

Here's How Long It Takes To Feel CBD's Effects — Photo by Sabrina Rohwer via Pexels

Look for the CBD oil source

One of the first red flags of fake CBD products is a label that’s vague or doesn’t state where the CBD oil was sourced. CBD can be sourced from cannabis plants or industrial hemp, and most quality products tend to be “full spectrum,” “broad spectrum,” or “CBD isolate.”

Know your cannabis state laws

This is important since CBD label requirements vary by state, with the best labels being from products sold in areas where marijuana is legal. If you’re purchasing a product from out of a legal state, these packages should at least imitate how regulated products look.

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black market

What To Call The Illegal Marijuana Market

Published

9 hours ago

May 8, 2024

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A grey market or parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels not authorized by the original manufacturer or trade mark proprietor. Grey market products (grey goods) are products traded outside the authorized channel. The phrases and process helps make it appear more legal than the black market.

In talking with industry notables, there is definitely a push from a minority to slow roll legalization and reframe the black market as a “perfectly ok” option to the average consumer. Both New York and California have huge black or illegal markets. New York’s botched rollout of licenses has made a legal market of about 85 dispensaries and over 2,000 unlicensed ones selling both legal and illicit products to the public. California crushing taxes and non existent enforcement has allowed unauthorized grows to florish. The rumor is these grows have quiet sold to legal producers to make products to help battle the costs.

Most traditional media, data analysts and legitimated investors and executives refer to it as the black market. Having a thriving black market hurts both the legalization process and legal businesses. Colorado and Maine are two examples of states who have done a great job to shrink the illicit market. While immediate short term there could be profits, in the long term, it chokes the growth and mainstreaming of cannabis for both recreational and medical use.

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Cannabis

Pakistan Makes Positive Move On Cannabis

Published

10 hours ago

May 8, 2024

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Recently, Pakistan approved the passage of an ordinance that created the Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (CCRA). This government body is tasked to regulate the cultivation, extraction, refining, manufacturing, and sale of cannabis derivatives for medical and industrial purposes.

UN laws says if country wants to produce, process and conduct sales of cannabis-related products, it must have a federal entity to deal with supply chain and ensure international compliance. The regulatory framework of the CCRA is the organization.

The CCRA specifies the maximum level of THC in the cannabis derivative to be 0.3 percent to avoid the abuse of medicinal products and use them recreationally. With this move, the government plans to crack down on illicit grows in order to bring them into a licensed tax paying business.

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