Science has proven cannabis is better than alcohol. More research is being done to unlock the potential for medical help. Medical marijuana is as helpful as addictive opioids, it can bring down anxiety and is a boon for millions of veterans with PSTD. And as more research is being conducted, more discoveries are made. Now science discovered a like moment to a marijuana high.
As the cannabis movement becomes mainstream, people ask, one of the first questions people ask is “what is like”. Well, thanks to a research, we have an answer. It is similar to when you have an organism.
Despite what is show is “bro” movie, the brain is the largest sex organ in the body. So, taking a closer look inside the brain is exactly what curious researchers to the discovery. While much scientific investigation into this question has examined the activity levels in specific areas of the brain, others seek to measure changes in chemical composition.
Researchers from Germany decided to examine the levels of certain endocannabinoids in blood plasma before and after subjects masturbated to orgasm. Endocannabinoids are chemical compounds which interact with receptors in cells altering neurotransmitter release in the brain. The concentrations of several chemicals were measured in the blood plasma of human subjects before and after they masturbated to orgasm.
Brain scans using functional MRI’s (FMRI) have shown during masturbation many areas of the brain are engaged. The hypothalamus becomes more active and amps up production of a powerful hormone called oxytocin which acts as a neurotransmitter. The chemical has also been implicated in maternal-infant bonding, empathy and generosity. The thalamus and the substantia nigra, an area densely populated with dopamine-producing neurons, are also highly engaged. Previous research out of Rutgers University has suggested the orgasm creates a type of altered state of reality.
2-AG is the most abundant endocannabinoid in the human body. It is also present in mother’s milk and is believed to regulate appetite, our immune system and to manage pain. The German researchers found masturbating to orgasm significantly increased the amount of the endocannabinoid 2-AG in blood plasma.
Our data indicate the endocannabinoid 2-AG is involved in the human sexual response cycle and we hypothesize 2-AG release plays a role in the rewarding consequences of sexual arousal and orgasm.
This sort of finding is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry, which may see an opportunity to explore the ways a prescribed medicine could affect cannabinoid levels. Making people’s sexual lives richer is big business. The erectile dysfunction medicine market is predicted to be worth over $5 billion by 2030.
The chemistry of cannabis may have a role to play in yet another area of our personal health. There is much work still to be done. Follow up studies are bound to follow this line of questioning to explore how cannabis-based medicine may help improve peoples’ sex lives. Noted medical centers have validated the studies and this could be a jumping off point to fresh information.
Meanwhile, you can be thanked science discovered a like moment to a marijuana high so you can tell you curious friends.
It has been clear the DEA is slow to change for cannabis…but have they done something shady?
It has been clear Anne Milgram, the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), is no fan of cannabis and is not pleased with the push to reschedule. Now a lawsuit says DEA acting in bad faith over marijuana. David Heldreth, CEO of psychedelic research firm Panacea Plant Sciences, claims the DEA’s recent actions violate federal law and constitutional principles. Filed in filed in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington, names the Department of Justice, Attorney General Merrick Garland, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and DEA Judge John J. Mulrooney II as defendants. So what’s going on?
It is no secret, the current President isn’t a fan of cannabis and waited 3 years to fulfill his 2020 promise to help the industry. The timing allowed his administration to pass the decision to the next president. DEA head Milgram has been reluctant about the issue despite recommendation from Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. All of those agencies recommended the change due to clear research showing the medical benefits of cannabis, especially with cancer, chronic pain, PTSD, and inflammation. For the DEA not to follow goes against all precedent.
Heldreth’s alleges legal violations in the DEA’s rulemaking process. He contends the agency failed to consult Native American tribes despite ignificant impact rescheduling marijuana would have on tribal law enforcement and health services. Additionally, Heldreth challenges the constitutionality of the DEA’s Administrative Law Judges, arguing their appointment by the DEA administrator violates Article II of the U.S. Constitution.
Heldreth is the latest in complaints as a Veteran’s organization is claiming they have been blocked from the hearings, despite the Veteran’s administration working with the industry to figure out a pathway for veterans with PTSD.
Milgam has been obstructive to the late in term admisntration’s move, working to stop the process. After the announcement to reschedule, Anne Milgram made the unusual request of a “off the record/no notes meeting” to top deputies summoned in March for what she called the “Marijuana Meeting”. What followed with a request to the Department of Justice (DOJ) which would slow the process if not stop it. The DOJ pushed back on the request.
With millions of patients using medical marijuana, including veterans, plus thousands of mom and pop businesses, Milgram’s actions are murky. Science has changed the direction and it seems the DEA is the only agency standing against the movement.
If you drink alcohol, you can drink, but it has to be out of your body’s system. it is recommended you not have booze 24 hours before donating. Like alcohol, you can donate blood, but you have to let the marijuana move out of your system. Potential donors cannot give if cannabis use impairs their memory or comprehension. The Red Cross does not test blood donations for the presence of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the principle psychoactive component of the cannabis plant. But you should wait 24 hours from the last time you are high.
Donating blood is easy. You go to the nearest location, sign in, show ID, and read some information. You’ll answer questions online or in person, and receive a health check.
The acutional process is easy, a sterile needle is inserted into a vein in your arm, and blood is drawn into a bag. The donation usually takes 8–10 minutes and feels like a quick pinch. Afterwards they providea snack and drink and 10–15 minutes to recovery before resuming your day.
The cannabis industry is concerned about the direction of regulations – and the DEA is still against the plant.
The cannabis industry is very concerned for the future. While many supported the incoming president with hopes for action, things look rough. The Speaker of the House is against legal marijuana, the pro-weed Attorney General nominee seems to be in trouble, and some of the new Senate leadership feel cannabis issues as dead on arrival. And is this giving an indicator to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to not do anything? It is the DEA against the vast majority of the public about marijuana.
Every poll shows at least 88% of the population is for some form of legal cannabis. Florida had almost 57% of their voting public support full recreation. Almost all major medical organizing including the federal government’s Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration, the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians have supported rescheduling. Their reason is proven science around it providing clear medical benefits. But the DEA seems to be against it.
Now, the DEA and their Chief Administrative Law Judge John Mulrooney has denied a key group from being part of the hearing. Cannabis has been proven to help with PTSD and the Veterans adminstartion has rearranged its process to allow veterans to seek this option of treatment. The Veterans Action Council (VAC), an organization supporting cannabis access for military veterans, petitioned request “status as an interested party” to give testimony.
This is a follow up from an earlier requested to participate. Despite working with the government, the group was not included on the list of 25 participants released Oct. 31 by DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.
According to a footnote in the order denying the Veteran group a chance to testify, the DEA could allow more participants to testify. But DEA DIrector Milgam has shown no love for cannabis or the industry, and the current list leans heavily into the anti-cannabis group and against the general public.
As reported in early summer, Director Milgram made an unusual request of top deputies summoned in March for the “Marijuana Meeting”: Nobody could take notes. This has made the industry very anxious and hoping for a positive outcome for the thousands of mom and pop businesses.