More Potent Than CBD, THC: Dr. Raphael Mechoulam Explains His Latest Discovery

By Javier Hasse

Source: Forbes.com

Raphael Mechoulam delivers a speech to participants at the CannaTech conference, an international ... [+]

 AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Professor Raphael Mechoulam, also known as the “father of cannabis research,” revealed his latest discovery, cannabidiolic acid methyl ester (EPM301), only a few months ago. The introduction of this new, patented compound (synthetic, fully stable acid-based cannabinoid molecules) caused a wave of excitement around the future of medicinal cannabis.

The compound in question was presented to the world in partnership with EPM, a global biotechnology company based in the U.S. that aims to bridge the gap between the cannabis and pharmaceutical industries.

During a recent, exclusive conversation, CEO Reshef Swisa and Dr. Mechoulam, shared the history of the journey behind this revolutionary process and its significance in evolving the use of CBD as a pharmaceutical drug.

• Meet EPM301

   

“EPM developed a method to work with the original substances of cannabis,” the Professor explained. “So, while everybody is discussing THC and CBD, these cannabinoids are actually a secondary substance; they only appear later in the plant.

“Originally there is an acid that appears in the plant, and those acids are these mysterious worlds of compounds that are much more potent than cannabinoids,” he added.

However, these cannabidiolic acids were unstable, and therefore useless in pharmaceutical drug development. Until now, that is.

Mechoulam’s recent revelation stems from the development of a method that allows to modify the acids in a way that keeps them stable enough to allow for their larg- scale use. This opens the door for further pharmaceutical experiments, the professor explained.

“We took a cannabidiol acid and we stabilized it by a simple chemical procedure, called esterification; then the compound is stable,” Swisa explained.

The team then “started looking at the activities of this compound...and found that this particular compound causes suppression of anxiety and suppression of nausea,” he continued, adding that this could make a huge difference in cancer patients on chemotherapy, as well as patients with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) or Psoriasis. 

Innovating At 88

That CBD and THC can help with a long list of conditions from inflammation and anxiety, to depression and nausea, has been known for quite some time now.

 

In fact, Mechoulam was possibly the most significant academic to shed light on the active principles of the cannabis plant back in the 1960s, when his work at the Weizmann Institute led to the discovery of the human endo-cannabinoid system, crowning him the “father of cannabis research.”

But the 88 year-old researcher’s newest discovery presents cannabidiolic acid as a far more potent compound than CBD or THC — with no known negative side effects.

“We badly need new drugs in several diseases and some of the drugs that are available, may be pretty good but they ultimately cause side effects,” he said, referencing most non-natural pharma drugs, wich are semi-synthetic at best.

“We have two groups of compounds today that need to have a replacement: these are steroids and opioids. We believe that cannabis carries the ability to introduce replacements to these families.”

An Alternative To Steroids And Opioids

While CBD has been considered an alternative to addictive prescription drugs for several years now, EPM’s patent on the use of cannabidiolic acid is the first to prove that these drugs can essentially be substituted without major changes in their efficiency.

“We compare our compound not only to cannabinoids, but to the existing drugs that are applied today,” Mechoulam explained. “So, for example, in IBD we compared our compounds to two conventional products: one is the prednisone (the steroids) and one is a biological drug. And in both of them, we managed to prove that the activity of our compound is very similar to the common one.”

The researcher is optimistic when it comes to the future.

“I sincerely hope that one day we will have, within the next few years, a cannabidiolic acid derivative on the market in parallel to CBD itself.”

 

But he also warned of the importance of classifying and regulating drugs correctly for their medical use, in order to avoid unwanted side effects.

“Companies should be careful when they're taking compounds and claiming therapeutics. They need to do it in accordance with the regulation in order to create consistency in the language...because people confuse recreational use with the medicinal use and aren’t necessarily looking to a specific indication, with specific dosing,” he ended.

 

A View Of The Future Of Hemp Plastic

By NHA
Source: nationalhempassociation.org

Plastic is the world’s most adaptable material. From bikes to food wraps and from jets to pencils, you can make anything and everything from plastics. 

With an infinite number of uses, plastic also has some devastating impacts on our planet. Most plastics produced today are made using petroleum-based compounds that release harmful gases into the atmosphere. 

Waste solutions are inefficient, and harmful by-products toxic to land, water, and wildlife. However, the good news is that there is an alternative that does not contribute to the greenhouse effect, is sustainable and biodegradable, and comes with just about an indistinguishable cost to present techniques. 

Hemp plastic; the only plastic that’s 100% biodegradable in nature and is produced from the Hemp plant which consumes 4 times more carbon dioxide than other plants from the atmosphere. 

The fiber produced from hemp is stronger than the conventional fiber that is mostly available. This article is intended to show numerous benefits of using hemp for the manufacturing of biodegradable plastic (HEMP PLASTIC) rather than conventional plastics.

A Bit Of History

Historically, the hemp plant has been used globally for thousands of years to make a variety of supplies, everything from clothes to paper to building materials. It was even a staple crop at the initial root of American culture since the sturdy fibers of the plant were incredibly valuable for making a variety of products. 

With the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937, and then the even more restrictive Controlled Substances Act in 1970, it became a lot more difficult to grow hemp. 

In December of 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act was signed into law, meaning that hemp was no longer a controlled substance. Now that it is easier to grow and sell hemp-based products, a door has opened for hemp plastic to emerge on the market.

Recent technology has practically opened the door to a new type of eco-friendly polymer, one that’s no longer reliant on petroleum, but on cellulose. Bioplastic is renewable, sustainable, and sometimes cheap because it’s made out of agricultural waste. Hemp is a great source of cellulose, and hemp plastic could change our planet.

Why Hemp?

From seed to flower, every part of the hemp plant can be used. Hemp is a type of cannabis Sativa that’s used in industrial settings. Industrial hemp contains less than 0.3% of THC, the psychoactive compound of marijuana, so it’s legal to cultivate it in every country of the European Union. 

But the most important aspect of the hemp plant is probably its versatility. Hemp is a multi-purpose crop, and every part of it can be used in various ways. For instance, the fiber is commonly used for the production of lightweight paper, insulation material, and biocomposites. 

Hemp shivs--the woody inner cores of the stems--are used for animal bedding and construction. Hemp seeds are very nutritious as well and can be consumed raw or press them into hemp seed oil.

 

Hemp Plastic 

Biodegradable plastics are produced using petro-chemicals just like conventional plastics except some additives are included in their manufacturing which helps them in their fast degradation. Biodegradable plastics don’t always break down into harmless substances, sometimes they leave behind a toxic residue and that makes them generally (but not always) unsuitable for composting. 

They can be broken down by microorganisms into water, carbon dioxide, and some biochemicals. And when they are put into the landfills, they produce harmful greenhouse gases when decomposing, which makes them more toxic than the other conventional plastics. Some examples of biodegradable plastics are polybutyrate (PBAT), polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA).

Hemp plastics might be popular nowadays, but the truth is that they have been around nearly as long as plastic itself. In fact, Henry Ford of the Ford automobile brand was so impressed by the quality of hemp plastic, so he designed a car that used hemp plastic for various components back in 1941.

Hemp is easy to cultivate and it contains high cellulose concentration (up to 70 percent). 

Nowadays, European consumers are always pushing for more sustainable goods, so the production of bioplastic in Europe is on the rise. Around one-fifth of the global production of bioplastic is based in Europe, which is quickly becoming a major hub for the entire bioplastic industry.

In addition, recent developments in the plastic industry has seen the manufacture of hemp-plastic resin known as hempstone in Australia. It can be applied in manufacturing loudspeakers, musical instruments as well as furniture. Hempstone can be carved in a variety of shapes making application unlimited.

 

Advantages Of Hemp Plastic

Biodegradability

One of the problems with petroleum-based plastics is that they are extremely resilient. Since only a small portion of plastic is actually recycled, most of it ends up in landfills. 

Common plastics can take thousands of years to break down, but there is no exact figure for the amount of time it takes plastics to decompose. And to make matters worse, the byproducts of their degrading can be toxic to the environment.

Meanwhile, hemp plastic is completely biodegradable. It takes around six months for hemp plastic to decompose, and its byproducts are not toxic to the environment. In the right conditions, hemp plastic can break down in as little as two or three months. 

So even if one does not recycle hemp plastic, it would still break down into its basic components which makes hemp plastic biodegradable and would not create mountains of garbage in landfills.

Hemp Plastic Is Not Toxic To Humans Or Animals

Hemp plastic is not toxic, unlike the petroleum-based plastics that contain substances that act as endocrine disruptors. Knowing about the endocrine system and how easy it is for some substances to disturb its fragile balance, this makes conventional plastic all the more dangerous. 

Conventional plastics contain substances called bisphenol A, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and phthalates. These substances interfere with the human and animal endocrine system which results in birth defects and learning disabilities among others.

Hemp Plastic Is Strong and Versatile

Plastic made out of hemp is up to three and a half times stronger than polypropylene, one of the most common types of petroleum-based plastic, and hemp plastic is also lighter. Some of the major production industries have started relying on hemp plastics for making toys, electronics, and car parts amongst others. 

It Helps the Environment

Hemp is beneficial for the environment in many ways such as the fact that the crop prevents soil erosion, thereby reducing water pollution and maintaining soil quality. It also absorbs carbon dioxide from the environment and reduces the greenhouse effect. 

 

The Bottom Line

Hemp plastic is clearly an amazing alternative to conventional plastic. Plastic made out of hemp is strong, durable, and lightweight, so it would prove useful in a lot of industries. It is believed that biodegradable plastics will play an important part in the future, and this is likely true. 

Slowly, but surely, bioplastics will become part of our lives. With an ever-increasing number of plastics being utilized by and expanding the weight being set on limits accessible for plastic wastes disposal, the need for biodegradable plastics and biodegradation of plastic wastes has gained increasing importance in the last few years. 

Also, the available sources of petroleum oil are declining (which is the major source of conventional plastics) adds up to the need for an alternative way of creating plastics. In any case, countries all through the world do understand that petrochemical utilization should be lessened, and hemp is being perceived as a reasonable contrasting option to these plastics. But while they are still being used, it is essential to put the adequate processing solutions in place to mitigate the effect of conventional plastic. 

Although producing plastics using only hemp plants costs more efforts and money, the impacts that conventional and other bioplastics are having on the earth makes it a little price to pay in order to improve the state of the earth. 

This State Will Make Marijuana History in November

Residents of South Dakota will be voting on a recreational and medical cannabis measure in the same election.

 

By Sean Williams

Source: fool.com

There are expected to be a number of fast-growing trends this decade, including cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. But don't sleep on marijuana.

After generating an estimated $10.9 billion in worldwide sales in 2018, legal channel cannabis sales are expected to hit anywhere from $50 billion to $200 billion a year by 2030, according to various Wall Street estimates. Yes, this is a pretty wide range, but it's to be expected of an industry that's never been legalized in the modern era, and which has tens of billions of dollar in activity occurring behind the scenes.

It's also an industry that could soon get a lot bigger in the United States. Currently, two-thirds of all states have given the green light to medical marijuana, with 11 of these states also allowing for the consumption and/or retail sale of adult-use weed. But in less than a month, we could see these figures tick higher.

The Nov. 3 election will feature five states with cannabis measures on their respective ballots. However, none is going to be more unique than what the Mount Rushmore State is presenting to its residents.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

The Mount Rushmore State is four weeks away from making cannabis history

While we've witnessed a number of unlikely ballot measures before, South Dakota is about to do something no state has previously attempted: It's trying to legalize medical and recreational marijuana at the same time, albeit with two separate ballot measures.

First up, Mount Rushmore State voters will have to weigh in on Measure 26, which would establish a medical marijuana industry in the state for patients with predefined debilitating medical conditions. The measure would allow qualifying patients to possess up to three ounces of cannabis, as well as grow at least three cannabis plants at their residence, as prescribed by a physician.

Initially, Measure 26 would include severe nausea, seizures, and severe or persistent muscle spasms among the list of qualifying debilitating medical conditions. However, South Dakota's Department of Health would be free to add to the list of qualifying conditions upon passage of the measure. 

Secondly, South Dakotans will also being voting on Constitutional Amendment A, which would legalize recreational marijuana throughout the state. Pretty much in-line with what we've seen in other adult-use-legal states, South Dakota will establish a legal age for consumption and possession of 21, and (more specific to the state) will assign a 15% tax rate on weed sales.

What's interesting about the recreational legalization measure is that it doesn't establish a medical marijuana program or provide hemp guidelines in the state. This means the South Dakota State Legislature would be responsible coming up with the rules and regulations governing a medical cannabis and hemp industry by or before April 1, 2022. 

Considering that we have no precedent of a state jumping from wholly illicit to recreationally legal, I'm not certain Amendment A will pass. But favorability toward medical marijuana is high (pardon the pun), making passage of Measure 26 fairly likely.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Four other states will join South Dakota on Election Day

In addition to South Dakota, four other states will by vying to go green.

The only currently illicit state (other than South Dakota) that's attempting to legalize medical marijuana is Mississippi. The Magnolia State has a two-part cannabis question on its ballot that'll require residents to first assess their palatability to medical marijuana, and secondly choose which type of medical cannabis program they prefer. Initiative 65 is a more traditional program that allows physicians to prescribe cannabis for 20 qualifying conditions. Meanwhile, Initiative 65A restricts the smoking of medical marijuana to patients with terminal illnesses and provides increased regulatory oversight.

The other three states – New Jersey, Arizona, and Montana – are all voting on recreational pot initiatives.

New Jersey was the first state to get a measure firmly on the ballot for the November election. Polling has suggested that Public Question 1 has a good chance to pass. As a reminder, New Jersey's legislature was very close to waving the green flag on recreational weed in early 2019, but was ultimately derailed by social measures. Residents will instead get to decide the Garden State's fate in a little over four weeks.

Similar to New Jersey, Arizona seems to have an above-average opportunity to legalize adult-use cannabis. Arizona narrowly voted down Proposition 205 in Nov. 2016 (48.7% in favor), which would have legalized recreational weed in the Grand Canyon State. History has shown that the second time is the charm when it comes to recreational legalization measures.

Montanans will also have two measures they'll be voting on, both of which work toward the same goal. Montana Cl-118, if passed, would allow the states' constitution to be amended, making 21 the legal age of cannabis purchase, use, and possession. Then there's I-190, the actual adult-use pot measure that would impose a 20% tax rate if passed. Of the three recreational-only votes, Montana should be the most closely contested.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

U.S. multistate operators should have a field day

No matter what happens with the presidency come Nov. 3, there's a very good chance the number of legalized recreational and/or medical marijuana states will increase. With the federal government maintaining a hands-off approach to regulation (i.e., allowing states to regulate their own pot industries), U.S. multistate operators (MSO) appear primed to have a field day in 2021.

In particular, some of the largest publicly traded MSOs are in great shape to benefit from new legalizations and ongoing organic expansion in legalized states. For instance, Curaleaf (OTC:CURLF) recently closed its acquisition of Grassroots, which has increased its operating retail locations to 93, and bumped up its presence to 23 states. Curaleaf has an existing presence in New Jersey, and looks to be on track to hit $1 billion in full-year sales by 2021.

Green Thumb Industries (OTC:GTBIF) will also see a bump-up in sales, but not solely because of newly legalized states. Though Green Thumb has a presence in New Jersey, it's Nevada and Illinois that can be even more lucrative markets from an organic growth perspective. Green Thumb currently has 48 open dispensaries, but holds enough licenses to double this figure.

Investors often love to follow the money to big gains -- and it's pretty evident that, when it comes to marijuana stocks, the U.S. is where the green will be freely flowing.

 

Is the U.S. Getting on Board With Marijuana Legalization?

By Alex Carchidi
Source: fool.com

Yes, but expect legalization efforts for recreational use to proceed unevenly from state to state.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

With companies like Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB), Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC), and Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) catching the attention of investors and consumers alike, it's no surprise that marijuana legalization is a hot issue in the U.S. According to a report by Grandview Research, the U.S. market for cannabis was worth $11.3 billion in 2018, with an expected growth rate of 14.5% per year through 2025 -- but that might be contingent on further loosening of prohibition laws. As of 2018, 21 states have debated legislation that would legalize recreational use of marijuana, and 33 states have already legalized some forms of cannabis for either recreational or medicinal use.

Presently, marijuana is fully legal for recreational use in only 11 of those states. With the exception of Vermont, jurisdictions with legalized recreational cannabis also provision for the commercialization of cannabis products for adults. Fully legalized marijuana remains uncommon in the United States, even if it's significantly more common than it was 10 years ago.

2020 may see pivotal victories for legalization

In 2020, a handful of states will vote on full or partial legalization via referendum, including Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, and South Dakota. It's reasonable to suspect that at least a couple of these political efforts will fall short, but legalization proponents shouldn't despair. Many of the states that eventually legalized recreational cannabis via referendum had to try more than once before succeeding, as is typified by California's failed ballot initiative in 2010. But cannabis investors will be pleased to learn that no state that decriminalized or legalized recreational use has repealed it, despite several different attempts via ballot measures. Thus, the country looks like it's on track for legalization to make progress this election cycle, even if there's still a long way to go.

Even as states move to reform their cannabis laws, federal regulatory bodies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are prohibited by federal law from participating in quality control or consumer safety efforts. This means that as legalization advances, state governments need to build new infrastructure to make sure that their cannabis regulations are locally enforceable, thereby introducing a large amount of overhead to the legalization process. It may also make it harder for international cannabis companies to compete in the U.S. because they'll need to deal with many different sets of regulations rather than just one.

Medicinal use and decriminalization aren't the same as legalization

Full nationwide cannabis legalization is still a distant goal, and there are many cases where progress has been incremental rather than transformational. Sixteen states have decriminalized recreational marijuana use without implementing full legalization for recreational purposes. In these states, cannabis products are only sold for medicinal use, which is strictly controlled. In places like Idaho and Indiana, medicinal use is so tightly regulated that medicinal products from jurisdictions like California might not be legal. This is a concern for cannabis investors because it means businesses would need to make different products for these jurisdictions if they wanted to compete.

Similarly, many states haven't committed to full decriminalization despite allowing for limited medicinal use. In Alabama, non-medical marijuana possession is a misdemeanor for first-time offenders and a felony for subsequent violations, so its "decriminalized" status is a bit of a misnomer. In contrast, Georgia's laws tightly control the THC content of medicinal marijuana while formally forbidding any recreational use, but cities including Atlanta and Savannah have proceeded to decriminalize it anyway, creating precarious pockets of opportunity that businesses are hesitant to exploit.

Finally, there's the issue of the federal government's approach to cannabis policy. Right now, there's no way to reconcile the fact that at the federal level, recreational cannabis is still fully illegal, even if state governments like New Hampshire's claim to have nullified the federal prohibition. State-level initiatives aside, Congress was initially scheduled to vote on a legalization bill called the MORE Act this week, but with an upcoming battle over Supreme Court nominees looming, the vote will likely be delayed until after the 2020 election.

So, while it does look like there is nationwide momentum building behind legalization for recreational use, there's still a long way to go, and there may be difficult legal battles ahead.