There is good news regarding Qualified Medical Providers (QMPs) found in the Utah Medical Cannabis Program’s November 2021 update. According to the update, the state is changing how information on QMPs is gathered for the purposes of publishing provider information on the state website. If you are QMP, it is important that you get further information on this update.
To date, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has gathered QMP contact information and added it to the website manually. If you were to check the old list yourself, you would notice that many of the entries are incomplete, only including the provider’s name with no address or contact info. But the state recently switched to an automated system.
The new system automatically runs a report across the entire EVS. That report is set to be run monthly at this point. It will gather QMP information directly from EVS applications and then publish the information as a provider list on the state website. It should prove to do a better job of maintaining an up-to-date list that patients can rely on.
If you would like to guarantee that your name and contact information appears on the state’s online list of QMPs, you should log into the EVS. Then go to ‘Tracking Inbox’ and click on ‘QMP’. Once you see your name, click on it. Your EVS application will appear. In that application will be a section labeled ‘UDOH Authorization to Publish’. You will find it on the lower right side of the application.
Update your information and click the ‘Save’ button to save the changes. Finally, tick the box that authorizes the UDOH to publish your information online. If anything changes, you can log back on and update your information. Also note that the system currently allows for only a single location. Providers with multiple locations will have to choose one or enter ‘multiple locations’ in the appropriate box.
We are happy to hear that the state website is being updated with a new report that will be run automatically. At the very least, the new system will increase the chances that the state’s QMP list will stay up to date. That will be good for patients for obvious reasons. As tough as it can be for some patients to find QMPs nearby, the last thing they need is outdated information. This new system should help.
You can help patients by making sure your information is accurate. It might be a good idea for you to log on to the EVS every few months just to ensure that nothing has glitched with your contact information. Things happen. Being proactive is the best way to stay ahead of potential problems.
In closing this post, we want to acknowledge that updating the way the state collects QMP contact information isn’t earth shattering. It is more like a baby step. But that’s how this works. It takes a lot of baby steps to translate into kid steps, then teen steps, and finally adult steps. The UDOH is working hard to implement and maintain a Medical Cannabis program in keeping with legislation passed by lawmakers. They don’t always get it right, but they are doing the best they can.
In the meantime, make sure that you are contact information is up to date. And if you are not yet a QMP, you can begin the process of becoming one by visiting the state’s Medical Cannabis website and following the ‘Provider’ link. Everything you need to know to get the process moving is found there.
Much of the discussion surrounding Medical Cannabis relates to THC. We do not talk about CBD as much, and perhaps that’s because anyone can use CBD products without obtaining a Medical Cannabis card. Knowing that, a recent survey suggesting that CBD may be an effective autism treatment is intriguing.
The survey was conducted by Autism Parenting Magazine. The magazine sent email surveys to some 160,000 subscribers around the world. Some subscribers were parents or grandparents of children on the spectrum. Others were caregivers, teachers, therapists, or medical providers.
Seeing as how hard scientific evidence detailing the benefits of CBD and THC are lacking, surveys like this one provide the most reliable evidence we have to date regarding the efficacy of Medical Cannabis. Note that CBD is a cannabinoid. It is as much a Medical Cannabis product as THC.
Looking at the survey data reveal some surprising results. At the top of the list is the fact that 20% of the respondents acknowledge self-treating their children on the spectrum with CBD. The U.S. appears to have the highest rate at 22.16%. UK caregivers treat autism with CBD at a rate of 14.29%, while the rest of the world comes in at 15.45%.
What does it all mean? It means that despite a lack of hard evidence in support of CBD as an autism treatment, one in every five adults providing care to an autistic child is seeing the benefits of treating with CBD firsthand. Caregivers administer CBD to children on the spectrum in order to:
One of the survey respondents, a medical doctor with an autistic son, acknowledged administering CBD for more than seven years. He claims that CBD has changed his son’s life and, by extension, the lives of every member of his family. Though this doctor acknowledges that CBD may not work for every autistic child, it works for his son.
The icing on the survey cake was data that showed nearly 83% of the respondents would recommend CBD to other adults caring for children on the spectrum. The fact that no prescription is required makes such a recommendation even more powerful. After all, parents with children on the spectrum are always looking for advice from other parents successfully helping their autistic children.
CBD is a cannabinoid just like THC. However, it does not have the same mind-altering effects. It is also derived mainly from industrial hemp rather than other strains of cannabis. Best of all, both CBD and industrial hemp were legalized nationwide with passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.
The net effect of the Farm Bill is that parents do not have to apply for Medical Cannabis cards to purchase CBD products. They do not have to go to a Medical Cannabis pharmacy, either. CBD products are sold throughout Utah in grocery stores, corner pharmacies, and just about anywhere you can buy dietary supplements.
If you provide care for a child on the spectrum, you might want to ask your doctor about CBD. He or she may have no knowledge of its efficacy as an autism treatment. On the other hand, your doctor may have more information than you know. CBD might be just what your child needs to manage daily life.
As with all things cannabis related, CBD is not a miracle cure for any condition. But if it helps autistic children, it might be well worth looking into.
Eight years ago, Utah laws prohibited all forms of cannabis, even CBD, for everyone in the state.
Today, tens of thousands of Utahns have legal access to a broad range of Medical Cannabis products, including raw flower and other products with THC.
How did Utah, one of America’s most conservative states, undergo such a dramatic shift in its attitudes about cannabis?
A dropper of CBD oil
Former state Representative Brad Daw shared an insider’s perspective of the events and conversations that made him take cannabis medicine seriously.
Daw said the advent of “Charlotte’s Web” helped put Medical Cannabis on his radar back in 2013.
Charlotte’s Web is a low-THC, high-CBD cannabis strain named after Charlotte Figi, a young Colorado girl with Dravet syndrome. Charlotte’s parents, Matt and Paige Figi, were desperate for something to treat Charlotte’s frequent seizures. After exhausting their other options, the Figis decided to explore cannabis.
At the time, the idea of administering a cannabis-derived product to a child was almost unheard of. It wasn’t long before Charlotte’s story became international news and CBD became a household word.
“[W]ith Charlotte’s Web, we had to start saying, ‘Well, at least this substance called CBD, has some use.’ And that kind of opened the door for me and said, “All right. The notion that marijuana is a Schedule I drug or cannabis is a Schedule I drug, which means it has no real medical benefit that outweighs its risk or abuse potential’ just didn’t fly anymore. We have to change our thinking,” Daw said in a September 2021 episode of Utah in the Weeds.
In his own words, Daw described his realization about the therapeutic potential of CBD as a “paradigm shift.”
A 2013 poll showed 61% of Utahns supported the idea of allowing people to use cannabis, with a doctor’s recommendation. The Utah Legislature dipped its toes into the Medical Cannabis waters the following year.
In 2014, Utah lawmakers passed the state’s first piece of Medical Cannabis legislation. Rep. Gage Froer’s House Bill 105 allowed patients to possess CBD oil under specific criteria.
H.B. 105 didn’t exactly open the floodgates for Medical Cannabis in Utah. It provided limited protection for people with intractable epilepsy and their caretakers but no one else. But at least it was a step in the right direction.
In 2015, state Senator Mark Madsen sponsored S.B. 259 to expand legal access to Medical Cannabis in Utah. His bill would’ve legalized Medical Cannabis—even cannabis with THC—for a much broader range of Utah patients.
But S.B. 259 failed, as did S.B 73, a similar bill that Madsen ran the following year.
State Senator Evan Vickers also sponsored Medical Cannabis legislation in 2016. His bill, S.B. 89, would’ve expanded patients’ access to low-THC, high-CBD cannabis. It also failed.
Volunteers gathered more than 153,000 signatures to put Medical Cannabis on Utah’s 2018 midterm ballot.
By that point, it seemed unlikely that the Utah Legislature would pass anything resembling a comprehensive Medical Cannabis bill. Patients in need of Medical Cannabis felt frustrated to have their hopes smashed before their eyes. It was time to take the matter into their own hands. It was time for a citizens’ initiative.
Advocacy groups like TRUCE, the Utah Patients Coalition, and Libertas Institute have spent years fighting for patients’ access to Medical Cannabis. So have national advocacy groups like NORML and the Marijuana Policy Project.
With the support of TRUCE and Libertas Institute, UPC led a signature-gathering initiative to put Medical Cannabis on Utah’s 2018 ballot. They gathered 153,894 valid signatures, exceeding the required number of signatures for a ballot initiative by more than 40,000. The ballot initiative resulted in Proposition 2, the Utah Medical Cannabis Act.
Toward the start of 2018, another poll showed more than three-fourths of Utahns supported the ballot measure. A group called Drug Safe Utah campaigned against Proposition 2 heavily.
A third poll just a few weeks before Election Day showed Prop 2 support had plummeted to 51% – right at the threshold of failure. Medical Cannabis advocates may have been discouraged by the poll results, but they didn’t lose hope.
“The opposition has spent a lot of money on … hysterical messaging points. But I think when push comes to shove, we have a huge advantage with the enthusiasm gap in support of Proposition 2,” said then-UPC spokesman DJ Schanz in an October 2018 interview with The Salt Lake Tribune.
As one might expect, Utah had an abnormally-high voter turnout that November. In fact, more than 75% of Utah voters participated in the 2018 midterm election.
“For comparison, just over 30% of Utah voters voted in the 2014 midterms. About 37% cast ballots in the 2010 midterm election, and 35% turned out in the 2006 midterm elections,” a post on the Utah Policy website says.
Utah’s Medical Cannabis patients can purchase raw flower and other forms of cannabis at local cannabis pharmacies. Some, but not all, cannabis products sold in Utah contain significant amounts of THC.
In the end, Prop 2 passed narrowly, with 52.7% of voters in favor of it and 47.3% opposed.
Soon afterward, the Utah Legislature held a special session to make several critical changes to the original proposition. The session resulted in House Bill 3001, the Utah Medical Cannabis Act.
Governor Gary Herbert signed H.B. 3001 into law that December. He touted Utah’s new program as “the best-designed medical cannabis program in the country.”
Within 15 months, Utah’s Medical Cannabis program was up and running. By the end of 2021, more than 40,000 patients had registered with the program.
The program still isn’t perfect. Medical Cannabis patients have to get their medicine from Utah’s 14 cannabis pharmacies. They don’t have the option to grow their own.
Medical Cannabis patients in Utah often express dissatisfaction about the cost of their medicine. An eighth of an ounce of raw cannabis flower typically costs about $60. Although Utah’s Medical Cannabis tends to be more expensive than in other states, we’re pleased that it’s finally available.
Utah legislators expect to continue refining the program in each of their yearly sessions.
“We have a responsibility to make sure that our laws, hopefully not too slowly, but consistently move towards the best medical situation that we can provide for our patients, for the state’s patients so that we’re all equal,” said Rep. Jennifer-Dailey Provost in an October 2021 episode of Utah in the Weeds.
Among other changes, Dailey-Provost hopes to expand Utah’s list of qualifying conditions for Medical Cannabis.
“I do have a lot of heartburn about the list of qualifying conditions. I am glad; if nothing else, we have the compassionate use boards so that it’s not completely set in stone. It’s only kind of set in stone. But I think that we can do a lot better,” she said.
It’ll be interesting to watch Utah’s Medical Cannabis program continue to develop in the coming years. The Utah Legislature is currently in session at the time of this writing. We’ll keep you posted on any new changes to the program.
In the meantime, we expect many more patients will join the program. If you’re interested in Medical Cannabis, click here to reserve an evaluation with one of our Qualified Medical Providers.
After almost two years, Utah’s Medical Cannabis program surpassed its budding phase — it bloomed. According to a report put out by the Utah Department of Health earlier this month, Utah is now home to 41,419 Medical Cannabis patients, 826 Qualified Medical Providers, 433 Pharmacy Agents, and 72 Pharmacy Medical Providers. It’s truly remarkable how much the program has grown in 22 short months. However, Utah’s Medical Cannabis program leaves much to be desired for the average patient. Patients and others in the space argue that this is not the program they voted for. Accessibility is often listed as a major issue. At the end of the day, even after all this time, patients are still struggling to afford the medication and care they need.
Being a patient in Utah’s Medical Cannabis program is expensive. There’s just no way to sugarcoat it. With cannabis’ Schedule 1 drug classification in the US, health insurance companies won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. Translation: You’re paying for your own office visits. This comes as a shock to many and a wake-up call as to how expensive healthcare really is in this country. A new patient appointment, without insurance, typically costs anywhere from $170 – $450, depending on specialty. The harsh reality of Utah’s Medical Cannabis program is that if you want to make the switch to canna-medicine, you’re likely going to have to budget for it.
UDOH took a step in the right direction earlier this month by doing away with the initial 90-day card requirement. Previously, patients were required to have their Medical Cannabis Card renewed just 90 days after they had received it. While it cost only $5 to be issued a new card by the state, the adjoining clinic visits were often a different, pricier story. Many patients found themselves feeling duped to be asked for money again so soon by their Medical Cannabis clinics. I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say I’m glad that’s in the past. Kudos to UDOH.
Clearly, it’s up to us to understand the program well enough to know when we’re being taken care of and when we’re being taken advantage of. So here it is, plain and simple: You see your QMP once to establish care and get your card. Then, you see them again in six months (valid for patients first seen after January 3rd, 2022). You’ll see them once more six months after that. Typically, during that 3rd appointment, your QMP will decide whether or not your condition is stable enough to move to yearly visits. (Some patients may require extra care and more frequent visits. This is always left up to the discretion of the patients’ QMP.) If your Medical Cannabis clinic claims you need to come in any more often than that, consider it a red flag. Break up with them — you deserve better. I know a great place. *wink, wink*
UTTHC understands that the cost of canna-care is still out of reach for many who need it. Frankly, that doesn’t sit right with us. It simply doesn’t make sense to allow the state access to this potentially life-changing medicine if we deny the very people who need it the most due to cost. That’s why UTTHC launched Uplift.
UTTHC Uplift is a patient subsidy program in which citizens are able to help by making a donation. What’s more, UTTHC and our four partners (Beehive Farmacy, Zion Medicinal, WholesomeCo Cannabis & Deseret Wellness) match each donation dollar-for-dollar, magnifying each donation by 6x! Since the launch of the program in December, with the help of our community, Uplift has raised $1,836 toward vital canna-care for those in need and subsidized the cost of 22 patient visits (as of January 18, 2022).
Uplift can currently support patients earning less than 138% of the federal poverty threshold and/or who suffer from terminal medical conditions. In order to receive an Uplift subsidy, a prospective patient must:
All in all, there’s good reason for Utahns to resent the cannabis program here. Sure, the existence of a program at all is a wonderful thing. Frankly, it’s something I didn’t personally see for Utah for many years to come, but it’s far from perfect. Perhaps one day we’ll see a more patient-focused Utah Medical Cannabis program. Lower costs, maybe even growing? It’s hard to say just where we’ll end up. But until we get there, know that UTTHC is in your court. And hey, you didn’t hear this from me, but they’ve got a few more tricks up their sleeves to lessen the financial burden for Utah patients coming soon.
Still in need of a Medical Cannabis Card of your own? Reserve an appointment in any of our Medical Cannabis clinics across the state here. If you qualify for an Uplift patient subsidy and would like to apply, fill out an application here. If you’d like to spread the love and make a donation to the Uplift program, find more information here. Feel better, Utah. For less.
Marijuana drug tests can be given for a variety of reasons. Employers, schools, law enforcement agencies, and many parents use them to ensure the people under their tutelage are cannabis-free.
Imagine you’re a cannabis user who has just been offered a new job. It’s time to celebrate, right? Maybe you’d throw a party or a small get-together with a few friends. The person in charge of music plays Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” at least once or twice. Our good friend Mary Jane also joins the festivities.
Then, once you begin the new job, your employer drops a bomb on you. You have to get a drug test by tomorrow afternoon. Did you hear a record scratch just then, or was it just me?
You try not to let your employer perceive your internal panicking and say, “OK, no problem.” You now have less than 24 hours to prepare. What do you do?
Fortunately, the internet has a wealth of advice for cannabis users in this situation. But, as we hope to demonstrate, some of this advice is not worthy of your time.
There are several ways to pass a drug test, but only one we can guarantee.
Your local laws may prohibit the use of synthetic urine or adulterants to pass a drug test. If you choose to break the law, you do so at your own risk.
With that in mind, the only method for passing a marijuana drug test we’ll recommend is abstinence from cannabis.
But we think it’s worth exploring some of the other methods, if only for informational purposes. We offer no guarantees that anything but abstinence will help you give a clean urine sample.
This article doesn’t consider other testing methods (blood, hair, saliva, sweat, fingernails, toenails) because urinalyses are the most prevalent.
UtahMarijuana.org’s Instagram account recently received an interesting comment that caught our attention.
The commenter responded to our post about taking tolerance breaks from cannabis, which we routinely recommend for most patients.
Usually, an effective tolerance break from cannabis lasts at least 48 hours. But the commenter suggested a much faster alternative.
To summarize, they recommended sitting in a steam room for an hour (with breaks to cool off every 15 minutes) and drinking plenty of water.
“Resets you back to near zero in less than 2 hours, and you didn’t hear it from us, but it’ll make ya pass court drug tests too,” the commenter claimed.
That last part made us wonder: Is it possible to pass a drug test this way?
We were skeptical but decided to test it out anyway.
The Steam Room Experiment: PreparationOur volunteer test subject, “Sam,” spent a weekend using a mixture of THC edibles, vape cartridges, and flower. Sam says he used much more THC than usual that weekend. What a trooper!
At this point in the experiment, we used some inexpensive at-home THC testing kits on Sam and another volunteer, “Lewis,” who does not use cannabis. As expected, Sam tested positive for THC, and Lewis did not. We’ll note that the testing kits, though inexpensive, meet the federal standards for THC testing.
Sam wanted to take a 48-hour break from cannabis before the next phase. We were OK with that. THC metabolites typically remain in the body for up to 30 days. A two-day break should not have affected his test results.
Just to make sure, we gave Sam another THC test at the end of his tolerance break. As expected, he tested positive again.
On the big day, Sam drank lots of water, per the original instructions we saw on Instagram. All in all, he drank about five liters (more than double his usual daily amount). He drank three of those five liters while sitting in the steam room, once again according to the instructions.
Sam says he enjoyed the experiment at first. He likes sitting in steam rooms, so he was happy to be our volunteer. But his enjoyment came to an end after about 10 minutes. The rest of the experiment made him feel dizzy and weak.
He took breaks to cool off every 15 minutes. On his third break, he vomited.
Despite his misery and temptation to give up, Sam completed the experiment. He really is a trooper! But was it worth the effort?
As mentioned earlier, we were skeptical about the steam room method from the beginning. Sam’s post-steam room THC test was positive, and we were disappointed but not surprised.
The experience was not only miserable for Sam but unsuccessful too. Our advice here is to avoid the steam room method altogether.
After a couple of months, Sam forgave us for the steam room incident and agreed to try something else. We visited two local head shops and asked for their recommendations.
Employees at both shops immediately grabbed boxes of High Voltage Detox Double Flush. We bought one in lemon-lime flavor and gave it to Sam.
Sam followed all of the High Voltage directions exactly. He drank the recommended amount of water the night before using the product. He also avoided “unwanted toxins” (THC, in this case) for at least 24 hours before using the High Voltage.
Sam is a moderate cannabis user, and we felt much more optimistic about this rapid detox method than we did about the steam room method.
High Voltage recommends their Detox Double Flush for people who weigh 240 pounds or less. Sam weighs 185.
Sam was ready to try again after ingesting all of the High Voltage doses (a combination of six capsules and a 16 oz. drink).
The High Voltage directions say the product works best after three normal-size urinations. We tested a sample of Sam’s fourth urination, which was still positive. So were his fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth.
This product simply did not work as the packaging (and two head shop employees) led us to believe.
Perhaps we’ll test other detox products in the future, but we find it troubling that a highly-recommended brand didn’t work as intended.
We surveyed several other cannabis users about their experiences with defeating drug tests.
One has also used High Voltage Detox Double Flush a few times. She paraphrased Paul Rudd’s famous line from “Anchorman” to describe her experience: “75% of the time, it works every time.” I don’t like those odds, especially if something important like a new job is on the line.
Another survey participant tried a combination of exercise, vitamins, water, Gatorade, and other beverages to cleanse her system. The testing facility rejected her initial urine sample because it was too diluted. A week later, she tested negative for THC.
In her case, she only needed to flush out the THC metabolites from a single inhalation. Before that, it had been several months since she had used any cannabis. Because she had such a small amount of THC metabolite, her regimen of exercise, vitamins, and beverages may not have been necessary.
Two of our survey-takers recommended a brand of synthetic urine called Quick Fix. One said it helped her land a new job. But the other had a word of caution.
“Quick fix works well unless they smell your urine. Which never has happened to me, but I have a friend that happened to,” she said.
Let’s go back to the “new job” scenario. This time, you still didn’t abstain from cannabis long enough to guarantee a clean urine sample. But you have a secret weapon in your purse or pocket!
You tried to cleanse yourself of THC metabolites, but the test still came back positive. Your boss knows.
If you were to find yourself in that position, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to reach into your wallet and pull out a Medical Cannabis Card? That little piece of paper or plastic might be all it takes to turn the conversation around and let you keep your job.
That’s why we think a Medical Cannabis Card is your best line of defense against anyone who objects to your use of cannabis. Give us a call at 801-851-5554 to book your Medical Cannabis evaluation.
Have you tried any methods to slip past a drug test? It would be Kool & The Gang of you to tell us about it in the comments!
State legislators did Medical Cannabis patients in Utah a favor earlier in 2021 when they passed legislation to expand access. The bill called for the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) to implement a system to accommodate the changes by September 1. That UDOH deadline has come and gone. Now that it has been missed, where do we go from here?
First, we want to make it clear that delaying implementation of the new rules is not the end of the world. It is certainly not the ideal situation, but the UDOH will get it done one way or the other. And once finally implemented, the legislation will definitely increase access to Medical Cannabis among qualified patients, especially in rural areas.
Among other things, the legislation changed the rules so that cannabis recommendations are no longer limited to registered Qualified Medical Providers (QMPs) limited to 275 patients each. Under the new rule, QMPs registration will still be available to providers who want it. But any physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or specialist with prescribing authority will be able to recommend Medical Cannabis for up to fifteen patients without becoming a registered QMP.
That may not seem like a significant number, but a hundred new providers in just one city gives access to 1500 additional patients. Just ten new providers in a rural area opens the door to 150 patients. Take our word for it when we say this is a big step forward.
From the outset, state legislators wanted to make sure our Medical Cannabis program remained tightly controlled. The goal has always been to make sure it remains a medical-only program. Though it is not clear why, the program’s original architects believed that the current system was the best way to go in terms of who recommends Medical Cannabis.
It was only after some investigative journalism and public pressure that state lawmakers realized access to QMPs was too limited. To their credit, they responded with the legislation passed in early 2021. Now it is up to the UDOH to make it all work. For their part, they are blaming delayed implementation on a lack of staffing and undisclosed software issues.
While we wait for the UDOH to sort out their issues, the same QMPs are ready and available. You can find a list of QMPs on the state’s Medical Cannabis website. We can’t vouch for the accuracy of that list, but we do operate six clinics of our own. Just follow the ‘Get a Card‘ link found on any page of our site and you’ll be guided through the process of making an appointment to see one of our QMPs.
If you live in a rural area that is underserved at this point, we understand your frustration. We know how tough it can be to drive into one of Utah’s cities to visit with a QMP or purchase your medicines. Thankfully, home delivery is now being developed in Utah. Already, many parts of the state are covered. Be patient. The rest of the state will eventually be open to home delivery.
Please be patient with the QMP issue as well. Once the UDOH gets everything ironed out, it is entirely possible that your own local provider will be able to help you with obtaining a Medical Cannabis card. At the very least, you’ll have more choices than the system currently allows. And who knows? Maybe the day will come when any medical provider with prescribing authority will be able to recommend to an unlimited number of patients.
CBD oils, vapes, and other products can be legally bought and sold without any special license or permit. In Utah, the same cannot be said about Medical Cannabis. If you don’t think this matters, think again. The results of a research study published in early 2021 suggests that CBD can reduce the effects of a THC high. That puts a whole new spin on the differences between the two cannabinoids.
Cannabis products are generally divided into two categories under Utah law. CBD products contain less than 0.3% THC by volume. Medical Cannabis products contain more than 0.3%. Both types of products are derived from cannabis plants. Just the fact that we think of them separately tells us everything we need to know about how policymakers view CBD and THC.
Perhaps that’s why so little work has been done on combining the two cannabinoids for medical purposes. But now that scientific research demonstrates that CBD affects THC uptake, there may be room to develop an entirely new line of medicines for Medical Cannabis users.
The study in question was published in September 2021 in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Conducted by Spanish researchers, the study looked at combining CBD with THC and measuring its impact on the human brain. Researchers discovered something phenomenal: combining THC and CBD at a 2-to-1 ratio led to a less intoxicating THC high.
The thing about CBD is that it is psychoactive in the sense that it can affect mental and emotional responses. We tend to consider it non-psychoactive because it does not have an intoxicating effect. But psychoactivity is psychoactivity, whether it happens to be intoxicating or not.
A patient might take CBD because it helps relieve anxiety. It might help another user who struggles with mood swings. Either way, people use CBD because it helps them feel better. If we can combine it with THC to make a better medicine, why not do so? Why continue to keep them separate?
Right now, the implications of combining CBD with THC are still being understood. Still, think about what the results of the Spanish study might mean for medical users. Combining CBD and THC could give a Medical Cannabis patient the best of both worlds. It could mean the benefits of THC without a seriously intoxicating high.
This has pretty serious implications for people who need to medicate around the clock – even at times when being high is not acceptable. We can imagine the day when a CBD-THC combination makes it possible for Medical Cannabis patients to hold jobs they currently cannot hold.
Then there are those patients who need THC but just do not want to experience the high. If CBD can minimize the intoxicating effects without seriously reducing the therapeutic benefits of Medical Cannabis, such patients would be in a much better place.
One thing we definitely know is that there is still a lot to learn about cannabinoids and how they affect human biology. Here at Utah Marijuana, we are just happy to see that serious research is finally getting underway. Trying to understand how CBD influences THC uptake is just the tip of the iceberg.
If you are a Medical Cannabis patient in Utah, keep an eye open and an ear to the ground. We will be seeing more research as the months and years go on. Undoubtedly, a lot of that research is going to mean good things for Medical Cannabis here in Utah and around the world. That is definitely a good thing.
Dry January 2022 continues a fairly recent tradition in which participants choose to begin the new year alcohol-free. If you’re a drinker, it might seem daunting to become a teetotaler for 31 days, but we think it’s a worthwhile effort. Luckily, cannabis can make Dry January much more bearable.
Before we dive into the ways cannabis can help you turn over a new leaf, let’s answer a couple of the most common questions about Dry January.
The first official Dry January happened in 2013, as part of a public health campaign in the United Kingdom. According to the Alcohol Change UK website, about 4,000 people signed up to participate that year.
Since then, Dry January has exploded in popularity in the UK and beyond. By 2017, as many as 4 million Britons said they would try to give up alcohol in January. The Dry January trend also made its way to the United States, though not as part of an official public health campaign.
According to an entry in the British Journal of General Practice, Dry January participants have reported a number of benefits in their health and wellbeing.
“Participants testify to how great a month off from alcohol can be; they sleep better, have more energy, some lose weight and save money, and others notice improvements in their skin and hair,” the journal says.
People who don’t drink also have a reduced risk of heart and liver diseases, high blood pressure brain damage, and cancer.
Dry January could be the perfect opportunity for you to begin a long-term or even a permanent break from alcohol.
People who’ve used both cannabis and alcohol often find the former makes an ideal substitute for the latter.
“I think it’s taking a lot of people away from alcohol. I’m actually a person that’s exactly that, right? You know, I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since 2017, and I credit cannabis with helping me to stay away from it,” said WholesomeCo attorney J.D. Lauritzen in a 2021 Discover Marijuana webinar.
Several Utah in the Weeds guests and many of our own patients have similar stories.
In a 2009 study, researchers surveyed hundreds of Medical Cannabis patients about substituting cannabis for alcohol and other drugs.
“The most common reasons given for substituting were: less adverse side effects (65%), better symptom management (57%), and less withdrawal potential (34%) with cannabis,” the study’s results say.
Studies in mice have found cannabidiol (CBD) has the potential for reducing alcohol consumption in several ways.
“Experimental studies converge to find that CBD reduces the overall level of alcohol drinking in animal models of AUD by reducing ethanol intake, motivation for ethanol, relapse, and by decreasing anxiety and impulsivity,” according to a review in the Frontiers of Pharmacology journal.
Our friends at WB’s Eatery have just the thing for easing the transition to living alcohol-free. They sell a collection of dry cocktail kits, which include mixers and alcohol-free alternatives to whiskey, tequila, or rum.
These dry cocktail kits pair well with your favorite cannabinoids too! Try adding a bit of CBD oil or THC tincture to the mix for best results.
Take our online assessment to see if you might qualify to be a Medical Cannabis patient in Utah. Unfortunately, the desire to stop drinking is not one of the qualifying conditions. But you may have another condition, such as chronic pain, that qualifies you.
Our clinicians can help you make cannabis part of your healthy lifestyle, no matter the time of year.
Have you heard of a runner’s high? It’s probably safe to say that every one of us has either experienced one firsthand or skeptically rolled our eyes at someone who has. Apparently, after you run enough, you reach a point of euphoria where running becomes awesome and fun. I’ve never gotten there myself, but, boy, do I have some serious FOMO about it. Rather than literally chasing that high that may never come, I opt to get high and then run.
Chances are by this point, I’ve already lost some of you. Frankly, there was a point in my life when I’d never considered using cannabis before exercise. What a waste of a good thing, I’d say! And while it might not be for everybody, there are a few of us out there who have tried to exercise while medicated and found that it helped. Does it really, though? There are some experts who have gathered information about the subject (though it’s important to note that no official scientific studies have been run to test the effects of cannabis on exercise). If you’ve ever been curious about mixing the two, here are a few tips contrived of a healthy mix of my own personal experience and anecdotal evidence from said experts.
Note: I’m a Medical Cannabis patient, not a doctor or a scientist. The following should not be considered medical advice of any kind.
It’s important to understand your personal relationship with cannabis before attempting vigorous physical activity.* You’re not going to want to get your Medical Cannabis Card, get blitzed, and head to the gym. Patients of UTTHC are educated on the importance of finding your just-right dose and given a tailor-made treatment plan to follow to help them find optimal relief at the lowest possible dose (known as microdosing). You can download our Find Your Just-Right Dose guide and many other helpful Medical Cannabis guides here.
Once you’re comfortable with your body’s reaction to canna-treatment, take a moment to be mindful of how you feel. If you feel a little couchlocked, maybe take a bit less than your just-right dose prior to your workout. Remember, we’re going for medicated here, not stoned.
It’s no secret that Medical Cannabis can help treat chronic pain. The concept here is the same: when you’re exercising with cannabis in your system, your body can tolerate aches and pains much better. You may be able to run that extra mile, lunge a little deeper, or knock out a few more squats — and who knows? That extra boost could be just what you’ve needed all this time to see those gains you’ve been working so hard for. Check out this episode of Utah in the Weeds where we interview local athlete, Toby Larson, about how cannabis before exercise has helped him lose near 50 pounds.
Sometimes, a good workout is all about the experience you create for yourself. A good playlist and a little energy can carry us through most workouts, but when you need that extra oomph, cannabis can get you there. Microdosing before repetitive or tedious gym sessions — like weightlifting, running on the treadmill, or yoga — can get you in the zone faster and help you to stay focused on your form.
After a heavy workout (or a string of them), when your joints ache and your muscles feel like they’re on fire, you’re not going to want to throw on your gym shorts and head out to hit it hard again. Cannabinoids like CBD, THC, CBG, etc. can help to decrease that inflammation so your muscles can recover. Then you can get back to it sooner, ultimately helping you to build more muscle and get stronger.
Shout out to cannabidiol. Better known as CBD — the infamous ultra-therapeutic, non-psychoactive compound in the cannabis plant. CBD can help to treat many things, but we’ve gotta give it up for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. These two properties in particular make CBD a gift when it comes to recovery. And while Medical Cannabis is legal in Utah, it’s not as quite easily accessible as CBD is. Not to mention the fact that not all of us can just go off and use cannabis. Maybe you’re regularly drug-tested or don’t like feeling “high”. I’m here to tell you that CBD oil will get the job done and you’ll likely notice a positive difference.
That being said, medicating with whole plant (THC and other cannabinoids included) is far more likely to provide more well-rounded relief, as many cannabinoids play off of one another in your endocannabinoid system. For example, while you’ll get one anti-inflammatory effect from CBD, you’ll get a totally different one from THC or CBG. Not to mention the effect you’ll feel when they all work together (called the Entourage Effect). There are roughly 100 other cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. You never know which might be your saving grace until you try. It’s worth a shot, no?
This goes without saying. I mean, obviously, right? But for those of us who don’t like exercising and have a hard time staying active because of it, microdosing a little cannabis beforehand could spice it up for you. (This same advice goes for other mundane tasks, like laundry and shoveling snow.)
So, if like so many of us, your 2022 resolution is to exercise more, be healthier, or feel better, I implore you to see what cannabis can do for you. You could go from couch potato to gym rat and flex on all of your loved ones by this time next year. If you still need your Medical Card in Utah, reserve an appointment in any of UTTHC’s six clinics across the state. What are you waiting for? Make 2022 the year you put your health first.
Now, considering the above — and because it’s fresh on everyone’s minds after the Sha’Carri Richardson scandal last July — do you think cannabis could be a performance-enhancing drug? And if so, should it be put in the same category as steroids for Olympic athletes? Here’s what our founder, Tim Pickett, had to say on the matter on KSL NewsRadio. What do you think? Comment below — we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Warning: If you suffer from heart disease of any kind, proceed with caution. Cannabis use can decrease blood pressure, making the heart beat faster. This could be cause for concern for those with heart issues, especially when physically active. Talk to your doctor before mixing cannabis and exercise.
* Some physical activities may not be well-suited for cannabis use. Use your best judgment.
