Patients to Grow Their Own Raw Cannabis

Posted on June 13, 2012 by bilrob

Patients to Grow Their Own Raw Cannabis

Phototron Holdings, Inc. is empowering patients taking part in the growing raw cannabis juicing trend to grow their own medicine for enhancing their quality of life.

Gardena, CA (PRWEB) June 11, 2012

Juicing raw cannabis seems to be the latest trend on the medical marijuana front, and Phototron Holdings, Inc. (PHOT:OTC BB) makes it easy for patients to grow their own fresh ingredients for daily consumption with its top-of-the-line hydroponic growing supplies.

“Phototron Holdings, Inc. is empowering patients to grow their own quality-of-life enhancing medications,” said Sterling Scott, CEO of Phototron Holdings, Inc. “We believe that medical marijuana can do powerful things and it’s great that people are still coming up with ways to use it to its full potential.”

Recently, there has been a growth in the amount of medical marijuana patients turning to juicing as a way to receive all the beneficial properties of cannabis without the high – which, to many, is the only downfall to inhaling the medication.

According to a recent video released by The 420 Daily, researchers from UCSF have found that when cannabis is consumed in its raw form, the chemical CBD is able to provide natural relief from many ailments. CBD is the main ingredient in cannabis that offers anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits and it loses many of these properties when the plant is manipulated to produce the high-inducing THC.

As the leading hydroponic grow systems company, Phototron Holdings, Inc. is already ahead of the raw cannabis game. One patient interviewed in the video asserts the fact that patients who are able to grow their own have direct access to a fresh plant every day for juicing.

With the Phototron hydroponic growing containers and complete line of Phototron Nutrients, and Stealth Grow LED Lighting for larger grows, Phototron Holdings, Inc. gives patients the ability to grow their own medicine on any scale. PHI technology like the revolutionary ECO-Brain technology included in the Phototron Pro Series helps even the most amateur gardeners produce professional results.

The entire line of Phototron Holdings, Inc. products are available for purchase at stealthgrow.com, phototron.com and greners.com.

About Phototron Holdings, Inc.

Phototron Holdings, Inc. (PHOT:OTC BB) is a company with core holdings in innovative technology-based products and services for the indoor gardening industry and specialty markets. These brands include Stealth Grow LED, producer of hi-powered LED (light-emitting diode) grow light products for indoor horticulture, and Phototron, producer of hydroponic growing containers that are designed to grow vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruits in any environment. With its ECO-Brain and Phototron Plant Nutrition line of all natural hydroponic nutrients, Phototron makes indoor gardening easy and produces extraordinary results. For further information on Phototron Holdings, Inc. please visit http://www.phototronholdingsinc.com.

Greners.com is the #1 source for indoor gardening / hydroponic supplies and product information. Greners.com strives to offer the best customer service, the best hydroponic supplies in the industry, as well as the most extensive knowledge and accessibility

To learn more about Phototron products please visit phototron.com

To learn more about Stealth Grow LEDs please visit stealthgrow.com

To learn more about Greners please visit greners.com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebhydro-systems/grow-your-own/prweb9594009.htm

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Dutch cannabis cafes fail to stop ban on sales to 'pot tourists'

Posted on April 29, 2012 by bilrob

Dutch cannabis cafes fail to stop ban on sales to ‘pot tourists’

AMSTERDAM — A Dutch court Friday upheld a law that would prevent foreigners from buying marijuana and hashish in coffee shops, potentially ending decades of “pot tourism” for which this and other cities became universally known.

A group of coffee shops had challenged the government plan, launched after southern cities complained of increased levels of drug-related crime. The decision means coffee shops in the south must stop selling cannabis to foreigners by Tuesday.

A so-called “weed pass” is allowed for Dutch citizens and permanent residents. The plan would roll out to other cities, including the popular tourist center of Amsterdam, by next year.

The Netherlands is moving toward tighter controls on its renowned liberal policy on the sale of cannabis even as the United States and other countries are engaging in increasingly heated debates over the legalization of “soft drugs.”

Lawyers for the Netherlands’ cannabis cafes — which number more than 650 nationwide, including 214 in Amsterdam — argued that forbidding sales to foreigners only was illegal under national anti-discrimination laws. They vowed to appeal the court decision.

A judge in The Hague ruled the law was legal because of increased criminality linked to the Dutch drug trade. The Dutch government said there would be no exceptions to the new rules.

Amsterdam argues that the reasons cannabis coffee shops were first tolerated decades ago are still relevant — they are well-regulated havens where people can buy soft drugs without coming into contact with dealers of hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Coffee shops also are banned from serving alcohol and from selling drugs to people younger than 18.

For many Amsterdam tourists, smoking cannabis in a canal-side coffee shop ranks high on their to-do lists, along with visiting such cultural highlights as the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House. City spokeswoman Tahira Limon said 4 million to 5 million tourists visit the city each year and about 23 percent say they visit a coffee shop.

Worried tourism will take a hit, Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan hopes to hammer out a compromise with the national government, which relies on municipalities and local police to enforce drug policies.

But the conservative government collapsed this week, and new elections are scheduled for September. It’s unclear whether the new administration would keep the new cannabis policy in place.

“We have tourists that just want to have a smoke,” said Michael Velig, 56, owner of the 420 Café in the city’s infamous red-light district and chairman of the Dutch Union of Cannabis Retailers. “If they’re not going to get it, they will ask Dutch people who actually have a pass for the coffee shop to buy it. Or they fall in hands of the illegal street sellers.”

Relaxing outside The Bulldog, a coffee shop in Amsterdam’s Leidseplein Square, Gavin Harrison of Northern Ireland said he hoped the city wouldn’t change.

“I think it’s going to be a shame for Amsterdam,” Harrison said. “I think it’s going to lose a lot of tourists.”

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Synthetic Marijuana - New herbal substance raises questions about legality

Posted on March 4, 2012 by bilrob

Synthetic Marijuana” title=”Spice_drug” width=”800″ height=”599″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-50655″ />

Synthetic Marijuana – New herbal substance in JP raises questions about legality

Synthetic Marijuana is a psychoactive herbal and chemical product that, when consumed, mimics the effects of cannabis. It is best known by the brand names K2 and Spice, both of which have largely become genericized trademarks used to refer to any Synthetic Marijuana product. (It is also for this reason that Synthetic Marijuana is often referred to as spice product, due to the latter.) A type of Synthetic Marijuana sold in Australasia is known as Kronic.

Research on the safety of Synthetic Marijuana is only now becoming available. Initial studies are focused on the role of Synthetic Marijuana and psychosis. It seems likely that Synthetic Marijuana can precipitate psychosis and in some cases it is prolonged. These studies suggest that synthetic cannabinoid intoxication is associated with acute psychosis, worsening of previously stable psychotic disorders, and also may have the ability to trigger a chronic (long-term) psychotic disorder among vulnerable individuals such as those with a family history of mental illness.

When Synthetic Marijuana blends first went on sale in the early 2000s, it was thought that they achieved an effect through a mixture of legal herbs. Laboratory analysis in 2008 showed that this is not the case, and that they in fact contain synthetic cannabinoids that act on the body in a similar way to cannabinoids naturally found in cannabis, such as THC. A large and complex variety of synthetic cannabinoids, most often cannabicyclohexanol, JWH-018, JWH-073, or HU-210, are used in an attempt to avoid the laws that make cannabis illegal, making synthetic cannabis a designer drug. It has been sold under various brand names, online, in head shops, and at some gas stations.

It is often marketed as “herbal incense”; however, some brands market their products as “herbal smoking blends”. In either case, the products are usually smoked by users. Although Synthetic Marijuana does not produce positive results in drug tests for cannabis, it is possible to detect its metabolites in human urine. The synthetic cannabinoids contained in Synthetic Marijuana products have been made illegal in many European countries. On November 24, 2010, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced it would use emergency powers to ban many synthetic cannabinoids within a month.[5] Prior to the announcement, several US states had already made them illegal under state law. As of March 1, 2011, five cannabinoids, JWH-018, JWH-073, CP-47,497, JWH-200, and cannabicyclohexanol are now illegal in the US because these substances have the potential to be extremely harmful and, therefore, pose an imminent hazard to the public safety.

JEFFERSON, La. – In large letters, POW Reloaded, a “botanical sachet,” is advertised across a storefront on Veterans Boulevard in Metairie. It’s the Rob Shop’s newest location. Another location, on West Metairie Avenue, has the same display.

It’s raising questions about how POW works and whether it’s legal. Law enforcement officials said the name has been used for synthetic marijuana, a powerful substance that can send users to the emergency room.

“It’s certainly much much more dangerous than the natural form, I mean we never see people coming in for a marijuana overdose, but we see all sorts for this synthetic marijuana,” said Dr. Brian Dehart, emergency room physic an at West Jefferson Medical Center.

Two West Jefferson High School students were hospitalized Thursday after smoking synthetic marijuana in a parking area near the school, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Officials said one teen was found vomiting, and the other was passed out.

“I’m thinking those young kids probably weren’t used to doing anything like that and it just overwhelmed them,” said Dehart.

That instance has not been linked directly to POW. The Rob Shop’s Facebook page claims the botanical sachets are DEA compliant. Off camera, employees said the substance is legal but not meant for human consumption. Instead, they said, it’s meant to be used as potpourri because it has a pleasant smell. Still, employees refused to let Eyewitness News buy a sachet.

The owner of the Rob Shop refused an interview. Employees locked the doors of both Metairie stores after Eyewitness News arrived outside.

“These clients appear to be conscientious in their efforts not to break the law,” said Ben Bagert, an attorney for the Rob Shop. “They’ve taken steps to engage reputable chemists with formidable resumes from renowned universities… to make sure what they’re selling isn’t illegal.”

Bagert did not say which chemists were tasked with testing the substances.

Troy Hebert, head of the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, said it’s impossible to know whether over the counter herbs are illegal without proper testing.

Now that legislature has outlawed forms of synthetic marijuana, authorities are cracking down. The ATC suspended liquor licenses of four convenience stores selling substances that tested positive for synthetic marijuana at the state crime lab last month in the Baton Rouge area, said Hebert. And the statewide investigation continues.

According to Hebert, The “high” from synthetic marijuana often comes from chemicals sprayed onto potpourri. Hebert said it can take 30 to 60 days to receive test results from the state crime lab, because there is a back log.

Bill & Sheila’s A-Z of herbs

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Why the raw cannabis juicing trend may not be all it's juiced up to be

Posted on January 15, 2012 by bilrob

Why the raw cannabis juicing trend may not be all it’s juiced up to be

By Xeni Jardin at 6:03 pm Tuesday, Jan 10

cannabis

Earlier today, I posted a quick link to an LA Weekly item about a new round of media attention devoted to Dr. William Courtney, and his research on juicing cannabis for health benefits.

The tl;dr of his idea: with raw cannabis juice, you don’t get high, but you do get various health benefits.

Hmmm. I was curious about the largely uncritical internet coverage I was seeing, and wondered about the science—so I asked Michael Backes and Amy Robertson of Abatin Wellness Center of Sacramento what they thought. Abatin is a medical marijuana collective you may have heard of because of its link to MS sufferer and med-can advocate Montel Williams; they’re also very legit and science-oriented, and Backes has a long history in technology and the sciences. The tl;dr of their response is: it’s not quite that simple, and cannabis juicing could even pose some risks for certain patients. “The raw plants have substances to discourage critters from eating them that can cause allergic reactions in some,” explains Robertson, “And can you imagine how unpleasant this would taste?”

“The throat irritation is based on the fact that the stems of cannabis have sharp little hairs,” explains Backes. “Typically, this wouldn’t be a problem for those juicing the plant, but make chewing on a cannabis stems a no-no.”

More below.

And, a disclosure: the topic is of personal interest to me because I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and I’m undergoing chemotherapy. Chemo sucks, and I have learned that medical cannabis is a very effective aid for related side effects—but not all delivery methods are equally helpful.

From Michael Backes of Abatin Wellness Center:

Dr. William Courtney has been researching juicing cannabis for several years. The young woman in the video, Kristen, is his wife. Courtney makes some very plausible points, but his claims really do need to be subjected to randomized, controlled clinical trials.

Courtney’s claim that raw cannabis is not psychoactive is true, but only for pristine, fresh cannabis. Disturb the gland heads on a living cannabis plant of a strain that contains THC and the process of converting its non-psychoactive THCA to psychoactive THC begins, albeit slowly.

There are a few cannabis strains that contain another cannabinoid called cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is not psychoactive, whether in its raw acidic state (CBDA) or its neutral state (CBD). But CBDA strains often contain THCA, too. Around twenty strains of cannabis produced in California have been found to contain CBD, while the number of THC strains is believed to exceed three hundred.

CBD is of great research interest, since it exhibits dozens of very promising medicinal effects ranging from anti-tumor activity to its potential to control some forms of diabetes. And CBD exhibits almost zero toxicity.

The primary advantage of raw fresh cannabis is found in its predominance of THCA and its lack of psychoactive THC.

But… the medical benefits of large doses of acidic cannabinoids have not been subjected to controlled clinical trials. The evidence at this point is anecdotal. And if someone is not harvesting the cannabis fresh and consuming it immediately, then there is a risk of significant THC intoxication.

And one more point. As with any cultivated plant, cannabis can harbor a wide range of microbes and some can be pathogenic. The risk of pathogen exposure from raw fresh cannabis is small, but anyone with a compromised immune system should be very careful.

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Dutch city's coffee shops close doors to most cannabis tourists

Posted on October 3, 2011 by bilrob

coffee

Dutch city’s coffee shops close doors to most cannabis tourists

Coffee shops in the Dutch city of Maastricht have banned foreign tourists, except those from Germany and Belgium, from entering their premises from Saturday, according to the local association of coffee shops.

Coffee shops in the Netherlands are places where customers can legally buy and consume cannabis.

“We have put in place a ‘neighbouring country’ criteria,” Marc Josemans, president of the Society of United Coffeeshops and owner of the Easy Going coffee shop, told CNN.

“This is a form of self-regulation. It is not a law, there will be no judge, this was just the only choice we had.”

coffee Legalize pot, decrease crime?

The move comes after Maastricht’s city council decided that something had to be done about the 2.2 million visitors that come to the city every year, according to Josemans.

“The visitors put a lot of pressure on the city when they come here and make it very busy on our narrow streets. So the city said that something had to be done about the traffic and nuisance,” he said.

“But the biggest nuisance isn’t the number of coffee shops or the clients, but the illegal drug runners that can be quite aggressive and start fights and rob the tourists.”

All visitors to Maastricht’s coffee shops — some 6,000 a day, almost three-quarters of whom are foreign, according to Josemans — already have to show their passports and their information is then kept for 48 hours.

Now only those with a Dutch, German or Belgian passport will be allowed in.

“A number of people will leave disappointed, and we are not very proud of refusing entry to visitors who have come to our shops for the last 28 years and never caused a problem,” said Josemans, who has himself used cannabis for 35 years.

“The question now will be if they instead buy from the illegal drug runners here or if they buy illegally in their own countries.”

Nobody from Maastricht city council was available for comment Saturday.

A spokeswoman for Maastricht police told CNN that the police were not a party to the ban and that it is not illegal for foreign tourists to enter the city’s coffee shops.

The spokeswoman, who is not named in line with department policy, said police would not carry out any identity checks to enforce the ban. “We will just go about our normal business and carry out our duties where needed,” she said.

At spokeswoman at the tourist office for Maastricht, which lies near the Belgian border, said it was not aware of the new rules.

The Society of United Coffeeshops decided on the ban in July but it only came into effect October 1.

The organization is also working on a plan to move seven of the city’s 14 coffee shops to the outskirts, where foreign tourists can then go and buy hash and marijuana, Josemans said.

“But the first relocation won’t happen until June 2013, so we had to put this ban in place now, and we could then change it again once we’ve completed the relocation.

“At these new sites, the parking (areas) will have direct access to the coffee shops, so the drug runners can’t approach the clients as they walk to the coffee shop.”

Josemans also says the Dutch government wants the coffee shops to operate on a smaller scale and is planning to impose a nationwide ban on anyone who doesn’t hold a Dutch passport buying cannabis.

“They want to put this ‘weed pass’ in place from January 1 next year, but we are strongly against this.”

A press release on the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice website from May this year says coffee shops will become private clubs where only adult Dutch citizens can become members.

“The Cabinet expects that closure of coffee shops to foreign drugs tourists will ensure that they no longer travel to the Netherlands to purchase and consume cannabis. After all, many of them can use the illegal markets available in their immediate surroundings,” the press release says.

The statement does not give a date for the implementation of the new measures.

CNN’s calls to the Dutch justice ministry were not immediately returned.

But Josemans says cannabis supply is not only a Dutch problem.

“This is also the responsibility of the other European governments; nobody is taking responsibility for those millions of customers who want to buy cannabis for their own use,” he said.

“It is time to get their heads out of the sand to get a decent drugs policy in place to address this problem.”

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Patients to Grow Their Own Raw Cannabis