Cannabidiol, or CBD, was discovered in 1940 by Dr. Roger Adams in a sample of hemp he was testing for intoxicating compounds. Prior to the discovery of THC in 1964, scientists were busy looking for the magic ingredient that caused all of the impairing effects of cannabis and happened upon CBD during their search. Fast forward to modern day research, where we now understand how CBD works in the body to create many beneficial physiological and psychological effects.

On this episode of CNT, we highlight the wonders of CBD, the miracle drug that seems to be able to affect numerous chronic conditions, including hypertension, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and even COVID-19 infection. It can also prevent numerous conditions, such as autoimmune and psychological disorders. So, why isn't CBD part of your daily wellness regimen?

Episode Resources

Appendino, G. (2020). The early history of cannabinoid research. Cannabis and Cannabinoids, 31(4), 919–929. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00956-0

Bhunia, S., Kolishetti, N., Arias, A.Y., Vashist, A., & Nair, M. (2022). Cannabidiol for neurodegenerative disorders: A comprehensive review. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.989717

Britch, S.C., Babalonis, S., & Walsh, S.L. (2021). Cannabidiol: Pharmacology and Therapeutic Targets. Psychopharmacology, 238(1), 9–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-020-05712-8

Dujic, G., Kumric, M., Vrdoljak, J., Dujic, Z., & Bozic, J. (2024). Chronic Effects of Oral Cannabidiol Delivery on 24-h Ambulatory Blood Pressure in Patients with Hypertension (HYPER-H21-4): A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, and Crossover Study. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 9(4), 979–989. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2022.0320

Esposito, G., Pesce, M., Seguella, L., Sanseverino, W., Lu, J., Corpetti, C., & Sarnelli, G. (2020). The potential of cannabidiol in the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Pharmacology, 177(21), 4967–4970. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.15157

Mabou Tagne, A., Pacchetti, B., Sodergren, M., Cosentino, M., & Marino, F. (2020). Cannabidiol for Viral Diseases: Hype or Hope? Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 5(2), 121–131. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2019.0060

Nguyen, L.C., Yang, D., Nicolaescu, V., Best, T.J., Gula, H., Saxena, D., Gabbard, J.D., Chen, S.-N., Ohtsuki, T., Friesen, J. B., Drayman, N., Mohamed, A., Dann, C., Silva, D., Robinson-Mailman, L., Valdespino, A., Stock, L., Suárez, E., Jones, K.A., … Rosner, M.R. (2022). Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through induction of the host ER stress and innate immune responses. Science Advances, 8(8), eabi6110. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abi6110

Peng, J., Fan, M., An, C., Ni, F., Huang, W., & Luo, J. (2022). A narrative review of molecular mechanism and therapeutic effect of cannabidiol (CBD). Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, 130(4), 439–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcpt.13710

Seltzer, E.S., Watters, A.K., MacKenzie, D., Granat, L.M., & Zhang, D. (2020). Cannabidiol (CBD) as a Promising Anti-Cancer Drug. Cancers, 12(11), Article 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12113203

Cannabis is the most over regulated, yet under regulated prohibited drug on the market - and the most studied! Through eight decades of research, we know of all of the potential harms and risks associated with both use of the plant and access to the plant. Lab testing of all cannabis products is what helps keeps our consumers safe. But what if that's not the case?

On this episode CNT, we review cannabis testing industry considerations and highlight some of the issues we are already facing as we try to provide safe, lab-tested products to either medical or adult use consumers.

Episode Resources

Association of Public Health Laboratories. (2016, May). Guidance for State Medical Cannabis Testing Programs. Association of Public Health Laboratories.

Azwell, T., Ciotti, C., Adams, A., & Pauli, G.F. (2022). Variation among hemp (Cannabis sativus L.) analytical testing laboratories evinces regulatory and quality control issues for the industry. Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 31, 100434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmap.2022.100434

Medical or adult use? Which should you use? What are the differences? Are there differences? Currently in the United States, cannabis users have two legal options in states that have legalized either medical or adult-use cannabis. Although many of the differences between them are related to access, there are many other issues at hand when consumers make the decision to purchase at either a legal adult-use or medical dispensary.

In this episode of CNT, we highlight the differences between medical and adult-use cannabis, but keep in mind... it's all the same weed.

Episode Resources

In 2020, an estimated 209 million people around the world, or just less than four per cent of the global population, reported using cannabis in the past 12 months. Around the world, cannabis is being legalized or decriminalized and hundreds of thousands of patients are currently being treated with medicinal cannabis. Cannabis products are becoming increasingly diverse, and vary considerably in their concentrations of the one psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis, delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC. It is in use of THC that we develop risks and harms from cannabis.

Currently, there is no standardized THC dose or measure that has been recommended by experts, and there are no approved treatments for THC intoxication. On this episode of Cannabis Nurse Truths, we review the concerns with standard THC dosing - just how high is too high?

Episode Resources

It is well known that individuals who use high doses of cannabis for a long period of time will develop tolerance to THC. To overcome tolerance to THC, there are two choices - use more THC or take a THC break, also known as a T- Break. Numerous online forums suggest varying ways to manage a T-Break; a recent Internet search resulted in over 36 million hits on how to reduce THC tolerance.

The problem with these online T-Break guides, however, is that none of them are empirically based, meaning that there is currently no evidence to support the methods suggested online. In this episode of Cannabis Nurse Truths, we consider the data related to cannabis tolerance and how numerous factors may interfere with your T-Break.

Episode Resources

Allsop, D. J., Copeland, J., Norberg, M. M., Fu, S., & Molnar, A. (2012). Quantifying the Clinical Significance of Cannabis Withdrawal. PLoS ONE, 7(9), e44864.

Ansell, E. B., Bedillion, M. F., Farris, S. R., Gilbert, J. M., Koch, M. M., & Thureen, S. E. (2023). Cannabis use breaks in young adults: The highs and lows of tolerance breaks. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 249, 109951.

In 2018, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing published the National Nursing Guidelines for Medical Marijuana. This document provided a road map for nurses to learn and understand how cannabis works in the human body so that they could educate and assist our population as they began to use legal medical marijuana.

Fast forward to 2024, where cannabis nursing is now a recognized subspecialty of nursing, and cannabis nurses are poised to provide our population with safe and knowledgeable practice to promote patient safety as our population is increasingly finding that cannabis heals. On this episode of Cannabis Nurse Truths, we highlight how the American Nursing Association has led the way in providing professional guidelines for all nurses to practice cannabis nursing across the United States. Get ready... the cannabis nurses are going to heal the world.

Cannabis sativa L. is the botanical name for a family of plants that include three distinct types of cannabis. Cannabis has been used for centuries, long before the Christian era, in Asia, where it was used for construction, food, fabric, paper, and medicine. In modern society, we have confused the two cousins in this family, hemp and marijuana, and there is global confusion about differences within the plants. It doesn't help that marijuana has been demonized for decades and now, everyone is suffering from Reefer Madness as they think hemp is the devil's lettuce.

In this episode of Cannabis Nurse Truths, we break down the differences between hemp and marijuana and share why hemp will soon be part of every lifestyle in every culture around the world.

With over eight decades of research, we understand that there are over 500 compounds to be analyzed in cannabis. One of those compounds is a category known as terpenoids, familiarly known as terpenes or terps. Imagine walking through a pine forest and smelling pine, or how about through a field of lavender, and smelling that delicious, relaxing smell. If you are like me, I like my beer with hops, so imagine a hoppy beer smell or what citrus smells like. These are the compounds that are known as terpenes, and terpenes, while they are very great for what they do and smell like, they also have a physiological effect. In today's Cannabis Nurse Truths episode, we're going to discuss terpenes, because they are actually the 'bus drivers' of every cannabis effect known to man.