Month: November 2020

Study: Nearly 1 in 5 Rheumatologic Patients Use Medical Cannabis

According to a newly released study, a considerable amount of those with rheumatologic diseases (which includes diseases such as fibromyalgia and lupus) consume marijuana on a regular basis as a means of dealing with the symptoms of their ailment. The study, titled Cannabis use assessment and its impact on pain in rheumatologic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis, was published in the journal Rheumatology and was epublished ahead of print by the U.S. National Institute of Health.

For the study researchers in France conducted a meta-analysis (an analysis of numerous pieces of peer-reviewed, scientific literature) of studies which examined marijuana use among those with rheumatologic disease. They found that 17% – nearly 1 in 5 – of patients with these type of diseases regularly use marijuana. Marijuana use was most common among fibromyalgia patients. Most marijuana consumers in this group used the plant to ease pain.

“In this meta-analysis, we found that one in six patients suffering from rheumatologic disease actively consumes cannabis, reducing in pain reduction”, states the study. “A favorable effect of cannabis on pain in our meta-analysis reinforces the idea that cannabis could be used for analgesic purposes.”

Below is the study’s abstract in its entirety:

Objectives: Despite classic analgesic or effective treatments in rheumatic diseases, such as synthetic DMARDs in RA, patients remain in pain and often turn to non-prescribed pharmacological alternatives, such as cannabis self-therapeutic use. However, this medical use of cannabis has not been thoroughly studied.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review up to June 2020. The incidence of cannabis consumption was calculated by metaproportion. Differences between cannabis users and non-users were expressed as standardized mean differences using the inverse-variance method. We also assessed the effects of cannabis on pain.

Results: A total of 2900 patients reported cannabis consumption in a sample of 10 873 patients [incidence 40.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.28, 0.54)], and 15.3% (95% CI: 0.07, 0.27) specified that they were currently taking cannabis. Cannabis use was higher in the four fibromyalgia studies [68.2% (95% CI: 0.41, 0.90), n = 611] compared with seven articles concerning RA or lupus [26.0% (95% CI: 0.14, 0.41), n = 8168]. Cannabis consumption was associated with a decrease in pain intensity [VAS pain at baseline 8.2 (2.9) vs 5.6 (3.5) mm over time; pooled effect size -1.75 (95% CI: -2.75, -0.76)]. Cannabis users were younger [58.4 (11.4) vs 63.6 (12.1) years; P <0.001], more often smokers [OR 2.91 (95% CI: 1.84, 4.60)] or unemployed [OR 2.40 (95% CI: 1.31, 4.40)], and had higher pain intensity [5.0 (2.4) vs 4.1(2.6) mm; P <0.001] than non-users.

Conclusion: Nearly 20% of patients suffering from rheumatologic diseases actively consume cannabis, with an improvement in pain. The issue of cannabis use in the management of these patients should be addressed during medical consultation, essentially with cannabis-based standardized pharmaceutical products.

Read More

Why Is Your Vape Tank Leaking And How To Stop It?

A vape tank is one of the crucial components of a vape device. The tank is a particular area within the device that holds your vape juice.

A wick (or several wicks) connects the tank to the heating chamber. When you turn on your vape device, the coils located within the heating chamber generate heat, which in turn heats the e-liquid in the tank through a wick (or wicks).

As the e-juice heats up, it produces clouds of vapor inside the tank. You then suck into your vaporizer through the mouthpiece to draw the vapor from the tank to your mouth or directly into your lungs. Evidently, the tank is an irreplaceable component of a vaporizer. Therefore, it’s essential to clean and maintain it regularly to prevent it from getting damaged.

However, cases of leaking vape tanks aren’t unheard of. But what causes these leaks, and how can you prevent them?

This post shall attempt to shed more light on that.

Why Is a Leaking Vape Tank Such a Terrible Thing?

You’ve probably read tons of articles encouraging you to close all the water taps properly before leaving your house. The same logic applies to dripping vape tanks. While it might be convenient to ignore the tiny droplets falling off your vape tank, it may only be a matter of time before the entire e-juice drains away. This means you’ll be incurring extra costs in refilling your vape tank sooner than you should.

But even if you don’t give enough thought to the financial implications, just picture the kind of embarrassment that a leaking vape tank can cause you. Imagine you’re making an important presentation then all of a sudden, you realize your crotch is all drenched up in the liquid. You’ll have to stop your presentation midway and embark on the difficult task of convincing everyone that you didn’t just empty your bladder.

So, whether you look at it from a financial or public relations point of view, a dripping tank is the last thing any vaper wants to deal with. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to handle leaking vape tanks. You just need to establish the cause of the leak so that you can adopt the right solution.

vape Pen

Possible Reasons Why Your Vape Tank Is Leaking and How to Fix the Problem

1. Overfilling the tank

Most vape tanks feature a central tube extending from the coil up to the mouthpiece. If you overfill the tank, you’ll most certainly get liquid in this tube, and that will cause leaks. To avoid getting any vape liquid in the central tube, always fill the tank while tilted. That way, the vape juice runs all the way down the inside of the plastic or glass and stays away from the central tube.

As the tank fills up, you can straighten it gradually to avoid spills. If you accidentally get liquid inside the central tube, remove it before your next vaping session.

2. Loosely-screwed components

Another possible cause of a leaking vape tank is the loosely-screwed components of your vape device. In such cases, leaks will mostly occur where the coils meet with the atomizer base or where the coils meet the tank.

The easiest solution here is to screw these components tightly. And while you’re at it, avoid cross-threading (a situation where the threads of the various components you’re trying to screw together end up misaligned). Cross-threading can cause an imperfect seal.

Another thing to avoid is over-tightening the components of your vape device. Over-tightening can damage your O-rings, resulting in leaks. On the same breath, always ensure that the O-rings are properly installed and replace them as soon as they’re worn out.

Vaping indoor

3. Mismatching the resistance coils with the vape juice

Unknown to many vapers, the different resistance coils work well when matched with specific types of e-juices.

Generally, higher resistance coils produce less vapor and more throat hit. Such coils require a stronger draw, which makes them suited to e-liquids with a higher concentration of the thinner propylene glycol (PG). On the contrary, sub-ohm coils produce more vapor and less throat hit. These coils have more open airflow and present little resistance when you’re drawing, making them ideal for vaping e-juices with a higher concentration of the thicker vegetable glycerin (VG).

4. Poor use, maintenance, and storage

How you use, maintain, or store your vaporizer can also contribute to vape tank leaks. For instance, leaving your vaporizer in a horizontal or slanting position can cause the vape juice to escape from the tank through the juice holes located in the coils. Also, vaping using numerous short draws increases condensation, which in turn could cause leaks. To reduce condensation, you should consider long puffs.

It’s also advisable to inhale slowly and softly as opposed to firmly and sharply. Other best practices for reducing vape tank leaks include;

  • Increase your power setting to prevent the amount of e-liquid from getting pulled to the coil for vaporization
  • Add extra wicking material
  • Invest in leak-resistant e-cigs
  • Replace the tank if required

vapingOutdoor

Having a leaking vape tank is the surest way to lose your precious e-juice and incur additional expenses on unnecessary refills. Thankfully, there are numerous tips you can implement to address this problem. Most importantly, remember to regularly clean and maintain your vaporizer to keep all its components in crisp condition.

Reference Links

https://www.vaporfi.com/learn/e-cigarette-parts.html

https://hippievaporizer.com/blogs/blog/how-to-take-care-of-your-vape-pen-cleaning-and-maintenance-tips

https://www.totallywicked-eliquid.co.uk/vaped/why-is-my-vape-tank-leaking-how-to-fix-it/

https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2015/11/clearomiser-leaking-fixes.html

Read More

Utah Lawmakers Consider Medical Marijuana Expansion

Legislation to significantly expand Utah’s restrictive medical marijuana program will soon be introduced in the state’s legislature, according to a recent report by Fox 13.

The proposal, which is being put forth by Representative Ray Ward and Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers – both Republicans – would allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana for up to 15 patients without having to go through hours of specialized training. If a doctor does go through said training, they can help up to 275 patients at any given time.

“We want to make the barrier to entry on the part of providers, prescribers, lower,” says Representative Ward.

As FOX 13 reported last year, qualifying patients still struggle across Utah to find doctors willing to recommend medical marijuana. For example, some doctors don’t want to go through so much paperwork and licensing for a handful of patients, while others are uneasy about recommending cannabis.

“This bottleneck that we have here, it is forcing patients to go outside and try to doctor shop which was never the intention,” said Desiree Hennessy, the head of the Utah Patients Coalition, which sponsored Proposition 2 that legalized medical marijuana in Utah.

According to Fox 13, “In addition to allowing physicians to recommend for up to 15 patients, it also allows them to refer a patient directly to a medical cannabis dispensary (Utah calls them “pharmacies”).”

“The cannabis pharmacy can, at the physician’s discretion, delegate the responsibility to the pharmacist to get the patient on the system and make recommendations on dosage,” Sen. Vickers, R-Cedar City, told FOX 13.

“I would rather we have a large number of providers who are willing to participate in the program not because they are a pot specialty clinic,” he said.

“But the bill would also add cannabis to Utah’s controlled substances database, where all prescriptions for things like opioids are kept” states Fox 13. “Physicians and pharmacies can look at it to ensure that someone isn’t doctor shopping for pills, but so can law enforcement.”

That concerns Hennessy.

“I have heard from a lot of those patients,” she told FOX 13. “I worry like they do that this is something, do officers have to have a warrant to look at that? Is this common knowledge?”

Hennessy said she expected the legislation would have safeguards in place that require police to get a warrant to look at the database. Sen. Vickers said discussions about the controlled substances database has been emotional, but he supported adding cannabis to it — as did Rep. Ward.

“I regard that as a huge step in the right direction. I mean, we have said over and over again if this is a medicine, let’s treat it like a medicine,” said Rep. Ward. “And I would just invoke that over and over and over again. Other controlled substances are in the controlled substances database.”

The bill is set to be heard before the Interim Health & Human Services Committee on Wednesday.

Read More

Gallup Poll: Record-Breaking 68% of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana

According to a new Gallup poll, Americans are more likely now than at any point in the past five decades to support the legalization of marijuana in the U.S. The 68% of U.S. adults who currently support legalizing marijuana marks a 2% increase from the same time last year: It’s 4% higher than in 2017.

Gallup first measured the public’s views of marijuana legalization in 1969, when 12% of Americans backed it; by 1977, support had more than doubled to 28%. It did not exceed 30% until 2000 but has risen steeply in the two decades since then, and is now twice what it was in 2001 and 2003.

According to Gallup, the latest data are from Sept. 30-Oct. 15 poll, conducted before the election that saw marijuana legalization proposals on the ballot in several states. Voters in all of these states — Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota — authorized the legal use of recreational marijuana in the Nov. 3 election. They join 11 other states and the District of Columbia in legalizing pot for recreational purposes. Additionally, “voters in Mississippi and South Dakota join 33 states and the District of Columbia in passing laws legalizing or decriminalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.”

According to a Gallup news release, majorities of most demographic subgroups of Americans support legalizing marijuana, “including by gender, age, education and household income. Yet there is considerable variation in the extent of support within each group, as men, younger adults, college graduates and those in households with incomes of at least $100,000 are more likely than their counterparts to favor legalization.”

Most politically left-leaning and middle-of-the-road Americans remain supportive of legalizing marijuana, while less than half of those who lean right favor it.” Over eight in 10 Democrats and liberals, and more than seven in 10 independents and moderates, back legalization, but just under half of Republicans and conservatives do.”

Views of legalization also differ greatly depending on frequency of attendance at religious services. “A slim majority of those who say they attend weekly oppose legalization. Yet, about three in five of those who attend nearly weekly or monthly, and about four in five who attend less frequently, favor legalizing marijuana.”

The 83% of Democrats and 72% of independents who prefer legalization are the highest readings in the trend for both groups, but Republicans’ current 48% is down slightly from slim majorities in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The “bottom line” of this polling data, according to Gallup, is:

Since 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, there has been a slow trickle of states that have followed suit. Over that period, Americans’ support for marijuana legalization has risen 20 points to a record-high 68%. This measure has enjoyed majority support from the public since 2013. Additionally, Gallup data from earlier this year find that 70% of U.S. adults now consider smoking marijuana to be morally acceptable, marking a five-percentage-point uptick in one year.

The trajectory of the public’s support for the legalization of marijuana has coincided with an increasing number of states approving it. It is not entirely clear whether the shift in public opinion has caused the change in many state laws or vice versa. Given recent trends, more states are likely to legalize recreational marijuana in the future. Considering the high level of public support for such a measure, a change in federal policy could even occur.

Read More