People who regularly smoke cannabis will exercise just as quickly as non-users, research shows

The stereotype of a cannabis smoker is one of a laid-back, listless, sloth-like person trapped in a lethargic stupor, with exercise far from their heads.

But a new study from researchers at the University of Miami claims this is an unfair representation of one in six people taking the class B drug.

Data from more than 20,000 Americans shows that marijuana users have similar exercise levels to nonusers.

The American researchers admit that their findings are at odds with previous research on the topic, which almost universally shows that the sedentary stoner stereotype is true.

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Filmmakers often portray cannabis smokers as laid-back, listless and sloths, but US experts found this a misleading trope (stock)

Teen smokers of marijuana with mental disorders are THREE times more likely to self-harm, study warns

Teens with bipolar disorder or depression who smoke cannabis are at an increased risk of death and self-harm, a new study finds.

Mood disorders in adolescence have long been associated with cannabis abuse and this addiction is now found to have a significant impact on mortality.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that teens with a mood disorder and cannabis habit are 3.28 times more likely to self-harm and 59 percent more likely to die from all causes.

The risk of death from accidental overdose is 2.4 times higher than in people who avoid the drug, and the chance of being a victim of murder is 3.24 times higher, the study found.

“ Marijuana use and addiction is common in youth and young adults with mood disorders, but the association of these behaviors with self-harm, suicide and overall mortality risk is poorly understood in this already fragile population, ” says lead author Dr. Cynthia Fontanella.

“These findings should be viewed as states considering legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, both of which are associated with increased cannabis use disorder.”

The plant from which the drug is derived is increasingly recognized for its medicinal properties. It is now used to treat many conditions such as arthritis, PTSD, chronic pain and multiple sclerosis.

“While certain health benefits of marijuana use are widely accepted by doctors and other medical providers, clinicians often balance these benefits with the potential harmful effects,” the researchers write in their study, published in the journal. Preventive medicine

Some of the side effects of cannabis may include mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and suicidality in some users.

Many places around the world are starting to relax their stance on the drug, with some states in the US decriminalizing and legalizing the drug.

CBD products, which do not contain the psychoactive substance THC but come from the cannabis plant, are now also sold over the counter.

Researchers used data from two waves of a long-term study in America that took place between 2008 and 2009 and 2018 and 2020.

The participants ranged in age from 24 to 42 years of age during this time and were surveyed on a wide variety of topics, including exercise levels and drug use.

Researchers looked at how much exercise they had in the past seven days, including cycling, team sports, running, golf, and walking.

This was then compared to self-reported levels of cannabis use in the past month. Participants were rated as a non-user, a light user, an intermediate user, or a heavy user, depending on their answers.

Statistical analysis found no significant association between marijuana and exercise, indicating that the habit does not affect a person’s activity level.

The researchers say this “goes against the conventional wisdom that marijuana users are less likely to be active.”

The plant from which the cannabis drug is derived is increasingly recognized for its medicinal properties. It is now used to treat many conditions such as arthritis, PTSD, chronic pain and multiple sclerosis

In fact, the University of Miami researchers found that cannabis users can be more active than nonsmokers, even among heavy users who admitted to smoking cannabis at least three times a week.

While the data suggests a weak association between cannabis use and being more active, the scientists caution not to read too much into this, as this is most likely due to ‘strong associations rather than causal inferences per se’.

The researchers say their findings should inform the discussions about the legalization of cannabis, as it discredits the stereotype that cannabis leads to laziness.

“ Behavioral health researchers, government officials, policymakers and public health advocates should consider these rigorous and objective findings and support further research on the topic as they debate the merits of liberalizing marijuana laws at the state and federal levels, ” they write.

In particular, claims that legalization of marijuana will cause people to become more sedentary, less active, and therefore less healthy, are not supported by our empirical findings.

‘Only when further research has been carried out will it be difficult to draw clear policy implications.’

Cannabis extracts may reduce the risk of death from Covid-19 by preventing the immune system from attacking itself

Some cannabis extracts may lower the risk of death from Covid-19 by preventing a patient’s malfunctioning immune system from attacking itself, research suggests.

A ‘cytokine storm’ is a process by which the immune system becomes confused and attacks healthy tissue instead of just the virus.

In many severe Covid cases, this is proving fatal, and finding a way to dampen this process has been a priority for doctors.

Now researchers at the University of Lethbridge have investigated how extracts from Cannabis sativa plants interact with cytokines.

They found three strains that are very effective at lowering the levels of two of the chemicals that play integral roles in the cytokine storm.

The researchers have more than 200 varieties of cannabis in their collection and have narrowed this down to seven for their study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed and published as preprint on Research square

In this study, we identified three extracts that are very, very good strains; some strains identified in previous studies were also quite good, ”said Dr. Olga Kovalchuk, study co-author.

The varieties are known only as number four, eight and 14.

Stopping the cytokine storm has been a priority for researchers since it was first identified in the early days of the pandemic.

It persists even when the virus is eradicated from the body and leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can be a fatal condition.

This can also cause pulmonary fibrosis, in which lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred and therefore cannot function properly.