It may be true that many heavy metal fans love smoking weed, but that love only goes one way. Weed fans do NOT love smoking heavy metals. And there is one kind of heavy metal that no one wants in their lives – no, it’s not hair metal, it’s lead. Yes, we’re being serious now, and we’re talking about lead poisoning so listen up!
As of January 1st, California is requiring all vape cartridge manufacturers to have their products tested for heavy metal contamination, and several testing labs have recently been finding that some vape carts contain a dangerous amount of lead.
It is believed that this lead contamination is coming from the metal parts of the vape cartridges themselves, because many Chinese foundries mix lead with other metals in order to make it more moldable. Experts believe that cannabis oil may be able to absorb trace amounts of lead from these cartridges.
The bottoms line is: All vape cartridges made before Jan. 1, 2019 in California may or may not contain some lead in the oil—no one was testing for heavy metals back then. Retailers are allowed to sell all inventory manufactured in 2018 to consumers so check the “manufactured on” dates on the label of your vape cartridges.
California weed producers are expecting that Chinese manufacturers will be able to provide them with lead-free vape carts within the next few months, but until then, you might want to consider vaping flower or just sparking up a nice fat joint instead.
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Massachusetts’ first two legal recreational pot stores have been open for two months now, and stoners from all along the Eastern seaboard have been flocking to the Bay State to stock up on legal weed. Since then, six more pot shops have opened their doors, and demand has shown no sign of slacking.
Between November and January, retailers moved 23.8 million dollars of weed, according to the state’s Cannabis Control Commission. State officials expect that four to eight new pot stores will open every month, and it is predicted that once the industry is in full swing, sales will eventually top 1.5 billion dollars a year.
While Massachusetts residents are enjoying the fruits of recreational legalization, researchers are taking a closer look at how medical marijuana can help patients quit using dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.
A recent study looked at prescription data from 5 million patients between 2006 and 2014, and discovered that legal medical cannabis was associated with lower odds of opioid use. The study reports that the rates of acute and chronic opioid use were lower in states that had legalized medical marijuana than in prohibition states.
Meanwhile, a Canadian research team discovered that medical marijuana can also help wean patients off benzodiazepines – which are sedative drugs often used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and seizure disorders. The study found that almost half of the study subjects were able to quit taking these prescription drugs within six months of beginning a medical marijuana program.
Like opioids, benzodiazepines have many adverse side effects, including risks of addiction and overdose, so a chance to replace them with a safer alternative is good news for everyone.
