Cutting out illicit substances like alcohol, cigarettes and drugs is a no-brainer for most women when they learn that they’re pregnant (or are trying to get pregnant). But for a small subset of moms-to-be, one illicit substance in particular has been touted as a lifesaver: marijuana.Story continues belowIt was for Melissa, a Boston-area mom of two who had hyperemesis gravidarum, the same severe morning sickness that Kate Middleton experienced. Although pot wasn’t her first solution — her obstetrician prescribed medications that didn’t end up working — it was the only thing that could stop her from “constantly” vomiting, she told Yahoo Beauty.READ MORE: More seniors are likely to use pot when it’s legal, but the frail should be cautious, MD says“I talked to my friend’s neighbour, who is a midwife, and she said that [marijuana] was the only thing that got her through her first trimester,” Melissa said. “So I smoked a little bit of weed. I coughed, and the coughing made me throw up. But after that, the symptoms just disappeared. It was amazing.”Eventually, Melissa turned to edibles (she baked small amounts of pot into brownies), and she said it “saved my pregnancy, basically.”She isn’t alone in her unconventional choice of recreational activity. In a report published in JAMA in January, researchers at Columbia University found that 3.9 per cent of American women who are pregnant report marijuana use, while another recent U.S. study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that teen girls are twice as likely to smoke pot if they’re pregnant. Overall, six per cent of pregnant females aged 12 to 44 reported using marijuana in their first trimester.Things don’t look too innocent in Canada, either. A 2015 publication by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) quoted a Canadian Perinatal Health Report (2008) that said five per cent of women used illicit drugs during pregnancy (although it didn’t specify how many used cannabis). But cohort studies suggest that number is considerably off, and state that 10 to 16 per cent of middle-class women and 23 to 30 per cent of inner-city dwellers consume marijuana during pregnancy.READ MORE: Debate growing over drivers high on marijuana“The 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey found that 22 per cent of women of childbearing age (15 to 44) reported using cannabis in the past year, which shows the potential number of women who are using it during pregnancy,” says Dr. Amy Porath, director of research and policy at CCSA. “And we know the negative impacts of prenatal marijuana use on the fetus continue into late adolescence and early adulthood.”The impacts include neurocognitive effects as well as behavioural ones, and start to display themselves as early as 18 months. Porath says girls born to mothers who consumed marijuana prenatally show aggressive behaviours and attention problems at 18 months, while all kids show deficits in memory and verbal skills at age three. By the time they turn six, they display impaired verbal performance, quantitative reasoning, and short-term memory, and at nine, there are deficits in reading, spelling and academic performance.Once they get to their late teens and early 20s, these neurocognitive impairments persist. Behaviourally, they display hyperactivity, impulsivity, delinquency, and even anxiety and depression throughout their lifetime.“There’s growing research in this area and as more studies come out, they come to the same conclusions, strengthening what we already know,” Porath says. “There’s definitely a reason to be concerned.”In the case of hyperemesis, Dr. Jennifer Blake, CEO of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, says that any claims that marijuana helps are purely anecdotal and misleading.“The problem with severe nausea and vomiting is that it gets better eventually,” she says. “In most women, it devolves over time, so even if someone tells you that she took it and felt better, you don’t really know what made her feel better.”Supporters of marijuana use in pregnancy often turn to a surprising study conducted in Jamaica in 1994. It found that babies whose mothers consumed the drug during gestation had better physiological stability, were more alert and less irritable at one month compared to babies who weren’t exposed to marijuana.However, experts are quick to point out that the study was small (only 24 marijuana users and 20 non-users were monitored), and it’s difficult to know with certainty who’s telling the truth. As Blake says, it’s hard to get a full picture when you’re asking people to report on something that’s illegal.There’s another factor to consider when pondering the use of marijuana during pregnancy: you never really know what you’re getting.“The research we have is based on what we know about cannabis, but the problem is people never really know what they’re purchasing,” Blake says. “They’ve found fentanyl contaminants in samples purchased from dispensaries — there’s organized crime in the supply chain there. More effort needs to be put in the situation.”READ MORE: The highs and lows of pot legalization And yet, some women swear they couldn’t have made it through their pregnancies and tolerated their extreme nausea if they hadn’t turned to pot. Carly, a Kawartha region mom, had hyperemesis in both her pregnancies — in her first pregnancy, extreme nausea and vomiting caused her to lose 30 pounds, in her second, she lost 20. So, she smoked just enough marijuana to curb her nausea and allow her to eat. She smoked up until her 17th week of pregnancy, and in both cases gave birth to healthy babies.“I wish more women would turn to this amazing, natural plant medicine during pregnancy and the stigma behind it vanish, because it can help so many, naturally,” she says.Lianne Phillipson, a registered nutritionist and founder of Sprout Right, hasn’t had any clients come to her seeking advice on tempering hyperemesis with cannabis, but she says “I don’t know how I would have handled that kind of situation if I were in their shoes, especially understanding the need of nutrition for a growing fetus.”However, she says, there are ways to circumvent morning sickness naturally — and not in the “natural” way some women do. She advises her clients to take B6 and ginger and to eat protein.“Eat as large a quantity as you can of protein, whether it’s meat, eggs, soy or dairy, as it helps clear the hormones that are building up in your liver, which is often the cause of nausea,” she says. “Eat often and don’t let yourself get hungry. If you need to eat dry toast or a cracker to get over the nausea, do that and then eat some protein. Grab any opportunity you have to eat something healthy.”She also says that “the human body can do amazing things,” and many women have experienced severe morning sickness without turning to marijuana. And they, too, had healthy babies.Blake sums it up simply by pointing out, “when you’re pregnant, you’re making choices that your baby has no say in. These are critical developmental moments for your baby. It’s the time to do the very best that you can.”
Dispensary
5 Of The Best 420 Apps You Can’t Live Without
Cannabis and technology are a dream team. From playing fun games to finding the best dispensary deals near you to learning about new strains to try, these five 420 apps have you covered on 420 and every other day of the year.
1. Budbo
Budbo was designed from the perfect perspective: Yours. The result? A one-of-a-kind mobile application that allows you to quickly discover new strains, concentrates, and edibles like never before, all at your local dispensaries.
Budbo is your guide to finding new strains and concentrates at your local dispensaries. Choose “Puff” or “Pass” for more info, and dive into the effects and attributes of individual strains.
2. Hempire
Hempire is a story-driven strategy game with characters that represent the true culture, (and its favorite icons) rather than old stereotypes. With a dozen colorful characters and competition between friends online, players can compete or collaborate to build their own cannabis empire.
Celebrate 420 with the greatest new mobile game of 2017, and download Hempire for FREE on Apple from the App Store and Android on Google Play.
3. Nugg
Nugg is the medical marijuana evaluation in California. With just a few clicks from the comfort of your own home, you meet face-to-face with a licensed medical practitioner.
Once you’ve signed up with Nugg, you use the same login to register for a medical marijuana evaluation on NuggMD. The two websites work together so medical cannabis is more accessible than ever.
4. Pot Farm
Pot Farm: Grass Roots has more than enough to keep any digital pot farmer thoroughly entertained. Design the ultimate grow-op, cultivate your favorite strains while defending them from mites, then sell to buyers – including your own real-world friends.
Play Pot Farm: Grass Roots now on Android or Bud Farm: Grass Roots on iOS. Check out the East Side Games website for more info on Pot Farm’s various mobile spin-off titles.
5. Eaze
Eaze is super easy to use, boasts an outstanding selection, and in many California cities they guarantee 20-minute delivery times.
New patients scan an image of their driver’s license and physician’s recommendation. Somebody at Eaze will verify your paperwork within the hour to clear you for ordering. Once you’re verified, it’s time to browse the extensive Eaze menu.
Canadians Believe Sugar And Saturated Fat Are More Harmful Than Cannabis
Modern Canadians aren’t buying into the scare stories anymore; Reefer Madness is becoming a thing of the past in the Great White North, and a new study shows just how far attitudes have evolved. In 2017, most Canadians believe (with good reason, of course) that both sugar and saturated fat are more harmful to health than is cannabis.
Cannabis in Canada
Just in time for 420, DIG Insights, a global research firm, released their findings from an extensive research initiative on cannabis use in Canada, encompassing public attitudes on usage, legalization and much more.
Our goal was to create a custom research study that would serve as a benchmark for the growing Cannabis industry, legislators and other interested parties.
What we are seeing is the law to legalize marijuana in Canada couldn’t come soon enough. Perceptions and attitudes about marijuana use have become more relaxed. The fact that Canadians see marijuana use as less harmful than sugar and fat suggests that old stereotypes no longer ring true. – Rory McGee, research director at DIG Insights, Inc.
Health
Only 18 percent of Canadians believe Marijuana is “very harmful”, which is lower than alcohol (19 percent), processed sugar (25 percent) and saturated fat (33 percent).
A majority (51 percent) believes consumption can be beneficial, while only 33 percent believe that regular users are less successful in life. However, 29 percent report having a close friend or family member whose life was negatively affected by marijuana.
Usage
Among the findings, about 1 out of every 4 Canadians (24 percent) have used recreational marijuana in the past year and an additional 19 percent would potentially use it if it became legal. Usage is highest among people aged 18-34 (34 percent), those who are making less than $60K (30 percent), and Quebecers (38 percent).
Nearly 12 percent of Canadian men aged 18-34 report smoking marijuana daily. Those who currently use cannabis report they do so to help them relax (24 percent) or reduce stress/anxiety (18 percent).
Interestingly, while smoking remains the most common form of consumption, 39 percent have tried edibles, indicating a growing market opportunity for producers. Younger users are also more likely to have tried vaping.
ActivitiesWhen people are high they are most likely to watch television (43 percent), listen to music (38 percent), eat (33 percent), socialize (32 percent) or drink alcohol (28 percent). Younger people were less likely to combine marijuana with alcohol as compared to those over 35.
Purchase
Almost half of Canadians get their marijuana by purchasing it directly (48 percent), while others consume what they get from others (27 percent), and 24 percent report having a friend or family member purchase it on their behalf. Those that purchase typically buy a quarter ounce or less.The average price is $7/gram.
Despite not yet being legal, 15 percent purchase at dispensaries. Most (45 percent), however, purchase at someone’s residence. A large majority (80 percent) report feeling very safe when purchasing marijuana and over half say they’re never concerned about police intervention.
Legalization
The majority of Canadians (56 percent) support legalization, and support is highest among men (61 percent), particularly younger men (82 percent), and Millennials overall (68 percent). Among current users, 18 percent say they are likely to consume more marijuana after it’s legalized.
Steve Elliott
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Canadians Support Marijuana Bill But Believe It Won’t Prevent Youth From Accessing Pot: Poll
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A new survey has found strong support for the Liberal government’s marijuana legalization plan but significant doubt in its ability to achieve the government’s key goals.
The Angus Reid Institute’s poll, released Thursday, found that 63 per cent of respondents were in favour of Bill C-45, while 37 per cent opposed it.
Left to right: National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthiller, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, Health Minister Jane Philpott and Parliamentary Secretary Bill Blair hold a press conference announcing new legislation for legalizing marijuana on April 13, 2017. (Photo: Seyit Aydogan/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The Liberals have said their legalization bill, tabled in the House of Commons last week, was crafted to strictly regulate cannabis and keep it out of the hands of young people, discourage users from driving while under the influence, and gut the pocketbooks of criminal organizations profiting off the drug.
The poll, however, found strong skepticism in the bill’s ability to do any of those things.
Sixty-six per cent of respondents, for example, said they didn’t think the bill would discourage youth from using or abusing the drug, and 55 per cent believe it won’t keep criminal organizations from the marijuana trade.
New penalties for selling pot to minors
An accompanying bill, C-46, would introduce new criminal charges to deter users from driving while impaired. The law would also install penalties for selling pot to minors that range from police citations to jail terms of up to 14 years.
The legislation, once passed, would allow police to use what Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould called “oral fluid screening devices” to check drivers for marijuana impairment.
Fifty-one per cent of the respondents in Angus Reid’s survey said they don’t think those measures will discourage driving under the influence of pot, while 49 per cent said the new punishments would do the trick.
The Liberals set a minimum age of 18 for purchasing recreational pot, but gave provincial governments the ability to set a higher age if desired.
In fact, many aspects of the government’s pot legalization plan are left to the provinces, such as how much cannabis will be taxed and where it will be sold.
The survey found dispensaries were the most popular choice across the country, with 68 per cent preferring them as a designated place to purchase pot. Sixty per cent said they preferred marijuana to be sold in government agencies like provincially-run liquor stores, and just 35 per cent said they wanted it to be ordered online and delivered by mail.
The Liberals are aiming to have the two bills passed by July 2018.
The Angus Reid Institute’s poll was conducted online among a representative randomized sample of 1,467 Canadians. The firm said in its report that a probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
With files from The Canadian Press
5 Stoner Games To Play On 420
Will you be spending 420 at the crib? If so, you can still have an epic time. And of course, smoke lots of weed. But do you want to know how you can have the best time ever? With pot-friendly games, that’s how. Whether you’re all by your lonesome or with a few of your homies, there’s a game out there for everyone. From the Smokin’ Dice Game to 420- The Card Game, here are five stoner games to play on 420.
1. Whiz Khalifa’s Weed Farm
Launching on 420, Wiz Khalifa’s Weed Farm is a game that allows you to build your very own weed empire. Like most pot farm games, you get to grow and harvest your own ganja.
Khalifa’s mobile game gives players a more realistic view of the budding weed industry than others like it. Gamers can seize opportunities as if they were real entrepreneurs. Available for Apple App Store and Google Play, Khalifa’s Weed Farm will entertain you for hours.
2. 420: The Card Game
A mix of truth or dare and cards against humanity, 420: The Card Game is full of weed references and inappropriateness. You’ll laugh your ass off, do embarrassing things, and answer the most random of questions.
But to enjoy the game, you must start play while high. You’ll need to grab a couple of your buddies to play with you, too. 420: The Card Game costa $35, and it’s worth every penny.
3. Weed Shop: The Game
Ever wondered what it’s like to work at a dispensary? If so, you can run your very own pot shop from home, sort-of. Weed Shop: The Game is a game app that makes you the boss. Not only can you decorate your store, but you can also harvest and sell your own buds.
Be warned, though. In like manner of a real-life dispensary, you need to be able to keep up. There will be slow times, and there will be busy times. Either way, you need to make sure you’re stocked up at all times.
4. THC The Game
Everyone remembers playing Candyland as kids. But now there’s an adult, weed-friendly version, called THC The Game. This particular boardgame, costing $12.99, features a joint as a spinner and allows you to travel to high destinations, including Mouth Smokemore and MJ Thicket.
THC The Game is also best played while stoned. It’s 420, so you should be high. Otherwise, it’s just not the same.
5. Smokin’ Dice Game
In case you want a simple game that doesn’t require a lot of thought, there’s the Smokin’ Dice Game. Not only will this game provide hours of fun for you and your friends, but it also encourages you to toke.
Not to mention, the Smokin’ Dice Game is cheap. And for just $6.99, you can roll your way to cloud nine and share lots of laughs while you’re at it.
Brittney Sanger
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Dispensary owners skeptical about Canada’s marijuana legislation
Jodie Emery fought the law and the law won.
At least, that’s the short version of how things went down when Emery and her husband Marc tried to open five illegal marijuana dispensaries in Montreal last December.
Hours after the dispensaries’ carnival-like grand opening, the Emerys were in handcuffs and police shut down all of their storefronts. Though Emery had escaped the initial crackdown, undercover officers caught up to her at a downtown hotel.
“I was getting to my room when these guys in plain clothes ran over and said, ‘Hey, Jodie, can we get a photo?’” Emery said. “I expected one of them to pull out a cellphone but he pulled out a pair of handcuffs instead.”
As someone who has battled against Canada’s marijuana laws for years, it might seem only logical that Emery would embrace the Liberal government’s legislation to legalize recreation weed by summer 2018. But Emery is skeptical.
“The whole legalization process is being guided by (former Toronto police chief) Bill Blair, a man who fought against marijuana for years,” she said. “You’re putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”
Case in point, Emery says, are provisions in the bill that mandate 14-year prison sentence to those convicted of selling marijuana to minors. Selling tobacco or alcohol to minors, in comparison, is punishable by a fine for first-time offenders.
Marc-Boris St-Maurice, who runs the Fondation Marijuana dispensary on St-Laurent Blvd., also finds the legislation problematic.
“They’re creating a whole new category of criminals in the process of legalizing weed,” said St-Maurice, who has advocated for legalization since he founded the Bloc Pot provincial political party in 1998 and Marijuana Party federally in 2000. “For example, a 19-year-old passes a joint to a 17-year-old, is that a 14-year jail sentence you could be facing? The law doesn’t just say selling to minors is illegal. Giving is also included.
“If you have over 30 grams (of marijuana) on you when you’re out and about, that’s a two-year sentence. This is a huge problem.”
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould defended the penalties last week in Ottawa, telling reporters they were necessary to keep marijuana out of the hands of children. But both Emery and St-Maurice — who have a track record of fighting marijuana prohibition in the courts — question whether the penalties would survive a constitutional challenge.
The other major stumbling block for St-Maurice will be distribution. The proposed law, called Bill C-45, gives provinces the mandate to determine how and where marijuana will be sold.
Last week, the union representing 5,500 employees of the Société des alcohols du Québec implored the provincial government to take control of the cannabis trade. Only a state operation “whose social and financial objectives are defined by the government” is in a position to “ensure the strictest respect for government standards and the framework,” said Alexandre Joly, president of the Syndicat des employés de magasins et de bureaux de la SAQ.
“If the government decides to set up their own state-run SAQ sort of place, I don’t think customers will be particularly well-served,” said St-Maurice. “If Quebec puts up something too restrictive and hard to manage, people are just going to keep going to the black market.
“Even though, right now, there’s a black market and it’s illegal, it caters to people’s needs. There’s home delivery, you get a selection of what there is. You see variety.”
One advocate says there’s a possible way around the headaches that come with legislating marijuana distribution in 13 provinces and territories. Under the system Health Canada put in place for medical cannabis, patients mail-order their product from one of 43 federally-licensed producers.
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“While this jurisdictional argument happens, there will also be a mail-order system that’s preserved as well. That bypasses local jurisdictions,” said Adam Greenblatt, who works for the Tweed brand of medical cannabis. “The feds don’t have to worry about 13 different provinces and territories making their own system. Everyone in Canada gets mail.”
In anticipation of a vast legal market, Canada’s largest medical marijuana producers are ramping up production and building millions of square feet in new greenhouses. Bill C-45 puts companies like Canopy Growth — whose product is tested and regulated by Health Canada — in a position to dominate the multi-billion-dollar trade.
But Emery says she doubts the licensed producers have the infrastructure to feed a market that could be “10 times bigger” than the medical space. And with new, harsher penalties in place for selling the drug, she says the bill is essentially prohibition by another name.
St-Maurice — who founded his dispensary in 1999 to supply medical marijuana patients — says it’s possible Bill C-45 will put him out of business. The irony is that it was through his own arrest for drug trafficking and subsequent court victories that helped pave the way for legal access to medical cannabis.
“We’ve done this for 20 years and we want to be included in the (legal) process,” he says. “Will they put us out of business? I would hope they’d try to keep us involved. We could also try to thumb our noses and challenge in court. If we do have to, we’re prepared to fight for our rights in court.”
Andy Riga of the Montreal Gazette contributed to this report.