Weed impact motivation
CategoriesAnalysis/Opinion, Science by

Weed's Impact on Motivation

You may have heard that weed makes you lazy and unmotivated. There are now new studies on weeds impact on motivation. According to the research, stoners are apparently less motivated by things like money. This does not necessarily mean stoners are unmotivated to do anything, it just means different things motivate stoners than non-stoners.
The journal Psychopharmacology did a recent study on whether or not marijuana causes apathy or amotivational syndrome. In the 70s and early 1980s, there was a fair amount of anti-pot propaganda going around. The stigma of marijuana was beginning and parents believed weed caused teenage slacker behavior.
The small-scale study by the journal Psychopharmacology compared two groups. One had 17 members, the other had 20. According to High Times, the study “compares the ability (or interest) of subjects to push the space bar on a keyboard over and over again.”
The more times subjects pressed the spacebar, the more money they received. The amount of money was small but there was no limit on the number of times they could press the bar. Scientists believe that money is considered incentive and if a task involves incentive it requires motivation. They test how many times subjects press the bar when sober and then when stoned.
The study found that even though marijuana might impact motivation while under the influence, there were no long-term effects noted.
“These results support a transient amotivational syndrome caused by acute cannabis administration but do not support a chronic amotivational syndrome associated with cannabis dependence.”
The study also found the amotivational effect from marijuana can be reduced from cannabis with higher levels of cannabidiol (CBD). This is useful information for those who need medical marijuana but also want to live a productive life.
At the end of the day, is it so bad that cannabis smokers end up bored by a repetitive task like pressing a space bar over and over for small amounts of money? I highly doubt someone stoned is going to refuse a simpler task for higher rewards. Perhaps stoners are just more conscious of how they spend their time. Stopping to think about whether the effort and boredom are worth the reward.
Hopefully, pot motivates you to do something that interests you more instead. Unfortunately, some people choose to get stoned and spend their time sitting around but maybe they’d do that even without the pot. More than a small-scale study would need to be accomplished to determine whether or not marijuana creates slacker behavior.
This experiment does not prove marijuana causes an overall lack of motivation. It just illustrates the effects marijuana can have on those under it’s influence. Some people might view the way marijuana causes a lack of interest in superficial things as beneficial. It really all depends on what you’re looking to get from your marijuana experience.
Perhaps if stoners are given a more interesting or creative task to accomplish they’d be more motivated. A different study would have to be conducted to find out if marijuana causes amotivational syndrome or just a lack of interest in passionless tasks.
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What are Solventless Extracts
CategoriesCannabis Concentrates by

What are Solventless Extracts?

If you’re familiar with cannabis concentrates, you may have heard of solventless extracts. Most concentrates on the market today are made with the solvent: butane. Extract artists do their best to ensure no butane is left in the end product but more amateur extractors have trace amounts of unpurged butane left behind. Butane is considered one of the more harmful volatile substances to inhale. As a result, extractors of cannabis oils are attempting to get their product without the use of any potentially harmful solvents. Solventless extracts are relatively new but they’re rapidly growing in popularity and there are now several options.
Dangers of Butane
Butane is used to concentrate and extract as much THC as possible from the cannabis plant. BHO is becoming more and popular and even preferred by some consumers of marijuana. The butane is the more dangerous component involved in BHO. Most of the danger when it comes to BHO is in the extraction process because a flammable gas is involved. There have been incidents in the past where homes burst into flames from amateurs attempting to make butane hash oil.
One analysis found that butane extracts have on two to five percent of residual butane content. The problem with this is that inhaling butane may be harmful to one’s health. However, it’s worth noting that butane is used in many things we buy such as hairspray, cooking spray, e-cigarettes and more.
Fortunately, Dr. Melamede looked through the National Library of Medicine database and found that “there isn’t any evidence that inhaling residual hydrocarbons like butane are dangerous – at least in small amounts.”
De Melamede added that “it’s an irritant, but that’s about it.”
So yes, butane alone in large quantities might be dangerous. However, the small traces of butane left in BHO should not be enough to cause any major consequences.
If you’d like to guarantee that there are NO traces of butane left in your hash oils then your best bet is in solventless extracts.
What are Solventless Extracts?
One way to make extracts without the introduction of any chemical solvents is the rosin technique. The Rosin technique has been rapidly increasing in popularity because it enables just about anybody with a hair straightener and some weed to obtain cannabis extracts.
The rosin technique is quite simple. You’ll just need to apply some heat and pressure to cannabis nugs and their sweet THC concentrated juices will begin oozing out. People at home use their hair straighteners at low temperatures under 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Put a nug in between some parchment paper or medical grade silicone and then place it between the plates of a hair straightener. Press down as hard as you possibly can for 10-30 seconds and you should hear some sizzling. Experiment until you find what gives you the best yield/product. Lower temperatures result in lighter colored more flavorful extracts but less yields.
Another technique to extract without solvents is called “Water Hash.” This is done by putting cannabis nugs or trim into a bag and placing it in ice water. The microscopic trichomes on the cannabis will become brittle and fall to the bottom of the bag. The bags are special bags called Bubble Bags or one of their competitors. The bag has a stainless steel screen at the bottom that will prohibit most plant matter from falling through. What’s left is a crumbly pressed kief that is often labelled “full melt” at dispensaries. It’s a favorite among cannabis concentrate connoisseurs.
It’s still left to the individual to decide whether solventless extracts are worth the extra money. BHO is usually priced cheaper but some concentrate users prefer a purer extraction method.
image: leafly

Trim Run Vs Nug Run Dabs
CategoriesAnalysis/Opinion, Cannabis Concentrates, Guides by

Trim Run vs Nug Run Dabs

You may or may not have heard the terms trim run and nug run. If you live in a state with legalized marijuana you may have seen these terms printed on the label of extracts at your local dispensary. The nug run labels should have a higher price than the trim run labels. We’ll go over the differences between the two and how to make sure you’re not paying nug run price for trim run. In some places trim run is less than half the price of nug run so if you’re getting trim you should make sure that you’re paying trim prices.
Nug Run Extracts
Users report better flavor from extracts made with full marijuana nugs. The better flavor combined with the higher cost of using full nugs over trim explains the higher prices. If you’re a regular user of concentrates you’ll be able to tell the difference between trim run and nug run. If you’ve been paying more for nug run you’ll be happy to know it was not just for the hype.
Trim Run Extracts
Trim run extracts are less expensive because some marijuana manufacturers are recycling what would normally be waste. If you were hoping trim run was just as good as nug run without the hype, we may disappoint you. However, when it comes to potency there is not enough evidence to say whether trim run will get you any less high than nug run would.
How To Tell The Difference
Smell it.
You should bring your concentrate really close to your nose and take a big whiff of it. If you don’t smell much of anything you’re probably dealing with extracts that were made from trim. However, if your nose gets smacked by a cloud full of dankness, you’ll know for sure that your oils originated from a nug.
Taste it.
By doing a dab of your concentrate you should be able to guess whether it was made with trim or nugs. Several users report a chlorophyll taste from trim run extracts. Nug run is usually flavorful and smoother on the throat and lungs. This is because nugs are the most trichome and terpene-rich part of the cannabis plant. One user said that trim run gave them a peppery feeling in their mouth and throat. If you can get past this taste, it may be in your best interests to save money and purchase trim run extracts.
In Conclusion
If you’re paying top dollar for nug run extracts, make sure you’re not tasting chlorophyll. Also see if you can smell before you buy, follow your nose. You don’t want to pay sixty dollars for a gram of mislabelled trim. Oil snobs beware of any concentrates that do not smell because they’re likely made with trim. The regulations in some states allow companies to get away with mislabelling so your nug run might just be some false advertising. We hope the information in this guide was enough to help you find the right concentrates for you.

Action Bronson and Friends
CategoriesAnalysis/Opinion by

Getting High with Action Bronson and Friends

Queens-based rapper Action Bronson has his own show on Viceland where he watches Ancient Aliens with friends while extremely stoned. With the number of Americans using marijuana at an all time high, it’s about time stoners got some 420 friendly entertainment. Catch Action Bronson and his celebrity guests exchange theories on Ancient Aliens and the origins of our species every Thursday at 11PM EST.
We’ll go over why this is the perfect show to watch while stoned. Even if you don’t know who Action Bronson is you’ll probably still get a kick out of watching a room full of super high celebs talking about Ancient Aliens. Get stoned before or while tuning in. This show will really get you thinking.
Most Guests on the Show are High!
The main group of Ancient Alien watchers is Action Bronson, Big Body Bes, The Alchemist, and Knxwledge. These guests are usually seen smoking throughout the entire episode. Most of the celebrity guests get high with the gang with the exception of Tyler, the Creator who is naturally high all of the time and doesn’t need weed.
Action Bronson watches Ancient Aliens with fellow rappers Earl Sweatshirt and Riff Raff, who both get baked. He also smokes with singer, Melissa Etheridge and makes a song with her while they’re stoned. Bronson also entertains guest actors Simon Rex and the permanently tanned Peter Dante. If you watch the 7th episode of season 1 you’ll find out what we’ve all been wondering: if Peter Dante was born tan.
The gang theorizes about the connections found between the structures of several ancient civilizations. You’re given the Ancient Aliens side which is usually what Ancient Aliens Astronaut Theorists believe. Then you’ll get some skepticism from Big Body Bes or The Alchemist. Action tries to keep everyone’s minds open to all possibilities and if you’re lucky you get two words of wisdom an episode from Knxwledge.
Munchies…
Every episode features some gourmet catering from different eateries in Los Angeles. After taking several dabs Action Bronson summons the food. One episode, all guests were fed Roscoes Chicken and Waffles. Another time they had several varieties of Vegan Ramen.
Dab Rigs
Action Bronson can be seen hitting a new dab rig almost every episode. During the Dinosaurs episode he had a table full of dino-themed bongs made by Elbo Glass. He’s also been seen hitting pieces made by legends like Joe P and even a Mothership Elite. Bronson’s got multiple pieces in his collection that value over $10,000 USD.
Action is usually peer pressuring one of his friends or guests to hit his dab rig. By the end of the season most guests appear to have a phobia of dabbing. You’ll be surprised to see which guest was clearly a seasoned dabber. Simon Rex ended up being scarred from his first dab with Action Bronson.
Informative
You’ll learn some facts among the theories thrown around on Ancient Aliens. On one episode we learn that Native American tribes are legally allowed to cultivate and sell marijuana.
In Conclusion
If you’ve got some free time and some weed you probably won’t regret sitting down stoned and watching Action Bronson Watches Ancient Aliens.
image: Evidence

Marijuana abuse has decreased even though marijuana use increased
CategoriesAnalysis/Opinion, Marijuana Legalization, Marijuana News by

Marijuana abuse has decreased even though marijuana use increased

Marijuana abuse has decreased even though marijuana use increased
With marijuana becoming legalized in more states across the US, more people are beginning to use marijuana. Many would assume that this would lead to an increase in marijuana abuse. Opponents of legalization have even used this as an argument against legalization. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recently released results that reveal marijuana abuse and dependency is at an all-time low over the past decade and a half. The report was released on Thursday by both the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report showed 1.6% percent of Americans aged 12 and over were considered to be abusing marijuana or suffering from marijuana dependency in 2014. In 2002 1.8% of Americans aged 12 and over were found to be abusing marijuana or dependent on it.
Another argument made by opponents of marijuana legalization is that teen usage would increase. However the results from the CDC’s reports would beg to differ. The largest decrease in marijuana abuse and dependency was seen in teenagers. 37% less teenagers were abusing marijuana in 2014 than they were in 2002. Young adults also saw an 18% decrease in abuse over the same period. The number of adults aged 26 and older did not see a big change in the number of adults abusing marijuana since 2002. This may be due to a former lack of information and education on marijuana. Marijuana is being introduced to people as medicine and legalization allows for education and regulation, which may lead to a decrease in marijuana abuse.
It’s safe to say the results represent a national sample. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a massive annual federal survey of American substance use, received 900,000 responses. Respondents were considered dependent if they claimed to have “health and emotional problems associated with [marijuana] use, unsuccessful attempts to reduce use, tolerance, withdrawal, reducing other activities to use [marijuana], spending a lot of time engaging in activities related to [marijuana] use, or using [marijuana] in greater quantities or for a longer time than intended,” said the CDC.
Respondents were considered to be abusers of marijuana if they reported “problems at work, home, and school; problems with family or friends; physical danger; and trouble with the law because of [marijuana] use.” This could mean a respondent who only smokes once a week and got into trouble with the law could be considered an abuser as well. Despite this, the number of abusers is still going down.
The study found that abuse and dependency when it came to marijuana was rare. Only about 12 percent of people who used marijuana in the past year fit into either of those categories. This number was 16.7 percent in 2002 which is a 30 percent decrease in the 12 year marijuana’s accessibility has increased.
According to the data, marijuana accessibility is helping more than it is hurting the country. Informing people about a drug while regulating it seems to decrease abuse more than full on prohibition. With more evidence on the benefits of legalization we hope to see most if not all of the nine states voting on marijuana legalization this November to go legal and reap the benefits.
image credit: bigstock