By Luke Sumpter

Cannabis appears to be breaking free from the chains of prohibition and returning back to its previous status of a herb capable of being utilised for a great number of medical ailments. The cannabis plant is gaining recognition for its vast medical potential, and certain parts of the world are actively moving to legalise it on a medical, and even recreational level.

As science explores cannabis and its active compounds more and more, the research is demonstrating its potential use in treating and easing human ailments that range from pain and depression all the way to cancers, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Although many people, when picturing the role of cannabis as a medicine, may imagine a person smoking weed via a spliff or bong, it can be used in a variety of different ways when it comes it medical application.

Oils, extracts and tinctures offer users high concentrations of the medicinal compounds without having to smoke or vape at all. Not only do these methods serve as far more efficient and potent ways of utilising cannabis as a medicinal substance, but they also help to subtract from the stereotype that whenever somebody brings up the topic of cannabis, they are referring to smoking and getting high from the cannabinoid THC.

Cannabis science is really evolving, and large numbers of people are using the herb as a medicine to combat various conditions. Cannabis seems to work with such efficiency and effectiveness that it may even start to completely replace some forms of pharmaceutical medication that people use for the same condition.

This is an extremely important and exciting realisation as cannabis is increasingly deemed low-risk, very effective, and simple in the fact that it is a whole plant, derived directly from nature. This opens up the possibility of decentralised, non-profit medicine that can literally be grown at home if laws ever reach such a liberating conclusion.

So let's take a look at some of the pharmaceuticals that cannabis may be successful at replacing.

cannabis painkiller

PAINKILLERS

A scientific paper[1] titled The Effect of Medicinal Cannabis on Pain and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Chronic Pain: A Prospective Open-label study published in The Clinical Journal of pain looks a the role of cannabis as a painkiller. The paper documents a study that approved treatment with cannabis for 274 participants. It was observed that scores for pain symptoms and pain severity improved.

A REPLACEMENT?

One quite interesting factor seen in this study was the fact that participants opioid consumption decreased by 44 percent during a follow up. This information could lead to further study and application of cannabis as a painkiller and potentially a replacement for opioid medication used for cases of pain.

A huge advantage of this switch could be that cannabis could literally save lives. It is low-risk herb with zero cases of overdose. The same cannot be said, however, for pain killing medication in the form of opioids. According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids including prescription opioids killed more than 33,000 people in 2015. They also state that nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths involve prescription drugs.

A paper[2] titled Medical Cannabis Access, Use, and Substitution for Prescription Opioids and Other Substances: A Survey of Authorised Medical Cannabis Patients published in The International Journal of Drug Policy features a survey that looked at cannabis as a substitute for pharmaceutical drugs. The survey was completed by 271 patients. 30 percent of patients reported that they had substituted pharmaceutical opioids with cannabis.

The authors of the paper state, “The finding that patients report its [cannabis] use as a substitute for prescription drugs supports prior research on medical cannabis users…”

ANXIETY MEDICATION

Using America as a model once again, it is reported that 40 million of the population of adults suffer from anxiety disorders. Common medication used in an attempt to treat anxiety are a range of drugs known as benzodiazepines which include xanax, klonopin, valium and ativan.

Although these drugs may be effective at tackling anxiety for some, they can be abused and do have a range of negative side effects. Such side effects from high doses of benzodiazepines can include confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, weakness blurred vision and more.

RESEARCH

A scientific paper[3] published in the journal Biological Psychiatry documents a study performed on mice that displays the potential anti-anxiety effects of cannabis. Interestingly, the researchers state that cannabis may even act on the same receptors that benzodiazepine binds too, saying, “It is therefore our contention that the antianxiety effect of cannabis is mediated through central benzodiazepine receptors.

This research is an interesting indication that cannabis may play a strong role as an anti-anxiety medication in the future and may very well substitute current pharmaceutical drugs, as it perhaps works upon the same biological mechanism.

cannabis medical

STIMULANTS

Adderall is an amphetamine that belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants. Due to the effects that may help to increase concentration, it is a pharmaceutical drug that is used to treat ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

However adderall comes along with side effects such as weight loss, loss of appetite, stomach pain, nervousness and trouble sleeping.

A paper[4] titled Cannabis Improved Symptoms of ADHD starts to shed light on the potential of cannabis as an alternative to current ADHD medication.

The authors of the paper conducted an investigation into the possible benefits that patients with ADHD could receive from consuming the psychoactive cannabinoid THC. The authors state that “A 28-year old male, who showed improper behaviour and appeared to be very maladjusted and inattentive while sober, appeared to be completely inconspicuous while having a very high blood plasma level of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).”

In other words, THC seemed to help his condition.

Additionally, the authors conclude that, “The present case report suggests that individuals suffering from ADHD, a dysfunction with a symptomatic change in activity levels, may - in some cases - benefits from cannabis treatment in that it appears to regulate activation to a level which may be considered optimum for performance.” 

ANTIDEPRESSANTS

The aforementioned survey showed that out of 271 patients, 12 percent reported to use cannabis as a substitute for pharmaceutical antidepressant drugs.

A paper[5] published in the journal Neuropharmacology displays that CBD displays a fasting acting antidepressant-like action within animal models. The authors state that, “...our findings indicate that CBD could represent a novel fast antidepressant drug…”.

SLEEP MEDICATION

Finally, sleep medication is another area that cannabis could potentially be used in, in replacement of pharmaceutical drugs.

Many people who struggle with sleep may have insomnia, a condition that is associated with difficulty falling asleep, as well as difficulty staying asleep for long period of time. Sleeping pills are often used as a treatment, yet they do pose side effects and risks. However many sleep drugs have been found to be only mildly effective.

Reports exists of people claiming CBD application before bed helps them get a good night's sleep.

External Resources:
  1. The Effect of Medicinal Cannabis on Pain and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Chronic Pain: A Prospective Open-label Study - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Medical cannabis access, use, and substitution for prescription opioids and other substances: A survey of authorized medical cannabis patients - ScienceDirect http://www.ijdp.org
  3. Antianxiety Effect of Cannabis: Involvement of Central Benzodiazepine Receptors - PubMed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. Cannabis improves symptoms of ADHD http://cannabis-med.org
  5. Cannabidiol induces rapid-acting antidepressant-like effects and enhances cortical 5-HT/glutamate neurotransmission: role of 5-HT1A receptors - ScienceDirect http://www.sciencedirect.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: