A middle-age Oregon resident who died from lung disease tied to vaping bought cannabis oil from two marijuana retail stores and investigators are now trying to find leftover product to analyze it, state health officials said Thursday.

It’s unclear if the person vaped products from one or both of the stores, said Oregon Health Authority spokesman Jonathan Modie. Nor do health officials know if the person altered the THC liquid or mixed it with a home-made product, Modie said.

Health investigators are trying to track the oil to figure out if or how it led to the resident’s death in July. Officials wouldn’t identify the stores where the victim shopped.

The Oregon death is one of just two in the country connected to e-cigarettes amid an outbreak of 215 cases of severe lung disease in 25 states. Many cases have been linked to vaping oils that contain THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana that gives people a high.

The agency learned of the death in August, at least 19 days after the person died. Investigators with the Oregon Health Authority believe the oils the victim used can still be found.

“What is believed to be connected to this case is still out there,” Modie said. “We’re trying to retrieve it.”

Medical experts don’t know what’s causing the illnesses, with theories ranging from bootleg products to low-quality e-cigarette cartridges to Vitamin E oils. A sample of the product used by the Oregon victim could help both local and federal investigators better understand the outbreak.

If the health authority can get samples of the marijuana oil, investigators will take pictures, then send it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for analysis. If the tests reveal hazardous components in a specific product, the agency will warn the public against using that product, Modie said.

The lung disease striking people usually starts with a cough, difficulty breathing and chest pain, said state public health expert Ann Thomas. Some patients also report nausea, fatigue and diarrhea. People will sometimes have such a tough time breathing that they’ll have to get oxygen treatment at a hospital. In extreme cases, patients will get oxygen with the help of a ventilator.

Modie said the agency has no plans at the moment to pull specific marijuana products off shelves. At this juncture, health officials just don’t know enough about what caused the Oregon victim’s lung illness.

Nor can the agency give specific advice for people who vape but want to avoid getting ill.

“The best advice we can give people is to not vape,” Modie said.

A Washington State University study has examined how cannabis combats stress, anxiety and depression by looking at different strains and quantities of cannabis being inhaled by patients at home.

The work, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, suggests that inhaling cannabis can significantly reduce short-term levels of depression, anxiety, and stress but may contribute to worse overall feelings of depression over time.

This new study is one of the first attempts by United States scientists to assess how cannabis with varying concentrations of THC and CBD affect medicinal cannabis users’ feelings of wellbeing when inhaled outside of a laboratory.

Current research not sufficient

Previous research to see whether cannabis combats stress and anxiety has be done with THC only strains that have been put into a capsule – but this study looks at the impact of cannabis when it is inhaled.

Carrie Cuttler, clinical assistant professor of psychology at Washington State University (WSU) and lead author of the study, said: “Existing research on the effects of cannabis on depression, anxiety and stress are very rare and have almost exclusively been done with orally administered THC pills in a laboratory.

“What is unique about our study is that we looked at actual inhaled cannabis by medical marijuana patients who were using it in the comfort of their own homes as opposed to a laboratory.”

The team found that one puff of cannabis high in CBD and low in THC was optimal for reducing symptoms of depression, two puffs of any type of cannabis was sufficient to reduce symptoms of anxiety, while 10 or more puffs of cannabis high in CBD and high in THC produced the largest reductions in stress.

Cuttler continued: “A lot of consumers seem to be under the false assumption that more THC is always better. Our study shows that CBD is also a very important ingredient in cannabis and may augment some of the positive effects of THC.”

Cannabis combats stress, anxiety and depression

The results of the study showed that patients inhaling cannabis saw a significant reduction in their adverse feelings with depression symptom being reduced in 89.3% of sessions. However, the study also revealed that the symptoms of depression were exacerbated in a total 3.2% of sessions, and there was no change in 7.5% of sessions.

Symptoms of anxiety were reduced in a total of 93.5% of tracked sessions but were exacerbated in 2.1% of sessions, and there was no change in symptoms for 4.4% of sessions. Symptoms of stress were reduced in 93.3% of tracked sessions, increased in 2.7% of sessions, and there was no change in reported levels of stress for 4% of sessions.

The study also compared the impact of cannabis on these symptoms between the sexes and found that women perceived a greater reduction in symptoms of anxiety than men did.

Dosage and the interaction between THC and CBD

The study compared different strains of cannabis that had different levels of THC and CBD to see if there was any difference.

When studying the effects on depression, the study revealed a significant THC and CBD interaction and the greatest reduction in ratings of depression were reported after using cannabis with relatively low levels of THC and relatively high levels of CBD. There was also a nonsignificant effect of dose on change in symptoms of depression.

Contrastingly, when looking at anxiety the study showed that there was no significant interaction between THC and CBD, and neither THC nor CBD alone were predictors of change in anxiety ratings.  Results of models testing change in ratings of anxiety across different doses also revealed a nonsignificant linear effect. However, the team tested several models to explore curvilinear relationships – finding a significant curvilinear relationship. Further contrasts revealed that one puff produced significantly smaller changes in ratings of anxiety than all other doses, but no other differences across doses beyond one puff were detected.

When looking at whether cannabis combats stress, however, the study revealed a significant THC and CBD interaction, whereby ratings of stress were reduced the most after using cannabis with relatively high levels of THC and relatively high levels of CBD. Doses In contrast, strains with high THC/low CBD, low THC/high CBD, or low THC/low CBD, showed no appreciable differences in symptom change. Varying doses revealed a significant linear effect of dose and significant reduction of symptoms when having up to ten puffs.

Collecting cannabis impact data

The study used data taken from an app which provides medical cannabis users a means of tracking how different doses and types of cannabis affect a wide variety of symptoms of wellbeing.

The users rate the symptoms they are experiencing before using cannabis on a scale of 1-10 and then input information about the type of cannabis they are using. Twenty minutes after inhaling, they are prompted to report how many puffs they took and to rerate the severity of their symptoms.

Cuttler and WSU colleagues Alexander Spradlin and Ryan McLaughlin used a form of statistical analysis called multilevel modelling to analyse around 12,000 anonymous app entries for depression, anxiety and stress. The researchers did not receive any of the app users personally identifying information for their work.

Cuttler said: “This is to my knowledge one of the first scientific studies to provide guidance on the strains and quantities of cannabis people should be seeking out for reducing stress, anxiety and depression. Currently, medical and recreational cannabis users rely on the advice of bud tenders whose recommendations are based off of anecdotal not scientific evidence.”

The study is among several cannabis-related research projects currently underway at WSU, all of which are consistent with federal law and many of which are funded with Washington state cannabis taxes and liquor license fees.

The month of September has gotten off to a positive start for the pot stock market. Many marijuana stocks have shown sides of uptrends after a past few months of heavy volatility in the industry. With so much happening so quickly throughout cannabis stocks, it can be difficult at times to keep up with where the market is headed. One of the most important things to consider before investing in marijuana stocks is the amount of research that one has completed.

As is investing in any industry, one should always find out as much information as they can about a given company. This ensures that there are no surprises once the investment has been made. While pot stocks are undoubtedly still an infant market, the reality is that the industry functions just like any other. With projections set into the triple digit billions in the next ten or so years, it looks like the potential is continuing to shoot up into the near future.

A Vertically Integrated Pot Stock to Watch

1933 Industries Inc. (TGIFF Stock Report) (TGIF Stock Report) is one of the leading vertically integrated cannabis stocks working out of the U.S. and Canada. The company has been operating throughout several subsidiaries that they own wholly. 1933 Industries has stated that they operate within cannabis cultivation, extraction, processing and the manufacturing of various assets.

The company has stated that they have the goal of delivering some of the highest quality natural wellness products that are available on the open marijuana stock market. Some of their internal brands include AMA Flower and AMA concentrates, CBD-infused Canna Hemp and more. With their broad spectrum reach across the pot stock market, 1933 Industries has shown that they are a major pot stock to watch.

A Big Announcement for 1933 Industries

The company recently announced that they have commenced a move into a new cultivation facility. The facility will be based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. For those who don’t know, Nevada has become one of the largest hotbeds for cannabis company growth in the past few years. After extensive systems testing, 1933 Industries decided that moving into this new Las Vegas facility is the best move for their future.

Tim Spencer, Director of Cultivation stated that “this is a brand new facility and we worked around the clock to ensure that all systems were operational before transferring our plants.” The new facility should allow them to meet the increasing demand for their various branded products moving forward. For these reasons, they remain a key marijuana stock to watch for the near future.

Pot Stocks And Cannabis Cultivation

Aurora Cannabis (ACB Stock Report) is one of the largest growers of cannabis in the world. The company has been working to deliver larger revenues. This would benefit investors and the company as a whole. Although they have seen some downtrends in their stock price in the past month or so, it looks as though this could a time to consider the stock at a value price.

The company has stated that they expect their newest report to reflect positive adjusted earnings however they have not confirmed this with an official fourth-quarter result. With new members on the board and a strong plan for the future, Aurora Cannabis shows that they are a pot stock to watch as they build outgrowth throughout the company.

U.S. college students are using marijuana at the highest rates in 35 years, according to a report released Thursday.

About 43% of full-time college students said they used some form of pot at least once in the past year, up from 38%, a University of Michigan survey found. About 25% said they did so in the previous month, up from 21%.

The latest figures are the highest levels seen in the annual survey since 1983.

About 6% of college students said they used marijuana 20 or more times in the past month. For adults the same age who weren’t enrolled in college, the figure was 11%.

“It’s the frequent use we’re most worried about” because it’s linked to poor academic performance and can be detrimental to mental health, said John Schulenberg, one of the Michigan researchers.

College-age adults are the biggest users of marijuana than any other age group. Use among high school students has been flat for a few years.

The 2018 findings are based on responses from about 1,400 adults age 19 to 22, including 900 who were full-time college students and about 500 who were not.

The survey only has comparable data on college kids going back to 1980. So it doesn’t say how common marijuana use was in the 1960s and 1970s — a time when marijuana use on college campuses was considered widespread.

Marijuana use has been rising in college-age kids for more than a decade. Schulenberg said it seems to be tied to views about risk — in the early 1990s, about three-quarters of young adults said pot was risky. But last year it was down to 22%.

The survey also found about 11% of college students said they vaped marijuana in the previous month — more than double the figure in the 2017 survey.