Home »
Florida doctors are selling ice cream infused with cannabis
Florida doctors are selling cannabis-infused ice cream to help their patients manage anxiety and pain
- Heavenly Hash Creamery, based in Florida, sells ice cream infused with pure extract of cannabidiol (CBD)
- CBD is not psychoactive and is thought to help reduce anxiety and inflammation
- Doctors say they’ve seen in their patients rely less on prescription medications to manage pain
View
comments
It might seem strange that any doctor would suggest that their patients eat ice cream to help manage anxiety, pain and even chemotherapy side effects.
But several Florida physicians are doing just that because this ice cream is infused with cannabis.
About 30 Florida clinics are selling a new ice cream called Heavenly Hash made with CBD (cannabidiol), the main non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana – meaning it won’t get you high.
The doctors say that ever since their patients began eating the product, they’ve seen them rely less on prescription medications to manage side effects of chronic conditions.
Several Florida doctor have begun selling their patients a cannabis-infused ice cream called Heavenly Has The ice cream was the idea of an oncology nurse who wanted to create a high-fat and high-protein ice cream containing CBD to make sure cancer patients were eating while reducing the side effects of chemotherapy treatments
Florida-based internal medicine physician Dr Ashok Khanna (pictured) says he’s seen his patients rely less on prescription medications to manage pain since he started selling the ice cream
Heavenly Hash Creamery, based in Manatee County, Florida, began in the kitchen of co-owner and COO Matthew Eastman and his wife as a regular ice cream shop.
That grew into Lickity Splits Ice Cream and, after lucrative deals with Tropicana Field and Amalie Arena – home of the MLB team Tampa Bay Rays and NHL Team Tampa Bay Lightning respectively – Eastman wanted to try a new venture.
He met oncology nurse Susan Scherer, who wanted to create a high-fat and high-protein ice cream containing CBD.
-
Cannabis inflicts long-term damage on teenage brains: Those… 
University to ask students to agree to a ‘no drugs’ contract…
Share this article
The idea was to make sure cancer patients were eating during chemotherapy treatments while reducing side effects such as nausea, vomiting and neuropathic pain, as well as modulating feelings of depression and anxiety.
‘One of the big problems that cancer patients have is cachexia, which is their muscle waste and weight loss,’ Eastman told Fox 13.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THC AND CBD
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are both derived from the cannabis plant.
Together, they are part of the cannabinoid group of compounds found in hashish, hash oil, and most strains of marijuana.
THC is the psychoactive compound responsible for the euphoric, ‘high’ feeling often associated with marijuana.
THC interacts with CB1 receptors in the central nervous system and brain and creates the sensations of euphoria and anxiety.
CBD does not fit these receptors well, and actually decreases the effects of THC, and is not psychoactive.
CBD is thought to help reduce anxiety and inflammation.
‘So, we put our heads together and tried to figure out if there’s a way we could actually make ice cream high-fat, high-protein, and taste good. We are trying to make something that is healthy, in a way that you can add weight on, but not have a lot of artificial stuff.’
Dr Ashok Khanna’s Winter Garden clinic is one of about 30 that are selling the products.
On his website, he sells five of the 12 flavors offered: French vanilla, creamy cocoa, mango, mint chocolate chip and lemon.
Patients can buy either one five-ounce container for $7.50 or five containers for $35.
He told Fox 35 that he advocates the use of a variety of CBD products, including Heavenly Hash, because he’s seen less of a reliance on prescription drugs for pain.
‘It makes sense to give them something that’ll make them feel better,’ Dr Khanna, an internal medicine physician, said.
The main compound used in the ice cream is CBD, but it does contain trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the euphoric, ‘high’ feeling often associated with marijuana.
The ice cream was the idea of an oncology nurse who wanted to create a high-fat and high-protein ice cream containing CBD to make sure cancer patients were eating while reducing the side effects of chemotherapy treatments
Co-owner and COO Matt Eastman (pictured) says Heavenly Hash is soon planning on building a larger, 20,000-square foot facility to keep up with its growing business
However, the amount is not enough to get a user high, and it can be sold to people even without a medical marijuana card.
THC interacts with CB1 receptors in the central nervous system and brain and creates the sensations of euphoria and anxiety.
CBD does not fit these receptors well, and actually decreases the effects of THC.
‘As long as you’re [eating the ice cream] within a norm of use that you’re not overdoing it: it’s safe,’ Dr Khanna told the news station.
Eastman says Heavenly Hash is soon planning on building a larger, 20,000-square foot facility to keep up with its growing business.
The facility will just be to produce the ice cream. Heavenly Hash’s store is exclusively online.
‘Every week, you get more stories and more stories, and they’re heartfelt and heartwarming,’ Eastman told Fox 13.
‘Every time you get one of the stories coming in, it makes what we do a little more worthwhile.’
Source: Read Full Article
