The Hole Caboodle Commissary & Holistic Center

08/14/2026

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER CANNABIS USERS HAVE HEARTS. RUNNERS EVERYWHERE STUNNED.

Could’ve saved them some money. I’ve been running this experiment for 11 years.

I didn’t even start running until I was 45 years old.

Now, 11 years later, I’m still running, still improving, still racing and still knocking out PR’s. And respectable PRs at that.

I swear cannabis has played a role in keeping me moving, recovering and, remarkably, pretty damn injury-free through all those miles.

Can I scientifically prove cannabis is responsible for that? Nope. But after 11 years of running, I know my own body, and my experience certainly makes this research interesting.

A new 2026 study looked at cardiovascular responses to cannabis in physically active older adults, adding another piece to a much bigger question: what actually happens when cannabis users aren’t sitting on a couch, but are out exercising and living active lives?

And there’s already some fascinating research on cannabis and running.

Researchers at the University of Colorado had regular cannabis users complete runs both with and without cannabis.

On the cannabis runs, participants reported:

• Greater enjoyment
• Better mood
• Greater tranquility
• More of that wonderful “runner’s high” feeling
• Less negative mood
• Less pain afterward

Here’s my favorite part:

They weren’t actually faster.

In fact, they averaged slightly slower.

So maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question.

Cannabis may not be a traditional performance-enhancing drug.

It may be an experience-enhancing plant.

And for everyday runners, walkers, cyclists, hikers and people simply trying to MOVE MORE, that distinction matters.

Because if something makes a five-mile run more enjoyable, helps you settle into the rhythm, changes your perception of discomfort and makes you want to get back out there tomorrow, what happens over the course of years?

You keep showing up.

You move more.
You run more.
You become more consistent.
You recover and do it again.

And consistency is where fitness actually gets built.

There’s another fascinating layer to this.

Your body already makes its own cannabis-like compounds.

The runner’s high is connected in part to our endocannabinoid system, including compounds such as anandamide. Exercise activates this system, and cannabis interacts with that same biological neighborhood.

So perhaps cannabis and running aren’t the strange bedfellows decades of stoner stereotypes would have us believe.

For me, cannabis can help me settle into a run, enjoy the scenery, disappear into the rhythm and simply enjoy moving my body.

And somehow the guy who didn’t start running until 45 is still out there at 56, injury-free, chasing PRs.

And getting them.

That doesn’t prove cannabis increases VO₂ max, prevents injuries, makes you faster or is automatically good for your heart. THC can temporarily increase heart rate, and researchers are still studying potential cardiovascular risks associated with frequent cannabis use. Dose, frequency, individual health and how cannabis is consumed all matter.

But the old picture of cannabis being inherently incompatible with an active, healthy lifestyle?

That picture is getting pretty damn dusty.

Some people apparently don’t use cannabis and melt into the couch.

Some of us use cannabis and go running.

Maybe the plant wasn’t the lazy one after all.

Link to the article in the comments.

08/11/2026

MAYBE THE PROBLEM ISN’T THC DRINKS. MAYBE IT’S THAT PEOPLE LIKE THEM.

Something interesting happened in Washington.

The Senate voted to delay the coming federal crackdown on h**p-derived THC products, and the vote didn’t follow the usual Republican-versus-Democrat script.

People who normally disagree about what color the sky is suddenly found themselves on the same side.

And Sen. Rand Paul said something worth paying attention to:

THC products compete with alcohol.

Well…there it is.

Because perhaps one of the reasons THC beverages are becoming popular isn’t complicated at all.

A lot of adults are discovering they can have a drink, relax, laugh, socialize, feel good and wake up the next morning without wondering why their mouth tastes like a boot and somebody apparently installed a marching band behind their eyeballs.

And increasingly, science suggests some people really ARE replacing alcohol with cannabis.

A 2026 study of cannabis-beverage consumers found average weekly alcohol consumption dropped from about 7 drinks to about 3.4 after people started using cannabis beverages.

Another randomized 2026 study found THC reduced subsequent alcohol consumption by 19% to 27%.

That’s worth talking about.

Especially considering what the alternative does to the human body.

Alcohol isn’t simply “another intoxicant.”

Alcohol is a toxic, dependence-producing substance and a known human carcinogen.

Your body metabolizes alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic chemical capable of damaging cells and tissues.

Long-term excessive alcohol use can damage the:

Brain.
Heart.
Liver.
Pancreas.
Digestive system.
Immune system.
Nervous system.
Muscles.
Bones.

It increases the risk of several cancers.

It contributes to inflammation throughout the body.

It can cause liver disease, cardiomyopathy, high blood pressure, stroke, pancreatitis, neurological damage and alcohol use disorder.

And yes, over time, alcohol can essentially accelerate the wear and tear we associate with getting older because the damage isn’t occurring in one place.

It’s systemic.

From the organs out.

And then there’s what alcohol can do outside the body.

Fights.
Car wrecks.
Domestic violence.
Broken relationships.
Lost jobs.
Destroyed families.
Addiction.

Most of us don’t need a research paper to know someone whose life has been seriously damaged by alcohol.

I certainly do.

I know people who have desperately wanted to quit drinking and couldn’t.

I’ve watched what alcohol dependence can do to someone’s health, appearance, relationships and life.

And this part is personal for me.

I don’t drink anymore on any regular basis. Alcohol has become an exception for me, not the routine.

THC drinks have been a game changer because they’ve allowed me to still participate in the social part of “having a drink” without regularly putting alcohol into my body.

I can go out. I can socialize. I can have something in my hand. I can enjoy myself.

I don’t feel like I’m giving anything up.

And I’m certainly not declaring alcohol forbidden for the rest of eternity.

Heck yeah, the tradition of having a mimosa when my favorite sister/Wonder Twin and I get together is still happening.

Some traditions are sacred.

But here’s the remarkable difference for me:

I don’t crave the next one anymore.

One mimosa can simply be one mimosa.

I don’t leave thinking about another drink later.

THC beverages helped break that connection for me between socializing and continually consuming alcohol.

That’s not something I read in a brochure.

I’ve lived it. Trust the APPLIED science.

And apparently I’m far from alone, because researchers are now documenting reductions in alcohol consumption among people using cannabis beverages.

Meanwhile, I personally can’t think of anyone whose marriage collapsed because they came home, drank a 5mg THC seltzer, ate half the refrigerator and became extremely interested in a nature documentary.

That doesn’t mean cannabis is harmless.

THC can impair you. Cannabis use disorder is real. High doses can cause anxiety and other problems. You shouldn’t drive impaired. Children shouldn’t have access to it. Adults need accurate dosing, testing, labeling and responsible regulation.

Fine.

REGULATE IT.

Require testing.

Require accurate labels.

Require child-resistant packaging.

Set age limits.

Establish reasonable serving sizes.

Punish companies that cheat.

That’s regulation.

Prohibition is something entirely different.

And Congress should be asking a very simple question before effectively eliminating an entire category of h**p products:

What happens when you remove an alternative that some adults are using INSTEAD of alcohol?

Because if THC beverages are actually helping some people drink less alcohol, banning them isn’t automatically a public-health victory.

It could accomplish exactly the opposite.

Perhaps that’s why this issue is beginning to scramble traditional political alliances.

Maybe people are finally realizing that the adult standing at the cooler choosing between a six-pack of beer and a responsibly dosed THC beverage deserves a choice.

We’ve spent generations accepting alcohol’s enormous social and physical costs because alcohol happens to be culturally familiar.

Familiar doesn’t mean safer.

And prohibition doesn’t become healthcare just because somebody puts a lab coat on it.

Regulate h**p. Test it. Label it. Keep it away from kids. Educate adults about responsible use.

But don’t destroy a potentially less harmful alternative to alcohol and then congratulate ourselves for protecting public health.

That math ain’t mathing.

Link to the article and supporting research in the comments.

**p **pIndustry **p

08/10/2026

A LITTLE GOOD NEWS. BUT WE AREN’T DONE.

The U.S. Senate just voted to delay the coming federal h**p THC ban, giving lawmakers more time to do something they should have done in the first place:

REGULATE RESPONSIBLY INSTEAD OF PROHIBITING.

That is good news.

But this fight is nowhere near over.

And for me, this isn’t simply about h**p businesses, THC gummies or whether somebody in Washington likes cannabis.

This is healthcare.

My parents are 83 and 84 years old.

They use CBD rubs and gummies because those products help make their lives a little better at their age. Comfort. Rest. Relief. Quality of life.

So somebody explain this to me:

If Congress eventually passes a law that removes the products helping my elderly parents, what exactly am I supposed to do?

Walk into their house, take away the CBD and say:

“Sorry, Mom and Dad. I know this helps you, but Washington decided a plant product you’ve been using responsibly shouldn’t be available anymore.”

Absolutely not.

I will not stop caring for my parents because politicians wrote a bad law.

And apparently we’re not alone in seeing the insanity here.

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz has urged senators to delay the ban, warning that it could undermine efforts to make h**p-derived CBD accessible to seniors and people with disabilities through Medicare.

Think about the contradiction.

One part of the federal government is exploring ways to help seniors ACCESS CBD while another part of the federal government is preparing restrictions that could remove many h**p-derived products from the marketplace.

That isn’t healthcare policy.

That’s government tying its own shoelaces together and wondering why it fell down.

And haven’t we been down this road before?

It was only about eight years ago that Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill and federally legalized h**p after decades of prohibition.

We spent years learning what legalization looks like. An entire American h**p industry developed. Farmers planted crops. Businesses opened. Scientists studied cannabinoids. Consumers discovered products that worked for them.

Did the marketplace expose loopholes that need to be fixed?

Absolutely.

SO FIX THE LOOPHOLES.

Create standards.

Require testing.

Require honest labeling.

Set age restrictions for intoxicating products.

Punish bad actors.

But don’t respond to imperfect regulation by dragging prohibition back out of the basement, putting a white coat on it and pretending it’s healthcare policy.

It’s prohibition wearing a lab coat.

Trust THE APPLIED SCIENCE.

We’ve already run that experiment.

Nobody needs the sequel.

Nobody here is arguing for an unregulated free-for-all.

Age restrictions? Absolutely.

Testing? Yes.

Accurate labeling? Yes.

Responsible manufacturing? Yes.

Keeping intoxicating products away from children? Obviously.

But wiping out enormous portions of the h**p market because Congress refuses to create sensible regulations is not consumer protection.

The Senate’s vote gives us more time.

Good.

Now use it.

Build reasonable regulations. Protect consumers. Protect farmers and legitimate businesses. Protect access for adults.

And for heaven’s sake, protect the seniors and families who already know these products can improve their quality of life.

Because somewhere behind every debate about “h**p policy” is an actual person.

In my case, they’re Mom and Dad.

And I’m not going to stop taking care of them.

Neither should our government.

Regulate it. Test it. Label it. Keep it away from kids.

But don’t take healthcare away from people who are benefiting from it.

Website in the comments

**p **pIsHealthcare **pIndustry

08/07/2026

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07/30/2026

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chill mode on

07/28/2026

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07/26/2026

“Stop Dicking Around.”

That’s Senator John Fetterman’s message to Congress regarding cannabis legalization.

Crude? Maybe.

Effective? Absolutely.

For decades, we’ve been told cannabis is something to fear.

What if, instead, it became something to understand?

Fetterman’s comments aren’t just about moving cannabis from one schedule to another. They’re about a future where the federal government finally stops treating a plant like a criminal enterprise and starts allowing Americans to make informed choices, backed by science, education, and personal responsibility.

Now imagine a world where cannabis is fully descheduled.

Not hidden.

Not whispered about.

Not wrapped in unnecessary stigma.

Imagine walking over to your neighbor’s garden and saying:

“My arthritis has really been acting up lately.”

Instead of lowering their voice, they reply:

“You might want to try a cultivar that’s higher in CBD and beta-caryophyllene. That’s been helping me.”

Or…

“I’ve been sleeping terribly.”

“I’ve had good luck with varieties that contain more CBN in the evening.”

Or…

“My anxiety has been rough lately.”

“Here’s what works for me. Everybody’s body is different, but it’s worth learning what this plant can do.”

That’s how we talk about tomatoes.

About peppers.

About herbs.

Why shouldn’t we be able to openly exchange experiences about another plant?

Imagine doctors being free to discuss cannabis without federal contradictions. Imagine universities researching it without unnecessary barriers. Imagine communities sharing knowledge instead of stigma.

Doctors will always be essential for diagnosing disease and helping people navigate serious medical conditions. But wellness doesn’t only happen inside a clinic. It also happens in gardens, kitchens, neighborhoods, and conversations between people who genuinely want to help one another.

Plants don’t care about politics.

They simply grow.

Maybe it’s time our laws did the same.

The Hole Caboodle

Grow. Heal. Feed.

Website in the comments.

**p