Category Archives: News Stories

WHO proposes rescheduling cannabis to allow medical applications

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Image result for the bmj journal“The World Health Organization has proposed rescheduling cannabis within international law to take account of the growing evidence for medical applications of the drug, reversing its position held for the past 60 years that cannabis should not be used in legitimate medical practice.”

https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l574

“WHO RECOMMENDS RESCHEDULING #CANNABIS IN INTERNATIONAL LAW FOR FIRST TIME IN HISTORY. The World Health Organization has suggested that cannabis should be downgraded, or “rescheduled,” given the mounting evidence showing that the drug could prove beneficial in treating a number of health problems. This marks a significant change in WHO’s position, which for the last 60 years has said that cannabis should not be used in medicine, according to an article in the BMJ.” https://www.newsweek.com/who-recommends-rescheduling-cannabis-international-law-first-time-history-1324613

Synthetic Cannabinoid Activity Against Colorectal Cancer Cells

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“Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and new therapeutic strategies are still required. Here we screened a synthetic cannabinoid library to identify compounds that uniformly reduce the viability of seven CRC cell lines.

We identified 10 compounds from the library that were able to reduce cell viability of CRC cell lines.

Conclusion: We identified three families of cannabinoid compounds that reduce CRC cell viability through a noncanonical receptor mechanism. Future modification of these compounds may lead to the development of novel therapies to treat this disease.”

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2018.0065

“Cannabinoid compounds may inhibit growth of colon cancer cells”  https://news.psu.edu/story/557660/2019/02/06/research/cannabinoid-compounds-may-inhibit-growth-colon-cancer-cells

“CANNABIS COMPOUNDS SLOW COLON CANCER IN THE LAB”  https://www.futurity.org/cannabinoids-colon-cancer-1975272/

“Synthetic cannabis may stop colorectal cancer from growing, study suggests”  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6674275/Synthetic-cannabis-stop-colorectal-cancer-growing-study-suggests.html

Marijuana smoking and markers of testicular function among men from a fertility centre

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“Men who had ever smoked marijuana had significantly higher sperm concentration than men who had never smoked marijuana after adjusting for potential confounders.

These findings are not consistent with a deleterious effect of marijuana on testicular function.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30726923

https://academic.oup.com/humrep/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/humrep/dez002/5307080?redirectedFrom=fulltext

“SMOKING MARIJUANA APPEARS TO UP MEN’S SPERM COUNT—TO THE SURPRISE OF SCIENTISTS” https://www.newsweek.com/smoking-marijuana-appears-men-sperm-count-surprise-scientists-1318138

“Cannabis Smoking Associated With Higher Sperm Count, Study Finds”  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-06/cannabis-smoking-associated-with-higher-sperm-count-study-finds

“Smoking cannabis has unexpectedly been linked to greater fertility in men.” https://www.independent.ie/world-news/north-america/smoking-cannabis-can-make-men-more-fertile-say-scientists-37787137.html

A Cost-Effectiveness Model for Adjunctive Smoked Cannabis in the Treatment of Chronic Neuropathic Pain

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“A recent meta-analysis affirmed the benefit of medicinal cannabis for chronic neuropathic pain, a disabling and difficult-to-treat condition. As medicinal cannabis use is becoming increasingly prevalent among Americans, an exploration of its economic feasibility is warranted. We present this cost-effectiveness analysis of adjunctive cannabis pharmacotherapy for chronic peripheral neuropathy.

A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates reproducible efficacy of cannabis in the treatment of several medical conditions, including chronic neuropathic pain. Clinical trials of oral, smoked, and vaporized cannabis and cannabinoids have all demonstrated analgesic benefit of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of this costly and disabling condition. A recent meta-analysis of individual patient data from five randomized controlled trials of inhaled cannabis demonstrated pain relief comparable to gabapentin. Treatment guidelines for neuropathic pain recommend consideration of cannabinoids as third-line agents.

As recently proposed willingness-to-pay thresholds for the United States health marketplace range from $110,000 to $300,000 per QALY, cannabis appears cost-effective when augmenting second-line treatment for painful neuropathy. Further research is warranted to explore the long-term benefit of smoked cannabis and standardization of its dosing for chronic neuropathic pain.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30944870

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2018.0027

“New study analyzes cost effectiveness of smoked cannabis to treat chronic neuropathic pain” https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/mali-nsa012919.php

Cannabinoid type-1 receptor blockade restores neurological phenotypes in two models for Down syndrome.

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Neurobiology of Disease“Intellectual disability is the most limiting hallmark of Down syndrome, for which there is no gold-standard clinical treatment yet.

The endocannabinoid system is a widespread neuromodulatory system involved in multiple functions including learning and memory processes.

Our results identify CB1R as a novel druggable target potentially relevant for the improvement of cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30685352

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996118306855?via%3Dihub

“Endocannabinoid system, a target to improve cognitive disorders in models of Down syndrome” https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206115550.htm

“Endocannabinoid system, a target to improve cognitive disorders in models of Down syndrome” https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-02-endocannabinoid-cognitive-disorders-syndrome.html

Reduction of Benzodiazepine Use in Patients Prescribed Medical Cannabis

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“Benzodiazepines are a class of medication with sedative properties, commonly used for anxiety and other neurological conditions. These medications are associated with several well-known adverse effects.

This observational study aims to investigate the reduction of benzodiazepine use in patients using prescribed medical cannabis.

Within a cohort of 146 patients initiated on medical cannabis therapy, 45.2% patients successfully discontinued their pre-existing benzodiazepine therapy.

Medical cannabis remains a controversial but potentially effective treatment for patients suffering from a variety of medical conditions. Within a cohort of patients initiated on medical cannabis therapy, a large proportion successfully discontinued their pre-existing benzodiazepine therapy.

This study therefore supports the continued research of medical cannabis and urges further exploration into its therapeutic value.”

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/can.2018.0020

“A significant number of cannabis patients discontinue use of benzodiazepines”  https://www.psypost.org/2019/05/a-significant-number-of-cannabis-patients-discontinue-use-of-benzodiazepines-53636

Real life Experience of Medical Cannabis Treatment in Autism: Analysis of Safety and Efficacy.

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Scientific Reports

“There has been a dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) worldwide. Recently anecdotal evidence of possible therapeutic effects of cannabis products has emerged.

The aim of this study is to characterize the epidemiology of ASD patients receiving medical cannabis treatment and to describe its safety and efficacy.

We analysed the data prospectively collected as part of the treatment program of 188 ASD patients treated with medical cannabis between 2015 and 2017. The treatment in majority of the patients was based on cannabis oil containing 30% CBD and 1.5% THC. Symptoms inventory, patient global assessment and side effects at 6 months were primary outcomes of interest and were assessed by structured questionnaires.

After six months of treatment 82.4% of patients (155) were in active treatment and 60.0% (93) have been assessed; 28 patients (30.1%) reported a significant improvement, 50 (53.7%) moderate, 6 (6.4%) slight and 8 (8.6%) had no change in their condition. Twenty-three patients (25.2%) experienced at least one side effect; the most common was restlessness (6.6%).

Cannabis in ASD patients appears to be well tolerated, safe and effective option to relieve symptoms associated with ASD.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30655581

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-37570-y

“Medical cannabis is an effective, well-tolerated, and most importantly, a safe treatment for autism in children, helping to reduce a range of symptoms in those with the condition, a new study finds.” https://www.studyfinds.org/cannabis-safe-effective-treatment-autism-young-children/

Assessing the impact of cannabis use on trends in diagnosed schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005.

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Schizophrenia Research

“The study cohort comprised almost 600,000 patients each year, representing approximately 2.3% of the UK population aged 16 to 44. Between 1996 and 2005 the incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining. Explanations other than a genuine stability or decline were considered, but appeared less plausible. In conclusion, this study did not find any evidence of increasing schizophrenia or psychoses in the general population from 1996 to 2005.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560900

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0920996409002692?via%3Dihub

“The incidence and prevalence of patients showing schizophrenic syndromes are unchanged or have even fallen while the use of cannabis has increased enormously. We must conclude that either previous schizophrenic illnesses have become much less common or that cannabis schizophrenia is rare and perhaps it may not even exist.” https://www.bmj.com/content/325/7374/1183/rapid-responses

“Cannabis use appears to be neither a sufficient nor a necessary cause for psychosis.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14754822

“The current data do not support low to moderate lifetime cannabis use to be a major contributor to psychosis or poor social and role functioning in high-risk youth.”  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3459073/

“Multiple reports indicate no rise in psychosis accompanies increases in pot use rates” http://potfacts.ca/multiple-reports-indicate-no-rise-in-psychosis-accompanies-increases-in-pot-use-rates/

Medical Cannabis Users’ Comparisons between Medical Cannabis and Mainstream Medicine.

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 Publication Cover“An evidence-based approach is needed to shape policies and practices regarding medical cannabis, thereby reducing harm and maximizing benefits to individuals and society.

This project assesses attitudes towards and utilization of medical cannabis and the mainstream healthcare system among medical cannabis users. The research team administered brief hard copy surveys to 450 adults attending an annual public event advocating for cannabis law reform.

Among usable responses (N = 392), the majority (78%) reported using cannabis to help treat a medical or health condition.

Medical cannabis users reported a greater degree of use of medical cannabis and a greater degree of trust in medical cannabis compared to mainstream healthcare.

In comparison to pharmaceutical drugs, medical cannabis users rated cannabis better on effectiveness, side effects, safety, addictiveness, availability, and cost.

Due to the medical use of cannabis, 42% stopped taking a pharmaceutical drug and 38% used less of a pharmaceutical drug.

A substantial proportion (30%) reported that their mainstream healthcare provider did not know that they used medical cannabis.

Other issues identified included lack of access to mainstream healthcare, self-initiated treatment of health issues, little knowledge of psychoactive content, and heavy cannabis use.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30616501

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02791072.2018.1563314?journalCode=ujpd20

“A Growing Number of People Are Trading Their Pain Meds for Weed, Study Finds. As more states legalize marijuana, a new study shows that many patients are choosing medical cannabis to supplement or even replace pharmaceutical drugs. Nearly half of users in the study said they’d completely stopped taking a pharmaceutical drug because of medical marijuana.” https://www.menshealth.com/health/a25953041/medical-marijuana-pain-cannabis-prescription-drugs-study/

Gender and the Politics of Marijuana

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Social Science Quarterly banner

“The objectives of this study were to understand why, even though women are more liberal than men on a broad range of issues, when it comes to the increasingly prominent issue of marijuana legalization, the direction of the gender gap is reversed, with women more conservative than men.

We find that women’s role as mothers cannot explain this gap, and that mothers are in fact no different from those without children in terms of their support for marijuana policy, as well as their reported use of marijuana. The greater religiosity of women does play a prominent role in the gender gap on marijuana policy, but does not account for the full difference of opinion between women and men. Our findings suggest that men’s greater propensity relative to women to use marijuana is a major driver behind the gender gap.

Conclusions

Not only are attitudes on marijuana legalization likely to continue to liberalize, but as marijuana legalization and marijuana use become normalized, rather than viewed as immoral and dangerous behavior, the existing gender gap should shrink.”

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ssqu.12558

“Drug use, religion explain ‘reverse gender gap’ on marijuana”  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181126134251.htm?fbclid=IwAR072Y-SGz0PElUfNtQCTe56kzRC5ZBDoBMmlW2oTagAOy-IOcT_8UxVCEI