Author: Frank Schuler

Australian Arthritis Patients Report Improvements Following Use Of Plant-Derived CBD

Written by Frank Schuler on May 11, 2023. Posted in Science.

According to the Global RA Network, roughly 350 million people around the globe currently suffer from some form of arthritis, making it one of the most common health conditions found around the world.

Arthritis is the number one chronic disease in North America that results in a disability. Women are more likely to develop arthritis than men, and people of any age can be diagnosed with the condition, although it’s more common for older people to be diagnosed.

The cannabis plant has been used to treat arthritis for thousands of years to some degree, and a team of researchers in Australia recently conducted a study that found that CBD was beneficial for arthritis patients. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Sydney, Australia: Patients suffering from arthritis report decreased pain and improvements in their health-related quality of life following the use of cannabis products containing significant percentages of CBD, according to observational trial data published in the British Journal of Pain.

Australian investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of a variety of plant-derived cannabis products in a cohort of chronic pain patients, approximately one-third of whom suffered from arthritis. (Under Australian law, physicians may only authorize medical cannabis products to patients that have been unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments).

Researchers reported that pain patients were most likely to respond to products containing balanced ratios of THC and CBD. However, over half of the patients with arthritis reported “clinically meaningful improvements” following the use of products containing only CBD.

“Although the CBD-only products did not reach statistical significance in the overall chronic pain cohort, participants with arthritis did report significant improvements in pain intensity and pain impact scores,” authors reported. “With arthritis being an inflammatory condition, the anti-inflammatory actions of CBD may be resulting in improved outcomes in these patients.”

Patients who experienced side-effects from their use of cannabis products were most likely to report dry mouth, drowsiness, and fatigue.

“In this analysis, medicinal cannabis, depending on the ratio of CBD to THC, appeared to be associated with significant improvements in pain intensity, pain interference, social functioning and pain impact scores,” investigators concluded. “Balanced and CBD-only products [were] associated with the highest HRQoL [health-related quality of life] improvements.”

Survey data published last year in the Journal of Cannabis Research similarly reported that arthritis patients typically experience symptom improvements and reduce their use of prescription medications following the use of CBD. The results of a randomized clinical trial published in June in the Journal of Hand Surgery concluded that the administration of a topical formula containing hemp-derived CBD is associated with significant improvements in patients with thumb basal joint arthritis.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis for Australian patients with chronic refractory pain including arthritis,” appears in the British Journal of Pain. Additional information on cannabinoids and arthritis is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

Canadian Legalization Associated With “Significant Reductions” In Police-Reported Cannabis Offences

Written by Frank Schuler on May 6, 2023. Posted in Policy.

Previously, researchers in Canada reported that the 2018 Canadian Cannabis Act was associated with a short-term post-legalization reduction in police-reported cannabis-related crimes among youth.

In an attempt to try to establish whether the reduction was sustained, the researchers then examined new data several years after legalization was implemented. The new study included three years of post-legalization data in addition to the data from the prior study.

“Using national daily criminal incident data from January 1, 2015–December 31, 2021 from the Canadian Uniform Crime Reporting Survey (UCR-2), the study employed Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) time series models to assess the associations between legalization and youth cannabis-related offences.” the researchers stated about the design of the study.

The data involved police-reported cannabis-related offenses among youth aged 12-17 years (male, n = 34,508; female, n = 9,529).

“Legalization was associated with significant reductions in both male and female police-reported cannabis-related offences: females, 4.04 daily incidents [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.08; 5.01)], a 62.1% decrease [standard error (se), 34.3%]; males, 12.42 daily offences (95% CI, 8.99; 15.86), a reduction of 53.0% (se, 22.7%). There was no evidence of associations between cannabis legalization and patterns of property or violent crimes.” the researchers stated.

“Results suggest that the impact of the Cannabis Act on reducing cannabis-related youth crimes is sustained, supporting the Act’s objectives to reduce cannabis-related criminalization among youth and associated burden on Canadian criminal justice system.” the researchers concluded.

In addition to reductions in cannabis-related youth crimes being reported, legalization in Canada has served as a tremendous economic booster. Previous studies have found that the legal cannabis industry in Canada has created at least 151,000 jobs.

Additionally, Deloitte estimates that the legal cannabis industry in Canada has contributed over $43.5 billion to the nation’s GDP since the start of legalization. Cannabis companies have directly invested roughly $4.4 billion into Canada’s economy, with the remaining boost to GDP coming from “indirect” economic contributions, and “induced” contributions according to Deloitte.

Patients Frequently Use Cannabis As A Sleep Aid According To Australian Survey

Written by Frank Schuler on April 28, 2023. Posted in Science.

Insomnia is a major problem around the world. Whether people suffer from insomnia as a primary condition, or it is caused by a different primary condition, an inability to fall asleep and/or stay asleep can have a massively negative impact on a person’s overall health, both physically and mentally.

When a human is sleep deprived, they become more irritable, and handling daily tasks becomes more difficult. A lack of sleep impairs brain functions such as memory and decision-making, and it can lead to depression. Physically, insomnia can impair patients’ immune systems, among other concerns.

The cannabis plant has served as a sleep aid for many insomnia sufferers over many years, and that appears to be the case in Australia according to the results of a recent survey. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Sydney, Australia: Patients frequently report consuming cannabis to treat sleep-related issues, particularly insomnia, according to survey data published in the journal Nature and Science of Sleep.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Sydney surveyed 1,600 Australians regarding their use of medical cannabis.

Sixty-four percent of those surveyed acknowledged consuming cannabis to mitigate symptoms of a sleep disorder, typically insomnia.

Most respondents said that cannabis greatly improved their sleep quality. A majority of respondents also said that they decreased their consumption of benzodiazepines and alcohol following their use of cannabis – a finding that is consistent with other studies.

Those who reported consuming cannabis were most likely to acknowledge using THC-dominant cannabis products.

“[Our study] shows that the majority of participants reported an improvement in their subjective sleep symptoms since commencing medical cannabis,” authors concluded. “[I]t is imperative that randomized, placebo-controlled trials using quality-assured products are conducted to better understand the safety and efficacy of cannabinoid treatment in patients with clinician-diagnosed sleep disorders.”

The survey’s findings are similar to those of numerous other studies documenting that patients with insomnia and other sleep disorders report subjective improvements following cannabis use. Data published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine reported that the enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization laws is associated with a significant reduction in the sales of over-the-counter sleep aids among the general public.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis use patterns for sleep disorders in Australia: Results of the cross-sectional CAMS-20 survey,” appears in Nature and Science of Sleep. Additional information on the use of cannabis for insomnia is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

woman smelling smell cannabis plant garden outdoor sungrown terpene terpenes

Terpenes Enhance THC’s Ability To Interact With Endogenous Receptor

Written by Frank Schuler on April 28, 2023. Posted in Science.

For many years very little was known about cannabis terpenes. Terpenes are the compounds contained in the cannabis plant that gives it its smell. Scientists currently estimate that the cannabis plant contains over 150 different terpenes, with different genetics containing different ratios of terpene levels.

An example of a cannabis terpene is pinene, which is one of the most common terpenes found in cannabis terpene profile testing results. Pinene is known for having a forest-type smell, and can also be found in pine nuts, rosemary, and sage.

Researchers in Israel recently examined cannabis terpenes and how they interact with the endogenous CB1 receptor, and what they found regarding THC’s interaction with the receptor and terpenes could change the way cannabis products and treatments are developed going forward. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Jerusalem, Israel: Terpenes in the cannabis plant enhance the ability of THC to interact with the endogenous CB1 receptor, potentially heightening its effects, according to preclinical data published in the journal Biochemical Pharmacology.

Israeli scientists evaluated the role of terpenes in CB1 receptor-mediated functions. Researchers also assessed the extent to which terpenes acted as direct CB1 receptor agonists and as modulators of THC agonism.

Researchers reported certain terpenes – including borneol, geraniol, limonene, linalool, ocimene, sabinene, and terpineol – amplified THC activity at the CB1 receptor, even at low quantities.

They reported: “The results demonstrate that all terpenes, when tested individually, activate CB1 receptors, at about 10-50 percent of the activation by THC alone. The combination of some of these terpenes with THC significantly increases the activity of the CB1 receptor, compared to THC alone. In some cases, several fold. Importantly, this amplification is evident at terpene to THC ratios similar to those in the cannabis plant, which reflect very low terpene concentrations.”

Authors concluded: “The use of selected terpenes may enable reducing the THC dose in some treatments, and as a result, potentially minimizing the THC-related adverse effects. This would also help in adjusting the treatment to more sensitive populations such as children and elderly. Enrichment with selected terpenes may allow for composition adjustment to personal needs and to changes during chronic use, such as for daytime versus for sleep.”

The findings expand upon those of a 2021 study documenting that certain terpenes activate CB1 and CB2 receptors, and that the combined administration of cannabinoids and terpenes produce additive effects. Authors of that study similarly suggested, “[T]erpenes could be used to enhance the analgesic properties of cannabis/cannabinoid therapy, without worsening the side effects of cannabinoid treatment.”

A study published earlier this year reported that cannabis flowers with elevated levels of the terpenes myrcene and terpinolene are associated with greater perceived symptom relief among patients.

Full text of the study, “Selected cannabis terpenes synergize with THC to produce increased CB1 receptor activation,” appears in Biochemical Pharmacology.

Canadian Study Finds Cannabis Products Effective In Self-Management Of Myofascial Pelvic Pain

Written by Frank Schuler on April 28, 2023. Posted in Science.

Myofascial pelvic pain syndrome is a health condition involving pelvic pain that is often described by sufferers as ‘short, tight, tender pelvic floor muscles that can include palpable nodules or trigger points.’

While it’s unclear how many people around the globe suffer from the condition, it is estimated that 22% to 94% of cases of chronic pelvic pain involve myofascial pain. Chronic pelvic pain is one of the most common gynecologic conditions around the planet.

Treatments for myofascial pelvic pain vary from patient to patient, with many patients relying on their own regimens for treatment. Cannabis is a popular medicine for sufferers, and according to a recent study in Canada, there’s good reason to incorporate it into treatment strategies. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Vancouver, Canada: A significant percentage of women suffering from myofascial pelvic pain (MPP) acknowledge using cannabis and/or cannabis-products as a way to effectively mitigate their symptoms, according to data published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.

Canadian investigators surveyed 135 female patients with MPP, 57 percent of whom acknowledged using cannabis. Among marijuana consumers, 79 percent said that they used cannabis products to treat their pelvic pain. Nearly eighty percent of those respondents said that they began using cannabis because conventional treatments were ineffective. Nearly half of consumers said that they used cannabis daily, and more than half did so via inhalation.

“On a scale of zero (totally ineffective) to 10 (totally effective), 69 percent of users rated the effectiveness of cannabis as 7 or higher at relieving pelvic pain,” authors reported. Among non-users, 64 percent said that they “would be willing” to try cannabis as an option to treat pelvic pain.

A survey’s findings are consistent with those of prior studies finding that an increasing percentage of patients with pelvic pain are accessing either cannabis or cannabis products, and that those patients who do so are consuming fewer opioids.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis use preferences in women with myofascial pelvic pain: A cross-sectional study,” appears in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology.

UK Study Fails To Identify Cannabis As A Risk Factor For Development Of Psychosis

Written by Frank Schuler on April 28, 2023. Posted in Science.

Cannabis opponents and mainstream media outlets have claimed for many years that cannabis is bad for human brains. As part of their claim, opponents often suggest that cannabis use causes psychosis.

Psychosis is a serious mental health condition that is always worthy of research and thoughtful discussion, which is why public health strategies should be led by science and not the harmful political views of a small group of lawmakers.

Researchers in the United Kingdom recently conducted a study in which they examined what, if any, role cannabis use plays in the development of psychosis. Below is more information about the study’s findings via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: A history of cannabis use is not associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis, even among those predisposed to the disorder, according to data published in the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

A team of investigators from Australia, Europe, and the United Kingdom examined the association between cannabis use and incidences of psychotic disorders in clinically at-risk subjects. Researchers assessed subjects at baseline and then followed them for a period of two years.

They reported: “There was no significant association between any measure of cannabis use at baseline and either transition to psychosis, the persistence of symptoms, or functional outcomes.”

Authors concluded, “Our primary hypothesis was that cannabis use in CHR [clinically high risk] subjects would be associated with an increased rate of later transition to psychosis. However, there was no significant association with any measure of cannabis use. … These findings are not consistent with epidemiological data linking cannabis use to an increased risk of developing psychosis.”

Although the use of cannabis and other controlled substances tends to be more common among those with psychotic illnesses, studies indicate that lifetime incidences of acute marijuana-induced psychosis are relatively rare among the general population.

Data published last year in the New Zealand Medical Journal reported that those with a history of cannabis consumption do not typically exhibit more severe symptoms of psychosis than do those with no history of regular use.

Full text of the study, “Influence of cannabis use on incidence of psychosis in people at clinical high risk,” appears in Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.

senior citizen seniors quality of life pain

Chronic Pain Patients Report Improvements In New UK Study

Written by Frank Schuler on April 16, 2023. Posted in Science.

A fairly sizable study was recently concluded in the United Kingdom involving cannabis, chronic pain, quality of life, and opioid use. The study revolved around multiple cannabis products, which is not always the case with cannabis studies. Below is more information about the scope of the study, and the findings, via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: Chronic pain patients who use cannabis products for six months report improvements in their health-related quality of life and decreases in their daily opioid consumption, according to observational data published in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.

British investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of plant-derived cannabis products (either oils, flower, or a combination of both) in over 700 chronic pain patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. All of the participants possessed a doctor’s authorization to access cannabis products. (Since 2018, specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Authors assessed the efficacy of cannabis at one, three, and six months.

Consistent with prior studies, investigators reported: “Treatment with oil-based [products], dried flowers, or a combination of both CBMPs [cannabis-based medicinal products] are associated with statistically significant improvements in pain relief and sleep quality after six months in chronic pain patients. Additionally, patients prescribed oils or both types of CBMPs experienced reduced anxiety and an improvement in their ability to perform daily activities. Patients prescribed a combination of both CBMPs recorded improvements in their self-care and mobility abilities. Collectively, this evidence signals that [the] initiation of CBMP treatment is associated with improved HRQoL [health-related quality of life].”

Researchers also acknowledged that patients significantly reduced their daily intake of prescription opioids – a finding that is consistent with dozens of other studies.

“In summary, these results suggest that both [cannabis] oils and dried flowers are associated with long-term improved HRQoL in chronic pain patients,” they concluded.

Prior studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK registry have similarly reported them to be safe and effective for patients suffering from anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, inflammatory bowel disease, and other afflictions.

Data published earlier this year in the journal JAMA Network Open reported that nearly one in four pain patients who reside in states where medical cannabis access is legal self-identify as marijuana consumers.

Full text of the study, “Clinical outcome data of chronic pain patients treated with cannabis-based oils and dried flower from the UK medical cannabis registry,” appears in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Iran Study Finds That CBD/THC Combination Controls Blood Sugar

Written by Frank Schuler on April 2, 2023. Posted in Science.

Type 2 diabetes is a health condition involving a problem with the way the human body regulates and uses sugar/glucose as fuel. Type 2 diabetes differs from type 1 diabetes in that the latter is a genetic condition that is typically detected early in life, whereas the former is considered to be a lifestyle-related condition that develops over time.

As of 2020, it was estimated that over ‘462 million individuals are affected by type 2 diabetes, corresponding to 6.28% of the world’s population.’ Common treatments and strategies for combating type 2 diabetes include eating healthier, exercising, losing weight, insulin therapy, and blood sugar monitoring.

Researchers in Iran recently conducted a study involving a sublingual spray containing CBD and THC to see if it helped patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Below is more information about the study via a news release from NORML:

Tehran, Iran: Diabetic patients administered a sublingual spray containing CBD and THC show improvements in their blood sugar and cholesterol levels, according to placebo-controlled data published in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research.

A team of Iranian investigators evaluated the efficacy of a proprietary formulation of plant-derived CBD/THC compared to placebo in a cohort of 50 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients utilized the spray twice daily for eight weeks. The sublingual formulation contained a ten-to-one ratio of CBD to THC.

Compared to placebo, cannabinoid therapy was associated with a “statistically significant decline in total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, FBS [fasting blood glucose levels], Hb [hemoglobin] A1C, and insulin secretion … at the end of the 8-week treatment period. … [T]here were no statistically significant differences in reported adverse effects between the two groups.”

Researchers concluded: “In the present study, we demonstrated that sublingual administration of [a CBD/THC] spray, … twice daily through an eight-week treatment period could effectively improve the patient’s lipid profile and glucose tolerance. … Based on these observations, the combination of CBD/Δ9-THC regimen could be a new therapeutic regimen for controlling the lipid profile and glycemic state of DM [type 2 diabetic] patients.”

Clinical trial data has previously shown that the administration of the cannabinoid THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin) decreases fasting glucose levels in type 2 diabetics.

Population-based studies have reported that cannabis consumers typically possess lower BMI and other favorable indices related to diabetic control. Observational studies have also shown that the past use of cannabis is significantly associated with lower odds of diabetes in adults.

Full text of the study, “A phase I randomized, placebo-controlled study on efficacy and safety profile of a sublingually administered cannabidiol/delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (10: 1) regimen in diabetes Type 2 patients,” appears in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. Additional information on cannabinoids and diabetes is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

Canadian Researchers Find Alcohol To Be Involved In More Crashes Than THC

Written by Frank Schuler on April 1, 2023. Posted in Science.

Whenever cannabis reform is being proposed, it’s very common for opponents to ramp up scare tactics related to impaired driving. Don’t get me wrong, preventing impaired driving on public roadways is absolutely a worthwhile endeavor.

However, conversations and strategies regarding the mitigation of impaired drivers need to be sensible, and math and science need to lead the way, which unfortunately does not always happen.

The fact of the matter is that alcohol is much more problematic compared to THC, as demonstrated in a recent study out of Canada. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Drivers treated for traffic-related injuries are more likely to test positive for high levels of alcohol (BAC ≥ 0.08 percent) than they are likely to test positive for elevated levels of THC (THC in blood ≥ 5 ng/mL), according to data published in the journal Addiction.

Canadian investigators quantified and reviewed alcohol and THC concentrations in a cohort of nearly 7,000 injured drivers.

They reported, “In this sample, there were over three times as many drivers with BAC ≥ 0.08% (12.6 percent) than with THC ≥ 5 ng/mL (3.5 percent), suggesting that alcohol remains a greater threat to road safety.”

Authors also acknowledged that drivers who tested positive for high levels of alcohol were more likely to be involved in single vehicle accidents as well as in motor vehicle accidents resulting in serious injuries.

Because THC can remain present in blood for extended periods of time, the study’s authors emphasized that at least some subjects who tested positive for cannabis may not necessarily have had recent exposure to it. They further emphasized that subjects testing positive for the presence of THC at levels below 5 ng/ml are typically not under the influence and likely do not possess a significantly increased risk of being involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Driving simulator studies generally report that cannabis administration is associated with compensatory driving behavior, such as decreased mean speed and increased mean following distance, whereas alcohol administration is associated with more aggressive driving behavior. Nevertheless, cannabis exposure can influence certain psychomotor skills necessary for safe driving, such as reaction time and drivers’ ability to maintain lane positioning.

A study conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that drivers who test positive for any amount of THC possess, on average, a far lower risk of being involved in a traffic collision than do drivers who test positive for alcohol at or near legal limits.

By contrast, drivers who test positive for the presence of both THC and alcohol in their system tend to possess significantly higher odds of being involved in a motor vehicle accident than do those who test positive for either substance alone.

Full text of the study, “A comparison of cannabis and alcohol use in drivers presenting to hospital after a vehicular collision,” appears in Addiction. Additional information on cannabis and driving performance is available from NORML’s Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’