Author: Frank Schuler

Canadian Patients Report Significant Reductions In Pain Following Cannabis Use

Written by Frank Schuler on January 31, 2025. Posted in Science.

Canada was at the forefront of medical cannabis policy modernization, having adopted national medical cannabis reform in 2001. Canada remains an international leader in the emerging legal global medical cannabis industry, an industry that continues to experience tremendous growth.

According to a recent market analysis by The Business Research Company, the legal global medical cannabis industry “is projected to rise from $27.5 billion in 2023 to $33.3 billion in 2024, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.1%” and “is expected to reach $72.9 billion by 2028.”

A major driver of the expanding legal medical cannabis industry is patients using medical cannabis to treat chronic pain. A recent study conducted in Canada found that suffering patients report significant reductions in pain following medical cannabis use. Below is more information about the study and its results via a news release from NORML:

Hamilton, Canada: Cannabis products provide short-term relief for patients suffering from chronic muscle, joint, or nerve pain, according to data published in the journal Cannabis.

Canadian investigators assessed the short-term effects of cannabis on chronic pain in a cohort of 741 individuals over a 3+ year period. Study participants self-administered cannabis products at home and reported symptom changes in real time on a mobile software application (Strainprint). Most participants inhaled botanical cannabis. Twenty-one percent ingested cannabis oil extracts. Changes in participants’ pain scores were assessed using a 10-point scale.

On average, subjects reported a three-point reduction in their pain scores following cannabis use. Male participants were more likely than females to experience greater pain relief. Greater efficacy was associated with products either dominant or balanced in THC content as compared to CBD-dominant products.

“Our analysis of observational data from chronic pain patients who use medical cannabis found large reductions in pain, and that men were more likely to experience greater pain relief than women,” the study’s authors concluded. “Our findings require confirmation in rigorously conducted randomized trials that include a placebo control to account for non-specific effects.”

Separate data published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that nearly one in three patients with chronic pain use cannabis as an analgesic agent and many of those who do substitute it in place of opioids.

Full text of the study, “Predictors of response to medical cannabis for chronic pain: A retrospective review of real-time observational data,” appears in Cannabis. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

CBD “Significantly Reduces” Pain, Other Symptoms In Nail-Patella Syndrome Patients

Written by Frank Schuler on January 31, 2025. Posted in Science.

The global market for cannabidiol (CBD) is booming. Several market analysis reports and sector projections demonstrate the buffet of opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators in the CBD sector.

For example, a recent analysis by researchers with Research and Markets found that “the global hemp-derived cannabidiol market size was estimated to be USD 8.28 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach USD 46.25 billion by 2034 with a CAGR of 16.93% during the forecast period 2024-2034.”

A separate analysis by Wiseguy Research Consultants estimated that the cannabidiol extract market was worth “5.06 billion USD in 2023” and that the market is projected to be worth “from 6.16 billion USD in 2024 to 29.8 billion USD by 2032.”

A growing number of studies are finding that CBD helps suffering patients. One such study was recently conducted in France which found that orally administered CBD significantly reduces pain and other symptoms among patients suffering from nail-patella syndrome. Below is more information about the study and its findings via a news release from NORML:

Paris, France: Patients suffering from nail-patella syndrome-induced pain report significant improvements in their health-related quality of life following CBD therapy, according to data published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports. Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by skeletal malformation and chronic pain.

French researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of CBD treatment in a cohort of 28 patients diagnosed with NPS. Study participants ingested pharmaceutical-grade synthetic CBD for three months.

Investigators reported: “Treatment (median dose of 900 mg/day) was associated with a significant reduction in pain intensity (mean score of 7.04 at initiation versus 4.04 at three months. … Health-related quality of life and other NPS-associated symptoms also improved in most patients. CBD treatment was well-tolerated and no elevations in liver enzyme levels were reported.”

The study’s authors concluded: “Oral treatment with synthetic CBD was associated with a significant reduction in pain in most of the patients with NPS included in our study and led to improvements in most of the NPS-associated symptoms analyzed. Hence, synthetic oral CBD appears to be a safe and effective treatment option for NPS-associated pain and may be an alternative to conventional analgesics for managing chronic pain in this pathology.”

Full text of the study, “Evidence for therapeutic use of cannabidiol for nail-patella syndrome-induced pain in a real-world pilot study,” appears in Nature: Scientific Reports. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

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Spanish Researchers Find CBD Does Not Impair Driving Performance

Written by Frank Schuler on January 12, 2025. Posted in Science.

The use of cannabidiol (CBD) is becoming more common around the world as more CBD-focused research is conducted and more becomes known about the popular cannabinoid. That is paralleled by innovative entrepreneurs developing CBD products for consumers and patients at an increasing rate.

One question that has lingered in recent years is whether or not CBD products are associated with changes in driving performance. The ‘terror on the roadways’ talking point is used early and often by cannabis opponents wherever cannabis policy modernization efforts are proposed.

A team of researchers in Spain recently conducted a study in which they examined the use of CBD and observed whether or not it induced driving impairment in subjects who consumed CBD. Below is information about the findings of the study via a news release from NORML:

Granada, Spain: Subjects exhibit no significant changes in their driving performance following the use of CBD, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Addiction.

A team of Spanish investigators assessed participants’ simulated driving performance after inhaling CBD or a placebo.

Subjects displayed “no statistically significant changes in overall driving performance score” after vaporizing products containing either 15 percent or 30 percent CBD. Further, researchers identified “no statistically significant differences in secondary outcomes, such as the standard deviation of lateral lane position, distance travelled outside the lane, reaction time, or collisions.” Subjects’ visual functions were also largely unaffected following CBD administration.

The study’s authors concluded: “The results of this study suggest that vaporized CBD seems to be a safe substance for visual function and vision-dependent tasks such as driving. Further studies are needed to ascertain if higher doses of CBD could pose a risk.”

A 2022 Swiss study similarly reported that the oral administration of up to 1500 mg of CBD does not induce changes in simulated driving performance. Another study also reported that subjects who inhale high-CBD/low-THC botanical cannabis do not experience any decrease in their driving abilities.

Full text of the study, “Visual function and vehicle driving performance under the effects of cannabidiol: A randomized cross-over experiment,” appears in Addiction. Additional information on cannabis and driving is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

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Canadian Legalization Not Associated With Increase In Work Hour Use

Written by Frank Schuler on January 11, 2025. Posted in Policy.

Canada adopted a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure in 2018. Leading up to the adoption of the measure, many cannabis opponents predicted that, among other things, legalization would lead to more people being under the influence of cannabis at their jobs.

As with alcohol use, adults should be able to consume cannabis off the clock as long as they are doing so responsibly. Furthermore, just because someone has metabolized cannabinoids in their system does not automatically mean that they are impaired.

Researchers in Canada recently examined data from before and after legalization took effect in Canada, and determined that there is no association between legalization and an increase in on-the-clock cannabis use. Below is more information about the study via a news release from NORML:

Toronto, Canada: Marijuana legalization is not associated with an uptick in the percentage of employees consuming cannabis either during or prior to work, according to data provided in a briefing paper by the non-profit research organization Institute for Work & Health.

Researchers with the group assessed workers’ attitudes and behaviors toward cannabis following Canada’s adoption of adult-use marijuana legalization. (The Canadian government legalized retail cannabis sales for those 18 or older in 2018.) Investigators reported “no change in workers’ consumption of cannabis before or at work” during the years surveyed.

Consistent with prior studies, researchers acknowledged that those who reported consuming cannabis products while away from their jobs possessed no greater risk of occupational injury than those who abstained. By contrast, employees who reported using cannabis during work hours possessed a nearly two-fold increased risk of accident compared to those who did not.

“These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing cannabis use at work from cannabis off work,” the paper’s authors concluded. “Rather than considering any cannabis use as an occupational safety risk, workplaces need to reframe their focus to use that is likely to lead to impairment at work and craft policies that center on preventing and managing impairment, as well as fitness for duty.”

Most workplace drug testing policies rely on urinalysis screening, which detects the presence of the inert metabolite carboxy-THC. This metabolite remains present in urine for days, weeks, or even months after past use – long after any psychoactive effects of the drug have worn off.

By contrast, blood tests detect the presence of THC, cannabis’ primary psychoactive agent. However, THC is also fat-soluble. As a result, it may also remain detectable for several days following past exposure.

NORML has repeatedly argued that employers should not presume that the detection of either THC or its primary metabolite is evidence of impairment. Rather, NORML has called for the expanded use of performance-based tests, like DRUID or Predictive Safety’s AlertMeter.

Lawmakers in several states – including California and New York – have recently amended their employment laws so that most public employers may no longer terminate workers solely based on a positive drug test for the presence of THC metabolites.

The full text of the briefing paper, “Cannabis use by workers before and after legalization in Canada,” is available online. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Legalization and Impact on the Workplace.’

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South African Human Rights Commission Urges Police To Halt Cannabis Arrests

Written by Frank Schuler on January 6, 2025. Posted in Policy.

Last year South Africa became the latest country to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure, codifying a prior landmark court decision which determined that prohibition policies against personal cannabis use were unconstitutional.

Recreational legalization in South Africa placed the country on a list with Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, and Germany for nations that have adopted an adult-use cannabis legalization policy change. Despite South Africa adopting legalization, the arrests of cannabis users persist, and South Africa’s Human Rights Commission is calling that out.

“The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has written to national police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola to express concern over the ongoing arrests of cannabis users and Rastafarians despite a law permitting the private cultivation and use of cannabis by adults.” stated Times Live in its local reporting.

“As the festive season approaches, the SAHRC reminds law enforcement, in particular the SA Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority, that the arrest and/or prosecution of adults for the private use, possession or cultivation of cannabis, as well as making assumptions about dealing, is inconsistent with the law and national operational directives. Such arrests and/or prosecutions could lead to human rights violations being perpetrated by law enforcement,” the SAHRC said according to the media outlet’s coverage.

South Africa is home to an emerging legal cannabis industry. A great example is the recent certification of Africa’s first cannabis higher education course. Recently cannabis education provider Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Academy launched its Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production & Management. The cannabis education program is the first on the African continent to be accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE). CHE is an internationally recognized accreditation body.

“It comes at the same time as Cheeba Africa has announced a partnership to bring its offering to Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. The economically-stressed province is hoping to see benefits from provincial government efforts to roll out an investment in the local medical cannabis industry that is expected to reach R1 billion over the next five years.” Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Academy stated in a press release obtained by the International Cannabis Business Conference.

“It has been a rigorous four-year journey for our Academy to reach this important accreditation milestone and we’re excited to set this benchmark in cannabis education by offering this powerful programme to potential cannabis entrepreneurs and workers. It is a proud moment for our industry, and for South Africa, as we lead the way in one of the most important sectors of our time. The emerging cannabis and hemp industry has so much potential to create sustainable and dignified livelihoods in South Africa, especially in some of our most underserved communities.” states Trenton Birch, CEO and co-founder of Cheeba Africa.

The new partnership that Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Academy has formed with the Township Cannabis Incubator (TCI) in Mthatha, Eastern Cape is a partnership that recognizes the significant potential of cannabis-related job creation and sustainable development in one of South Africa’s most rural and underserved provinces. Official unemployment rates in the Eastern Cape are above 40%, and the expanded unemployment rates are close to 50%. With 60% of the population living below the poverty level, it is recognized as one of the country’s poorest regions.

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Health Canada To Publish Cannabis Sampling Program Results In 2025

Written by Frank Schuler on January 6, 2025. Posted in Science.

Canada became the first G-7 country to adopt a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure in 2018. Since that time, Canada has served as the top cannabis commerce public policy experiment on the planet.

Health Canada announced in 2023 that it would launch a program to test regulated and unregulated cannabis samples and publish the results of the cannabis sampling testing program. The first round of results is expected to be published this year.

“Health Canada intends to publish the results of this project on the Cannabis Laboratory page “in the coming months,” confirms a senior media relations advisor with the agency’s communications and public affairs branch via email.” stated StratCann in its local coverage.

“When it was announced, the agency said the new cannabis data-gathering program would allow it to “proactively collect information on the legal and illicit cannabis markets in Canada,” focusing on providing Canadians with more accurate info about cannabis health and safety risks.” StratCann also reported.

Every year since 2017, Health Canada has conducted its ‘Canadian Cannabis Survey,’ in which the government agency poses various cannabis-related questions to members of Canadian society. Canada adopted recreational cannabis legalization in 2018, and the survey helps lawmakers and regulators gain insight into how legalization has affected Canada.

Health Canada recently released the results of the 2024 survey, with data being collected from April 4^th to July 2^nd, 2024. The 2024 survey involved 11,666 respondents aged 16 years and older across all provinces and territories.

One of the main findings of this year’s survey is that only 3% of consumers “reported accessing cannabis through illegal sources,” which is a decrease from a reported 16% back in 2019. Many consumers reported cultivating their own cannabis and/or being gifted cannabis from friends and family. The Health Canada survey also found the following.

The number of respondents who reported getting cannabis from a legal source in 2024 was 72% – an increase from 37% in 2019 to 72% in 2024, with legal storefronts being the most common source since 2019.
There was no change in rates of cannabis use among youth (age 16-19) over the past year. Past 12-month cannabis use among youth aged 16-19 was 41%, similar to several previous years (44%, 44%, and 43% in 2019, 2020 and 2023 respectively).
Overall, the proportion of respondents who said they used cannabis and reported daily, or almost daily use has been stable since 2018 (approx. 25%), including among youth (approx. 20%).

“Since 2017, Health Canada has conducted the annual Canadian Cannabis Survey to better understand attitudes and knowledge regarding cannabis, as well as patterns of cannabis use in Canada. Through the information gathered, Health Canada can better understand where support is needed the most and develop program initiatives that will help educate and raise awareness around the use of cannabis.” Health Canada stated about its annual survey.

UK Study Finds Cannabis Helps Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Written by Frank Schuler on January 2, 2025. Posted in Science.

International health researchers estimate that as many as 4.9 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. The highest rates of inflammatory bowel disease are found in China and the United States.

Inflammatory bowel disease is a wider health term used to describe a group of health conditions that cause swelling and inflammation of the tissues in the sufferer’s digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are examples of inflammatory bowel disease.

A team of researchers in the United Kingdom recently conducted a study involving the use of medical cannabis by patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. Below is more information about the study and its results via a news release from NORML:

London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) report sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life following their use of cannabis, according to observational data published in the journal Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) consisting of either botanicals or oil extracts in 116 IBD patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (British specialists are permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes at 18 months.

Consistent with prior research, investigators reported, “CBMP treatment was associated with improvement in IBD-specific outcomes in patients and general HRQoL [health-related quality of life] over 18-months.”

According to a literature review published in October in the scientific journal Cureus, “Many IBD patients use cannabis to control disease symptoms, and there is emerging evidence that it may play a role in disease management.”

Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those suffering from anxiety, fibromyalgia, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.

Full text of the study, “UK medical cannabis registry: An updated analysis of clinical outcomes of cannabis-based medicinal products for inflammatory bowel disease,” appears in Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. Additional information on cannabis and inflammatory bowel disease is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.

German Trial Finds That CBD Reduces Alcohol Cravings

Written by Frank Schuler on January 2, 2025. Posted in Science.

International researchers estimate that as many as 400 million people worldwide, roughly 7% of the world’s adult population, suffer from alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder is a chronic health condition characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol.

Globally, researchers estimate that around 2.6 million deaths were caused by alcohol consumption in 2019, and of those, 1.6 million were from noncommunicable diseases, 700,000 were from injuries, and 300,000 were the result of communicable diseases.

A team of researchers in Germany, and one from Sweden, recently conducted a clinical trial in which they explored the use of cannabidiol (CBD) by patients who suffer from alcohol use disorder. The clinical trial findings were recently published in the journal Nature: Molecular Psychiatry.

“Here we report data from the double-blind randomized controlled ICONIC trial that compared the effects of a single dose of 800 mg cannabidiol against placebo (PLC) in N = 28 individuals with AUD.” the researchers stated about their trial.

“Cue-induced nucleus accumbens (NAc) activation, alcohol craving during a combined stress- and alcohol cue exposure session, as well as craving during an fMRI alcohol cue-reactivity task and CBD plasma levels served as outcomes.” the researchers stated about the trial’s methodology.

“Individuals receiving CBD showed lower bilateral cue-induced NAc activation (t_{left_NAc(23)} = 4.906, p < 0.001, d = 1.15; t_{right_NAc (23)} = 4.873, p < 0.001, d = 1.13) and reported significantly lower alcohol craving after a combined stress- and alcohol cue exposure session (F_group(1,26) = 4.516, p = 0.043, eta² = 0.15) and during the fMRI cue-reactivity task (F_group(1,24) = 6.665, p = 0.015, eta² = 0.23). CBD levels were significantly higher in the CBD group (t₍₂₅₎ = 3.808, p < 0.001, d = 1.47) and showed a significant negative association with alcohol craving during the cue exposure experiment (r = -0.394, p_FDR = 0.030) and during fMRI (r = -0.389, p_FDR = 0.030), and with left and right NAc activation (r_left__NAc = -0.459, p_FDR = 0.030; r_right__NAc = -0.405, p_FDR = 0.030).” the researchers also stated.

“CBD’s capacity to reduce stress- and cue-induced alcohol craving and to normalize NAc activation – a region critical to the pathophysiology of AUD – contribute to understanding the neurobiological basis of its clinical effects and support its potential as a treatment option for AUD. Clinical Trials Registry: DRKS00029993.” the researchers concluded.

Separate studies have also suggested that CBD dosing can reduce cravings for tobacco, methamphetamine, and heroin, among other substances, according to a news release recently published by the cannabis advocacy organization NORML.

Published Scientific Papers About Cannabis Tops 35,000 In Past Decade

Written by Frank Schuler on December 30, 2024. Posted in Science.

Since the beginning of when cannabis prohibition policies were first implemented around the globe, there has never been a better time for cannabis research. Cannabis research efforts have greatly benefitted from policy modernization efforts worldwide in recent years. The increase in cannabis research findings is reflected in a recent analysis published by NORML.

“For the fourth consecutive year, researchers worldwide published over 4,000 scientific papers specific to cannabis, its active constituents, and their effects, according to the results of a keyword search of the National Library of Medicine/PubMed.gov website.” NORML stated in a recent article posted on its website.

“Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in scientific inquiries about the cannabis plant — with researchers publishing more than 35,000 scientific papers about cannabis since the beginning of 2014. Much of this uptick is a result of researchers’ newfound focus on marijuana’s therapeutic activities as well investigations into the real-world effects of legalization laws.” NORML also stated.

For many decades, cannabis was prohibited around the world, and that greatly hindered cannabis research efforts. However, cannabis is now legal for medical use in nearly five dozen nations and legal for adult use in Uruguay, Canada, Malta, Luxembourg, Germany, and South Africa. Those policy modernization efforts are boosting worldwide knowledge of the cannabis plant.

A number of other jurisdictions are expected to modernize their cannabis policies in 2025, which will further add to the momentum of global cannabis research efforts. That is in addition to countries that are already conducting a considerable amount of cannabis research.