Author: Frank Schuler

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Authorized Medical Cannabis Patients At Low Risk For Psychiatric Hospitalizations

Written by Frank Schuler on August 15, 2022. Posted in Science.

If you sit and listen to a cannabis prohibitionist talk for a long enough duration of time it’s almost guaranteed that they will offer up the talking point that ‘cannabis makes you crazy.’

They may not say it in those exact words, however, that is the sentiment of virtually any talking point by a cannabis prohibitionist that involves consuming cannabis and mental health.

Prohibitionists act as if a person taking one hit off of one joint is enough to instantly thrust that person into a mental health abyss. Fortunately, that is not the case, as evidenced by a recent study in Canada. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Quebec, Canada: Authorized medical cannabis patients are at low risk for psychiatric hospitalizations resulting from their marijuana use, according to data published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse.

Canadian researchers assessed marijuana-related hospitalizations among a cohort of over 23,000 authorized medical cannabis patients. (Canada has legalized the use of cannabis products for both medical purposes and for adult use.) Specifically, investigators tracked incidences of hospitalizations attributable to either “cannabis poisoning” or because of “mental or behavioral disorders due to the use of cannabis.” Patients in the study were tracked for a median of 240 days.

During the course of the trial, investigators reported that a total of 14 patients were hospitalized for issues related to cannabis toxicity and 26 were admitted for either mental or behavioral disorders. The findings push back against high-profile claims from some cannabis reform opponents that frequent marijuana exposure is a trigger for psychosis and other mental health disorders.

“The results suggest that the incidence of cannabis poisoning or cannabis-related mental or behavioral disorders was low among patients who were authorized to use cannabis for medical care,” authors concluded. “Our observation of small rates of ED visits and hospitalization for cannabis poisoning and CUDs [cannabis use disorders] among this large cohort of medical cannabis users helps address concerns regarding increasing use of medical cannabis.”

Full text of the study, “Incidence and predictors of cannabis-related poisonings and mental and behavioral disorders among patients with a medical cannabis authorization: A cohort study,” appears in Substance Use & Misuse. Additional information on cannabis and mental health is available from NORML’s white paper, ‘Cannabis, Mental Health, and Context: The Case for Regulation.

Are Banking Concerns Really Delaying Cannabis Reform In Belize?

Written by Frank Schuler on August 7, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Lawmakers in Belize previously passed the ‘Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Control and Licensing Bill 2022.’ The measure passed both chambers of Belize’s Parliament and was set to become law.

However, cannabis prohibitionists, particularly church leaders, were able to successfully stall the passage of the bill and divert it into Belize’s referendum process.

A vote was initially set for later this year on September 4th. That vote is now being delayed, with no future vote date set from what I can tell. The reasoning for the delay? ‘Concerns’ about banking. Per Caribbean National Weekly:

The Belize government has confirmed that concerns raised by the banking community have led to the Cannabis and Industrial Hemp Control and Licensing Bill 2022 being temporarily shelved despite going through all the states in Parliament.

Home Affairs and New Growth Industries Minister, Kareem Musa, was asked by reporters to comment on his reluctance to admit that banking sector concerns would present a roadblock to the bill.

“Cannabis legalization is taking place all across the Caribbean. Like the rest of the Caribbean, Belize always has correspondent banking concerns. As you recall with the offshore sector, we had to make certain regulations and adjustments to comply with the European Union so that we were not blacklisted.”

To many cannabis industry and policy observers around the globe, the excuse offered up for delaying the referendum vote seems to be a stretch. After all, many countries engage in the emerging legal cannabis industry, including nations in the European Union.

There seems to be a lot of rhetoric being tossed around on this topic, but not a lot of real-world examples of it actually happening. Hopefully cannabis reform can get back on track in Belize sooner rather than later.

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Cannabis Purchasing Habits Continue To Shift In British Columbia

Written by Frank Schuler on August 7, 2022. Posted in Business, Policy.

British Columbia has long been home to a vibrant and robust cannabis community. People have flocked to British Columbia for cannabis tourism purposes for several decades now.

International cannabis industry and policy observers have kept a close eye on Canada, and British Columbia specifically, to gauge consumer and patient cannabis purchasing habits in the post-legalization era.

Consumers and patients have more well-established, unregulated cannabis sourcing options in British Columbia than in most other parts of the world. It was unclear leading up to the launch of adult-use legalization what percentage of people making purchases may transition to making purchases via regulated outlets.

There’s new data out regarding purchases made in 2021, and it appears that the number of people making regulated purchases is increasing. Per Global News:

More British Columbians are using cannabis since legalization, but appear to be doing so in a responsible way and getting it more often from licensed retail stores, according to a recent survey.

The 2021 B.C. Cannabis Use Survey asked just under 25,000 British Columbians about their cannabis use and found 32 per cent of adults aged 19 and older reported using cannabis at least once in the past year, an increase from 28 per cent prior to legalization. Around four per cent of people said they tried cannabis for the first time since legalization in 2018.

“Like many provinces and territories, cannabis use has gradually become more prevalent in B.C., with nonsmoking methods of use increasing in popularity,” the report states.

One thing that the report seemed to spend a lot of focus on involved whether people were consuming cannabis ‘responsibly’ or not. That is obviously a subjective measurement.

Ultimately, the report seemed to measure this by a combination of things, including DUI data, reported frequency of use by consumers, and various other data points.

The data seems to back up what many of us already know – that cannabis legalization works and the doomsday predictions by prohibitionists leading up to national legalization in Canada have proven to be unfounded.

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Cannabis May Be A “Useful Treatment Strategy” For Fibromyalgia Patients

Written by Frank Schuler on August 7, 2022. Posted in Science.

Fibromyalgia is a serious problem across the globe, affecting people of all ages. It is estimated that as many as one out of every twenty people on earth suffer from the condition to some degree.

According to Mayo Clinic, “Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.”

Unfortunately, there is currently no known cure for fibromyalgia, however, researchers in Canada have found evidence that medical cannabis can be an effective treatment for some patients. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Montreal, Canada: Cannabis products are associated with symptom relief among fibromyalgia (FM) patients, according to data published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

Canadian researchers assessed the efficacy of medical cannabis products (flower or extracts) over a one-year period in a cohort of patients with FM. Investigators assessed patients’ levels of pain intensity, sleep quality, and depression/anxiety every three months. All of the subjects enrolled in the study were qualified to use medical cannabis products by their general practitioner.

Consistent with other studies, researchers reported an association between the consumption of medical cannabis and improvements in subjects’ sleep, depression/anxiety, and pain – with the greatest reduction in pain intensity (a mean decrease of 1.7 points on a zero to 10 scale) occurring within the first six-months of treatment.

Authors reported: “Our current findings are consistent with observations of pain relief, improved sleep, and alleviation of symptoms of anxiety and depression in other studies among patients with chronic pain using medical cannabis. Although preliminary, our findings suggest that improvements in negative affect and sleep might represent potential mechanisms of action underlying pain reductions among FM patients who are using medical cannabis.”

They concluded, “Medical cannabis may present a useful treatment strategy for patients with FM in light of an effect on the triad of symptoms of pain, negative affect, and sleep disturbances.”

Survey data reports that fibromyalgia patients frequently consume cannabis for therapeutic purposes. A recent review of the relevant literature concluded, “[T]he use of cannabinoids and cannabis carries limited side effects in the treatment of FM, and they can also improve some common and debilitating symptoms associated with FM, thus making them an adequate potential treatment option, when other treatment lines have been exhausted.”

Full text of the study, “Predictors of pain reduction among fibromyalgia patients using medical cannabis: A long-term prospective cohort trial,” appears in Arthritis Care & Research. Additional information on cannabinoids and FM is available from NORML.

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Cannabis Smuggling Continues To Decline Along US/Mexico Border

Written by Frank Schuler on August 1, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Cannabis advocates have long pointed out that when cannabis is prohibited, people still consume it. That may seem obvious, however, cannabis prohibitionists try very hard to pretend that it’s not the case.

Under prohibition, cartels largely control cannabis sales. That is not to say that every single piece of cannabis is cartel controlled. Surely there are people cultivating small amounts where cannabis is prohibited and presumably some of them are selling it to other people.

In a regulated cannabis system, many consumers and patients will gladly make their purchases at licensed outlets, even if it is a little more expensive compared to unregulated sources.

That is on full display along the border shared by the United States and Mexico where cannabis seizures continue to decline year after year as legalization continues to spread north of the border. Below is more information about the latest numbers via a news release from NORML:

Washington, DC: Federal officials report a significant drop in the quantity of marijuana they are seizing at the US international border, according to data compiled by the US Department of Homeland Security.

According to reporting provided by borderreport.com, “Department of Homeland Security agencies in FY2021 seized 160 tons of marijuana, an average of 874 pounds a day. With three months left in the current fiscal year, agents have seized 56 tons, an average of 408 pounds a day.”

The year-over-year decline in marijuana-related seizures at the border is in stark contrast to more generalized data showing a 25 percent increase in overall drug-related seizures. However, it is consistent with longstanding trends previously reported by the US Drug Enforcement Administration that determined, “In US markets, Mexican marijuana has largely been supplanted by domestic-produced marijuana.”

Separate data provided earlier this year by the US Government Accounting Office reported that “most drug seizure events [at the US border] involved only US citizens (91 percent), of which 75 percent involved the seizure of marijuana and no other drugs.” Of those seizures, 69 percent involved only personal use quantities of cannabis.

Additional information on drug-related border seizures is available from the US Customs and Border Protection agency.

License Process To Cultivate Cannabis In Ghana Deemed Unconstitutional

Written by Frank Schuler on August 1, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Ghana is one of several countries on the African continent that is working towards making a meaningful impact in the emerging global cannabis industry.

In 2020 policymakers in Ghana passed the ‘Narcotic Control Commission Act’ which, among other things, created a process by which entities could obtain licenses to cultivate low-THC cannabis for industrial and medical use.

The measure was far from revolutionary, in that low-THC cannabis is already cultivated for industrial and medical use in a growing number of countries around the world. Thailand, for instance, allows any household in the country to obtain government permission to cultivate low-THC cannabis.

With that in mind, it was very defeating when Ghana’s Supreme Court recently deemed the new licensing process in Ghana to be unconstitutional. Per Ghana Web, the decision seemed to hinge on a procedural technicality.

Ghana’s Constitution was implemented in 1992 and stipulates that any measure that is passed by a committee must also go to Parliament for full debate and passage before coming into law.

It’s nuanced, but four out of seven justices apparently felt that the licensing process gave too much decision-making power to the newly formed Commission and Minister, with the three remaining justices dissenting.

It was a very close decision, decided by only one vote, and given the fact that cannabis is not going anywhere, it’s very likely that this isn’t the last chapter in this licensing saga in Ghana.

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Survey Finds Majority Support For Medical Cannabis In Brazil

Written by Frank Schuler on August 1, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Medical cannabis is technically legal in Brazil, however, the country’s medical cannabis program is extremely limited. For most patients, safe access does not exist, and for the limited number of patients that do have safe access, it’s almost entirely based on imported medical cannabis products.

Back in June 2022, Brazil’s top Court ruled in favor of three patients that sought to cultivate their own cannabis. The Court at the time seemed to indicate that it felt that Brazil’s government was purposefully trying to hinder safe access. Per prior Associated Press coverage of the decision:

Judge Rogério Schietti said the top court’s panel acted because the government had failed to take a scientific position on the issue.

“The discourse against this possibility is moralistic. It often has a religious nature, based on dogmas, on false truths, stigmas,” Schietti said. “Let us stop this prejudice, this moralism that delays the development of this issue at the legislative, and many times clouds the minds of Brazilian judges.”

PoderData recently surveyed voters in Brazil to gauge their level of support for medical cannabis. It’s not the first time that the company surveyed voters on the issue, and while there was a decline in support compared to their last survey conducted in January, the results still demonstrated that a majority of voters support medical cannabis. Per UOL:

A survey by PoderData , released this Tuesday (26), pointed out that the approval of the use of cannabis for medical treatments has decreased . In January, 61% of those surveyed were in favor of legalizing the medical use of marijuana. In July, this index dropped to 54% .

Those who were against the release in January were 26% , a number that grew to 37% in July.

Every suffering patient around the world deserves to have safe access to medicines that they find to be effective at treating their condition(s). That is true when it comes to cannabis as well as every other form of safe, effective medicine.

Patients shouldn’t have to rely on court decisions for safe access protections, if for any reason because not every court decision pertains to every patient. Just because three patients can cultivate medical cannabis doesn’t necessarily mean that it applies to every situation.

Suffering patients in Brazil need lawmakers to stop the footdragging, to step up, and to pass legislation that will yield permanent safe access solutions.

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Thailand’s Public Health Minister Does Not Support Recriminalizing Cannabis Again

Written by Frank Schuler on August 1, 2022. Posted in Policy.

Earlier this year Thailand implemented a historic law that dramatically changed the nation’s cannabis policies. Low-THC cannabis became legal nationwide, and literally, every household in Thailand became eligible to apply to cultivate cannabis.

It would be a major shift for any country, however, it was particularly impressive for a nation located in a region where people can still receive the death penalty for cannabis-only offenses.

A grim reminder of that fact happened recently when Singapore executed someone who was caught with cannabis. The ultimate penalty came after the person served seven years in prison.

Thailand’s new cannabis law is significant, and will hopefully serve as an example for the rest of the region to follow. Unfortunately, there has been some pushback in Thailand with calls to pull back the new cannabis policy, although it appears that those naysayers do not have a very sympathetic audience with Thailand’s Public Health Minister.

Below is a social media post from Khaosod English:

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnveerakul vowed on Tuesday to not allow anyone to criminalised marijuana again. Speaking at a marjuana, spa and tourism promotion event, Anutin said there will be a chain reaction affecting many businesses if marijuana is criminalised again as many business contracts to produce and market marijuana for medical purposes have been signed.

The minister added that even though the Marijuana Act has yet to be enacted, public health regulations restricted the use of marijuana for recreational purposesabd it must be regulated like tobacco as it causes adverse effects to health. Anutin said officials at the Public Health Ministry listen to those, including medical professionals, who oppose the decriminalization and will use their inputs in revising the draft Marijuana Bill.

Cannabis prohibition does not work. It is an inhumane public policy and a complete waste of limited public safety resources. Law enforcement should be fighting real crime, and the judicial system reserved for prosecuting actual criminals.

Thailand’s new approach to cannabis policy is still very young by public policy standards, and hopefully as more time goes by and the unfounded fear-mongering claims by prohibitionists will prove to be just rhetoric, hopefully then the calls for reinstituting full prohibition will subside.

CBD Use Associated With Reduced Tobacco Intake

Written by Frank Schuler on July 26, 2022. Posted in Science.

A question has perplexed cannabis advocates since the dawn of cannabis prohibition – why is tobacco legal and cannabis illegal given how much more harmful tobacco is compared to cannabis?

Worldwide, tobacco use is responsible for killing over 7 million people every year. However, cannabinoids alone have never killed anyone in humanity’s entire recorded history.

This is not to villanize people that consume tobacco. Many tobacco users are victims of deceptive marketing practices and historically loose tobacco industry regulations. It’s also a personal choice as long as second-hand smoke exposure is mitigated.

With that being said, given how many people die annually from tobacco use and that the same cannot be said about cannabis, the findings of a new study demonstrating that CBD may be able to help reduce tobacco intake is a great thing. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Paris, France: Vaporizing a liquid formulation of CBD is associated with reduced cannabis/tobacco intake, according to data published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

A team of French investigators assessed the impact of vaporized CBD on daily cannabis consumption patterns in a cohort of 20 daily consumers. Nearly all of the subjects in the study smoked cannabis mixed with tobacco in joints. Prior studies have previously demonstrated that CBD administration mitigates smoker’s desire for tobacco cigarettes.

Of the nine patients who completed the 12-week trial, six of them reduced their daily consumption of cannabis/tobacco joints by 50 percent.

Authors concluded: “This research provides evidence in favor of the use of CBD in CUD [patients with cannabis use disorder] … and illustrates the interest of proposing an addictological intervention targeting at the same time tobacco and cannabis dependence in users who are co-consumers. … A double-blind, randomized, multi-center, placebo-controlled clinical trial is still needed to assess the efficacy of inhaled CBD in CUD.”

CBD consumption has previously been associated with reductions in alcohol intake as well as reductions in cue-induced cravings and anxiety in subjects with a history of heroin use.

Full text of the study, “Efficacy of inhaled cannabidiol in cannabis use disorder: the pilot study Cannavap,” appears in Frontiers in Psychiatry.