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Cannabis Extracts Associated With Quality Of Life Improvements In Autism Patients

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Emerging cannabis science shows a lot of promise for a number of health conditions that people suffer from, but one that seems to be particularly promising is in the area of cannabis and autism. It’s an area of study that seems to be getting more focus in recent years.

International researchers estimate that as much as 1% of the world’s population has autism, although many patients go undiagnosed for various reasons. A team of researchers in Brazil recently conducted a quality-of-life study focused on autism and cannabis extracts, and the results are encouraging. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Brasilia, Brazil: Autistic patients who use plant-derived cannabis extracts perceive benefits in their symptoms and reduce their use of prescription medications, according to data published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

A team of Brazilian researchers assessed the use of individually tailored doses of cannabis extracts in 20 subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most patients (80 percent) consumed cannabis extracts for at least six months. Patients used extracts dominant in either CBD or THC. All extracts were administered orally via drops.

Cannabis treatment was associated with perceived symptom improvements as well as with reductions in patients’ use of neuropsychiatric medications. Reported side effects from cannabis treatment were mostly “mild and temporary.”

Investigators reported: “In this manuscript we present the perceived improvements of ASD patients and their families over the course of 3 to 21 months of treatment with FCE [full-spectrum cannabis extracts], using a titration protocol that resulted in personalized CBD and THC dosages, resulting in individually tailored CBD to THC proportions. … Parents reported improvement in all aspects evaluated. Side effects observed during FCE treatment were mild. … As treatment evolved, most other medications had their doses reduced or were completely removed during FCE treatment, which is consistent with the subjective perception of general improvement after FCE treatment. Patients’ and their families’ quality of life improved in 19 out of the 20 cases.”

They concluded: “Our study expands the scientific data demonstrating that clinical use of cannabis extracts is a safe intervention with promising and valuable effects over many core and comorbid aspects of autism that are not achieved by conventional medications. … Based on our findings, we propose guidelines for individually tailored dosage regimens that may be adapted to locally available qualified FCEs and guide further clinical trials.”

Numerous other studies have also identified improvements in autism patients who consume either plant-derived extracts or cannabis flower. Survey data published in 2021 by the publication Autism Parenting Magazine reported that 22 percent of US caregivers or parents have provided CBD to an autistic child.

Full text of the study, “Individually tailored dosage regimen of full-spectrum cannabis extracts for autistic core and comorbid symptoms: A real-life report of multi-symptomatic benefits,” appears in Frontiers in Psychiatry. Additional information on cannabis and ASD is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

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Himachal Pradesh Inches Closer To Permitting Cannabis Cultivation

Written by Hazel Norman on . Posted in Policy.

Himachal Pradesh is the northernmost state of India. Host to the Dalai Lama, it is known for its scenic towns and resorts and is the second largest producer of apples in India only behind Kashmir. Soon, farmers will likely get the chance to cultivate a new crop – cannabis hemp.

India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 prohibits cannabis. However, individual states in India have set their own cannabis policies in some cases, and lawmakers in Himachal Pradesh are in the process of legalizing hemp production. Hemp cannabis, from a legal standpoint, is distinguished from what is considered to be non-hemp cannabis by a THC-content threshold.

The THC threshold for what constitutes hemp and what does not varies around the world, typically within the range of .2-1%. Comparatively, THC in cannabis products widely sold in countries like Uruguay, Canada, and the United States ranges from 15-30%+.

Still, what is being pursued in India is still significant for local farmers who are looking to cultivate a new crop. Per excerpts from The Hindu:

A committee comprising lawmakers that explored the possibility of legal cultivation of cannabis has recently recommended cultivation of ‘non-narcotic use of cannabis for medicinal, industrial, and scientific use’.

An approval from the State Cabinet is awaited after which a policy is expected to be framed soon by the State government on cannabis cultivation keeping in view the provisions of NDPS Act, 1985, and NDPS Rules, 1989.

Unfortunately, the previously cited article dedicates a considerable amount of time to discussing unfounded ‘concerns’ about the reform being pursued. What lawmakers are pursuing is the legalization of low-THC, high-CBD industrial hemp, sometimes referred to as ‘floral hemp’ or ‘cannabis light.’

Numerous peer-reviewed studies on our website demonstrate that regulated CBD products are safe, and a study we published earlier this month found that inhaled floral hemp doesn’t negatively impact driving performance. It’s a largely benign substance that people should not be concerned about and that the farmers of Himachal Pradesh should absolutely be permitted to cultivate.

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Why Does Mexico’s President Disparage The NBA’s New Cannabis Policy?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Outgoing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is not a fan of cannabis consumption, nor is he a fan of current cannabis policies in the United States. He will soon be replaced by a new incumbent after the dust settles on the 2024 election, as both major political parties in Mexico have nominated other people for the upcoming election.

It appears that the outgoing politician is getting crankier by the day, particularly towards cannabis policy north of his nation’s border, and for reasons that do not quite make sense to me, he extends that resentment to the National Basketball Association (NBA).

During one of his recent daily press conferences, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador aired grievances against the United States in regard to the nation’s overall approach to drug policy. He described it as “very misguided” and asked why the NBA permits cannabis use by its players.

Mexico’s president was referring to changes made to the NBA’s cannabis policy earlier this year via the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement that removed random cannabis testing for NBA players. Previously, NBA players were randomly tested four times a year and held to the lowest THC threshold out of all of the professional sports leagues (ten times less than the Olympics’ threshold).

It’s worth noting that the NBA does not technically allow its NBA players to consume cannabis. The new collective bargaining agreement still has provisions and processes for teams to mandate that a player enter the league’s substance abuse program if they deem the player’s cannabis use to be problematic.

Regardless, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s fixation on the NBA’s cannabis policy change is puzzling given the fact that it has nothing to do with U.S. politics. The NBA, just like every other sports league and basically every employer, gets to set its own cannabis testing policy.

This is not the first time that Mexico’s current president has disparaged the NBA’s current cannabis policy. Back in April, he tweeted various nonsense about the War on Drugs, with a heavy emphasis on fentanyl, then tried to pivot those grievances towards the NBA, seemingly indicating that because the NBA doesn’t randomly test for cannabis now, somehow that contributes to the fentanyl epidemic.

Cannabis prohibition does not work, and that is true in professional sports just as much as it is in society. It does not lower cannabis usage rates. All it does is provide authorities the ability to selectively enforce prohibition policies on individuals that they do not like, and that is unacceptable by every measure. Hopefully Mexico’s next president will be on the right side of history.

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Greek Cannabis Study Provides Encouraging News For Patients With Neurological Disorders

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Neurological disorders are serious medical conditions that affect the human brain as well as the nerves found throughout the human body and the spinal cord. Examples of neurological disorders include, but are not limited to:

  • Epilepsy
  • Alzheimer disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Brain tumours

Researchers in Greece recently examined the relationship between cannabis and neurological disorders and the results of their research were favorable. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Athens, Greece: Patients diagnosed with neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, etc.) experience improvements in their symptoms following medical cannabis treatment, according to data published in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology.

A team of Greek scientists assessed cannabis use in a cohort of 100 patients. Patients’ quality of life was assessed via the use of a 36-item health survey.

Researchers reported: “The majority of our patients who received medical cannabis to treat their neurological disorders (58 percent) reported decrease in their symptoms, [including] better energy and vitality … and an improvement in sleeping and appetite after receiving medical cannabis. … Participants, who reported a longer period of receiving medical cannabis, reported statistically significant more energy and vitality, but also better mental and general health status.”

Data published earlier this year similarly reported that the use of plant-derived cannabis oils containing balanced ratios of THC and CBD is safe and effective for older patients suffering from certain treatment-resistant neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and peripheral neuropathy.

Full text of the study, “Quality of life in patients receiving medical cannabis,” appears in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. Additional information on the use of cannabis for the treatment of neurological disorders is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

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Belgium’s Cannabis Legalization Effort Receives A Big Endorsement

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Belgium Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment Pierre-Yves Dermagne recently endorsed modernizing his nation’s cannabis policies to permit adult-use cannabis, stating that his country “must end the hypocrisy.”

“There is no point in using state resources to combat cannabis,” the deputy prime minister stated according to domestic reporting, adding that “there are types of crimes that are far more serious and have a far greater impact on societal life.”

Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne also added that he supports regulating cannabis production and sales and that such activity should be taxed. He did not provide granular details regarding what an industry model should look like, what the tax rate should be, or what regulations would be involved.

The minister’s expressed support for adult-use legalization comes amidst a concerted push for cannabis policy modernization in Europe. Belgium’s neighbor, Luxembourg, recently passed a limited adult-use legalization measure. Luxembourg’s measure permits the legal cultivation, possession, and consumption of cannabis by adults of legal age.

Belgium’s neighbor to the East, Germany, is in the process of passing a national adult-use legalization measure, with the nation’s federal cabinet having already approved a measure championed by German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. The measure is expected to evolve as it is considered by domestic lawmakers.

The measure that was approved by Germany’s cabinet would permit adult consumers to cultivate, possess, and consume cannabis, as well as permit noncommercial cannabis clubs that would have to adhere to a multitude of proposed regulations. Malta was the first European country to pass a national legalization measure and noncommercial cannabis clubs are expected to launch soon.

Unlike the previously mentioned nations, Belgium’s legalization effort is still largely taking shape, and the support expressed by Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne will bolster domestic reform efforts.

Lawmakers will have to consider a number of provisions, including but not limited to possession limits, cultivation limits, whether to permit noncommercial clubs, and/or whether to launch regional adult-use commerce pilot programs.

According to German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, the European Union will not permit national sales, such as what is already implemented in Canada. It’s one more layer to the legalization process that lawmakers in Belgium will have to consider and navigate.

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‘Cannabis Light’ Doesn’t Negatively Impact Simulated Driving Performance

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

‘Cannabis light’ is very popular in many parts of the world right now, particularly in Europe. The term is used to describe cannabis that is low in THC and high in CBD. Many governments around the globe have reformed their laws and/or regulations in recent years to permit cannabis that is low in THC.

The rise in the use of low-THC products has generated questions regarding their safety as it pertains to driving impairment. According to a recent study conducted in Switzerland involving driving simulations, the products do not negatively impact driving performance. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Basel, Switzerland: The inhalation of high-CBD/low-THC cannabis doesn’t adversely impact driving abilities, according to clinical trial data published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine.

A team of Swiss researchers assessed the impact of CBD-dominant (< 1 percent THC) cannabis on simulated driving abilities.

Consistent with other studies assessing the influence of CBD on psychomotor skills, investigators acknowledged, “No significant differences regarding driving ability were found between the CBD-cannabis products and placebo.”

However, researchers reported that participants nonetheless tested positive for trace levels of THC in their blood in the hours immediately following their use of low-THC herbal cannabis. As a result, they cautioned that some consumers could potentially run afoul of traffic safety laws that impose per se limits for the presence of THC in blood despite having never been impaired.

Five states – Illinois, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington – impose various per se limits for the detection of trace amounts of THC in blood while ten states (Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Wisconsin) impose zero tolerant per se standards. In these states, it is a criminal violation of the traffic safety laws to operate a vehicle with detectable levels of THC in blood – even absent any demonstrable evidence of psychomotor impairment.

NORML has long opposed the imposition of THC per se thresholds for cannabinoids in traffic safety legislation, opining: “The sole presence of THC and/or its metabolites in blood, particularly at low levels, is an inconsistent and largely inappropriate indicator of psychomotor impairment in cannabis consuming subjects. … Lawmakers would be advised to consider alternative legislative approaches to address concerns over DUI cannabis behavior that do not rely solely on the presence of THC or its metabolites in blood or urine as determinants of guilt in a court of law. Otherwise, the imposition of traffic safety laws may inadvertently become a criminal mechanism for law enforcement and prosecutors to punish those who have engaged in legally protected behavior and who have not posed any actionable traffic safety threat.”

Full text of the study, “Effect of vaporizing cannabis rich in cannabidiol on cannabinoid levels in blood and on driving ability – A randomized clinical trial,” appears in the International Journal of Legal Medicine. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana and Psychomotor Performance.’

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Neuropathic Pain Patients Report Sustained Relief After Cannabis Use

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Neuropathic pain is typically caused by an ongoing, progressive nerve disease. However, neuropathic pain can also result after a patient experiences an injury or infection. Sufferers report experiencing a shooting, burning pain, as well as a feeling of tingling, numbness, or a loss of sensation in certain parts of their body.

International researchers estimate that as much as 7% of the global population suffers from neuropathic pain to some degree. Physical therapy, psychological counseling, and sometimes surgery are incorporated into regimens to treat the condition. Pharmaceutical medications are commonly prescribed for neuropathic pain, including anti-seizure drugs.

Cannabis is another form of treatment that patients are turning to, and according to a recent study in Germany, the treatments are effective at providing sustained relief to neuropathic pain patients. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Hamburg, Germany: Cannabis inhalation is associated with sustained improvements in pain and sleep in patients with chronic neuropathy, according to data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

German investigators assessed the use of herbal cannabis in a cohort of 99 patients suffering from neuropathic pain. Participants in the study inhaled cannabis containing moderate levels of THC (12 to 22 percent) for six weeks.

Researchers reported: “Within six weeks on the therapy, median pain scores decreased significantly from 7.5 to 4.0. The proportion of patients with severe pain (score >6) decreased from 96 percent to 16 percent. Sleep disturbance was significantly improved with the median of the scores decreased from 8.0 to 2.0. These improvements were sustained over a period of up to six months. There were no severe adverse events reported.”

Other surveys have identified similar pain decreases in neuropathy patients following their initiation of cannabis therapy.

The study’s authors concluded, “The results … demonstrated that chronic neuropathic pain can be effectively, sustainably, and safely treated with medical cannabis.”

Data published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open reported that nearly one in three patients with chronic pain use cannabis as an analgesic agent and that many of them substitute it in place of opioids.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis alleviates chronic neuropathic pain effectively and sustainably without severe adverse effects: A retrospective study on 99 cases,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids. Additional information on cannabis and chronic pain is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.

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Recent Study Highlights The Public Health Need To Regulate Cannabis

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy, Science.

A team of researchers in Canada recently analyzed testing results for unregulated and regulated cannabis samples, and they described the difference in contamination rates between the two as having a “striking contrast.”

“In this study, we describe an expanded 327 multi-residue pesticide analysis in cannabis inflorescence to confirm if the implementation of the Cannabis Act is providing safer licensed products to Canadians in comparison to those of the illicit market.” the researchers stated about their study.

Canada implemented the Cannabis Act in late 2018, making it the first G-7 nation to pass a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure. One of the top goals of Canada’s cannabis policy modernization effort was to enact regulations to reduce contamination rates in the products that people were consuming.

“An extensive multi-residue method was developed using a modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) sample preparation method using a combination of gas chromatography—triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) and liquid chromatography—triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) for the simultaneous quantification of 327 pesticide active ingredients in cannabis inflorescence.” researchers stated about the testing method used on the samples involved in the study, which was first reported by Marijuana Moment.

“Application of this method to Canadian licensed inflorescence samples revealed a 6% sample positivity rate with only two pesticide residues detected, myclobutanil, and dichlobenil, at the method’s lowest calibrated level (LCL) of 0.01 μg/g.” researchers stated about the regulated samples.

“Canadian illicit cannabis inflorescence samples analysed showed a striking contrast with a 92% sample positivity rate covering 23 unique pesticide active ingredients with 3.7 different pesticides identified on average per sample. Chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, and myclobutanil were measured in illicit samples at concentrations up to three orders of magnitude above the method LCL of 0.01 μg/g.” researchers stated about the unregulated samples.

The difference in contamination rates largely speaks for itself regarding the effectiveness of regulating cannabis products. In an unregulated market, the number one incentive is to make as much money as possible, and that all but guarantees that humans will cut corners at the expense of consumers. That principle is reflected in the results of this recent study.

Compare that to a regulated industry where products must be tested before being sold to ensure that the inputs that went into creating them are not harmful to humans. Sensible regulations boost the safety of all consumables available to purchasers, and cannabis is no exception.

Reducing the rate of contaminated cannabis use is at the heart of current cannabis policy modernization efforts in Europe, largely led by Germany. Whereas various continental agreements apparently prohibit nationwide legalized commerce in Europe (at least according to the EU), reforming cannabis policies to boost public health outcomes is perfectly legal.

The nuanced difference in policy reform approach is why nations like Switzerland are allowed to create regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilots, and why Malta is allowed to permit noncommercial cannabis clubs. Both policy modernization components are geared toward boosting the availability of regulated cannabis to reduce the consumption of unregulated cannabis.

When consumers are afforded the option to purchase regulated cannabis versus unregulated cannabis in Canada, they choose regulated cannabis more often than not according to the results of a study that was published earlier this year. If Canada’s regulations were more sensible, and prices were lower as a result, even more consumers would choose to make their purchases from regulated sources.

Adults are going to consume cannabis whether it is legal to do so or not. Enough time has passed to prove that cannabis prohibition does not lower usage rates. All prohibition does is push consumers to unregulated sources, which as demonstrated in the study at the heart of this article, those unregulated sources are often selling tainted cannabis.

Elected officials and bureaucrats need to recognize reality and choose to prioritize the public health outcomes of nations around the world. Effective cannabis policies involve licensing regulated outlets, as well as educating the public on the benefits of making purchases from regulated outlets, not the least of which is that the cannabis is proven to be safe to consume.

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Putting Japan’s Cannabis Arrest Data Into Proper Context

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Earlier this month Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare released data pertaining to cannabis-related detainments from 2022. The good news is that the total number of individuals detained by the police, the ministry’s Drug Enforcement Agency, or the Coast Guard in Japan was a mere 5,546, a 4.1% year-on-year decrease.

That number should obviously be zero, and anything more than zero is unacceptable. However, Japan’s arrest statistic is a far cry compared to some other countries around the globe.

To put the 5,546 figure into perspective, consider that 317,793 people were arrested for cannabis by some level of law enforcement in the United States in 2020. To be fair, the United States has roughly 2.65 times as many people compared to Japan, however, it doesn’t take a mathematician to spot the enormous difference in each nation’s arrest rates.

That, in turn, helps put into proper context another statistic from the arrest data, specifically pertaining to arrests of individuals under 30. Of the total arrests, 69.2% of them were of individuals under the age of 30, which is “the highest percentage to date,” according to domestic reporting. If history is any guide, the latest data will be used to push prohibition policies.

As ‘justification’ for a looming crackdown on cannabis use, Japan’s government previously offered up the talking point that ‘cannabis use by young people was increasing at an alarming rate.’ While the rate did technically increase in recent years, it’s important to remember that Japan has one of the lowest consumption rates out of any country on earth.

In the most recent year for which data is available (2019), Japan experienced a 21.5% increase in measured cannabis consumption compared to the previous year. While that may sound alarming to some lawmakers inside and outside of Japan, consider the fact that less than 2% of people in Japan report having consumed cannabis during their entire life.

By comparison, 41.5% in Canada report having consumed cannabis during their lifetime, and 44.2% in the United States. The double-digit increase in consumption rates in Japan is more indicative of how low the overall baseline consumption rate was than it is indicative of a cannabis use epidemic.

Japan does not have a ‘youth consumption epidemic.’ Rather, it has a cannabis prohibition problem that is presumably largely focused on catching younger people with cannabis. People over the age of 18 (and in the United States 21) can now legally consume cannabis in some countries. There is no doomsday scenario playing out in those nations, and the same would be true in Japan if it was on the right side of history.

It is always vital to fact-check cannabis prohibitionists’ claims involving data, particularly if they pivot quickly and start acting like the sky is falling. Compare data from one country to that of another in order to get a better idea of how the data fits into the larger scheme of things. Comparing Japan’s data to other countries highlights how small of a ‘cannabis problem’ Japan has.

Cannabis prohibition does not work. It is one of the most harmful public policies in human history, and that is true in Japan just as it is anywhere else. Japan recently updated its cannabis laws to permit limited medical use, and that is a great thing, however, it also simultaneously increased penalties for personal use. That is unacceptable.

No one should ever have their life needlessly ruined by cannabis prohibition. Rather, governments like Japan need to accept the reality that cannabis will be consumed, and craft public policies to mitigate any potential issues, including instituting safety regulations to ensure that the cannabis that people are consuming is free from contaminants. Regulation will always be better than prohibition, and it’s beyond time that lawmakers in Japan realize that fact.