Tag: Australia

This should be obvious, but the true measurement of something being a medicine or not is if it helps improve someone’s quality of life. Unfortunately, that measurement has not historically been applied to cannabis, and in many countries that is still the case.

Cannabis is not prohibited due to it being an unhealthy substance, but rather, prohibiting cannabis supports various political and non-cannabis industry efforts. The cannabis plant is one of the most versatile plants on earth and is indeed medicine, and that was/is ‘bad for business’ for various people in power around the world.

Thankfully, there is a growing body of research that supports the fact that cannabis is medicine, and slowly but surely cannabis prohibition is eroding. A recent study out of Australia found that medical cannabis patients’ health-related quality of life improved after the use of medical cannabis. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Melbourne, Australia: Patients suffering from pain, cancer, anxiety, and insomnia report significant, sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life following the use of cannabis products, according to observational data published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Australian researchers evaluated cannabis-related outcomes in a cohort of more than 3,100 patients authorized to use medical cannabis. (Under Australian law, physicians may only authorize cannabis products to patients unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.) Study participants consumed various formulations of cannabis, with most patients using products high in CBD content. Most patients in the cohort were over 50 years old.

Consistent with numerous other studies, authors reported, “Patients using medical cannabis reported improvements in health-related quality of life, which were mostly sustained over time. Adverse events were rarely serious.”

They concluded: “In this retrospective case series, patients reported improvements … after commencing treatment with medical cannabis … on all eight [of the] health-related quality of life domains assessed. … Further high-quality trials are required.”

Observational trial data from a cohort of nearly 3,000 chronically ill patients in the United Kingdom also recently reported that the use of medical cannabis products is well tolerated and improves subjects’ health-related quality of life.

Full text of the study, “Assessment of medical cannabis and health-related quality of life,” appears in JAMA Network Open. Information on medical cannabis use is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Cannabis Use by Older Adult Populations.’

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.

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.

Neurological disorders affect many people around the globe. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 1 billion people across the globe suffer from some type of neurological disorder. People over 50 years old are more likely to develop a neurological condition compared to younger people.

Neurological disorders are diseases that affect the central and peripheral nervous systems, including the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles.

Various pharmaceutical medications are regularly prescribed to help address symptoms of neurological conditions among elderly patients. Just as symptoms are wide-ranging, so too are the medications. One medication that is showing promise is cannabis, as demonstrated in a recent study out of Australia. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Sydney, Australia: The use of plant-derived cannabis oils containing balanced ratios of THC and CBD is generally safe and effective for patients suffering from neurological diseases, according to observational trial data published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

Australian researchers assessed the sustained use of cannabis extracts in 157 patients with treatment-resistant neurological, musculoskeletal, autoimmune, or anti-inflammatory disorders. (Under Australian law, physicians may only authorize medical cannabis to patients that have been unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.)

Investigators reported that patients age 65 or older and/or those suffering from neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, and multiple sclerosis, perceived the greatest overall benefits from cannabis therapy. Their findings are consistent with those of several other studies reporting health-related quality of life benefits among older patients who consume cannabis.

Subjects were most likely to report cannabis to be effective for improving sleep and for reducing pain – findings that are consistent with other studies. By contrast, patients suffering from spondylosis were least likely to perceive benefits from cannabis therapy.

Authors concluded: “This retrospective medical record review describes the population characteristics of patients using medicinal cannabis at a clinic in Sydney, Australia and provides data on the effectiveness and safety of medicinal cannabis treatment on patient conditions and indications. … [Its findings] indicate that medicinal cannabis, in a balanced formulation, may address a variety of non-cancer conditions and indications concurrently and can be safely prescribed by a medical doctor.”

Full text of the study, “A retrospective medical record review of adults with non-cancer diagnoses prescribed medical cannabis,” appears in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. Additional information on cannabis use among older populations is available from NORML Fact Sheet ‘Cannabis Use by Older Populations.’

Cannabis opponents do their best to try to lump cannabis smoke and tobacco smoke into the same category, and to be fair, it’s something that many people accept unless they have looked at the body of research on the topic.

Anyone that has researched cannabis smoke versus tobacco smoke knows that they are not the same, and that tobacco smoke is demonstrably worse for consumers compared to cannabis smoke for various reasons.

A recent study conducted in Australia found that cannabis smoke exposure is not associated with impaired lung function among consumers. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

South Brisbane, Australia: The long-term inhalation of cannabis smoke does not impact lung function in the same manner as inhaling tobacco, according to longitudinal data published in the journal Respiratory Medicine.

A team of Australian researchers evaluated the impact of tobacco smoking and cannabis smoking on lung function in a cohort of 30-year-old subjects. Study participants began smoking cannabis, tobacco, or both as young adults. Pulmonary performance was evaluated at age 21 and at age 30 via a spirometry assessment.

Researchers reported that cigarette-only smokers “already showed evidence of impaired lung function” at age 30. By contrast, “those who have [only] used cannabis ever since the adolescent period do not appear to have evidence of impairment of lung function.” Specifically, investigators identified airflow obstructions in the lungs of cigarette-only smokers, but they observed no such obstructions in cannabis-only subjects.

Authors further acknowledged, “Co-use of tobacco and cannabis does not appear to predict lung function beyond the effects of tobacco use alone.”

They concluded, “Cannabis use does not appear to be related to lung function even after years of use.”

The findings are consistent with those of numerous other studies reporting that cannabis smoke exposure, even long-term, is not predictive of the sort of significant adverse pulmonary effects that are consistently associated with tobacco.

Consumers who wish to mitigate or eliminate their exposure to combustive smoke may do so via an herbal vaporizer, which heats cannabinoids to the point of vaporization but below the point of combustion. In clinical trials, herbal vaporizers have been found to be a “safe and effective” cannabinoid delivery device.

Full text of the study, “Do tobacco and cannabis use and co-use predict lung function: A longitudinal study,” appears in Respiratory Medicine. Additional information is available from NORML’s Fact Sheet, ‘Cannabis Exposure and Lung Health.’