Patients Report Improvements, Few Serious Side-Effects Following Use of High-THC Flower
Patients prescribed high-THC prescription-grade cannabis chemovars report them to be safe and effective, according to data published in the journal Pharmacopsychiatry.
An international team of investigators surveyed more than 1,000 German patients authorized to use medical cannabis. (Plant cannabis and cannabinoid treatments, such as dronabinol, were legalized by prescription use in Germany in 2017.) Survey respondents obtained lab-tested cannabis flower from regional pharmacies. Potency of the most frequently used chemovar was 22 percent.
The overwhelming majority of patients surveyed reported medical cannabis to be effective at treating their symptoms. Patients reported no significant differences between chemovars, most of which were dominant in THC and low in CBD content. The most commonly reported side effects were dry mouth, increased appetite, and somnolence.
“Patients self-reported very good efficacy and tolerability [to] medical cannabis,” the study’s authors concluded.
Pharmaceutical-grade cannabis flower in Europe, Israel, and elsewhere typically contain THC levels of 20 percent or greater.
The study’s findings push back against claims that cannabis strains higher in THC pose unique risks to health or that there is an absence of research supporting the efficacy of medical cannabis chemovars above 10 percent THC.
Majority of Americans Have Tried Marijuana and Say It Should Be Legal
Most adults acknowledge having consumed cannabis and six in ten say that the substance should be legal nationwide, according to survey data provided by YouGov.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that they had consumed cannabis during their lifetimes. Of those who acknowledged having used marijuana, most described their experiences as “mostly positive.”
Separate polling data published by YouGov last month reported that approximately two-thirds of adults believe that the regular use of alcohol and tobacco is “more harmful to a person’s health” than the use of cannabis. Sixty-two percent of respondents in that poll agreed that marijuana should be legalized.
Cannabis Use Not Linked To Sedentary Behavior
Young and middle-aged adults who consume cannabis are no less likely than non-users to engage in daily physical activity, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Canadian researchers assessed physical activity in a cohort of 4,666 US adults ages 18 to 59 years old. Subjects wore a portable accelerometer that tracked participant’s daily activity levels. Researchers collected data for a minimum of four days.
Investigators reported that cannabis consumers were slightly more likely than non-users to engage in light physical activity. Researchers reported no differences between the two groups with respect to median daily sedentary time, time spent engaging in vigorous physical exercise, or sleeping.
“Recent cannabis use in young to midlife adults was not associated with accelerometer-measured sedentary or MVPA [moderate-to-vigorous physical activity] time, but it was associated with a marginal increase in LPA [light physical activity] time,” the study’s authors concluded. “Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity.
“This study provides useful insight into the association between cannabis use and physical activity, which may help inform clinicians and prescribers with patient counseling, patients and their lifestyle choices, as well as policy makers around public health resource allocations.”
The findings are consistent with those of several prior studies “challenging the stereotype that marijuana … users are less active than their non-using counterparts.” Among those age 60 and older, marijuana use has been associated with increased exercise frequency.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana Under Schedule III as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.
Analysis: Medical Cannabis Associated With Decreased Use Of Opioids, Alcohol, And Tobacco
Patients authorized to use medical cannabis products report decreasing their use of opioids, alcohol, tobacco, and other substances, according to a data analysis published in the journal Cannabis.
Investigators surveyed 2,697 Canadian medical cannabis registrants. The mean age of participants was 54.3 years of age.
Consistent with other surveys, respondents frequently reported substituting cannabis in lieu of other substances.
Among those respondents prescribed opioids, 54 percent said that they had reduced their intake over the past year. Among those taking other medications, just under one-third said that they had decreased their use.
Of those respondents who reported consuming alcohol, 38 percent reported reducing their use. About one in four respondents who consumed tobacco products said that they had reduced their use. “Given the significant rates of morbidity and mortality associated with both alcohol and/or tobacco/nicotine use in Canada and around the globe, the … reported reduction in use in the present study may represent a significant public health impact,” the study’s authors wrote.
They concluded: “Our data suggests that transitions towards higher risk substance use patterns are unlikely to be exacerbated by the use of medical cannabis. … Use of medical cannabis was associated with symptom improvement and meaningful reductions in the use of prescription opioids and non-opioids, unregulated drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. … Overall, our results highlight that older patients represent an increasingly important subset of the medical cannabis population whose unique needs and patterns of use warrant further investigation.”
Study: Frequent Cannabis Use Not Linked to Motivation Loss
Those who regularly consume cannabis do not exhibit so-called ‘amotivational syndrome,” even when they are acutely under the influence, according to data published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Toronto assessed a cohort of 260 frequent cannabis consumers five times per day over a seven-day period. Investigators assessed subjects’ motivation and willingness to push themselves during times when they were under the influence and when they were not.
They reported: “In contrast to the stereotype of the stoned slacker who is apathetic and unmotivated, we found little evidence for an association between being high and a lack of motivation among cannabis users. … When frequent cannabis users get high, in other words, they are no more apathetic, nor less extrinsically or intrinsically motivated to pursue their goals. … We also failed to find any next-day emotional effects.”
Commenting on the study’s findings, its lead author stated: “There is a stereotype that chronic cannabis users are somehow lazy or unproductive. We found that’s not the case. … Our data suggests that you can be hard-working, motivated and a chronic cannabis user at the same time.”
Other recent studies assessing cannabis use and motivation have reached similar conclusions. For instance, a 2022 study determined that college-age students who used cannabis were more likely to engage in effort-related decision making tasks than were non-users. Another study concluded that the use of cannabis is not independently predictive of significant changes in adolescents’ motivation, apathy, or engagement.
NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “These findings, and others, refute hypothesized associations between cannabis use and low motivation. It is unfortunate that many of these longstanding stereotypes have historically guided public health messaging about cannabis and have also been used to stigmatize and discriminate against those who consume it responsibly.”
CBD Has Potential To Manage Symptoms Of Alcohol Use Disorder, New Scientific Review Finds: "These processes are highly relevant to alcohol seeking behaviours, suggesting that CBD may have potential in the management of alcohol use disorder."
A new review of scientific literature around CBD and its effects suggests that the cannabinoid could be useful in managing symptoms of alcohol use disorder (AUD) by modulating brain networks that perpetuate addiction.
The review, from authors at the University of Sydney and local health districts in the Australian city, attempts to “theorise the potential neurobiological mechanisms by which CBD may ameliorate various symptoms of AUD.”
“Previous research suggests that CBD may affect salience, reward, emotion generation and regulation and executive control (including inhibition control, working memory and self-monitoring) processes,” the report, which was published on Thursday in the Journal of Cannabis Research, says. “These processes are highly relevant to alcohol seeking behaviours, suggesting that CBD may have potential in the management of alcohol use disorder.”
“CBD appears to modulate neurotransmitter systems and functional connections in brain regions implicated in [alcohol use disorder], suggesting CBD may be used to manage AUD symptomatology.”
Germany Marijuana Legalization Law Will Take Effect On Schedule Next Month After Lawmakers Decline To Delay Implementation
Medical Cannabis Patients Report Sustained Quality Of Life Improvements
Patients authorized to consume medical cannabis products report significant improvements in their overall health, according to data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
Researchers affiliated with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine assessed the impact of medical cannabis on patients’ physical and emotional well-being. Participants in the study possessed a doctor’s authorization to access state-licensed cannabis products in Pennsylvania. Patients’ symptoms were assessed upon enrollment in the study and then again at 30, 60, and 90 days. Most patients enrolled in the study inhaled herbal cannabis or concentrates.
Investigators said that patients’ cannabis use resulted in immediate symptom improvements. These improvements were sustained for the length of the study. Those patients who consumed cannabis products once per day displayed greater improvements in their general health than did those who used it more frequently. Only minor side effects (e.g., cough, dry mouth) were reported.
“It is clear that medical marijuana, when administered safely, can improve an individual’s quality of life,” the study’s authors determined. “Participants reported significant decreases in emotional limitations, fatigue, and pain levels.”
They concluded, “The findings suggest that MMJ [medical marijuana] has the potential to improve physical and social functioning, energy levels, emotional well-being, and overall general health within the first 30–60 days of use.”
Their findings are consistent with those of other larger observational studies involving thousands of patients enrolled in medical cannabis access programs.
Study: Patients With Post-traumatic Stress And Depression Report Improvements Following Cannabis Therapy
Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and comorbid depression respond favorably to the use of medical cannabis preparations, according data published in the journal BMJ Psych Open.
British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) in a cohort of patients suffering simultaneously from post-traumatic stress and depression. (Since 2018, British specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Self-reported symptoms were assessed three months after subjects initiated their cannabis use.
Investigators reported, “Treatment with prescribed cannabis was associated with substantial reductions in the severity of PTSD symptomatology, with these improvements being more marked in individuals with depression.”
They concluded: “Treatment with CBMPs is associated with significant improvements in well-being and quality of life in PTSD after three months. … These results parallel previous findings for quality of life across a broad range of conditions and for PTSD specifically and highlight the potential benefits of CBMPs for symptom reduction and improvements in well-being across a wide range of chronic conditions.”
Prior assessments of patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and depression have similarly concluded that cannabis therapy can improve subjects’ health-related quality of life. By contrast, a 2021 clinical trial concluded that the inhalation of marijuana flower provided limited benefits compared to placebo in treating symptoms of PTSD.