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Study: Marijuana Use Linked to Lower Prevalence of Fatty Liver Disease

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NORML | May 4, 2017

LOWELL, MA — Subjects who consume cannabis are significantly less likely to suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as compared to those who do not, according to population-based case-control data published in the journal PLOS One.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent form of liver disease in humans, affecting an estimated 80 to 100 million people in the United States.

A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School…

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Study: Cannabis Use Associated With Decreased Crack Cocaine Consumption

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VANCOUVER, BC — Cannabis consumption is positively associated with the decreased use of crack cocaine, according to longitudinal data published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

Canadian investigators assessed the use patterns of cannabis and crack cocaine in a cohort of 122 subjects over a three-year period. They reported that participants subsequently reduced their frequency of crack cocaine consumption following the intentional use of cannabis.

They concluded: “In this longitudinal study, we observed that a period of…

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Study: Cannabis Often Substituted for Prescription Medications

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Paul Armentano | May 3, 2017

Adults often substitute cannabis for the use of prescription medications, according to data published in the Journal of Pain Research.

Investigators from the Bastyr University Research Institute assessed the frequency of drug substitution among a self-selected national sample of 2,774 self-identified marijuana consumers.

Just under half of respondents (46 percent) reported using cannabis in place of prescription medications. Respondents were most likely to use cannabis in lieu of…

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Study: Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked to Lower Medicaid Costs

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(Sonya Yruel/Drug Policy Alliance)

Paul Armentano | April 21, 2017

Patients use fewer prescription drugs in states where access to medical cannabis is legally regulated, according to data published in the journal Health Affairs.

Investigators at the University of Georgia assessed the association between medical cannabis regulations and the average number of prescriptions filled by Medicaid beneficiaries between the years 2007 and 2014.

Researchers reported, “[T]he use of prescription drugs in…

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Study: Medical Cannabis Patients Report Decreased Use of Opioids, Anti-Anxiety Medicines

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NORML | April 13, 2017

SCRANTON, PA — Patients with legal access to medical cannabis decrease their use of opioids, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety drugs, and other medications, according to self-report data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

A team of investigators from five states surveyed the medical history of over 1,500 patient-members of state-licensed dispensaries located throughout the northeast.

Authors reported that 77 percent of respondents…

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Marijuana Use Not Implicated in Injuries Requiring Hospitalization

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NORML | April 6, 2017

The use of marijuana alone does not place subjects at a higher risk of experiencing injuries requiring hospitalization, according to case-control data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Investigators from the United States and Canada assessed the risk of injury in the hours immediately following subjects’ use of alcohol or other controlled substances.

Researchers determined that alcohol use within the past six hours significantly increased subjects’…

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DEA to Classify Liquid, Synthetic THC as a Schedule II Controlled Substance

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NORML | March 30, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Officials from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have recommended that Syndros, a liquid form of synthetic THC, be classified as a Schedule II controlled substance under federal law.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials determined last year that the drug formulation is safe and effective for use by patients with cancer and AIDS.

Two other synthetic forms of THC, dronabinol and nabilone, are also FDA approved. Dronabinol (aka Marinol) is a…

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Study: Regular Cannabis Use Associated With Lower BMI, No Adverse Effect On Bone Density

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NORML | March 23, 2017

PORTLAND, OR — Those subjects who consume cannabis more than five times per month possess, on average, lower body mass index (BMI) than do those who do not use the substance, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Archives of Osteoporosis.

Researchers at Oregon’s Health and Science University assessed the relationship between cannabis use and a variety of health outcomes in a nationally representative sample of 4,743 participants between the ages…

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Patients With Access to Medical Marijuana Reduce Their Use of Opioids, Study Finds

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Paul Armentano | March 16, 2017

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Patients registered to use medical cannabis decrease their use of opioids, according to data compiled by researchers at the University of New Mexico.

Investigators assessed the use of prescription opioids over an 18-month period among patients enrolled in the state’s medical marijuana program compared to similar patients who were not.

They reported that subjects with access to medical cannabis reduced their use of opioids by 31 percent while…

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Medical Marijuana Legalization Associated with Fewer Opioid-Related Hospitalizations

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NORML | March 9, 2017

SAN DIEGO, CA — The enactment of statewide legislation permitting medical cannabis access by qualified patients is associated with a reduction in opioid-related hospitalization, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

A researcher from the University of California at San Diego assessed the association between medical cannabis laws and hospitalizations related to opioid pain relievers. The author reported both immediate…

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Study: Marijuana Use Stable In Colorado Post-Legalization

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Paul Armentano | March 2, 2017

DENVER, CO — The percentage of Coloradoans who report using cannabis has remained relatively unchanged following the regulation of the adult use market, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Preventive Medicine.

Researchers at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reviewed statewide marijuana use data from January 1, 2014.

They reported:

“[M]arijuana use, both among adults and among youth, does not appear to be…

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Study: Long Term Marijuana Use Doesn’t Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

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Paul Armentano | February 24, 2017

BETHESDA, MD — Those who consume cannabis long-term suffer no greater likelihood of cardiovascular disease by middle age than do those with no history of use, according to longitudinal data published online ahead of print in the American Journal of Public Health.

An international team of researchers from the United States and Switzerland assessed cumulative cannabis use and cardiovascular risk in a cohort of over 5,000 subjects over a period of more than two decades. Authors…

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Memo to Congress: DEA Dumped the “Gateway-Theory” Due to Science

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Americans for Safe Access | February 23, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Safe Access, a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring safe and legal access to medical cannabis for therapeutic use and research, has sent a memo to Congress informing members that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has removed false information about cannabis from its website after months of public pressure. The memo explains:

Forty-four states now allow patients under their physician’s care to use medical…

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Clinical Trial: THCV Lowers Blood Sugar Levels In Type 2 Diabetics

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Paul Armentano | January 26, 2017

DERBY, UK — The administration of THCV (tetrahydrocannabivarin), a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, is positively associated with glycemic control in type 2 diabetics, according to the randomized, placebo-controlled data published in the journal Diabetes Care.

Investigators from the University of Nottingham, School of Medicine assessed the twice daily administration of various cannabinoids (CBD or THCV or CBD and THCV in combination) versus placebo over a…

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NORML Responds to National Academy of Sciences’ Marijuana Report

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NORML | January 12, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a comprehensive report Thursday acknowledging that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, and sharply criticized longstanding federal regulatory barriers to marijuana research – in particular “the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance” under federal law.

Authors of the report also addressed…

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Most Police Want Marijuana Laws Reformed, Poll Finds

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TJ Baker | January 11, 2017

In a national poll of police officers conducted on a wide variety of topics, less than one third of those surveyed said marijuana should remain illegal.

According to the Behind the Badge survey of nearly 8,000 police officers conducted by the National Police Research Platform (NPRP), 68% of police support legalizing medical marijuana.

While 32 percent of police surveyed supported full legalization of marijuana for adults, the number is still lower than the national…

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Recreational Marijuana Use is Increasing Among Adults Over 50

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(Darrin Harris Frisby/Drug Policy Alliance)

(Darrin Harris Frisby/Drug Policy Alliance)

TJ Baker | December 5, 2016

Baby Boomers are quickly becoming the largest generation to admit to marijuana use after age 50, according to a new study released by New York University.

There is a common misperception that widespread marijuana use is limited to younger generations,” researchers write.  “However, the Baby Boomer generation has reported higher rates of substance use than any preceding generation.”

“Given the unprecedented aging of the U.S….

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Medical Marijuana Legalization Doesn’t Drive Teens to Pot Use: Study

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medical marijuana - rolling a joint

Paul Armentano | December 1, 2016

State laws regulating the use and dispensing of medical marijuana are not associated with increased cannabis use rates among young people, according to findings published online ahead of print in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Researchers at Brandeis University and Harvard Medical School assessed adolescent marijuana use patterns in 45 states between the years 1991 to 2011. Authors reported “little evidence for an increase in past-30-day marijuana use,…

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Study: Medical Cannabis Use Associated With Improved Cognitive Performance, Reduced Use Of Opioids

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painkillers vs marijuana

Paul Armentano | November 14, 2016

Medical cannabis administration is associated with improved cognitive performance and lower levels of prescription drug use, according to longitudinal data published online in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

Investigators from Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and McLean Hospital evaluated the use of medicinal cannabis on patients’ cognitive performance over a three-month period. Participants in the study were either naïve to cannabis or had abstained from the…

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Reforming Marijuana Laws Doesn’t Increase Youth Usage, Two Studies Find

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lighting a smoking joint

NORML | November 4, 2016

Changes in marijuana’s legal status under state law is not associated with increased cannabis use or access by young people, according to pair of recently published studies.

In the first study, published online in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, researchers at Columbia University in New York surveyed the marijuana use habits of a national sampling of 1,310 adolescents over a two-year period. Investigators assessed whether respondents from states with liberalized cannabis…

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Study: Oral THC Safe and Effective for Treatment of Spasticity in Pediatric Patients

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Study: Oral THC Safe and Effective for Treatment of Spasticity in Pediatric Patients

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY — The administration of oral, synthetic THC (dronabinol) is safe and effective for the treatment of refractory spasticity in pediatric patients, according to clinical data published online ahead of print in the European Journal of Pediatric Neurology.

Researchers from the University of Dusseldorf in Germany assessed the palliative treatment of dronabinol in 16 adolescent subjects with complex neurological conditions. Subjects received dosing twice daily and the median duration of treatment was 181 days.

Oral THC…

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Study: THC and CBDA Effective in Treating Nausea, Stimulating Appetite in Chemotherapy Patients

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Study: THC and CBDA Effective in Treating Nausea, Stimulating Appetite in Chemotherapy Patients

The administration of small amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A) may be effective in treating nausea and stimulating appetite in chemotherapy patients, according to the results of a new study.

Researchers found that the “administration of subthreshold doses of THC (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) or CBDA (0.5 and 1 μg/kg) significantly suppressed acute nausea-induced gaping, whereas higher individual doses of both THC and CBDA were maximally effective ” for acute nausea.

Combined administration of higher doses of…

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Teen Pot Use Not Increased by Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

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Teen Pot Use Not Increased by Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

SAN DIEGO, CA — The availability of medical marijuana dispensaries is not positively associated with an increase in the number of adolescents currently using cannabis, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Preventive Medicine.

An investigator at the University of California, San Diego assessed the association between marijuana dispensaries and cannabis use habits among young people residing within a 25-mile radius. The author reported that adolescents’ proximity to dispensaries did not influence their current…

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CDC: Changes in State Marijuana Laws Associated with Declining Teen Use

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The passage of statewide laws regulating the consumption of cannabis by adults and/or qualified patients is not associated with increased rates of teen marijuana use, according to a statistical analysis of results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

CDC data reports that the percentage of high-schoolers ever reporting having used cannabis fell from an estimated 43 percent in 1995 to just under 39 percent in 2015. The percentage of teens currently using cannabis (defined as having used…

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Patient Advocacy Group Partners with Internationally-Recognized Accreditation Body

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WASHINGTON, DC — Americans for Safe Access (ASA) and the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) are excited to announce a collaboration to develop a cannabis specific laboratory accreditation program based upon the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 and ASA’ s Patient Focused Certification (PFC) Program.

This joint accreditation program will be recognized by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) by virtue of A2LA’ s status as an ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signatory for the…

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Study: Rates of Problematic Cannabis Use Falling Among Teens

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Fewer adolescents are consuming cannabis; among those who do, fewer are engaging in problematic use of the plant, according to newly published data in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis evaluated government survey data on adolescents’ self-reported drug use during the years 2002 to 2013. Over 216,000 adolescents ages 12 to 17 participated in the federally commissioned surveys.

Researchers reported that the percentage of respondents who…

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Two New Studies That Help Estimate Tax Revenue and Getting It Right with DUID

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Two new studies helpful to those who are advocating for marijuana legalization came out over the past few weeks. One quantifies the enormous potential tax revenue generated from a legal marijuana system, which should encourage additional states to reconsider their marijuana policies; the second confirms that per se DUID laws are scientifically baseless, and concludes that no one should face conviction of a DUID charge without a showing of impairment.

Tax Revenue Left on the Table

The Tax Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think-tank, released…

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Taxing Retail Marijuana Sales Nationwide Could Yield $28 Billion

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WASHINGTON, DC — The imposition of conventional tax rates on the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis nationwide would yield an estimated $28 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue, according to an analysis provided by The Tax Foundation – an independent think-tank based in Washington, DC.

The bulk of the new revenue, $20.5 billion, would be directed toward the states through the collection of excise taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes. The balance of revenue would be collected in federal excise and income…

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AAA: Per Se Thresholds For THC Are Not Scientific

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WASHINGTON, DC — Per se limits for THC are arbitrary and may misclassify drivers who are not behaviorally impaired, according to the findings of a study published this week by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Per se driving limits criminalize the act of operating a motor vehicle if the driver possesses detectable amounts of specific drugs or drug metabolites above a set threshold. Under these laws, drivers are guiltyper se of violating the traffic safety laws even absent evidence of demonstrable…

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State Department: International Treaties Do Not Demand Monopoly on Marijuana Production

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WASHINGTON, DC — United States treaty obligations do not mandate the federal government to limit marijuana production to a single licensed facility, according to written statements provided by the State Department to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

The Department’s statements run counter to opinions expressed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which has long alleged that there can only be one federally licensed cultivator of marijuana for research purposes – the University of Mississippi, as overseen by the US National…

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Study: Per Se Driving Limits For THC Ill Advised

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Per se driving limits for the presence of THC are arbitrary and may improperly classify motorists who are not behaviorally impaired, according to the findings of a study published today by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Per se driving limits criminalize the act of operating a motor vehicle if the driver possesses detectable amounts of specific drugs or drug metabolites above a set threshold. Under these laws, drivers are guilty per se of violating the traffic safety laws even absent evidence of…

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Study: Opioid Abuse Rates Lower In Medical Cannabis States

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Rates of prescription opioid abuse are significantly lower in jurisdictions that permit medical marijuana access, according to data reported by Castlight Health, an employee health benefits platform provider.

Investigators assessed anonymous prescription reporting data from over one million employees between the years 2011 and 2015.

In states that did not permit medical marijuana access, 5.4 percent of individuals with an opioid prescription qualified as abusers of the drug. (The study’s authors defined “abuse” as opioid use by an…

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Study: Marijuana’s Role in Crash Risk Often Overstated

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OSLO, NORWAY — Studies estimating the likelihood of THC-positive drivers being involved in motor vehicle accidents compared to drug-free drivers often fail to adequately control for potentially confounding variables, according to a literature review published online ahead of print in the journal Addiction.

Norwegian researchers reviewed more than 20 driving culpability studies, as well as two meta-analyses, published between the years 1982 and 2015. They found that some studies possessed methodological shortcomings that led to authors’…

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Study: No Increase In Problematic Cannabis Use

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ST. LOUIS, MO — The prevalence of problematic cannabis is decreasing, according to data published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Investigators at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis assessed trends in marijuana use and in the prevalence of marijuana use disorders during the years 2002 to 2013. Researchers determined that the self-reported use of cannabis by adults increased an estimated 19 percent, but that reports of cannabis-related problems actually declined during this period.

“We’re certainly seeing some increases in…

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Study: Long-Term Cannabis Use Mitigates Pain, Reduces Opioid Use

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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — The daily, long-term use of cannabis is associated with improved analgesia and reduced opioid use in patients with treatment-resistant chronic pain conditions, according to clinical trial data reported online ahead of print in The Clinical Journal of Pain.

Investigators with Hebrew University in Israel evaluated the use of cannabis on pain in a cohort of 176 patients, each of whom had been previously unresponsive to all conventional pain medications. Subjects inhaled THC-dominant cannabis daily (up to 20 grams per…

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Long-Term Cannabis Use Associated with Improved Pain Relief, Reduced Opioid Use

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Long-Term Cannabis Use Associated with Improved Pain Relief, Reduced Opioid Use

The long-term, daily use of cannabis is associated with improved analgesia and reduced opioid use in patients with treatment-resistant chronic pain conditions, according to clinical trial data reported online ahead of print in The Clinical Journal of Pain.

Investigators with Hebrew University in Israel evaluated the use of cannabis on pain in a cohort of 176 patients, each of whom had been previously unresponsive to all conventional pain medications. Subjects inhaled THC-dominant cannabis daily (up to 20 grams per month) for a period of at…

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Study: No Increase in Prevalence of Cannabis Use Disorders

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Study: No Increase in Prevalence of Cannabis Use Disorders

A report published last fall claiming that an estimated three in ten consumers of cannabis suffer from a ‘use disorder’ has been dismissed in a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Investigators at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis assessed trends in marijuana use and the prevalence of marijuana use disorders during the years 2002 to 2013. Researchers determined that the self-reported use of cannabis by adults increased an estimated 19 percent, but that reports of cannabis-related problems actually declined during this…

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Marijuana Linked to Better Outcomes in Brain Injury Patients

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RIETI, ITALY — The recent use of cannabis is associated with improved outcomes in patients hospitalized with intracerebral hemorrhaging (ICH aka bleeding in the brain), according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Cerebrovascular Diseases.

An international team of investigators from Argentina, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States evaluated demographic trends and patient outcomes in a cohort of 725 subjects with spontaneous ICH. Researchers reported that cannabis-positive subjects possessed “milder ICH…

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Canadian Study Finds THC Inhibits Weight Gain

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Canadian Study Finds THC Inhibits Weight Gain

CALGARY, AB — THC administration prevents weight gain in mice fed a high fat diet, according to preclinical trials data published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Investigators at the University of Calgary and at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario assessed the impact of small, daily doses of THC in diet-induced obese mice. They reported that THC intake inhibited increased fat. They concluded, “Chronic THC treatment … prevented high fat diet-induced increases in body weight.”

The team’s findings are consistent with those…

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Study: CBD Oil “Highly Promising” In Pediatric Epilepsy Treatment

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The administration of cannabis oil extracts high in cannabidiol reduces seizure frequency in children with intractable epilepsy, according to clinical data published online ahead of print in the journal Seizure.

Israeli researchers retrospectively evaluated the effects of CBD oil in a multicenter cohort of 74 patients with intractable epilepsy. Participants in the trial were resistant to conventional epilepsy treatment and were treated with CBD extracts for a period of at least three months. Extracts in the study were provided by a pair of…

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Study: Cannabis Oil Mitigates Symptoms of Alzheimer’s-Induced Dementia

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The administration of liquid cannabis extracts containing THC is associated with the mitigation of various symptoms of Alzheimer’s-related agitation and dementia, according to observational trial data published online ahead of print in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Israeli investigators assessed the use of cannabis oil as an adjunct pharmacotherapy treatment in ten Alzheimer’s disease patients over a period of several weeks. Researchers reported that drug administration was associated with a significant reduction in patients’…

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Study: Cannabis Use Not Predictive of Lower IQ, Poorer Educational Performance

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Marijuana use by adolescents is not associated with lower IQ or poorer educational performance once adjustments are made for potential confounders, specifically cigarette smoking, according to longitudinal data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

British investigators assessed the relationship between cumulative cannabis use and IQ at the age of 15 and educational performance at the age of 16 in a cohort of 2,235 adolescents.

After researchers adjusted for potentially confounding variables, such as childhood…

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Study: Consumers Infrequently Combine Marijuana and Alcohol

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Study: Consumers Infrequently Combine Marijuana and Alcohol

Marijuana consumers do not typically use cannabis and alcohol in combination with one another, regardless of whether they are consuming cannabis for medicinal or social purposes.

Marijuana consumers do not typically use cannabis and alcohol in combination with one another, regardless of whether they are consuming cannabis for medicinal or social purposes, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Addiction.

Investigators with the RAND Drug Policy Research Center and the University of California, Irvine surveyed…

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US Senators Seek More Information About Federal Efforts to Facilitate Medical Marijuana Research

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Follow-up letter comes after federal agency response leaves unanswered questions about efforts to address regulatory barriers to critical research

WASHINGTON, DC — United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) sent a follow-up letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Drug Enforcement…

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Marijuana Legalization Not Increasing Teen Use, Annual Study Finds

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The University of Michigan’s annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of teen drug use was released today, and shows that softening attitudes toward marijuana and actual marijuana legalization in four states and Washington, DC, are not translating into increased teen pot smoking.

The survey also had generally good news about other drugs, reported declines in teen use of ecstasy, heroin, alcohol, cigarettes, and synthetic cannabinoids.

MTF has been tracking drug use, including alcohol and tobacco, since 1975, and surveys more than 40,000…

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Report: Criminal Justice Referrals Still Driving Marijuana ‘Treatment’ Admissions

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WASHINGTON, DC — Over half of all people admitted to drug treatment programs for marijuana-related issues over the past decade were referred there by a criminal justice source, according to a report published this month by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

In the years 2003 through 2013, 52 percent of people in drug treatment for marijuana as their ‘primary substance of abuse’ were referred by the criminal justice system. Of those, almost half (44 percent) entered treatment as a component of their probation or parole.

Only…

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Study: Cannabis Improves Outcomes in Opioid-Dependent Subjects Undergoing Treatment

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Cannabis use is associated with improved outcomes in opioid-dependent subjects undergoing outpatient treatment, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Researchers at Columbia University assessed the use of cannabinoids versus placebo in opioid-dependent subjects undergoing in-patient detoxification and outpatient treatment with naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist.

Investigators reported that the administration of oral THC (dronabinol) during the detoxification process lowered the…

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Study: Marijuana Consumers Less Likely to Suffer from Metabolic Syndrome

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