#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 04 Aug 2020 04:20:21 PST
Study: Migraine Patients Report Symptom Relief Following Herbal Cannabis Inhalation
Albuquerque, NM: More than nine-in-ten migraine patients report experiencing symptom relief following cannabis inhalation, according to data published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine.
Investigators affiliated with the University of New Mexico assessed the effects of herbal cannabis inhalation on migraine in 699 subjects over a 32-month period. Study participants self-administered cannabis at home and reported symptom changes in real time on a mobile software application. Changes in headache- or migraine-related pain intensity were measured on a zero-to-ten scale prior to, and immediately, following cannabis consumption.
Researchers reported that 94 percent of subjects experienced symptom relief within two hours of marijuana inhalation. On average, patients experienced a reduction in symptom intensity of 3.3 points on the ten-point scale. Varieties of cannabis that contained higher THC content (above ten percent) were most closely associated with providing symptom relief.
Authors concluded: "According to the current results, cannabis flower appears to be effective at reducing headache- and migraine-related pain intensity for most people that choose to use it. ... It seems possible that the use of cannabis flower, combined with other behavioral modifications, might offer some patients a natural, safer and more effective treatment regimen, compared to the use of some conventional prescription pharmaceuticals."
Data presented earlier this year at the 2020 annual meeting of the American Headache Society similarly reported that cannabis therapy was associated with a reduction in subjects' use of anti-migraine medications, as well as self-reported improvements in sleep and anxiety.
Separate data published in the June edition of the journal Brain Sciences reported that the inhalation of cannabis long-term was associated with reductions in migraine frequency. Another study, published in 2019 in the Journal of Pain, reported that "inhaled cannabis reduces headache and migraine severity ratings by approximately 50 percent."
Full text of the study, "Alleviative effects of cannabis flower on migraine and headache," appears in the Journal of Integrative Medicine.
States Experience Record Surge in Retail Marijuana Sales
Washington, DC: Retail sales of cannabis products in the United States reached all-time highs during the months of April and May, according to data compiled by the firm New Frontier Data.
Analyzing retail sales data from 24 state-legal markets, authors reported, "Average consumer monthly spending rose to record highs in April and May, reaching $290 and $296, respectively."
Authors highlighted record sales totals in several states. In Oregon, retails sales of marijuana products totaled an estimated $100 million in May, the single-highest monthly total ever reported in the state. In Colorado, marijuana-related sales in May totaled $192 million, also a record high. Sales of medical cannabis products in Florida and Oklahoma have also maintained month-over-month growth during this same time period.
Authors concluded, "One unanticipated effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the growth acceleration of legal cannabis markets (and erosion of the illicit markets) in those states which have activated both medical and adult-use sales."
Numerous state and local regulators have designated marijuana-related dispensaries as "essential" businesses during the pandemic -- allowing them to provide uninterrupted, and in some cases, expanded services during the COVID-19 outbreak.
A summary of states' emergency policies governing cannabis sales is online from NORML. Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, "Marijuana Regulation: Impact on Health, Safety, and Economy."
State-Legal Marijuana Industry to Employ Nearly 300,000 Workers by Year's End
Lakewood, CO: By year's end, nearly 300,000 employees are expected to be working in the state-licensed cannabis marketplace, according to an analysis by the news website Marijuana Business Daily.
Their analysis projects as many as 295,000 marijuana-related jobs by the close of 2020 -- a total that is slightly higher than the total number of computer programmers working in the United States. The newsgroup projects that there may be as many as 470,000 cannabis-related jobs by 2022.
The estimates are in line with those published earlier this year by the online content provider Leafly.com, which at that time identified some 243,000 full-time employees in the state-licensed cannabis industry.
For more information, see the NORML Fact Sheet, "Marijuana Regulation: Impact on Health, Safety, and Economy."
Study: Marijuana-Related Attitudes Among College Students Largely Unchanged Following Adult-Use Legalization
Madison, WI: Young adults residing in an adult-use legalization state possess similar attitudes toward cannabis as do those residing in a jurisdiction where cannabis use remains illegal, according to data published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
A team of investigators from the University of Wisconsin at Madison assessed marijuana attitudes, intentions to use, and consumption patterns in a longitudinal cohort of 338 students at two large public universities in Washington and Wisconsin.
Researchers reported, "Ever use, attitude, and intention-to-use scores did not change significantly more in Washington after legalization than in Wisconsin." However, authors did report that "among prior users, the proportion using in the last 28 days rose faster in Washington after legalization that it did in Wisconsin."
They concluded: "Although the proportion of participants ever using remained similar across states overtime, the prevalence of 28-day use increased significantly more in Washington after RML [recreational marijuana laws] than in Wisconsin. Thus, rather than increasing the prevalence of new users, our findings suggest that legalization had the greatest direct effects on current marijuana users."
Full text of the study, "Effects of recreational marijuana legalization on college students: A longitudinal study of attitudes, intentions, and use behaviors," appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Additional information is available in the NORML Fact Sheet, "Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates."
Survey: Canadian Oncologists "Lack Sufficient Knowledge" Regarding Cannabis and Cancer Therapy
Calgary, Canada: Oncology health care providers possess only limited knowledge about the use of medical cannabis in the treatment of cancer chemotherapy, according to survey data published in the journal Current Oncology.
Investigators affiliated with the University of Calgary surveyed 103 Canadian health care providers specializing in oncology. Most respondents said that they "lacked sufficient knowledge about cannabis and its utility as a medication in cancer treatment." Eighty-four percent of those surveyed said that they possessed insufficient knowledge about cannabis to issue a medical marijuana recommendation to a patient.
Canadian law has permitted physicians to issue medical cannabis recommendations since 2001.
Authors concluded: "Although cannabis-based research in oncology is growing, information about the role of hcps [health care providers] and their perspectives about the use and prescription of cannabis in cancer care has been lacking. A sizeable gap in professional knowledge and formal training about cannabis among oncology hcps is evident, although hcps are willing to become more educated about the topic."
The study's conclusions are consistent with those of prior surveys of Canadian and US health care professionals -- such as those here and here -- finding that few respondents believe that they possess an adequate understanding of cannabis-related health issues.
Full text of the study, "Health care provider preferences for, and barriers to, cannabis use in cancer care," appears in Current Oncology.
Study: Medical Cannabis Access States Associated with Lower Rates of Prescription Stimulant Use
New York, NY: The use of prescription stimulants is lower in states where medical cannabis is legal as compared to those jurisdictions where it remains prohibited, according to data published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
Researchers affiliated with Columbia University in New York and with Boston University assessed the association between the enactment of medical marijuana laws and prescription stimulant use by gender and by sexual identity.
They reported, "Medical prescription stimulant use was lower in MCL (medical cannabis legalization) states versus non-MCL states for heterosexual men (3.7 percent versus 4.6 percent) and women (4.2 percent versus 5.7 percent). Bisexual men's medical stimulant use prevalence was 4.2 percent in MCL states versus 9.9 percent in non-MCL states: among women, it was 7.3 percent versus 8.6 percent. Among bisexual men, non-medical prescription stimulant use was 5.6 percent in MCL states versus 8.1 percent in non-MCL states; for bisexual women, it was 6.0 percent versus 7.9 percent."
They concluded, "The ‘spillover' effect of MCL enactment on the use of substances besides cannabis should be explicitly tested in future studies."
Numerous observational and longitudinal studies have previously reported similar reductions in the use of prescription drugs, such as opioids and benzodiazepines, following the enactment of marijuana access laws.
Full text of the study, "Medical marijuana laws and medical and non-medical prescription stimulant use among a nationally representative sample of US adults: Potential spillover effects by sexual identity and gender," appears in the International Journal of Drug Policy.
Survey: Many Employees Acknowledge Using Marijuana Immediately Following Their Pre-Employment Drug Test
Bronx, NY: Many prospective employees abstain from cannabis in the weeks prior to taking a pre-employment drug test, but then return to using the substance quickly thereafter, according to survey data compiled by the diagnostics company Health Street.
Fifty-one percent of respondents said that their most recent job offer required them to pass a pre-employment drug screen for marijuana. Of those respondents with a prior history of cannabis use, 35 percent said that they abstained from the substance for at least one month prior to taking the test. Thirty four percent said that they abstained from marijuana for at least one week.
Following their abstention, 28 percent of respondents said that they returned to using marijuana within one day of taking their pre-employment test. Twenty-nine percent reported doing so within a few days.
Overall, 60 percent of those surveyed said that they had used cannabis within the past year. Most respondents (80 percent) expressed opposition to pre-employment drug testing for cannabis, unless it was for a safety sensitive position.
In recent months, numerous states and municipalities -- including Nevada, New York City, and Washington, DC -- have enacted legislation limiting employers ability to mandate pre-employment marijuana tests.
For more information, see the NORML Fact Sheet, "Marijuana Legalization and Impact on the Workplace."
