#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 07 Aug 2018 04:20:21 PST
Harris Poll: Majority Of Americans Want Marijuana Legalized
Rochester NY: Eighty-five percent of Americans believe that marijuana "should be legalized for medical use," and 57 percent of respondents endorse regulating it for anyone over the age of 21, according to national survey data compiled by Harris Insight & Analytics.
Among younger respondents (those ages 18 to 44), 68 percent agree that cannabis should be legal. Most respondents (57 percent) say that legalizing the plant would "help alleviate the opioid crisis."
Data evaluating prescription drug use trends among individual patients enrolled in state-licensed medical marijuana programs reports that chronic pain subjects frequently reduce or eliminate their use of opioids following enrollment.
Reasons provided by those who opposed legalization included fear of diversion and concerns that legalization could negatively impact traffic safety.
The Harris polling data is largely consistent with those of prior surveys finding that a majority of Americans back adult use legalization and that a super-majority of voters support medicinal cannabis access.
"Voters believe that ending America's failed marijuana prohibition laws is a common-sense issue, not a partisan one," NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano told HealthDay, which commissioned the poll. "It's time for their elected officials to take a similar posture, and to move expeditiously to amend federal law in a manner that comports with public and scientific consensus, as well as with marijuana's rapidly changing cultural and legal status."
Washington: Felony Marijuana Convictions Fall Nearly 90 Percent
Olympia, WA: The number of cannabis-related felony sentences in Washington fell an estimated 90 percent in the 18-months immediately following the opening of adult use marijuana retail stores, according to an analysis by the Washington Caseload Forecast Council.
Investigators identified only 147 marijuana-related crimes resulting in felony sentences in this period of time, compared to 1,312 felony offenses in the years prior to legalization.
Other jurisdictions have reported similar declines in marijuana-related arrests post-legalization. In California, felony-related marijuana arrests fell 74 percent between 2016 and 2017, following the enactment of adult use legalization.
Study: Families Of Children With Epilepsy Report Benefits From CBD Extracts
Sydney, Australia: The adjunctive use of non-standardized CBD extract products is associated with subjective benefits in children with treatment-resistant epilepsy, according to data published in the journal Scientific Reports.
A team of researchers from the University of Sydney interviewed 41 families who reported using extracts as a treatment for their child's epilepsy, and performed analytical testing on the products. Most families reported obtaining extracts from underground medicinal cannabis providers.
Seventy-five percent of the products evaluated in the study met criteria of perceived effectiveness. Forty-three percent of the products were associated with a reduction in the child's use of conventional anti-epileptic medications.
Investigators reported that the cannabinoid profiles varied significantly among the products analyzed in the study. They found that almost all of the products contained some levels of THC, and that most products possessed relatively low percentages of CBD despite being marketed as CBD-dominant. "Overall, there were no significant differences in the cannabinoid content of extracts perceived as 'effective' compared to those perceived as 'ineffective, nor in total mg cannabinoid content," authors concluded.
In June, the US Food and Drug Administration for the first time granted market approval for the use of standardized, plant-derived CBD (aka Epidiolex) in the treatment of rare forms of pediatric epilepsy.
Full text of the study, "Composition and use of cannabis extracts for childhood epilepsy in the Australian community," appears in Scientific Reports.
Patients Frequently Turning To Cannabis To Treat Symptoms Of Sickle Cell Disease
New Haven, CT: Medical cannabis use is relatively common among patients with sickle cell disease, according to survey data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Investigators at Yale University conducted an anonymous questionnaire among 58 patients with the disease. Forty-two percent of respondents reported having used cannabis within the past two years, and 31 percent reported having used it within the past month. Most respondents said that said they did so for therapeutic purposes. Common symptoms of sickle cell disease include pain, fatigue, and swelling of the hands and feet.
Many respondents acknowledged that the use of cannabis "allowed for less use of pain medications" - a finding that is consistent with reports from other cohorts of chronic pain patients.
To date, the use of medicinal cannabis has not been evaluated in controlled settings for patients with sickle cell disease.
Authors concluded: "From our study as well as a few other reports, it appears that many adults with sickle cell disease use marijuana in the belief that it has medicinal benefits. ... Thus, there is a strong rationale for the study of the medicinal properties of marijuana and/or its constituents in sickle cell disease."
Full text of the study, "Marijuana use in adults living with sickle cell disease," appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Study: THC Analog Improves Agitation In Alzheimer's Patients
Thursday, 02 August 2018
THC
Chicago, IL: The administration of nabilone - a synthetic THC analog marketed in the United States under the brand name Cesamet - reduces agitation and other behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's patients, according to the results of placebo-controlled clinical trial data presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2018 International Conference.
Researchers from the University of Toronto reported that the oral administration of nabilone capsules significantly improved patients' symptoms compared to placebo over a 14-week randomized trial. Investigators also documented improvements in patients' cognition and nutrition.
Cesamet is FDA-approved to treat nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
Separate clinical trials have previously reported similar results associated with the use of the oral THC drug dronabinol.
Study: THC Analog Improves Agitation In Alzheimer's Patients
Chicago, IL: The administration of nabilone - a synthetic THC analog marketed in the United States under the brand name Cesamet - reduces agitation and other behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's patients, according to the results of placebo-controlled clinical trial data presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2018 International Conference.
Researchers from the University of Toronto reported that the oral administration of nabilone capsules significantly improved patients' symptoms compared to placebo over a 14-week randomized trial. Investigators also documented improvements in patients' cognition and nutrition.
Cesamet is FDA-approved to treat nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
Separate clinical trials have previously reported similar results associated with the use of the oral THC drug dronabinol.
