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Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
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- Fri, 04 Dec 2015 04:20:21 PST

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

New York, NY: 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 severity of subjects' withdrawal symptoms compared to placebo, but that these effects did not persist over the entire course of treatment. By contrast, patients who consumed herbal cannabis during the outpatient treatment phase were more readily able to sleep, were less anxious, and were more likely to complete their treatment as compared to those subjects who did not.

"One of the interesting study findings was the observed beneficial effect of marijuana smoking on treatment retention," authors concluded. "Participants who smoked marijuana had less difficulty with sleep and anxiety and were more likely to remain in treatment as compared to those who were not using marijuana, regardless of whether they were taking dronabinol or placebo."

The findings replicate those of two prior studies, one from 2001 and one from 2009, reporting greater treatment adherence among subjects who consumed cannabis intermittently during outpatient therapy.

Population data from states where medicinal cannabis is permitted report lower rates of opioid-abuse and mortality as compared to those states where the plant is prohibited. Clinical data and case reports also indicate that the adjunctive use of cannabis may wean patients from opiates while successfully managing their pain. Survey data of state qualified medical cannabis patients indicate that subjects with access to the plant often substitute it for opioids because they perceive it to possess fewer adverse side effects.

Overdose deaths involving opioids have increased dramatically in recent years. While fewer than 4,100 opiate-induced fatalities were reported for the year 1999, by 2010 this figure rose to over 16,600 according to an analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control.

Full text of the study, "The effects of dronabinol during detoxification and the initiation of treatment with extended release naltrexone," appears online in Drug Abuse and Dependence.


Cities See Major Decline In Marijuana Possession Arrests

New York, NY: Marijuana possession arrests are significantly declining in New York City and Washington, DC - two jurisdictions that previously led the nation in per capita cannabis arrests.

New York City police have made 40 percent fewer arrests for marijuana violations in 2015 compared to this same time last year, according to statistics released from the state's Division of Criminal Justice. The change follows a pledge made last year by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner to reduce citywide marijuana possession arrests, which previously averaged some 30,000 per year.

Marijuana arrests in Washington, DC have also plummeted in 2015. As of November 2, District police have made only seven arrests for marijuana violations - a reduction of more than 99 percent from the previous year.

Last November, over 70 percent of District voters passed I-71, a citywide ballot measure removing criminal and civil penalties regarding the adult possession of up to two ounces of cannabis and/or the cultivation of up to six plants.

Statewide arrests for marijuana-related offenses similarly fell in Colorado and Washington following the passage of retail regulation measures in 2012. In Colorado, the total number of charges filed in Colorado courts for marijuana possession, distribution, and cultivation fell from 38,878 in 2010 to 2,036 in 2014, a reduction of some 95 percent. In Washington, the percentage of marijuana-related convictions fell more than 80 percent between the years 2011 and 2014.


Michigan: Medical Cannabis Patients Eligible For Unemployment Benefits

Lansing, MI: State qualified medical cannabis patients are eligible to receive unemployment benefits, according to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Justices let stand a 2014 appeals court ruling determining that patients can receive compensation even in cases where their employer has fired them for failing a drug screen. As long as there is "no evidence to suggest that the positive drug tests were caused by anything other than claimants' use of medical marijuana in accordance with the terms of the MMMA (Michigan Medical Marijuana Act), the denial of the benefits constitute[s] an improper penalty," the court opined.

Last year, the New Mexico Court of Appeals decided that a person's use of medical cannabis constitutes "reasonable and necessary care" and that such care ought to be reimbursed by employers in instances where it is used to treat injuries sustained while working.

State Supreme Court rulings in California (Ross v. Ragingwire Telecom), Colorado (Coats v Dish Network), Oregon (Emerald Steel Fabricators v. Bureau of Labor and Industries), and Washington (Roe v. Teletech Customer Care Management LLC) have determined that state laws exempting marijuana consumers from criminal liability do not provide employees with civil protections in the workplace.


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