#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:20:21 PST
Psychoactive Adulterants Identified In Some Liquid CBD Products
Richmond, VA: Liquid formulations of CBD available on the commercial market have been identified to contain synthetic cannabinoids and other psychoactive constituents, according to a scientific analysis published in the journal Forensic Science International.
A team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University evaluated the content of nine commercially available CBD e-liquid products obtained from a single manufacturer, Diamond CBD. The products were advertised as being "100 percent natural CBD extracts."
In addition to containing CBD, two of the nine products also contained THC. Four products contained the synthetic cannabinoid agonist 5F-ADB, a schedule I controlled substance that has also been identified in 'Spice' and other so-called herbal cannabis products. One product contained dextromethorphan (DXM), a cough suppressant.
Authors reported: "The addition of 5F-ADB and DXM compounds to the CBD products may lead to unexpected psychoactive effects. Uninformed users may mistakenly associate these effects with CBD. The inclusion of these drugs in e-liquids can lead to dangerous consequences; particularly when the users are unaware, and the product are used for therapeutic reasons."
They concluded: "There was no indication on the website, box or labeled e-liquid containers to indicate that these products contained any psychoactive substance other than CBD. The analysis of these products illustrates the potential quality control issues that can occur in an unregulated industry. CBD products are believed by many users to offer health benefits, but the detection of a dangerous cannabimimetic, 5F-ADB, and DXM in the analyzed products illustrates the need for oversight of CBD products."
Other studies, such as those here and here, have previously reported that commercially available CBD-infused products are often mislabeled – frequently containing far lower percentages of CBD than advertised on the label. Many of these products also contain THC despite being advertised as THC-free. Analytical testing of CBD products by the US Food and Drug Administration has yielded similar findings.
Despite the abundance of these commercial products, the US Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal agencies contend that CBD is a schedule I controlled substance.
Full text of the study, "The unexpected identification of the cannabimimetic, 5F-ADB, and dextromethorphan in commercially available cannabidiol e-liquids," appears in Forensic Science International.
Missouri: Voter Initiated Medical Cannabis Law Takes Effect
Springfield, MO: Amendment 2, the state's voter-initiated medical cannabis access law, took effect on Thursday, December 6th. Sixty-six percent of voters approved the measure in November, while rejecting a pair of competing initiatives.
State regulators have 180 days from the law's enactment date to make available application forms to patients seeking to register to grow and/or possess medical cannabis.
Under the program, physicians may recommend cannabis therapy at his/her discretion. Qualified patients may obtain cannabis from licensed dispensaries or grow their own. Retail cannabis sales will be taxed at four percent. Tax revenues are earmarked to fund programs to assist state veterans.
Study: Medical Cannabis Associated With Reduced Opioid Intake In Pain Patients
Roswell, NM: The use of medical cannabis for a period of one-month or more is associated with reduced opioid intake in patients with cancer and/or rheumatic pain conditions, according to clinical data published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A team of investigators from the Kymera Independent Physicians medical group in New Mexico assessed the relationship between the use of medical cannabis and opioids in a cohort of 133 patients.
The addition of medical cannabis was associated with pain score improvements in 80 percent of patients with cancer and in 75 percent of non-cancer patients. Cannabis therapy was associated with opioid dosing reductions in 41 percent of the cohort.
The study's conclusions are consistent with those of several prior papers reporting that patients enrolled in medical marijuana access programs typically reduce their use of opiate pain medicines.
Full text of the study, "Opioid dose reduction and pain control with medical cannabis," appears in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. NORML's fact-sheet, "Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids," is online.
Home Prices Spike Following Opening Of Marijuana Retailers
Fort Collins, CO: The opening of marijuana retailers is positively associated with rising neighborhood home values, according to data published in the journal Contemporary Economic Policy.
Colorado State University researchers assessed the impact of dispensary openings in Denver on home prices in the immediate vicinity. They reported: "[A] new dispensary opening increases house prices by 7.7 percent for houses within a 0.25-mile radius of a dispensary relative to a control group. For houses within a 0.25 – 0.5-mile radius, the effect is slightly lower at around five percent. … The treatment effect is also larger, around ten percent, for homes with no preexisting dispensaries nearby."
Dispensaries had no effect on housing prices for properties located more than one-half mile away.
"Our results, combined with previous estimates in the literature provide a comprehensive analysis of the effect of marijuana dispensing on housing prices," authors concluded. "Our findings suggest that legalization and dispensary openings create localized net benefits."
The study's findings are consistent with those of other papers, such as those here and here, which similarly report a rise in home values in neighborhoods in close proximity to marijuana-related businesses.
Full text of the study, "The effect of marijuana dispensary openings on housing prices," appears in Contemporary Economic Policy. NORML's fact-sheet, "Societal Impacts of Cannabis Dispensaries/Retailers," is online.
Study: Medical Cannabis Use Associated With Decreased Hospital Admissions Among Patients With Sickle Cell Disease
New Haven, CT: Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients who utilize medicinal cannabis require fewer hospitalizations as compared to SCD patients who refrain from the substance, according to clinical data published in the journal Blood.
Investigators from Yale University in Connecticut and from the Sackler School of Medicine in Israel compared rates of hospital admissions over a six-month period in a cohort of SCD patients. Authors reported no differences in patients' hospital admission rates prior to their use of medical cannabis, but reported a decrease in admissions among those who elected to use medical cannabis over the following months as compared to controls.
"We suggest that MM (medical marijuana) allowed patients to improve their pain relief and thereby reduce admission rates," authors concluded.
While the use of medical cannabis is relatively common among patients with SCD, it has yet to be clinically evaluated for efficacy in those with the disease.
Full text of the study, "Medical marijuana for sickle cell disease: Results of two years of certification in an adult sickle cell center," appears in Blood.
