#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Wed, 03 Feb 2016 04:20:21 PST
Study: Vaporizers Deliver Safe, Reliable Doses Of Cannabinoids
Bern, Switzerland: Electronically powered vaporizers deliver cannabinoids in a relatively safe and reliable manner, according to data published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Swiss investigators evaluated the ability of various types of vaporizer technologies to safely and effectively release THC and CBD (cannabidiol) in vapor. Researchers reported that electronically driven devices, which allow for precise temperature control, provided relatively safe and uniform dosing. By contrast, gas-powered devices performed in a more unreliable manner and "cannot be recommended for therapeutic purposes."
Authors concluded, "[T]he four electrically-driven and temperature-controlled vaporizers investigated in this study efficiently decarboxylate acidic cannabinoids and release reliably the corresponding neutral cannabinoids into the vapor. Therefore, they can be considered as a promising application mode for the safe and efficient administration of medicinal cannabis and cannabinoids."
Vaporizer technology heats herbal marijuana to a point where cannabinoid vapors form, but below the point of combustion. In clinical trials, investigators have concluded that vaporization "does not result in exposure to combustion gases" and produces higher plasma concentrations of THC compared to smoked cannabis.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Medicinal Cannabis: In vitro validation of vaporizers for the smoke-free inhalation of cannabis," appears online in PLOS ONE.
Poll: Maryland Voters Support Regulating Marijuana Like Alcohol
Annapolis, MD: A majority of registered Maryland voters believe that cannabis use should be legally regulated in a manner similar to alcohol, according to statewide polling data provided by Gonzalez Research & Marketing Strategies and commission by the Marijuana Policy Project.
Fifty-three percent of respondents said that they favor a change in state law "to allow marijuana to be regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol, for legal use by adults 21 years of age and older." Forty-three percent of those surveyed opposed legalization.
Similar levels of support for regulating the adult use of cannabis have previously been reported in a number of other state and national surveys.
In 2014, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed legislation into law decriminalizing marijuana possession offenses involving ten grams or less. Last week, lawmakers overrode a 2015 veto to enact legislation decriminalizing the possession of marijuana-related paraphernalia.
Study: Medical Cannabis Registrants Often Over 50 Years Of Age
Baltimore, MD: Patients who are registered to use medicinal cannabis in compliance with state law are often over the age of 40, according to a demographic assessment published online ahead of print in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
An investigator with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health assessed age demographics for medical marijuana participants in eight states with mandatory patient registries. "Among adults, medical marijuana participants tend to be in their 40s and 50s," the study found. "In several states, individuals in their 50s represented the largest age group of participants."
For example, more than 50 percent of cannabis patients in Alaska are 50 years or older. In Nevada, 58 percent of patients are over 45. In Vermont, just under half of all registrants are over 55 years of age. In Oregon, 44 percent of patients are over the age of 50.
By contrast, less than one percent of medical marijuana registrants are minors, the report found.
The findings conflict with the claims of critics who have argued that most medical cannabis patients are individuals in their late 20s or early 30s.
Nationwide, an estimated 650,000 Americans are now using cannabis in compliance with the laws of their state, the study concludes.
Full text of the study, "Trends in registered medical marijuana participation across 13 US states and District of Columbia," appears in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Study: THC Inhibits Weight Gain
Calgary, Canada: 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 of recent population-based observational studies concluding that a history of marijuana consumption is associated with lower obesity rates and lower obesity-related costs.
Specifically, a 2011 review of over 50,000 US citizens age 18 or older concluded, "[T]he prevalence of obesity is lower in cannabis users than in nonusers." Writing last year in the journal Obesity, Canadian researchers also determined that subjects who consumed cannabis in the past year were more likely to possess a lower body mass index, lower fasting insulin, and lower HOMA-IR (insulin resistance) as compared to those who did not use the substance.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Prevention of diet-induced obesity effects on body weight and gut microbiota in mice treated chronically with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol," appears online in PLOS ONE.
