#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 23 Jun 2020 04:20:21 PST
Study: Prolonged Cannabis Treatment Associated with Reduced Migraine Frequency
Haifa, Israel: Patients who engage in cannabis inhalation for extended periods of time are likely to report reductions in migraine frequency, according to clinical data published in the journal Brain Sciences.
A team of Israeli researchers assessed the impact of prolonged cannabis use (median treatment duration = three years) on the frequency of monthly migraine attacks.
The majority of subjects (61 percent) in the cohort reported a greater than 50 percent reduction in monthly migraine attacks following the initiation of cannabis therapy. Those patients who responded favorably to cannabis treatment also reported reducing their anti-migraine medication intake, particularly their use of opioids and tryptamine-based drugs.
Authors concluded, “These findings indicate that MC results in long‐term reduction of migraine frequency in >60 percent of treated patients and is associated with less disability and lower anti-migraine medication intake.”
Prior research has reported that subjects who frequently suffer from migraines possess significantly lower levels of endogenous cannabinoids as compared to matched controls.
Full text of the study, “Migraine frequency decrease following prolonged medical cannabis treatment: A cross-sectional study,” appears in Brain Sciences. Additional information on cannabis and migraines appears online.
Nevada: Officials Approve Unconditional Pardons for Those with Low-Level Marijuana Convictions
Carson, City, NV: State officials on Wednesday moved to grant unconditional pardons to thousands of Nevadans with low-level marijuana convictions.
The move comes one week after Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak initially proposed the idea of issuing blanket pardons for persons convicted of minor marijuana possession offenses. Members of the Nevada Board of Pardons unanimously approved an amended version of the Governor’s resolution at their meeting this morning.
The move summarily pardons an estimated 15,000 people previously convicted of offenses involving the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis. According to the Board’s website, “An unconditional pardon removes all disabilities resulting from conviction,” including the restoration of gun ownership rights. However, “A pardon does not overturn a judgment of conviction, nor does it erase or obliterate the fact that one was once convicted of a crime.”
“Today is an historic day for those who were convicted of what has long been considered a trivial crime, and is now legal under Nevada law,” the Governor said in a press release. “Many Nevadans have had these minor offenses remain on their records, in some cases as a felony. This resolution aims to correct that and fully restore any rights lost as a result of these convictions.”
As per the resolution, the Secretary of the Nevada State Board of Pardons Commissioners will create an expedited process for those seeking pardon documents, which will be free of charge and available online. The Board’s actions do not include records sealing, which is outside the scope of the Pardons Board.
In recent months, Democratic Governors J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jay Inslee of Washington have both similarly moved to issue blanket pardons to thousands of residents with past cannabis convictions.
Separate legislation enacted in Nevada in 2019, Assembly Bill 192, permits those convicted of marijuana-specific activities which have since been decriminalized or legalized to submit a written request to the court to have those records sealed. Petitioners may not be charged a fee for submitting such a request, and any objections to the request must be filed within ten judicial days.
Cancer Patients Frequently Turning to Cannabis, But Many Oncology Specialists Still Reluctant to Recommend It
Royal Oak, MI: An estimated one in four cancer patients acknowledge using medical cannabis, according to survey data published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology. Nevertheless, most oncology health care providers remain reluctant to formally recommend cannabis therapy to their patients because they do not believe that they are sufficiently educated on the topic.
According to the survey, 24.5 percent of respondents attending an oncology office in Michigan said that they used medical cannabis. Of those, 81 percent said that it mitigated their pain, 77 percent said that it improved their appetite, and 73 percent said that it reduced their anxiety. Fifty-five percent said that cannabis “improved their ability to tolerate [cancer] treatment.”
However, separate survey data published in the journal Clinical Oncology reported that many oncology health care specialists remain unwilling to explicitly recommend cannabis therapy to their patients. Investigators reported that 84 percent of respondents “believed that they lacked sufficient knowledge about cannabis to make recommendations.” More than six in ten expressed concerns over their inability to recommend a specific cannabis dosing regimen to their patients.
The latter findings are consistent with those of several prior studies – such as those here, here, here, here, and here – indicating that health care professionals possess significant knowledge gaps with respect to the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis.
Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis in cancer patients: A survey of a community hematology oncology population,” appears in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology. Full text of the study, “Health care provider preferences for, and barriers to, cannabis use in cancer,” appears in Current Oncology.
Pennsylvania: Supreme Court Rules That Medical Cannabis Use Is Permissible While on Probation
Harrisburg, PA: Justices for the Supreme Court of the state of Pennsylvania have struck down a countywide policy that barred those on probation from accessing medical cannabis.
The ruling determined that the local (Lebanon County) ban was in conflict with the state’s medical marijuana access law, which states that Pennsylvanians registered with the program shall not be punished for their use cannabis.
Commenting on the ruling, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “This decision provides further validation that cannabis is medicine and that those Pennsylvanians who rely on it should not be treated any differently or be denied any rights under the law.”
Writing for the Court, Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor opined: “The MMA [Medical Marijuana Act] contains an immunity provision protecting patients from government sanctions. Per the statute, no such individual “shall be subject to arrest, prosecution or penalty in any manner, or denied any right or privilege, … solely for lawful use of medical marijuana … or for any other action taken in accordance with this act.” … Although ensuring strict adherence to the MMA by those possessing a valid medical marijuana card may be difficult, the alternative selected by the District of diluting the immunity afforded to probationer patients by the Act is simply not a viable option.”
Justices further rejected the argument that those on probation may be prohibited from accessing medical cannabis because the substance is categorized as a Schedule I controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act, finding: “The federal Controlled Substances Act does not (and could not) require states to enforce it. … In enacting the MMA, the Pennsylvania Legislature proceeded pursuant to its independent power to define state criminal law and promote the health and welfare of the citizenry. While the circumstances are certainly uneasy — since possession and use of medical marijuana remains a federal crime — we find that the District cannot require state level adherence to the federal prohibition, where the General Assembly has specifically undertaken to legalize the use of medical marijuana for enumerated therapeutic purposes.”
The case is Gass et al, v 52nd Judicial District, Lebanon County.
Study: IBS Patients with a History of Cannabis Use Have Fewer Hospitalization Costs
Chicago, IL: Cannabis use is associated with a decrease in inpatient healthcare utilization in subjects with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to data published in the journal Cureus.
A team of investigators affiliated with the Rush University Medical School and the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago assessed health care utilization and costs among hospitalized patients with IBS over a four-year period.
They reported that IBS patients with a history of cannabis use were less likely than non-users to undergo endoscopic procedures, averaged shorter lengths of stay, and averaged lower costs associated with their hospitalization.
“Our study is the first nationwide cohort study to evaluate the association between cannabis use and healthcare utilization in patients with IBS,” authors concluded. “Our study provides evidence to suggest that cannabis use may decrease healthcare utilization and costs among hospitalized patients with IBS. These findings are likely attributable to the effects of cannabis’ active compound, THC, on gastrointestinal motility and colonic compliance.”
Survey data of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis frequently report using cannabis therapeutically for symptom control.
Full text of the study, “Association between cannabis use and healthcare utilization in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A retrospective cohort study,” appears in Cureus. Additional information on cannabinoids and gastrointestinal disorders is available from NORML.
Case Report: Cannabis Use Stabilizes High Blood Pressure
Birmingham, United Kingdom: Cannabis use is associated with stabilizing blood pressure in a patient with autonomic dysreflexia (a syndrome characterized by the sudden onset of excessively high blood pressure), according to a case report published in The Annals of Internal Medicine.
A team of investigators from the United Kingdom and Canada assessed cannabis use and blood pressure stability in a 41-year-old man with spinal cord injury. The subject had been using cannabis intermittently for over a decade to self-manage his blood pressure.
Researchers calculated that the patient’s “BP stability was worse on days when he did not use cannabis and better on days when he did. We calculated that cannabis use reduced the frequency of autonomic dysreflexia by 80 percent and its severity by 36 percent.” They also reported that cannabis therapy mitigated the patient’s global pain intensity, spasm frequency, and spasm severity, as well as improving the patient’s sleep quality and overall well-being.
Authors concluded, “We believe that our findings document that cannabis use improved BP stability in this patient by reducing the intensity and frequency of the visceral stimuli, such as pain and spasms, that are known to trigger autonomic dysreflexia.”
Emerging research indicates that the endogenous cannabinoid system plays a role in regulating blood pressure. However, prior investigations assessing the impact of cannabinoids on hypertension and other cardiovascular effects have yielded inconsistent results.
Full text of the study, “Using cannabis to control blood pressure after spinal cord injury: A case report,” appears in The Annals of Internal Medicine. Additional information on cannabinoids and hypertension is available online.
Louisiana: Governor Signs Bills into Law Facilitating Expanded Cannabis Access for Patients
Baton Rouge, LA: Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a series of bills into law greatly expanding patients’ ability to access medical cannabis products.
Late last week, the Governor signed House Bill 819, which expands the discretion of physicians so that they can recommend cannabis therapy for “any condition” that they consider “debilitating to an individual patient and is qualified through his [or her] medical education and training to treat.” Under the current law, doctors may only recommend medical cannabis products to those patients with a limited number of select conditions, such as HIV and cancer.
The new law takes effect on August 1, 2020. At that time, Louisiana will join a handful of other states – including California, Maine, and Virginia – that have enacted similar measures providing physicians with the ability to recommend medical cannabis preparations to any patient who they believe may benefit from them.
The Governor also signed into law two additional measures, House Bill 418, which provides immunity from prosecution to “any facility that is licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health that has patients in its care using medical marijuana,” and House Bill 211, which encourages banks and other financial institutions to provide services to state-licensed medical cannabis businesses.
House Bills 418 and 211 also take effect on August 1, 2020.
State lawmakers enacted a limited medical cannabis access law in 2016. However, the program did not become operational until August of last year. Currently, fewer than 4,000 patients are registered to access medicinal cannabis products under the law.
Birmingham, United Kingdom: Cannabis use is associated with stabilizing blood pressure in a patient with autonomic dysreflexia (a syndrome characterized by the sudden onset of excessively high blood pressure), according to a case report published in The Annals of Internal Medicine.
A team of investigators from the United Kingdom and Canada assessed cannabis use and blood pressure stability in a 41-year-old man with spinal cord injury. The subject had been using cannabis intermittently for over a decade to self-manage his blood pressure.
Researchers calculated that the patient’s “BP stability was worse on days when he did not use cannabis and better on days when he did. We calculated that cannabis use reduced the frequency of autonomic dysreflexia by 80 percent and its severity by 36 percent.” They also reported that cannabis therapy mitigated the patient’s global pain intensity, spasm frequency, and spasm severity, as well as improving the patient’s sleep quality and overall well-being.
Authors concluded, “We believe that our findings document that cannabis use improved BP stability in this patient by reducing the intensity and frequency of the visceral stimuli, such as pain and spasms, that are known to trigger autonomic dysreflexia.”
Emerging research indicates that the endogenous cannabinoid system plays a role in regulating blood pressure. However, prior investigations assessing the impact of cannabinoids on hypertension and other cardiovascular effects have yielded inconsistent results.
Full text of the study, “Using cannabis to control blood pressure after spinal cord injury: A case report,” appears in The Annals of Internal Medicine. Additional information on cannabinoids and hypertension is available online.
