#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 29 Jun 2021 04:20:21 PST
Multiple Adult-Use Legalization Laws to Take Effect Next Week
Hartford, CT: Laws legalizing the possession and use of cannabis by adults ages 21 or older take effect next week in Connecticut, New Mexico, and Virginia. Once enacted, an estimated 145 million Americans - or more than 40 percent of the country - will live in a jurisdiction where the use of cannabis by adults is legal under state law.
"Legalization is now a reality for nearly one-half of the US population," NORML's Executive Director Erik Altieri said. "As more jurisdictions continue to enact these common-sense regulatory policies, it is imperative that Congress quits stalling and amends federal law in a manner that addresses this state/federal divide and respects the will of the voters in these growing number of states."
New Mexico's legalization law takes effect on Tuesday, June 29. Under the new law, which was passed by lawmakers in a special legislative session in April, adults may possess (up to two ounces) and grow marijuana (up to six plants) for their own personal use. Retail sales of cannabis and cannabis products are anticipated to begin in the spring of 2022. Separate legislation facilitating the expungement of past marijuana convictions also takes effect on Tuesday.
Connecticut's legalization law takes effect on Thursday, July 1. Lawmakers passed the measure in a special session this month. It permits adults to possess personal use quantities of marijuana (1.5 ounces) and equivalent amounts of cannabis concentrates without penalty. It also facilitates the automatic review and expungement of low-level marijuana convictions. Other provisions in the law licensing the commercial cultivation and retail sale of cannabis go into effect next year, while language authorizing adults to home cultivate limited quantities of cannabis does not take effect until 2023.
Virginia's legalization law also takes effect on July 1, 2021. Legislators approved the measure in April. Under the law, adults may legally possess (up to one ounce) and home cultivate (up to four plants per household) marijuana without penalty. Separate provisions in the law regulating the commercial production and retail sale of cannabis do not take effect until January 1, 2024.
In all, five states - Connecticut, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Virginia - have passed legislation this year legalizing the adult use of cannabis. New Jersey's law, which permits adults to possess up to six ounces of cannabis, took effect in February. New York's legalization law, which allows adults to possess up to three ounces of cannabis, took effect in March. Both states are expected to begin licensing retailers to sell cannabis and cannabis products next year.
In November, 54 percent of South Dakota voters passed a statewide ballot measure legalizing the possession and use of marijuana by adults. That measure was supposed to go into effect on July 1, but it remains the subject of ongoing litigation. A separate South Dakota initiative, also passed by voters in November, establishing a state-run medical cannabis access program, also takes effect on July 1, but remains several months away from being operational.
Study: Most Patients Report Symptom Improvements Following Short-Term Use of Medical Cannabis
Vancouver, Canada: Patients with recurrent pain, post-traumatic stress, and sleep disorders typically report improvements in their conditions following the initiation of medical cannabis therapy, according to data published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.
A team of researchers from Canada and Italy assessed the safety and efficacy of cannabis in a cohort of 214 Canadian patients authorized under the law to use marijuana products. Investigators assessed patients' symptoms and quality of life prior to using medical cannabis and six weeks after initiating treatment. The majority of patients participating in the study were over 50 years of age.
Among patients suffering from chronic pain conditions, 76 percent reported improvements in their symptoms after six weeks. Patients with post-traumatic stress also reported significant improvements in their quality of life following the short-term use of medical cannabis. Subjects primarily diagnosed with sleep disorders also reported marked improvements in their symptoms.
Patients with arthritis and/or other rheumatic disorders reported reduced pain, but they did not report overall improvements in their conditions. Patients with anxiety reported improvements in their quality of life, but they failed to report any significant changes in their anxiety levels.
The most frequently reported side-effects associated with medical cannabis were dry mouth (22 percent) and sleepiness (15 percent).
Authors concluded: "Aligning with previously published studies, we report that over 60 percent of the medical cannabis cohort reported improvements in their medical conditions. ... Overall, we have provided new real-world evidence to support the use of medical cannabis in a number of different medical conditions as a means to immediately provide the scientific evidence healthcare practitioners routinely state they require and to inform the future clinical studies needed to generate efficacy and safety data that will ultimately support the drafting of future regulatory guidelines surrounding medical cannabis use."
Full text of the study, "Evaluation of patient reported safety and efficacy of cannabis from a survey of medical cannabis patients in Canada," appears in Frontiers in Public Health.
Clinical Trial: Low Dose of Synthetic THC Augments Analgesic Efficacy of Opioids
Baltimore, MD: The co-administration of low doses (2.5mgs) of dronabinol (FDA-approved synthetic THC) augments the pain-relieving properties of opioids compared to placebo, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
A team of researchers affiliated with Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine assessed the co-administration of dronabinol and hydromorphone (a/k/a Dilaudid) on measurements of sensory-induced pain in a cohort of 29 healthy adults. Subjects received varying doses (2.5mg, 5mg, or 10mg) of either dronabinol or placebo in addition to 4mg of hydromorphone.
Investigators reported that the co-administration of 2.5mgs of dronabinol augmented the pain-relieving effects of hydromorphone whereas doses of 10mg of dronabinol was associated with increased perceptions of pain among some subjects.
Authors concluded: "These data suggest that dronabinol may enhance the analgesic effects of a low dose of hydromorphone, indicative of possible opioid-sparing effects, but that this effect only occurs within a narrow dose range beyond which hyperalgesia, increased risk for AEs [adverse events], and abuse liability are more likely to occur."
A pair of prior clinical trials have previously documented that the co-administration of cannabis augments the analgesic effects of opioids, even when administered at subclinical doses. Dozens of longitudinal studies of various patient populations show that subjects typically reduce or altogether eliminate their use of opioids following the initiation of medical cannabis therapy.
Full text of the study, "Within-subject, double-blinded, randomized, and placebo-controlled evaluation of the combined effects of the cannabinoid dronabinol and the opioid hydromorphone in a human laboratory model," appears in Neuropsychopharmacology.
Florida: Supreme Court Strikes Down Second Proposed Legalization Ballot Measure
Tallahassee, FL: For the second time in the span of two months, Florida Supreme Court justices have thrown out a citizens-initiated ballot initiative that sought to legalize the adult use of marijuana.
In both instances, a majority of the court determined that proposed ballot language was misleading. Florida's Attorney General's office had petitioned the Court to preemptively review both initiatives and had filed legal briefs opposing them.
In May, justices invalidated a proposed initiative because it did not specify in its summary that marijuana possession would continue to be a federal offense even if voters legalized it in the state of Florida. Proponents of the ballot measure had gathered over one-half million signatures in favor of the proposal prior to the Court's ruling.
This month, justices struck down a separate ballot proposal. In this case, the court took issue with language in the proposal's summary acknowledging that the initiative provides for the "limited use" of marijuana. Justices determined that this language was misleading because the full text of the initiative failed to provide for explicit limits on the "use" of marijuana.
An estimated six-in-ten Florida voters support legalizing cannabis for adults, according to polling data compiled earlier this year.
CBD Administration Mitigates Cocaine Dependency in Animals
Valencia, Spain: CBD administration is associated with behavioral changes in mice that are associated with reductions in drug-seeking behavior, according to preclinical data published in the journal Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry.
A team of Spanish investigators assessed the potential of CBD to modify behaviors in mice co-administered cocaine. Researchers determined, "Our data suggest that CBD can prevent the development of cocaine addiction, and, when administered during cocaine abstinence, may be of help in avoiding relapse to drug-seeking and in ameliorating the memory disturbances provoked by chronic consumption of cocaine."
Human trials assessing the use of either cannabis or cannabinoids in cocaine-dependent subjects have yielded inconsistent results. A pair of longitudinal trials from Brazil and Canada reported that the use of cannabis was associated with the decreased use of crack cocaine in dependent subjects. By contrast, a more recent study - published earlier this year in the journal Addiction - reported that the daily administration of CBD failed to reduce cocaine cravings any better than placebo in subjects with a history of moderate to severe cocaine abuse.
Other human studies have reported associations between CBD intake and reduced cravings for various other substances, including alcohol, heroin, tobacco, and cannabis.
Full text of the study, "Cannabidiol prevents several of the behavioral alterations related to cocaine addiction in mice," appears in Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry.
