#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 23 Mar 2021 04:20:21 PST
Study: Cannabis Use Correlated with Increased Exercise
Miami, FL: Adults with a history of cannabis use report exercising at rates equal to or higher than those with no history of marijuana consumption, according to data published in the journal Preventive Medicine.
Investigators affiliated with the University of Miami and the Brookings Institution assessed the relationship between cannabis consumption and exercise frequency in a nationally representative cohort of over 12,000 subjects. Researchers identified a positive association between those who reported having used cannabis within the last 30 days and heightened physical activity.
"Marijuana users are equal to or more likely to exercise than non-users," authors reported. They further acknowledged that "the commonly held perception that marijuana users are largely sedentary is not supported by these data on young and middle-aged adults."
Authors concluded, "As additional states legalize the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, perhaps its impact on exercise, one of the leading social determinants of health, is not necessarily a primary concern."
Prior studies assessing marijuana use and exercise frequency have reported similar results, including in older populations. Observational data has similarly identified an association between cannabis use frequency and reduced BMI and lower rates of obesity.
Full text of the study, "The relationships between marijuana use and exercise among young and middle-aged adults," appears in Preventive Medicine.
Canada: No Significant Change in Youth Marijuana Use Following Adult-Use Legalization
Waterloo, Canada: Marijuana consumption trends among Canadian youth have remained largely unchanged following the enactment of adult-use legalization, according to data published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports.
A team of researchers affiliated with the University of Waterloo School of Public Health assessed cannabis use trends in a cohort of over 100,000 high-school students in the years immediately prior to and following legalization.
They reported that pre-legalization trends have remained consistent. In the years immediately prior to legalization, researchers had identified an uptick in "occasional but not regular use" of cannabis. Between 2005 and 2015, youth marijuana use declined.
Authors concluded: "In the longitudinal sample, no significant differences in trends of cannabis use over time were found between cohorts for any of the three use frequency metrics. Therefore, it appears that cannabis legalization has not yet been followed by pronounced changes on youth cannabis use."
Analyses from the United States have similarly failed to show any uptick in young people's use of cannabis following the enactment of state-specific legalization laws.
Full text of the study, "Trends in youth cannabis use across cannabis legalization: Data from the COMPASS prospective cohort study," appears in Preventive Medicine Reports. Additional information regarding legalization and youth use patterns is available from the NORML fact sheet, "Marijuana Regulation and Teen Use Rates."
Senate Confirms Merrick Garland to be US Attorney General
Washington, DC: Members of the United States Senate voted 70 to 30 last week confirming the nomination of Merrick Garland for the position of US Attorney General.
In his testimony to Senators, Garland acknowledged that the Justice Department, under his direction, would be unlikely to interfere in states where cannabis is legal -- a policy first outlined by the Obama administration, but later rescinded in 2018 by former AG Jeff Sessions.
He stated, "It does not seem to me [to be a ] useful use of [the] limited resources that we have to be pursuing prosecutions in states that have legalized and are regulating the use of marijuana, either medically or otherwise."
He added: "Criminalizing the use of marijuana has contributed to mass incarceration and racial disparities in our criminal justice system and has made it difficult for millions of Americans to find employment due to criminal records for nonviolent offenses. ... It is important to focus our attention on violent crimes and other crimes that greatly endanger our society, and prosecutions for simple marijuana possession are not an effective use of limited resources."
Under federal law, the US Attorney General can also weigh in on the federal scheduling of controlled substances though, in practice, this authority has largely been deferred to the US Drug Enforcement Administration and to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Survey: People Most Likely to Report Using CBD Products to Mitigate Anxiety, Improve Sleep
London, United Kingdom: Respondents are most likely to report using CBD products to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, as well as to improve their quality of sleep, according to international survey data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
A team of investigators from the United Kingdom and Denmark conducted an online survey of 387 subjects experienced with the use of CBD. Participants in the survey resided primarily in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the United States.
Subjects were most likely to report ingesting CBD for the following purposes: to mitigate anxiety (43 percent), to improve sleep (43 percent), to reduce stress (37 percent), and for purposes of "general health and well-being" (37 percent).
Subjects' reported motivations for consuming CBD were consistent with those of prior surveys, such as those here and here.
Seventy percent of those surveyed reported having only initiated the use of CBD within the past 12 months. Few side effects were reported.
Authors concluded: "CBD is used for a wide range of physical and mental health symptoms and improved general health and well-being. A majority of the sample surveyed in this study found that CBD helped their symptoms, and they often used doses below 50 mg. Out of the four most common symptoms, three were related to mental health. Self-perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep problems constitute some of society's biggest health problems, but we lack adequate treatment options. Further research is needed into whether CBD can efficiently and safely help treat these symptoms."
Full text of the study, "Reasons for cannabidiol use: A cross-sectional study of CBD users, focusing on self-perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep problems," appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research
Case Reports: Cannabis Inhalation Reduces Symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Ariel, Israel: Cannabis inhalation is associated with symptom relief and improved quality of life in subjects with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), according to a summary of four case reports published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
A pair of researchers affiliated with Ariel University and Shamir Hospital in Israel evaluated the use of cannabis in four women with HG. The subjects were evaluated both before and following their use of cannabis.
All four subjects experienced "highly significant improvements" in their symptoms, including relief from nausea and vomiting, as well as a reversal of weight loss. Cannabis inhalation was also associated with a "significant increase" in subjects' quality of life scores. Authors reported that the maternal use of cannabis did not appear to adversely impact either pre-natal or post-natal development, though they cautioned that "no formal testing" was performed post-child birth.
Investigators concluded, "While more research is needed before cannabis can be considered for use in HG, this report suggests that cannabis should be tested in appropriately-powered control trials for this severe and protracted maternal condition, addressing both maternal effect and potential adverse fetal effects."
Full text of the study, "The use of cannabis for hyperemesis gravidarum," appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Study: No Evidence that Oral CBD Converts to THC in Human Subjects
Sao Paulo, Brazil: Subjects who ingest oral formulations containing 300mg of CBD do not test positive later for the presence of THC in their blood plasma, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
A team of Brazilian researchers assessed whether CBD interconverts to either delta-8 or delta-9 THC following human ingestion in a group of 120 participants. Authors reported no evidence of any bioconversion of CBD in test subjects, regardless of whether they ingested CBD on either full or empty stomachs.
They concluded: "The findings presented here are consonant with previous evidence suggesting that the oral administration of CBD in a corn oil formulation is a safe route for the administration of the active substance without bioconversion to THC in humans under different conditions (fasting and normal feeding). The results also add to the knowledge built over 40 years of research that CBD-based therapies are safe and well tolerated in humans."
The study's findings should negate concerns that the use of purified forms of CBD could potentially lead to a positive drug test result for cannabis. Although such incidents have been reported anecdotally, they are most likely due to the fact that many CBD products also contain detectable levels of THC.
Full text of the study, "Oral cannabidiol does not convert to delta-8-THC or delta-9-THC in humans: A Pharmacokinetic study in healthy subjects," appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
