#NORML #News Source: @norml @WeedConnection Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com media :: news - Tue, 09 May 2017 04:20:21 PST
Study: Marijuana Use Linked To Lower Prevalence Of Fatty Liver Disease
Lowell, MA: Subjects who consume cannabis are significantly less likely to suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as compared to those who do not, according to population-based case-control data published in the journal PLOS One. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent form of liver disease in humans, affecting an estimated 80 to 100 million people in the United States.
A team of researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and John Hopkins University in Baltimore assessed the relationship between cannabis use and NAFLD in a nationally representative cohort of 5.9 million hospitalized patients ages 18 or older.
Authors reported that the prevalence of NAFLD was 15 percent lower in occasional marijuana users than it was in non-users. More habitual cannabis consumers were 52 percent less likely to be diagnosed with the disease as compared to abstainers.
Researchers concluded, "We observed a strong dose-dependent reduction in the prevalence of NAFLD with cannabis use suggesting that cannabis use might suppress or reverse NAFLD development."
Separate case-control studies have previously reported an inverse association between cannabis use and obesity and adult onset diabetes, both of which are risk factors for NAFLD.
Full text of the study, "Cannabis use is associated with reduced prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A cross-sectional study," appears in PLOS One.
Study: Cannabis Use Associated With Decreased Crack Cocaine Consumption
Vancouver, British Columbia: Cannabis consumption is positively associated with the decreased use of crack cocaine, according to longitudinal data published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
Canadian investigators assessed the use patterns of cannabis and crack cocaine in a cohort of 122 subjects over a three-year period. They reported that participants subsequently reduced their frequency of crack cocaine consumption following the intentional use of cannabis.
They concluded: "In this longitudinal study, we observed that a period of self-reported intentional use of cannabis ... was associated with subsequent periods of reduced use of crack [cocaine]. ... Given the substantial global burden of morbidity and mortality attributable to crack cocaine use disorders alongside a lack of effective pharmacotherapies, we echo calls for rigorous experimental research on cannabinoids as a potential treatment for crack cocaine use disorders."
The findings replicate those of a smaller Brazilian study reporting that the therapeutic use of cannabis reduced crack cocaine cravings and use patterns in drug dependent subjects.
Separate studies have similarly reported that the use of opioids and rates of opioid-related mortality falls in jurisdictions where marijuana access is legal. Nationwide data also reports a decline in adults' overall use of cocaine at the same time that adults' use of marijuana has risen.
Full text of the study, "Intentional cannabis use to reduce crack cocaine use in a Canadian setting: A longitudinal analysis," appears in Addictive Behaviors.
National District Attorneys Association Calls For Federal Anti-Marijuana Crackdown
Arlington, VA: The National District Attorneys Association is calling for the federal government to strictly enforce anti-cannabis laws in states that have regulated its production and distribution for either medical or recreational purposes.
In a new white paper, the group recommends that the Trump administration set aside the 2013 Cole memorandum directing US Attorneys not to interfere with state legalization efforts and those licensed to engage in the plant's tightly regulated production and sale.
"To maintain respect for the rule of law, it is essential that federal drug enforcement policy regarding the manufacture, importation, possession, use and distribution of marijuana be applied consistently across the nation," the NDAA paper concludes.
The National District Attorneys Association is the largest and oldest prosecutor organization in the country.
Colorado: Patients May Access Medical Cannabis While On Bond
Denver, CO: Governor John Hickenlooper has signed legislation into law permitting registered patients to access medical cannabis while on bond in a criminal case.
Senate Bill 17 states, "[T]he court shall not require as a condition of any bond that [a] person ... with a valid registry identification card ... abstain from the use of medical marijuana."
Existing law permits qualified patients to engage in cannabis therapy while on probation, but only in circumstances where a judge does not object to it.
The new law takes effect on August 9, 2017.
Indiana: Governor Signs CBD Exemption Measure
Indianapolis, IN: Governor Erin Holcolm has signed legislation, HB 1148, exempting qualified patients from criminal penalties for the physician-authorized use of cannabinol (CBD) extracts.
The measure permits patients registered with the state to possess cannabidiol extract preparations that possess at least ten percent CBD and no more than 0.3 percent THC.
The law neither provides for an in-state supply source for CBD, nor does it establish a regulated distribution system for CBD-specific products.
Sixteen states have enacted similar laws explicitly recognizing cannabidiol as a legislative therapeutic agent.
