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Source: @norml @WeedConnection
Posted By: norml@weedconnection.com
media :: news
- Wed, 06 May 2020 04:20:21 PST

Study Suggests that Cannabis Access Reduces Opioid Demand Among Pain Patients

Baltimore, MD: Access to cannabis reduces pain patients' perceived demand for opioids, according to data published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

A team of investigators affiliated with the John Hopkins School of Medicine assessed whether or not cannabis availability would hypothetically influence pain patients' demand for prescription opioids. One hundred and fifty-five subjects with recent experience using both opioids and cannabis for pain management participated in the survey.

Authors reported, "[O]ur demand analyses suggests the availability of cannabis decreased opioid consumption (intensity) and increased the degree to which opioid consumption was influenced by opioid price (elasticity)."

They concluded, "These results suggest cannabis may confer an opioid-sparing effect in this population."

The authors findings are consistent with those of several other studies reporting that pain patients typically mitigate their use of prescription opioids after initiating medical cannabis therapy.

Full text of the study, "Evaluating the co-use of opioids and cannabis for pain among current users using hypothetical purchase tasks," appears in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.


New Jersey: Most Voters Support Passage of Statewide Marijuana Ballot Measure

West Long Branch, NJ: More than six in ten registered New Jersey voters say that they intend to vote for a statewide ballot measure this November to legalize the adult-use cannabis market, according to polling data compiled by Monmouth University.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said that they will vote for the measure, which amends the state Constitution to permit the possession, production, and retail sale of cannabis to those age 21 or older. Lawmakers in 2019 overwhelmingly voted to place the measure on the 2020 November ballot after similar legislation failed to gain majority support in the Senate.

The proposed ballot question reads: "Do you approve amending the Constitution to legalize a controlled form of marijuana called 'cannabis'? Only adults at least 21 years of age could use cannabis. The State commission created to oversee the State's medical cannabis program would also oversee the new, personal use cannabis market. Cannabis products would be subject to the State sales tax. If authorized by the Legislature, a municipality may pass a local ordinance to charge a local tax on cannabis products."

New Jersey is one of a limited number of states that will have marijuana-related questions appear on the November ballot. If the ballot measure is approved by voters, New Jersey will join eleven other states and Washington, DC in legalizing the adult marijuana use. All but two states have done so via voter initiative.

According to the poll, support for the ballot initiative was strongest among Democratic voters (74 percent) and Independents (64 percent). Only 40 percent of Republican voters said that they will back the initiative. Overall, 62 percent of respondents said that legalization will help the state's economy, and 64 percent said that the personal possession of small quantities of marijuana should no longer be a crime.


Clinical Trial: Orally Ingested CBD Not Converted to THC

Sao Paulo, Brazil: The oral ingestion of cannabidiol does not convert to THC following metabolization, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

A team of Brazilian researchers assessed plasma levels in 120 subjects following the oral ingestion of 300mg of CBD. They reported, "The results showed that THC was not detected in plasma after the administration of CBD, and those study participants did not present psychotomimetic effects."

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."

Numerous studies have identified the presence of THC in commercially-marketed CBD products, including those advertised as being THC-free. Most recently, German researchers similarly rejected the notion that CBD can be metabolized to THC. They concluded, "[T]he ... potential causative factors for side effects of CBD products … can be explained most probably by the presence of native THC as contaminant in the products rather than by direct action of CBD or its chemical transformation."

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.


Survey: Cannabis Often Used to Mitigate Symptoms of Anxiety, Insomnia, and Chronic Pain

San Francisco, CA: Adults who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes are most likely to report consuming it to address symptoms of anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, and depression, according to survey data published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco analyzed responses from a nationally represented online sample of adults.

Among those who acknowledged using cannabis for medical purposes, 49 percent reported doing so to treat anxiety. Forty-seven percent of respondents said that they used cannabis for insomnia, 42 percent said that they did so to treat chronic pain, and 39 percent said that cannabis eased their depression.

Respondents most preferred method of cannabis ingestion was inhalation.

Women, more frequently than men, reported using cannabis to address symptoms of post-traumatic stress, insomnia, anxiety, and migraines. Men were more likely to report using cannabis as a mood stabilizer.

Of those respondents who had disclosed their medical cannabis use to their primary care physician, nearly half said that their doctor was supportive of their decision.

The study's findings are consistent with prior data indicating that patients are most likely to report using medical cannabis in the treatment of either chronic pain or mental health symptoms.

Full text of the study, "Medical reasons for marijuana use, forms of use, and patient perception of physician attitudes among the US population," appears in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.


USDA Approves Additional States' Hemp Production Plans

Washington, DC: Officials with the United States Department of Agriculture are continuing to approve states' plans regulating domestic hemp production.

Under federal law, states wishing to license commercial hemp production must submit their plans for approval from the federal agency.

In recent weeks, the agency has approved plans submitted by regulators in Florida, Kansas, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Earlier this year, the agency signed off on plans in Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

Last October, the agency issued interim rules governing the commercial production of cannabis containing no more than 0.3 percent THC and products containing cannabinoids derived from hemp.

Additional information regarding state-specific hemp production laws is available from votehemp.org.


Survey: Voters Desire Greater Regulatory Oversight of Commercially Marketed CBD Products

Washington, DC: More than eight in ten US voters desire greater federal regulatory oversight over the labeling and marketing of commercially available CBD products, according to survey data compiled by the National Consumers League and provided by GQR Insights.

Respondents expressed support for holding manufacturers accountable if they mislabel their products or make inaccurate claims about their products' efficacy. Eighty-six percent of respondents supported having the US Food and Drug Administration "test and regulate CBD products."

Third-party testing of commercially available CBD products has determined that they typically possess lower percentages of cannabidiol than is advertised on the label. Many of these products have also been found to contain THC and other additive agents. A 2019 report compiled by the online watchdog group LegitScript.com found that the overwhelming majority of commercially available CBD products are marketed in a manner that is inconsistent with current FDA guidelines.

Survey data compiled last year by the Grocery Manufacturers Association reported that three out of four Americans falsely believed that the FDA already regulates commercially available CBD products. In fact, the agency has yet to issue any guidance regarding regulatory pathways for these products. Most recently, FDA representatives reaffirmed to Congress, "It is not currently lawful to add CBD to human or animal food, ... [and] CBD products cannot be lawfully sold as dietary supplements."


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