Availability of Low-THC Cannabis Products Associated with Reduced Use of Prescription Anxiolytics, Sedatives
Catanzaro, Italy: The availability of low-THC, high-CBD cannabis products in Italy is associated with a reduction in the use of prescription drugs, according to data published in the Journal of Health Economics.
A team of international investigators from France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands assessed the relationship between adults' access to low-THC (below 0.6 percent THC) cannabis and prescription drug sales in 106 Italian provinces over a two-year period.
They reported, "[L]ocal availability of light cannabis [low-THC, CBD-based products] led to a significant decrease in the number of dispensed boxes of anxiolytics by approximately 11.5 percent, a reduction of dispensed sedatives by 10 percent and a reduction of dispensed anti-psychotics by 4.8 percent."
Researchers also identified less significant reductions in the use of anti-epileptic medications, anti-depressants, opioids, and migraine drugs.
They concluded: "[T]his [data] represents the first-ever evidence from Europe on the substitution effects induced by a compound of cannabis, CBD. As the product is increasingly available in other .... Countries, our results provide relevant implications for policymakers."
Full text of the study, "Do-It-Yourself medicine? The impact of light cannabis liberalization on prescription drugs," appears in the Journal of Health Economics.
Study: Cannabis Use Associated with Positive Effects on Sleep Duration in Older Adults
San Diego, CA: The daily use of cannabis by older adults is associated with improved sleep duration, according to data published in the journal Cannabis.
Researchers with the University of California at San Diego assessed the relationship between daily cannabis use and sleep quality over a 14-day period in a cohort of older adults (ages 50 to 70) with and without HIV. Participants wore actigraphy watches during the study period to objectively assess their quality of sleep.
Authors reported that cannabis use was associated with, on average, some 30 minutes of increased sleep time per evening.
They concluded: "In our small sample, findings showed cannabis use was associated with longer sleep duration. ... [F]uture studies with larger sample sizes that assess cannabis use in more detail are needed to further understand this relationship."
Full text of the study, "Cannabis use is associated with greater total sleep time in middle-aged adults with and without HIV: A preliminary report utilizing digital health technologies," appears in Cannabis.
NORML Slams Proposed Changes to Federal Drug Testing Rules to Permit Hair Follicle Analysis
Washington, DC: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed amending workplace drug testing guidelines to permit federal employers to analyze employees' hair for the presence of illicit drug use.
The proposed rule change, posted in the Federal Register on September 10, seeks to allow federal agencies to collect and test hair specimens as part of pre-employment and/or random drug screenings.
NORML's Deputy Director Paul Armentano strongly criticized the proposal. He emphasized that hair testing technology may yield disparate results from person to person based on hair color, skin color, and several other variables - such as exposure to high humidity or second-hand environmental exposure.
He said: "It is mind-boggling that the federal government is revisiting this half-baked plan now. Given the heightened awareness surrounding the need for social and racial equity, the idea of proposing a testing procedure that will deny more people of color opportunities than it would others who have engaged in exactly the same behaviors is beyond tone deaf and counterproductive."
Hair follicle testing is well established to possesses limited probative value, which is why it has never gained a particularly strong foothold in the general workplace. Federal authorities have also rejected the inclusion of hair follicle testing in the federal workplace drug testing guidelines on multiple occasions dating back decades. The newly proposed rules explicitly recognize the technology's many limitations, acknowledging that "a positive hair test alone, without corroborating evidence, may be vulnerable to legal challenge."
If the plan is adopted, HHS estimates that hair follicle testing will be some eight-times more expensive than traditional urinalysis, and that it will likely only be utilized in "approximately one percent of the 275,000 specimens tested per year."
The federal Register is accepting public comments on the proposed plan until November 9, 2020. Written comments may be submitted online.
Survey: Many Patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Acknowledge Using Cannabis for Pain Management
Aurora, CO: Over one-third of patients diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) acknowledge having used cannabis for symptom management, according to data published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. EDS is a debilitating connective tissue disorder that results in joint pain and hypermobility.
A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Colorado, School of Medicine surveyed over 500 patients with the disease. Four hundred and eight-six respondents completed the survey.
Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported having used cannabis therapeutically. Cannabis use was more prevalent among patients who reported experiencing either moderate or severe pain. Of all of the traditional and complementary therapies used by respondents, "marijuana was self-rated as most effective."
Although EDS is listed as a qualifying condition for medical cannabis therapy in a handful of states - including Connecticut, Illinois, and New Hampshire - there exists little clinical data assessing its safety and efficacy for patients with the disease.
Full text of the study, "Use of complementary therapies for chronic pain management in patients with reported Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or hypermobility spectrum disorders," appears in American Journal of Medical Genetics.
Nebraska: Supreme Court Invalidates 2020 Medical Marijuana Initiative
Omaha, NE: A statewide initiative that sought to regulate the production and dispensing of medical marijuana to qualified patients will not appear on the November ballot, following a state Supreme Court ruling.
The Nebraska Supreme Court issued an opinion late last week finding that the initiative's language violated the state's single subject rule requirement. The 5 to 2 ruling followed a last-minute legal challenge by a local sheriff that was filed only after the Secretary of State had determined that proponents had met qualifications to place the issue on the November ballot. The Secretary of State had previously rejected the petitioner's legal argument, but that decision was appealed to the Supreme Court.
The majority of justices opined, "As proposed, the NMCCA [Nebraska Medical Cannabis Constitutional Amendment] contains more than one subject-by our count, it contains at least eight subjects. In addition to enshrining in our constitution a right of certain persons to produce and medicinally use cannabis under subsections (1) and (2), in subsections (3) and (4), the NMCCA would enshrine a right and immunity for entities to grow and sell cannabis; and in subsections (6), (7), and (8), it would regulate the role of cannabis in at least six areas of public life. These secondary purposes are not naturally and necessarily connected to the NMCCA's primary purpose. As such, they constitute logrolling... The decision of the Secretary of State is reversed. We issue a writ of mandamus directing him to withhold the NMCCA from the November 2020 general election ballot."
In response to the ruling, Initiative proponents Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana said: "[T]his fight is not over. Nothing changes the fact that an overwhelming majority of Nebraskans stand with the patients and families who deserve compassion and safe access to medical cannabis. We will be regrouping and updating you all soon with plans for our next steps."
Commenting on the court's decision, NORML State Policies Coordinator Carly Wolf said, "It's extremely disappointing that Nebraskans with debilitating conditions will continue to be denied access to a therapeutic treatment that could provide significant benefits. An overwhelming majority of Nebraskans support this policy change, which I hope will propel state lawmakers to take action next year and approve legislation to reform Nebraska's outdated and unjust marijuana policies."
Voters in Mississippi and South Dakota will decide this November on medicalization ballot measures. Voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota will decide on adult-use ballot initiatives.
For more information, visit Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana. Information on other 2020 ballot measures is available from NORML Election Central.
NORML Files Amicus Brief to the Supreme Court Challenging Cannabis' Schedule I Prohibited Status
New York, NY: The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Empire State NORML, the New York City Cannabis Industry Association (NYCCIA), the Hudson Valley Cannabis Industry Association (HVCIA), and the New York City Cannabis Bar have filed a Friend-Of-The-Court Brief with the United States Supreme Court in the case of Washington v. Barr - which challenges the constitutionality of cannabis' Schedule I prohibited status under federal law.
Originally filed in 2017 by a legal team that includes New York attorney Michael Hiller, NORML Legal Committee member and Board Member Joseph Bondy and Empire State NORML Director David Holland, the lawsuit contends that the federal government "does not believe, and upon information and belief never has believed" that cannabis meets the requirements for a Schedule I designation under the Controlled Substances Act. It further argues that current administrative mechanisms in place to allow for the reconsideration of cannabis Schedule I classification are "illusory."
Lawyers for the Justice Department previously argued for a dismissal of the suit, which they were granted by a federal court judge in 2018, opining, "There is no fundamental right to use marijuana, for medical purposes or otherwise."
In its amicus brief filed this week, NORML Legal Committee member David Holland, Esq., argues that the federal scheduling of cannabis is unconstitutional because all three branches of government have promoted laws and policies in direct conflict with its Schedule I status.
Holland said: "The Brief exposes a fundamental paradox - if cannabis is federally illegal for all purposes, and the three coordinate branches of federal government have acted to allow for cannabis businesses, then the federal government is nullifying its own law. Simply put, under the Constitution, something cannot be illegal and legal at the same time especially when it comes to state laws that conflict with federal laws. The only resolution to this constitutional conflict is for the Supreme Court to invoke the doctrine of estoppel to prevent the federal government from reversing course and retroactively penalizing that which it has protected in fostering state cannabis programs and effectively legalizing it."
He added: "Federal precedent exists for the Court to invoke the doctrine and Attorney General William Barr has testified before Congress about his belief that it would be fundamentally unfair to penalize those who in good faith relied upon those government statements and policies because it would violate Due Process. Due Process and fairness are the very heart of the reasoning for the Court to invoke the doctrine of estoppel."
Plaintiffs in the suit include a former NFL football player, a disabled military veterans, two children with severe movement disorders, and the non-profit group, the Cannabis Cultural Association. Plaintiffs argue that federal prohibition violates their civil and constitutional liberties, including their right to freely travel within the United States. They also argue that the federal prohibition of cannabis is "grounded in discrimination and [is] applied in a discriminatory manner."
The full text of NORML's brief is available online.
