Weekly Stories, Studies, Surveys, Poll Results, Laws, etc.

Analysis: Medical Cannabis Products Provide Sustained Improvements in Patients With Chronic Pain, Anxiety, and Depression

Toronto, Canada: Patients authorized to use medical cannabis products experience sustained improvements in their pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of life, according to observational data published in the Canadian Journal of Pain.

Researchers assessed the real-world effectiveness of cannabis products in a cohort of 139 Canadian patients authorized to use medical cannabis. (Nearly 200,000 Canadians are currently registered in Canada’s medical cannabis access program.) Patients’ symptoms were assessed at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 weeks.

Consistent with other long-term observational studies, patients experienced notable improvements in their pain, anxiety, depression, sleep duration, and quality of life. These improvements were maintained throughout the duration of the study. Few, if any, significant adverse events were associated with cannabis treatment.

The study’s authors concluded: “Patients in the study had improved scores with respect to a reduction in pain and pain-related disability, anxiety, depression, sleep, and overall quality of life. Often, the benefits of MC [medical cannabis] were maintained long-term into Week 24. Further data from the … study may offer additional insights into the usage of medical cannabis products and their potential benefits in the general population and inform dosing for future clinical trials focused on cohorts with specific medical conditions or indications.”

According to a recently published meta-analysis of 64 studies, most patients consuming medical cannabis products experience sustained improvements in their health-related quality of life. “Improvements [are] observed across multiple health conditions over short-, medium- and long-term follow-up,” researchers determined.

Full text of the study, “Canadian real-world evidence: Observational 24-week outcomes for health care practitioner authorized cannabis,” appears in the Canadian Journal of Pain.

Study: Retail Cannabis Access Associated With Decline in Suicides Among Older Adults

Atlanta, GA: The opening of state-licensed adult-use cannabis retailers is associated with fewer suicides among mid-life and older adults, according to data published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Researchers affiliated with Emory University assessed the relationship between adult-use marijuana legalization and suicide rates. They determined: “Suicide rates among adults aged 45 and older decline following the opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries, while there is no effect among those ages 25-44. … These results hold when controlling for other state-level factors such as beer and cigarette taxes, opioid policies, unemployment rates, poverty, and income, none of which show significant impacts on suicide rates in this demographic. … These findings are important because of the implication that access to recreational marijuana has palliative effects among older populations which manifest in lower suicide rates.”

The study’s authors concluded: “These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on the public health impacts of marijuana legalization, offering evidence that recreational dispensary openings may play a role in reducing suicides among older adults, particularly in vulnerable subgroups. Although further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms driving these effects, these results point to one potential benefit of legalized recreational marijuana.”

Full text of the study, “Marijuana legalization and suicides among older adults,” is available from the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Ohio: Attorney General Certifies Proposed Referendum Challenging Marijuana Recriminalization Law

Columbus, OH: The state’s Attorney General has authorized petitioners to begin collecting signatures in favor of a proposed referendum challenging a GOP-backed law recriminalizing certain marijuana-related activities.

In December, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed SB 56 into law. The law amends and repeals various provisions of Ohio’s voter-approved adult-use legalization law. Among the more significant changes, it criminalizes possessing marijuana products obtained from out-of-state, including products legally purchased at licensed dispensaries in neighboring jurisdictions. It also repeals provisions protecting adult-use consumers from facing either workplace or professional disciplinary action, as well as other forms of discrimination based solely upon their private marijuana use (such as the denial of parental rights or certain hospital procedures, such as organ transplants).

Other provisions in the law impose new criminal sanctions upon those who either possess or transport certain cannabis products if they are not in their original, unopened packaging and restrict the retail sale of hemp-derived products, including beverages, solely to state-licensed dispensaries.

Following the passage of SB 56, business owners and other advocates formed the group Ohioans for Cannabis Choice, which is pushing back against the new restrictions. The AG’s office rejected a prior petition submitted by the group due to potentially “misleading” language. By contrast, other statewide cannabis interest groups have expressed opposition to the referendum.

Organizers need to collect approximately 250,000 signatures from Ohio voters to place the referendum before voters in November.

A summary of SB 56’s revisions to Ohio’s adult-use marijuana legalization and hemp laws is available from Ohio State University.

Review: THC Concentrations Are “Unreliable” Indicators of Driving Impairment

Providence, RI: The detection of THC in biological fluids is not predictive of psychomotor impairment, according to a literature review published in the journal Current Addiction Reports.

Researchers at Brown University affirmed: “There are no reliable or practical biochemical or behavioral methods used in real-time with drivers on the road to determine cannabis-induced impairment. … Many studies have found weak or non-existent correlations between THC concentrations in blood, oral fluid, or breath and actual driving performance or impairment.”

That finding is consistent with the opinions of numerous scientists and traffic safety groups, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Automobile Association.

The study’s authors concluded: “These findings collectively underscore that THC concentrations in common biofluids (e.g., blood and saliva) and exhaled breath are unreliable as sole indicators of current driving impairment. … There are no empirically supported thresholds for blood or oral fluids that reliably indicate cannabis impairment.”

Nonetheless, several states impose per se limits for motorists who are determined to have trace levels of THC in their blood or other bodily fluids. (These laws criminalize operating a motor vehicle with detectable quantities of THC or its metabolites, even absent evidence of driving impairment.) Several studies have determined that subjects may continue to test positive for traces of THC in their blood and oral fluids for days post-abstinence.

NORML has long opposed the imposition of per se THC limits for motorists and has alternatively called for the expanded use of mobile performance technology like DRUID. In a peer-reviewed paper published by the Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano wrote: “The sole presence of THC and/or its metabolites in blood, particularly at low levels, is an inconsistent and largely inappropriate indicator of psychomotor impairment in cannabis consuming subjects. … Lawmakers would be advised to consider alternative legislative approaches to address concerns over DUI cannabis behavior that do not rely solely on the presence of THC or its metabolites in blood or urine as determinants of guilt in a court of law. Otherwise, the imposition of traffic safety laws may inadvertently become a criminal mechanism for law enforcement and prosecutors to punish those who have engaged in legally protected behavior and who have not posed any actionable traffic safety threat.”

Full text of the study, “Recent advances in the science of cannabis-impaired driving,” appears in Current Addiction Reports.