Weekly Stories, Studies, Surveys, Poll Results, Laws, etc.
Study: Post-Traumatic Stress Patients Experience Sustained Improvements Following Use of Medical Cannabis Products
London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress experience significant long-term benefits following their use of medical cannabis preparations, according to data published in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.
British researchers assessed changes in patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs). (British health care providers may prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Two hundred and sixty-nine patients with post-traumatic stress enrolled in the United Kingdom’s Medical Cannabis Registry were enrolled in the trial. Participants’ symptoms were assessed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months.
Consistent with other observational studies, “significant improvements in post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, sleep quality, and HRQoL were observed at all follow-up points.” Symptomatic improvements were sustained for the entire study period (18 months).
Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products among patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those diagnosed with cancer-related pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, hypermobility disorders, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.
Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: An updated clinical outcomes analysis of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder,” appears in Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics.
Largest Ever Meta-Analysis: There Exists a “Strong Consensus Supporting the Therapeutic Use of Cannabis”
New York, NY: Cannabis has a “well-established role in managing symptoms related to cancer” and there is a “substantial scientific basis” for re-evaluating its classification as a Schedule I controlled substance, according to the findings of a meta-analysis of over 10,000 scientific papers published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology.
Investigators affiliated with the Chopra Foundation in New York and the Whole Health Oncology Institute in Hawaii reviewed data from 10,641 peer-reviewed studies assessing the efficacy and safety of cannabis for managing cancer-related symptoms. The analysis is the largest ever conducted on the subject of cannabis and cancer management.
They reported, “Across all categories examined – health metrics, cancer treatments, and cancer dynamics – there is a consistent consensus that supports the potential of medical cannabis.”
The study’s authors concluded: “In medical practice, the strong support for cannabis as a palliative adjunct to cancer treatments offers healthcare providers a data-driven foundation to consider cannabis as part of a comprehensive cancer care strategy. The demonstrated efficacy in managing symptoms like pain, nausea, and appetite loss can significantly enhance patients’ quality of life, making cannabis a valuable tool in both palliative care and potentially in curative settings. The growing consensus around cannabis’ therapeutic benefits also highlights the need for medical professionals to stay informed about the latest research, as cannabis continues to evolve from a controversial substance to a scientifically validated treatment option.”
In an accompanying press release, the study’s lead author added: “This is one of the clearest, most dramatic validations of medical cannabis in cancer care that the scientific community has ever seen. We expected controversy. What we found was overwhelming scientific consensus.”
Full text of the study, “Meta-analysis of medical cannabis outcomes and associations with cancer,” appears in Frontiers in Oncology.
Analysis: Changes in Cannabis’ Legal Status Not Associated With Reduced Traffic Safety
Cambridge, MD: Changes in the legal status of cannabis in US states and Canada are not associated with significant changes to traffic safety, according to an analysis published in the peer-reviewed journal Variance.
A researcher affiliated with the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science assessed the impact of adult-use marijuana legalization on car accident fatality rates, insurance claim frequency, and average costs per insurance claim.
The study’s author did not identify any “statistically significant impacts of legalization” on any of the assessed outcomes during the study period. Rather, the author concluded that other factors, such as inclement weather and seasonal spikes in travel, are far more likely to influence trends in traffic safety.
The findings are consistent with those of a 2023 analysis, which assessed trends in fatal motor vehicle accidents in four legalization states—California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada—compared to five control states: Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Researchers found that traffic deaths fell by an average of 12 percent in legal states in the three years immediately following legalization. By contrast, deaths increased nearly two percent over this same time in the five control states. Nationwide, traffic fatalities decreased 10.6 percent during the study period.
Other studies have yielded inconsistent results, with some identifying a minor increase in crash rates in specific states after legalization, while others found no such change.
Full text of the study, “A data-based assessment of the impact of marijuana legalization on vehicle accident risk,” appears in Variance.
Survey: Smoking Remains Most Popular Method for Consuming Cannabis
Atlanta, GA: Nearly eight-in-ten consumers say that smoking is their preferred method of cannabis ingestion, according to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers reviewed marijuana use data provided by more than 138,000 respondents.
Fifteen percent of those surveyed reported having consumed cannabis within the past month, while eight percent reported daily use. Seventy-nine percent of consumers acknowledged smoking cannabis, while 41 percent acknowledged consuming edible formulations. Fewer than 15 percent of those surveyed acknowledged dabbing cannabis concentrates. The findings are consistent with others reporting that most consumers smoke cannabis.
Among those who reported dabbing, most respondents were young adults. Among older adults, fewer than 5 percent of respondents reported engaging in this practice.
In recent years, lawmakers in various states have introduced legislation to recriminalize higher-THC concentrated products. Most of these efforts have been unsuccessful.
Full text of the CDC white paper is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Arkansas: Governor Vetoes Bill Seeking To Expand Patients’ Ease of Access to Medical Cannabis Products
Little Rock, AR: Republican Gov. Sarah Sanders vetoed legislation that sought to provide greater ease of access for patients authorized to use medical cannabis.
House Bill 1889 “authorized deliveries [of medical cannabis products] by dispensaries via delivery vehicles and via a drive-through window located at the dispensary.” Only patients who had previously submitted online orders that same day would have been permitted to use the drive-through option.
In her veto message, Gov. Sanders said that passage of the bill would have “expanded access to usable marijuana, therefore I am vetoing this legislation.”
The bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Aaron Pilkington, called the Governor’s message confusing. “This [legislation] doesn’t increase the number of cardholders, and it doesn’t increase the amount [of cannabis] a cardholder can get,” he said.
House Bill 1889 had previously passed the House by a vote of 51 to 31. Senators voted 19 to 15 in favor of the legislation. Nonetheless, Rep. Pilkington doubted he had ample legislative support to override the Governor’s veto.
Arkansas voters approved medical cannabis access in 2016. An estimated 110,000 Arkansans are registered with the state to use medical cannabis products.
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