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Study: Vaporized Cannabis Provides “Significant Improvements” for Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Athens, Greece: Vaporized cannabis containing standardized percentages of CBD and THC is associated with sustained improvements in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to longitudinal data published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Greek researchers assessed the efficacy of a vaporized cannabis formulation containing 13 percent CBD and 9 percent THC in a cohort of 69 MS patients. Study participants’ symptoms — including bladder dysfunction, muscle spasticity, and disability progression rate – were assessed at baseline, at three months, and six months.
“Significant improvement was observed across all outcome assessments” following patients’ adjunctive use of cannabis, researchers reported.
“This study represents an initial step toward understanding the real-world application of vaporized THC: CBD formulations in MS management,” the study’s authors concluded. “The findings … highlight the potential benefits of CBD 13 [percent] | THC 9 [percent] vaporized formulations in managing MS symptoms, particularly when integrated into the existing treatment framework of DMTs [disease modifying therapies] and other MS symptomatic therapies.”
In 2010, British health officials granted regulatory approval to an oromucosal spray (nabiximols) containing standardized percentages of CBD and THC for the treatment of MS. That product is now available by prescription in various countries – including Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, and Spain – but remains unavailable in the United States.
Full text of the study, “Evaluating vaporized cannabinoid therapy in multiple sclerosis: Findings from a prospective single-center clinical study,” appears in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Systematic Review: Cannabis Extracts Safe and Effective in Pediatric Patients With Autism
São Paulo, Brazil: The use of cannabis extracts containing standardized percentages of CBD and THC safely mitigates autism symptoms in children, according to a systematic review of trial data published in the journal Cureus.
Brazilian researchers reviewed findings from seven studies (three randomized clinical trials and four observational studies) involving 494 younger patients with autism spectrum disorder. Study participants consumed extracts dominant in cannabidiol.
Researchers reported, “CBD-rich formulations may hold promise for managing certain ASD symptoms. Improvements were noted in anxiety, sleep quality, social effects, and behavior, although these findings varied across studies. Importantly, adverse events were generally mild and occurred at similar rates in cannabinoid and placebo groups, supporting the intervention’s safety profile.”
The study’s authors concluded, “More rigorous, well-designed RCTs [randomized controlled trials] are necessary to confirm these results and establish clear treatment guidelines for cannabinoid use in ASD.”
Full text of the study, “Efficacy and safety of cannabinoids for autism spectrum disorder: An updated systematic review,” appears in Cureus.
Federal: President Trump Taps Former Fox News Reporter for Drug Czar Position
Washington, DC: President Donald Trump has chosen conservative journalist Sara Carter to serve as the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Carter is a former Fox News contributor with no formal drug policy, public health, or law enforcement background.
As a reporter, Carter has investigated the role of foreign drug trafficking organizations in the illicit marijuana trade. Privately, she has expressed support for patients’ use of medical cannabis and once acknowledged: “I don’t have any problem if [cannabis] is legalized and monitored. … I’m not saying we’ve got to make it illegal.”
Carter awaits confirmation from members of the US Senate.
Congress created the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1988 to “implement and evaluate drug control policies to reduce the use, manufacturing, and trafficking of illicit drugs.” By statute, the agency’s director “shall ensure that no federal funds appropriated to the [agency] shall be expended for any study or contract relating to the legalization (for a medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in schedule I … and take such actions as necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use of a substance (in any form) that— (A) is listed in schedule I; and (B) has not been approved for use for medical purposes by the Food and Drug Administration.”
The director serves as an advisor to the President “regarding changes in the organization, management, budgeting, and personnel of Federal Agencies that could affect the nation’s anti-drug efforts.” It oversees an approximately $44 billion budget.
Former ONDCP directors include former military general Barry McCaffrey, who encouraged screenwriters to embed government-approved anti-drug storylines in popular television shows, and John Walters, who alleged: “Finding somebody in jail for possession of marijuana is like finding a unicorn. It doesn’t exist.”
Additional Office of National Drug Control Policy information is available from The White House.
Brazil: Supreme Court Affirms Adults Can Possess, Grow Marijuana for Personal Use
Brasilia, Brazil: Brazilians may possess up to 40 grams of cannabis and home-cultivate up to six marijuana plants without the threat of arrest or incarceration, according to a determination by members of the Supreme Federal Court.
The decision affirms and clarifies an earlier decision depenalizing low-level marijuana possession. The use of cannabis in public remains subject to administrative penalties. Cannabis trafficking remains punishable by criminal penalties.
An estimated 25 percent of Brazilian prisoners are serving time for minor drug possession offenses.
In 2018, South Africa’s highest court similarly determined that the use of marijuana by adults in private is constitutionally protected behavior. Lawmakers eventually signed legislation into law in 2024, codifying the personal use of marijuana by adults.
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