Clinical Trial: Cannabis Oil Mitigates Knee Pain From Osteoarthritis
Sukhothai, Thailand: The sublingual administration of oil extracts containing plant-derived cannabinoids significantly reduces knee pain in subjects suffering from treatment-resistant osteoarthritis, according to clinical data published in the Journal of Southeast Asian Orthopaedics.
A team of Thai investigators conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving 32 patients diagnosed with severe osteoarthritic knee pain. All the participants in the study were awaiting total knee arthroplasty. Participants consumed either oral extracts containing THC (4.59 mg/drop) and CBD (24.25 mg/drop) or a placebo (coconut oil) for 30 days in addition to traditional prescription medications.
Patients’ pain scores “demonstrated a statistically significant improvement” following cannabis treatment, researchers reported.
The study’s authors concluded: “Cannabis oil significantly reduced pain intensity and improved the QOL [quality of life] in patients with knee OA, as reflected by improvements in the NRS [Numeric Rating Scale]and KOOS [Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome] scores. ... Future research with optimized dosages, larger sample sizes, and longer follow-up periods is needed to evaluate its true clinical relevance.”
Full text of the study, “Effectiveness of cannabis oil as an adjuvant therapy in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis: A randomized, double-blind study,” appears in the Journal of Southeast Asian Orthopaedics. Additional information on cannabis and arthritis is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.
Study: Changes in Marijuana’s Legal Status Do Not Soften Public’s Stance Toward Driving Under the Influence
Columbus, OH: Adults express similar degrees of intolerance toward driving under the influence of marijuana, regardless of whether they live in a jurisdiction where cannabis is legal or illegal, according to survey data published in the Biometrical Journal.
Researchers affiliated with Ohio State University assessed the public’s attitudes and their willingness to drive after consuming marijuana in states where medical cannabis is legal and where it remains prohibited.
They concluded: “The hypothesis that more liberal marijuana policies will lead to dangerous driving conditions was not corroborated by our analysis. In all three analyses, there was practically no evidence to reject the null hypothesis and to conclude that medical marijuana legalization leads to more tolerant behaviors and attitudes toward DAMU [driving after marijuana use]. In fact, … we found practically no evidence for this hypothesis.”
The researchers’ findings are consistent with those of several prior studies. For instance, a 2022 study conducted by investigators at the Research Triangle Institute reported: “Current cannabis users in recreational and medical-only cannabis states were significantly less likely to report driving within three hours of getting high in the past 30 days, compared to current users living in states without legal cannabis.”
A 2021 study similarly determined that self-reported drugged driving behavior does not rise post-legalization. Rather, authors reported, “[M]arijuana users in states that legalized RM [recreational marijuana] self-reported driving after marijuana use less than their counterparts (who resided in states where adult-use cannabis remains illegal). They were also less likely to find such behavior [driving after ingesting cannabis] acceptable.”
A 2020 study by researchers affiliated with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health also concluded that adults “from states with legal recreational cannabis sales had significantly lower prevalence of driving after cannabis use and higher prevalence of protective attitudes compared to those from states without legal recreational sales.”
Full text of the study, “A matched design for causal inference with survey data: Evaluation of medical marijuana legalization in Kentucky and Tennessee,” appears in Biometrical Journal.
Analysis: Pain Patients Enrolled in Utah’s Medical Cannabis Program Significantly Reduce Their Use of Opioids
Salt Lake City, UT: Chronic pain patients enrolled in Utah’s medical cannabis access program significantly reduce their opioid intake, according to an analysis provided to the state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board.
Researchers assessed prescription opioid use trends in 157 patients enrolled in the program. They reported: “In this population, 157 patients (84.4 percent) showed a decrease in Morphine Milligram Equivalents (MME) per month after starting cannabis use. Specifically, there was a 53.1 percent reduction. The mean MME/month in the period before cannabis use was 3832 MMD/Month, and after starting cannabis we observed a mean of 1798 MME/Month.”
Analysts also acknowledged that opioid-related overdose deaths fell significantly following the adoption of the cannabis access program. “This shift suggests that the introduction of cannabis as a therapeutic alternative may have contributed to a reduction in opioid use among patients seeking pain relief,” they wrote.
Numerous other studies have similarly documented reduced opioid use in pain patients following their use of medical cannabis.
The study’s authors concluded, “The results from this study align with previous literature indicating that medical cannabis can serve as an effective adjunctive therapy for chronic pain, leading to a significant reduction in opioid use.”
Full text of the analysis, “Impact of Cannabis on Opioid Prescriptions in Chronic Pain: Insights from Recent Research in Utah,” is available online.
Illinois: Supreme Court Rules “Odor of Raw Cannabis” Is Probable Cause for a Motor Vehicle Search
Chicago, IL: Justices on the state Supreme Court have determined that police can search a motor vehicle without a warrant based solely on the “odor of raw cannabis” emanating from the car.
The majority’s decision hinged on statutory language in the state’s Vehicle Code prohibiting the possession of cannabis in a motor vehicle unless it is in a “sealed, odor-proof, child-resistant cannabis container.” Lawmakers amended the Code when it established regulations legalizing the adult-use marijuana market in 2019. Violators of the law may face civil or criminal penalties.
“Although cannabis may no longer be contraband in all circumstances, ‘users must possess and use cannabis in accordance with’ our laws,” the majority opined. “When the odor of raw cannabis comes from a vehicle driven on an Illinois highway, it is almost certain that the cannabis is being possessed in violation of the Vehicle Code’s odor-proof container requirement.”
They concluded: “In sum, we hold that the odor of raw cannabis coming from a vehicle being operated on an Illinois highway, alone, is sufficient to provide police officers, who are trained and experienced in distinguishing between burnt and raw cannabis, with probable cause to perform a warrantless search of a vehicle.”
The decision contrasts with a ruling issued by the court months earlier finding that police may not conduct a warrantless search of a vehicle based solely on the odor of burnt marijuana. The conflicting opinions “defy logic,” justices wrote in their dissent.
Though police officers frequently testify that they can identify the presence of raw marijuana in a car solely based on its odor, empirical studies have challenged these claims.
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