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Review: Clinical Trials Demonstrate Effectiveness of Cannabinoids for Managing Peripheral Neuropathy

Charlottesville, VA: Patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy respond favorably to the use of botanical cannabis and other cannabis-based products, according to the findings of a systematic review published in The Journal of Hand Surgery.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Virginia reviewed data from 14 randomized clinical trials involving over 600 patients. Ten of the trials assessed the use of either botanical cannabis or Sativex, an oromucosal spray consisting of plant-derived cannabinoids.

“Of the included studies, 79 percent showed improvement in neuropathic pain following treatment with a cannabinoid,” investigators reported. “Improvements in secondary outcomes such as sleep quality, anxiety, sensory testing, and quality of life were also noted in several studies, consistent with prior literature. Most reported side effects were mild and well-tolerated.”

The study’s authors concluded, “Overall, the data demonstrate that cannabis-based medicines are a potentially effective emerging drug class in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy via reducing neuropathic pain and related symptoms.”

Data published in 2023 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that nearly one in three patients with chronic pain use cannabis as an analgesic agent and many of those who do substitute it in place of opioids.

Full text of the study, “The use of cannabinoids in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy and neuropathic pain: A systematic review,” appears in The Journal of Hand Surgery.

Analysis: Black and Multiracial Newborns Disproportionately Selected for Drug Testing, but Are No More Likely To Suffer From Neglect

Ann Arbor, MI: Newborns who test positive for prenatal marijuana exposure are at no increased risk of suffering from either child abuse or neglect, according to an analysis of hospital birth records and subsequent Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect.

Investigators at the University of Michigan assessed records from over 35,000 births. They found that Black babies are disproportionately tested for drugs – a finding that is consistent with prior data – but that they are no more likely than other newborns to suffer from neglect.

Researchers wrote: “Newborns with a test positive for THC only were not more likely to experience maltreatment. … To our knowledge, this is the first study to link individual hospital birth records including newborn drug tests and results with subsequent CPS investigations and records of substantiated maltreatment.”

They concluded: “No individual person, family, or institution benefits from racially biased testing or unnecessary CPS investigations. These practices have no impact on child safety, but they represent a clear racial disparity and unnecessarily contribute to racial disproportionality in child welfare. … The evidence strongly supports a policy to end routine CPS investigations for cannabis exposure and eliminate racially biased drug testing practices.”

Separate data published last year by researchers at Harvard Medical School similarly determined that those selected to undergo marijuana-specific drug screening during the labor and delivery process are disproportionately Hispanic or African American. The authors of that study concluded, “Toxicology testing of patients for a sole indication of cannabis use, without other risk factors, may be of limited utility in elucidating other substance use and may exacerbate existing disparities in perinatal outcomes.”

Another study, published last year in The Journal of the American Medical Association, also affirmed that “racial disparities [exist] in newborn drug testing [that are] unrelated to obstetrical risk.” Full text of the study, “Prenatal cannabis exposure and the risk of subsequent maltreatment,” appears in Child Abuse & Neglect.

West Virginia: Supreme Court Rules Against Medical Cannabis Use While on Probation

Charleston, WV: Judges may prohibit people on probation from using medical marijuana despite the state’s decision to legalize and regulate the substance, according to a recent ruling by the state Supreme Court.

The Court determined that the West Virginia Cannabis Act, which lawmakers passed in 2016, “does not supersede or prevent a circuit court from requiring a probationer to refrain from using marijuana as a condition of his or her release on probation, even when the probationer has qualified as a ‘patient’ and obtained an identification card pursuant to the Cannabis Act.”

That’s because state law mandates that a “probationer may not, during the term of his or her probation, violate any criminal law of this or any other state or of the United States.” Marijuana remains classified under federal law as a Schedule I prohibited substance.

The Court further opined that judges possess the authority to impose conditions restricting probationers’ conduct if those “conditions generally focus on goals such as rehabilitation, deterring criminal behavior, and protecting the public.”

“Just as reasonable conditions restricting a probationer’s association with certain persons does not conflict with the Constitution’s guarantee of free association, prohibiting [the defendant’] use of medical cannabis through a probation condition imposed pursuant to West Virginia Code § 62-12-9 does not conflict with [state’s medical marijuana law] and the ‘notwithstanding’ clause in the latter provision does not apply,” it concluded.

The Court’s ruling contrasts decisions rendered in some other states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, which have rejected arguments that those on probation can be restricted from accessing medical cannabis. Last year, Maine lawmakers enacted legislation limiting the ability of courts to order those on probation, parole, or pre-trial release to refrain from the use of cannabis.

New Mexico: Officials in State’s Largest County Vote to End Cannabis Testing for Most Public Employees

Albuquerque, NM: Bernalillo County (population: 672,000) commissioners voted unanimously to revise the county’s Drug and Alcohol-Free Workplace Policy to remove cannabis “when used legally off-duty for medical or recreational purposes” from its definition of illegal drugs. As a result, most public employees will no longer be subject to either pre-employment or random workplace testing for cannabis.

Bernalillo County, which includes Albuquerque, is the most populous in the state.

The commissioners’ actions are similar to those of lawmakers in numerous other municipalities and counties nationwide, including Atlanta, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, which also limit marijuana screening for most public employees.

California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have adopted similar protections statewide.

Lawmakers legalized the adult-use marijuana market in New Mexico in 2021. However, the law does not provide workplace protections for those who consume cannabis while away from the job.

Additional information is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Marijuana Legalization and Impact on the Workplace.’