#NORML #News @WeedConnection

Aurora, CO: Daily cannabis consumers exhibit fewer changes in performance than do those who use it less frequently, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Colorado and the University of Iowa assessed changes in performance in a cohort of daily versus occasional cannabis consumers. Participants inhaled high-THC flower (15 to 30 percent THC) ad libitum. Researchers compared subjects’ baseline performance to their performance one hour after smoking.

Consistent with prior research, the study’s authors concluded: “In two of the tablet-based tasks, the occasional use group performed slower (reaction time task) or less accurately (memory task) from before to after smoking, as compared to daily use and no-use groups, consistent with daily cannabis use resulting in tolerance to the acute effects of cannabis. In the gap acceptance task, the daily use group took longer to complete the task after smoking cannabis, while at the same time increasing their success ratio.

“Taken together, the findings are consistent with acquired tolerance to certain acute drug effects. The increase in time that the daily use group required to complete the gap acceptance task may nonetheless indicate an acute effect of cannabis among those in the daily use group, who prioritized accuracy over response time. Psychomotor and cognitive assessment batteries, such as the one used in this study, hold promise for providing an objective measure of cannabis impairment.”

NORML opposes the imposition of per se THC thresholds for motorists and alternatively calls for the expanded use of mobile performance technology like DRUID to determine whether someone is under the influence.

Full text of the study, “Effects of acute cannabis inhalation on reaction time, decision-making, and memory using a tablet-based application,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

Study: Better Sleep Associated With Same-day Cannabis Use In Subjects With Generalized Anxiety

Boulder, CO: Patients with moderate anxiety report experiencing increased sleep quality following their use of cannabis, according to data published in the journal Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Researchers with the University of Colorado at Boulder assessed the relationship between cannabis use and sleep quality in a cohort of 348 adults with symptoms of generalized anxiety. Study subjects were assigned to consume either cannabis flower or edibles that were either THC dominant, CBD dominant, or contained equal quantities of both cannabinoids. Participants completed daily online surveys for 30 days.

Subjects said that they slept better on those days when they consumed cannabis as compared to days when they did not.

The study’s authors concluded: “We report on 30 days of daily cannabis use and sleep quality data among a community sample with mild-to-moderate anxiety. Our results suggest that cannabis use on a particular day is associated with better perceived sleep quality during the night and that these associations are stronger among those with higher negative affective symptoms and those using CBD dominant edible forms of cannabis.”

The study’s conclusions are consistent with those of a recently published observational trial from the United Kingdom which found that patients with generalized anxiety disorder exhibit sustained symptom relief following their use of cannabis products.

Full text of the study, “Daily associations with cannabis use and sleep quality in anxious cannabis users,” appears in Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Survey: Cannabis Use Common Among Patients With Cystic Fibrosis

San Francisco, CA: Nearly one-third of patients with cystic fibrosis report having used cannabis within the past year, according to survey data published in the journal Pediatric Pulmonology.

Researchers affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco surveyed 226 cystic fibrosis patients. Respondents lived in the United States and were at least 13 years old.

Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed acknowledged having consumed cannabis in the past year. Twenty-two percent said that they had consumed CBD products.

Consumers of cannabis and CBD products were most likely to report using them to mitigate symptoms of anxiety and depression, to stimulate appetite, and to alleviate arthritic pain.

Among those respondents who had never used either cannabis or CBD products, approximately 50 percent said that they would do so if marijuana was legal.

“There is a great need to expand the current knowledge of and guidance regarding marijuana and CBD use in the CF patient population,” the study’s authors concluded. “Further research is warranted to counsel pwCF (people with cystic fibrosis) accurately, as many report experiencing therapeutic benefits.”

Full text of the study, “Time to be blunt: Substance use in cystic fibrosis,” appears in Pediatric Pulmonology.

Texas: Attorney General Files Suit To Overturn Voter-approved Marijuana Depenalization Measures

Austin, TX: Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against several Texas municipalities for implementing local ballot measures depenalizing marijuana possession offenses.

The suit seeks to nullify laws in the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, and Denton. Voters in all five cities approved local initiatives in 2022 limiting local law enforcement from making arrests or issuing citations for most marijuana-related violations. Local advocates are seeking to place similar measures before voters in Dallas and Lockhart.

The Attorney General argues that localities are forbidden from implementing policies that fail to “fully enforce laws related to drugs.” He said in a press release, “I will not stand idly by as cities run by pro-crime extremists deliberately violate Texas law and promote the use of illicit drugs that harm our communities.”

State law defines marijuana possession as a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail, a $2,000 fine, and a criminal record. According to data compiled by Texas NORML, police made an estimated 219,000 marijuana-related arrests between 2017 and 2021. Ninety-seven percent of those arrested were charged with possession only. Fifty-six percent of those arrested were under 25 years of age.

Additional information is available from Texas NORML.