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Portland, OR: The use of alcohol, but not cannabis, is associated with greater odds of suffering a motor vehicle crash requiring emergency care, according to case-control data published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.

A team of investigators from universities in California, Colorado, and Oregon examined the relationship between cannabis and alcohol use and incidences of motor vehicle collisions (MVC) among patients admitted to emergency departments.

They determined that those who either self-reported or tested positive for the use of alcohol alone possessed a crash risk that was more than twice (OR = 2.50) that of controls (those who tested negative). By contrast, those who either self-reported or tested positive for cannabis possessed a lower risk of accident (OR = .80) than controls.

Those patients who either self-reported or tested positive for the use of both alcohol and cannabis in some instances possessed a higher risk of accident than those who used either substance alone. That finding that is consistent with several prior studies, but others have failed to report this outcome.

Authors concluded: “This was a cross-sectional study of visits to EDs [emergency departments] in Denver, CO, Portland, OR, and Sacramento, CA by drivers who were involved in MVCs and presented with injuries (cases) and non-injured drivers (controls) who presented for medical care. … Our study supported an increased risk for MVC among those with acute alcohol and combined alcohol and cannabis use. Some of our findings suggested an absence of added odds or even reduced odds for MVC among those using cannabis alone prior to driving. … Overall, our study reinforces that in this era of increased liberalization of cannabis, emphasis on actual driving behaviors and clinical signs of intoxication, rather than specific drug-level thresholds, to determine driving under the influence has the strongest rationale.”

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

Full text of the study, “Risk of vehicle collision associated with cannabis and alcohol use among patients presenting for emergency care,” appears in Accident Analysis and Prevention.

Clinical Trial: Cannabis Consumption Associated With Reduced Anxiety

Boulder, CO: The use of state-legal cannabis products is associated with reduced levels of anxiety, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Investigators affiliated with the University of Colorado at Boulder assessed subjects’ use of three distinct cannabis chemovars on symptoms of anxiety. Study participants consumed cannabis flower that was either high in THC, high in CBD, or that contained equal levels of THC and CBD ad libitum for four weeks.

Use of all three cannabis varieties was associated with improvements in anxiety symptoms. Those who consumed cannabis that was high in CBD reported the most significant improvements.

The study’s authors concluded: “This quasi-randomized study showed that individuals with generalized anxiety symptoms who used cannabis 3–4 days per week reported reduced anxiety and improved symptoms over the study. The CBD-dominant strain was associated with the greatest reduction in anxiety-related states both acutely and over a period of four weeks. [These] findings extend data on the anxiolytic effects of CBD to naturalistic use and real-world setting and suggest that these effects over a relatively short time frame may translate into longer-term anxiety reductions.”

In January, British scientists writing in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology Reports similarly reported that patients with generalized anxiety disorder exhibit sustained improvements following the use of cannabis products.

Full text of the study, “Acute and extended anxiolytic effects of cannabidiol in cannabis flower: A quasi-experimental ad libitum use study,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Poll: Likely Voters Say That Marijuana Should Be Legal for Adults Nationwide

Alexandria, VA: Nearly six in ten likely voters believe that the use of marijuana should be legal in all 50 states, according to nationwide polling data compiled by the Republican-leaning polling firm The Tarrance Group.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents favored a policy of nationwide legalization. Support was strongest among Democrats under the age of 55 (74 percent); however, a majority (55 percent) of Republicans under age 55 also supported legalization.

Regardless of political party, sixty-seven percent of younger voters (ages 18 to 44) backed legalization.

“Majority support exists for marijuana legalization, driven by Democratic and younger voters, as well younger independents and a majority of younger Republicans,” pollsters concluded.

The poll is the latest in a long line of nationwide surveys showing majority support among Americans for ending marijuana criminalization.

The Politics and Advocacy Poll data is available from the Tarrance Group.

Survey: Consumers of CBD Products Frequently Report Using Them in Place of Prescription Medications

Lawrence, KS: Many consumers of CBD products report that they use them as substitutes for prescription medications, according to survey data published in the journal Mental Health Clinician.

Researchers with the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy conducted a nationwide survey of Americans’ use of CBD products. Among those respondents who acknowledged using CBD, nearly one-third reported doing so to mitigate symptoms of anxiety. One-quarter of respondents said they used CBD products for depression and 22 percent said that they used them for pain management.

More than 70 percent of CBD consumers said that it helped alleviate their symptoms and 39 percent acknowledged having “discontinued a prescription medication in favor of CBD.”

Forty-five percent of respondents failed to inform their healthcare providers about their use of CBD products. Prior surveys of healthcare providers report that most providers are either “hesitant” or “uncomfortable” talking about CBD with their patients.

The study’s authors concluded: “[C]onsumers perceived CBD to be safe, effective, and adequately studied for medical purposes. … With the wide availability of CBD, HCPs [health care providers] should be knowledgeable and prepared to provide patients with evidence-based information about CBD.”

Survey data compiled by the National Consumers League reports that more than eight in ten voters desire federal regulatory oversight over the production and marketing of commercially available CBD products, which often contain inaccurate labeling and may contain impurities.

Full text of the study, “Consumer perception, knowledge, and uses of cannabidiol,” appears in Mental Health Clinician.