Study: Cannabis Use Not Predictive of Lack of Motivation
Corvallis, OR: Frequent cannabis use is not associated with motivation loss in adults, according to data published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.
A team of researchers affiliated with Oregon State University assessed motivation and self-reported apathy in a cohort of regular (three times per week or more) cannabis users and controls (non-users).
Investigators identified no significant group differences in self-reported apathy after controlling for covariates (recent alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms).
Authors did report that cannabis consumers were more likely than non-users to "exert more [effort] for reward, suggesting enhanced motivation relative to healthy controls." Specifically, as reward magnitude increased, frequent cannabis users were more likely to select harder trials to complete than were controls.
Consistent with prior studies, they concluded: "The current findings do not support [the theory of] a-motivational syndrome in cannabis users; rather cannabis users displayed higher-effort decision-making in comparison to controls. ... Given the limited number of studies within the field, future research should continue using both self-report and task-based methodologies to assess motivation in cannabis users, while controlling for potential covariates, such as depression, substance use, and personality factors."
Full text of the study, "Effort-based decision making and self-reported apathy in frequent cannabis users and healthy controls: A replication and extension," appears in theJournal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology.
Survey: Patients with Parkinson's Disease Report Symptomatic Relief from Cannabis
Bergen, Norway: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often report symptomatic benefits from the use of cannabis, according to survey data published in the journal Acta Neurologica Scandinavica.
Norwegian investigators surveyed cannabis use patterns and related attitudes among PD patients. Consistent with prior surveys, they reported that a significant minority of PD patients consume cannabis for symptom relief. Respondents were most likely to report improvements in motor function, sleep, and pain as a result of their marijuana use.
Observational trial data has determined that cannabis inhalation is associated with improvements in tremor, rigidity, pain, sleep, and bradykinesia (slowness of movement) in patients with PD. Placebo-controlled trial data has also determined that acute CBD administration (300mg) is associated with a statistically significant reduction in experimentally-induced anxiety and tremor in PD patients.
Full text of the study, "Cannabis use in Parkinson's disease: A nationwide online survey," appears inActa Neurologica Scandinavica.
Clinical Trial: CBD Administration Ineffective for Restless Legs Syndrome
Manaus, Brazil: The administration of oral doses of CBD is ineffective at reducing the severity of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), according to clinical trial data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Brazilian researchers compared the use of CBD versus a placebo over a 14-week period. Patients in the CBD arm of the trial received up to 300mgs of cannabidiol.
Patients who were administered CBD demonstrated no improvements compared to those receiving placebo.
"CBD showed no reduction in the severity of RLS manifestations in patients with PD and RBD," authors concluded.
By contrast, a series of case reports pub lished in 2020 and in 2017 reported that cannabis inhalation is associated with perceived efficacy in patients with refractory restless legs syndrome.
Full text of the study, "Cannabidiol for restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease in Parkinson's disease patients with REM sleep behavior disorder: A post hoc exploratory analysis of a phase 2/3 clinical trial," appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Sacramento, CA: Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed budget legislation late last week that reduces various marijuana-specific taxes.
Specifically, the legislation eliminates the cultivation tax on licensed growers and caps any further increase in the excise tax for three years, among other changes.
According to an economic analysis published this spring by The Reason Foundation, regulatory costs, high taxes, and municipal bans on cannabis retailers have significantly inhibited the growth of the licensed marijuana marketplace in California. The analysis estimated that California imposes an effective tax rate of as much as $92 per ounce. This amount is higher than the tax burden imposed on retail cannabis transactions in other states.
California NORML Director Dale Gieringer, who authored the study's forward, recommended at that time that lawmakers impose "substantive tax cuts" in order to "reduce demand for the illicit market, while still retaining reasonable revenues" for state-licensed retailers. Following last week's bill signing, he added, "The budget bill is a helpful start, but much more needs to be done to make legal cannabis more readily accessible to consumers who now rely on the unregulated market."
District of Columbia: Mayor Signs Legislation Allowing Adults Access to Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Following 'Self-Certification' Process
Washington, DC: Mayor Muriel Bowser has signed legislation legislation removing the requirement that adults seeking to purchase cannabis products from licensed DC medical cannabis dispensaries must obtain a recommendation from a licensed physician. Members of the DC City Council had previously voted unanimously in favor of legislation, known as the Medical Marijuana Self-Certification Emergency Amendment Act of 2022.
The measure permits individuals age 21 or older to "self-certify ... that they are utilizing cannabis for medical purposes" when they register with local regulators for a medical cannabis identification card. Once registered, self-certified adults may access any of the District's seven licensed medical cannabis dispensaries.
Councilmembers Mary Cheh and Kenyan McDuffie, who sponsored the measured, said that the legislation is needed to dissuade residents from patronizing the unregulated marketplace. "Due to the lower barriers to access in the gray market, a significant number of medical marijuana patients have shifted from purchasing their medical marijuana from legal medical dispensaries to the illicit gray market, creating a significant risk to the long-term viability of the District's legal medical marijuana industry," they said. "If this trend continues, it is possible that gray market sales could wipe out the District's legal marijuana dispensaries. Given the... benefits that regulated and safe legal dispensaries provide to medical marijuana users in the District, it is vital that the industry survive until the District can stand up a regulated recreational market and transition toward full regulation of recreational marijuana products."
Under District law, adults may possess and home-cultivate limited amounts of cannabis for their own personal use. However, Congressional action has prohibited the City Council from passing municipal legislation to provide adults with retail cannabis access.
Because the self-certification bill was enacted as "emergency legislation," it is not subject to Congressional review.
In June, DC Councilmembers passed separate legislation, the Cannabis Employment Protections Amendment Act of 2022, protecting those who use cannabis from facing discrimination in the workplace. That bill currently awaits action by the mayor.
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