Survey: Nearly All Patients Report Improvements After Using Medical Cannabis
Sydney, Australia: Adults who consume cannabis to treat a medical condition overwhelmingly say that it improves their symptoms, according to survey data published in the Harm Reduction Journal.
Researchers surveyed over 3,300 Australian adults who self-identified as medical cannabis consumers. Seventy-three percent of respondents said that they primarily consumed prescription cannabis products. (Australian law permits physicians to prescribe cannabis products to patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.) Twenty-seven percent of respondents acknowledged accessing cannabis, primarily from the unregulated market.
Survey participants predominantly consumed either cannabis flower or oral extracts. Patients typically used cannabis to address pain, mood disorders, or sleep disorders.
Ninety-seven percent of those surveyed said that their condition “was a little, much, or very much better since starting medical cannabis,” – a finding that is consistent with the results of prior surveys and observational trials.
Those respondents who used authorized cannabis products were more likely to be aware of the percentage of THC and other cannabinoids in their products. They were also more likely to either vaporize cannabis or consume oral extracts.
The most frequently reported side effects from cannabis were dry mouth, increased appetite, and drowsiness.
The study’s authors reported: “The results … further underline the dramatic recent increase in the proportion of people using legally prescribed rather than illicitly sourced medical cannabis. … Among these dual-users, respondents were far more likely to prefer prescribed medical cannabis for its consistency of dose, ease of getting supplies, effectiveness in treating their condition, better side-effects profile, and reduced risk of legal issues. This highlights the benefits to patients of being able to access medical cannabis of known potency through legal channels rather than having to obtain it from illicit sources.”
They concluded: “Both prescribed and illicit users overwhelmingly endorsed the effectiveness of their medical cannabis in treating their main health condition. … Further high-quality clinical trials and stronger research evidence is required to establish the role of different medical cannabis preparations in treating the wide array of conditions for which medical cannabis is being used.”
Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis use in Australia seven years after legalization: Findings from the online Cannabis as Medicine Survey 2022-2023 (CAMS-22),” appears in the Harm Reduction Journal.
South Africa: Legislation Becomes Law Regulating Personal Cannabis Use
Johannesburg, South Africa: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed legislation (the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act) into law, codifying the personal use of cannabis by adults.
The new law removes cannabis from the federal Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act and recognizes the rights of adults to possess and grow personal use quantities of cannabis in private. It also establishes a process so that those with criminal records for certain marijuana-related offenses can have their convictions expunged.
The law does not establish rules for the commercial production or retail sales of cannabis products. Such activities remain prohibited.
Passage of the law comes years after the nation’s highest court determined that the private use of marijuana by adults is constitutionally protected behavior.
South African lawmakers initially criminalized the use of marijuana in 1908.
In March, German lawmakers passed similar legislation permitting the personal possession and home cultivation of limited amounts of cannabis. Lawmakers in the European nations of Luxembourg and Malta have also recently enacted personal use laws.
The text of the Cannabis for Private Purposes Act is available from the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa.
Mississippi: Governor Signs Legislation Establishing State-Sponsored Cannabis Research Program
Jackson, MS: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has signed legislation into law establishing a state-sponsored cannabis research program at the University of Mississippi.
Senate Bill 2888 seeks to facilitate and fund medical cannabis research, including “research related to the efficacy and potential health effects of various cannabis delivery methods, including vaporizing, ingesting, topical application, and combustion.”
The University has been licensed by the federal government since 1968 to engage in federally approved cannabis cultivation and research.
MIssissippi lawmakers in 2022 approved a medical cannabis access program for qualified patients. Over 40,000 residents are registered with the program to access cannabis products.
Several states – including California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Utah – have similarly established state-sponsored institutions to study the safety and efficacy of cannabis. Those programs have conducted several FDA-approved clinical trials documenting cannabis’ efficacy in various patient populations.
Preclinical Study: Cannabis Terpenes Produce Potent Analgesic Effects
Tucson, AZ: The administration of select cannabis plant terpenes produces analgesic effects comparable to morphine, according to preclinical data published in The Journal of the Association for the Study of Pain.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Arizona and the National Institutes of Health assessed the pain-relieving effects of various cannabis terpenes – geraniol, linalool, β-pinene, α-humulene, and β-caryophyllene – in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
They reported that each of the selected terpenes “produced roughly equal antinociception to 10 mg/kg of morphine.” The co-administration of low doses of terpenes and morphine produced “enhanced” analgesic effects.
“Together these studies identify cannabis terpenes as potential therapeutics for chronic neuropathic pain,” investigators concluded.
A 2018 clinical trial by researchers at Columbia University previously demonstrated that the co-administration of inhaled cannabis and sub-therapeutic doses of oxycodone produces heightened pain-relieving effects in humans. The results of another clinical trial similarly determined that vaporized cannabis interacts synergistically with opioids and “may allow for opioid treatment at lower doses with fewer side effects.” Observational studies consistently show that patients who consume cannabis reduce or eliminate their use of prescription opioids over time.
Other recent studies have also shown that terpenes can modulate the effects of various cannabinoids. For example, a preclinical study published in April reported that the coadministration of CBD and β-caryophyllene produces enhanced anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, clinical data published in March determined the co-administration of THC and the terpene D-limonene is associated with reduced feelings of THC-induced anxiety.
The results of a 2023 study found that patients are more likely to report greater symptom relief after consuming cannabis flowers that contain elevated levels of terpenes.
Full text of the study, “Terpenes from cannabis sativa induce antinociception in a mouse model of chronic neuropathic pain via activation of adenosine A2a receptors,” appears in The Journal of the Association for the Study of Pain.
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