Survey: Consumers Frequently Turn to Cannabis To Relieve Pain and Anxiety
Los Angeles, CA: One in four consumers say that their “main goal when using cannabis” is to achieve pain relief, according to survey data provided by the company NuggMD.
The company, which offers physician referrals in several states, surveyed more than 6,500 consumers. Twenty-five percent of respondents said that they use cannabis to mitigate pain. A nearly equal percentage (23 percent) said that they consume cannabis products to relieve anxiety.
Only 13 percent of respondents defined their cannabis use strictly as “recreational.”
The survey’s findings are consistent with those of others reporting that consumers frequently self-medicate with cannabis to assuage pain, anxiety, depression, or problems sleeping.
Data published last year in the journal JAMA Network Open reported that nearly one in four pain patients residing in states where medical cannabis access is legal self-identify as marijuana consumers.
Another study, published in 2023 in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, determined that patients who use authorized medical cannabis products experience sustained, “clinically significant improvements in pain interference and tiredness, anxiety, and well-being.”
Study: Cannabis Metabolite at Least Equipotent to THC
Saskatchewan, Canada: The cannabis metabolite 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC) possesses psychoactive properties that are equal to or greater than those of THC, according to preclinical data published in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
Canadian investigators compared the activity of THC and 11-hydroxy-THC in mice. They reported that 11-hydroxy-THC “displayed equal or greater activity than the parent compound THC.”
The study’s authors concluded: “The THC metabolite 11-OH-THC likely plays a critical role in the bioactivity of cannabis. … These data provide critical insight … that will inform the interpretation of future cannabinoid research and represent a model for how THC consumption and metabolism may affect cannabis use in humans.”
11-hydroxy-THC is one of two primary metabolites formed following cannabis consumption. It is distinct from 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC, which is not psychoactive and may remain detectable in blood or urine for extended periods. Greater quantities of 11-hydroxy-THC are produced following oral cannabis ingestion than by smoking cannabis flower, which is among the reasons why cannabis-infused edible products are often associated with greater psychoactive effects as compared to herbal cannabis.
Full text of the study, “The intoxication equivalency of 11-hydroxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-THC) relative to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol,” appears in The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
Austin, TX: A Travis County district judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state’s Attorney General that sought to overturn the city’s voter-approved marijuana depenalization ordinance.
Austin is one of several Texas cities that has approved a municipal initiative prohibiting local law enforcement from making low-level marijuana-related arrests. Voters in Denton, Elgin, Harker Heights, Killeen, and San Marcos have approved similar measures.
In February, AG Ken Paxton filed suit against the cities of Austin, San Marcos, Killeen, Elgin, and Denton, stating, “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.” Paxton’s office has announced they will appeal the district court’s decision.
The activist group Ground Game Texas seeks to place similar initiatives on the ballot in Dallas and Lockhart this November.
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.
Colorado: Fewer Teens Say It’s “Easy” To Get Marijuana Following Adult-Use Legalization
Denver, CO: The regulation of the adult-use cannabis market in Colorado coincides with declining rates of teen marijuana use, according to data provided by the Department of Public Health.
Data compiled in the latest biannual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey finds that the percentage of high-school students reporting past-month cannabis use fell 37 percent between 2013 and 2023. The percentage of teens who perceive that cannabis is “easy” to obtain cannabis fell by 27 percent during this same period.
Colorado was among the first states to legalize cannabis possession and sales for adults. The state legalized marijuana possession in 2012 and initiated retail sales of cannabis products in 2014.
According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of high schoolers nationwide who use marijuana has fallen an estimated 30 percent over the better part of the past decade. Compliance check data from California, Colorado, Nevada, and other legal marijuana states show that licensed marijuana retailers do not sell products to underage patrons.
In 2021, Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, publicly acknowledged that the enactment of statewide laws regulating the adult-use cannabis market has not led to an increase in the percentage of young people experimenting with the substance.
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