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Sydney, Australia: The daily application of a transdermal gel containing CBD relieves pain and improves the quality of life of patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA), according to open-label trial data published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports.

Australian researchers evaluated the self-reported efficacy of transdermal CBD in a cohort of 15 OA patients. Study participants applied CBD-infused gelatin three times a day for four weeks. Self-reported measures were assessed at baseline and throughout the trial via smartphone technology.

CBD application was associated with self-reported improvements in pain, grip strength, fatigue, muscle stiffness, and anxiety.

“Pain, grip strength and QoL [quality of life] measures … were shown to improve over time following transdermal CBD application suggesting feasibility of this intervention in relieving osteoarthritic hand pain,” the study’s authors concluded. “Proof of efficacy, however, requires further confirmation in a placebo-controlled randomized trial.”

The transdermal delivery of CBD has previously been associated with reduced levels of lower back and leg pain in patients with spinal stenosis.

Full text of the study, “An open-label feasibility trial of transdermal cannabidiol for hand osteoarthritis,” appears in Nature: Scientific Reports.

Study: History of Cannabis Use Associated With Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer

Farmington, CT: Lifetime cannabis use is associated with lower rates of prostate cancer, according to observational data published in the journal Biomedicines.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida assessed the relationship between cannabis consumption and prostate cancer in a nationally representative cohort of 2,503 participants.

Investigators reported that subjects between the ages of 50 and 64 who identified as either current or former cannabis consumers possessed a significantly lower risk of prostate cancer diagnoses. Scientists suggested that this finding provides “biological support for the anti-cancer effects of the constituents of marijuana.” Numerous preclinical trials have documented the ability of cannabinoids to inhibit cancer cell growth.

The study’s authors reported: “In this cross-sectional study of 2503 participants from the USA using the NSDUH [National Survey on Drug Use and Health] from 2002 to 2020, we observed that individuals who were former marijuana users had a significantly lower rate of self-reports of having PC [prostate cancer]. Additionally, the current marijuana users also trended towards lower self-reports of PC. … Specifically, among participants aged greater than 65 years, former marijuana use was linked to reduced self-reports of PC compared to never using.”

They concluded, “Our findings provide corroborative data from a large national, population-based survey to strengthen the existing body of evidence suggesting a potentially protective role of marijuana against the development of PC … [and] our findings can serve as hypothesis-generating for future prospective studies to further evaluate the role of cannabinoids (using medical marijuana) in PC prevention.”

Separate case-control studies have similarly suggested that a history of cannabis use may provide protection against certain types of cancers, including lung cancer and head and neck cancers.

Full text of the study, “Marijuana use may be associated with reduced prevalence of prostate cancer: A National Survey on Drug Use and Health study from the United States of America,” appears in Biomedicines.

Federal: House Committee Approves Amendment Barring Production of Hemp-Derived Intoxicating Products

Washington, DC: Members of the House Committee on Agriculture have approved an amendment to federally criminalize hemp-derived products containing mood-altering cannabinoids.

The amendment revises section 297A of the 2018 Farm Bill, which expanded the definition of hemp to include “any part of the plant, including …. extracts [or] cannabinoids that do not possess greater than 0.3 percent THC on a dry weight basis.” The Farm Bill is up for reauthorization.

The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), excludes products from the federal definition of hemp if they contain cannabinoids that “are not capable of being naturally produced” by the hemp plant or if they are the result of a chemical synthesis.

In recent years, unregulated manufacturers have engaged in synthesizing hemp-derived CBD into a variety of novel intoxicating products, including delta-8-THC, HHC, and THC-O. This synthetic conversion process often involves the use of potentially dangerous household products. Lab analyses of unregulated products containing delta-8 and similar compounds have consistently found them to contain lower levels of cannabinoids than what is advertised on the products’ labels. Some products also possess heavy metal contaminants and unlabeled cutting agents. Other novel compounds, like THC-O, have not been tested for safety in human trials.

Studies have reported that consumers are far more likely to seek out and use these products in jurisdictions where cannabis remains criminalized.

In 2021, NORML published a paper cautioning consumers about the unregulated nature of these products.

Further debate on the Farm Bill is anticipated to take place in the coming months.