Study: Osteoarthritis Patients Report Sustained Benefits From Cannabis
London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis report pain-specific improvements following their use of medical cannabis preparations, according to observational data published in the Journal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.
British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) consisting of either flower or oil extracts in a cohort of osteoarthritis patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (Since 2018, British specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes measures over a one-year period.
Patients reported symptom improvements at one-month, three-months, six-months, and at one-year.
“Commencement of CBMP treatment was associated with reductions in pain-specific PROMs [patient-reported outcome measures] at all time points in patients with osteoarthritis,” researchers reported. Patients also reported improved sleep. Contrary to the results of several other studies, patients prescribed opioids did not decrease their opioid intake following their initiation of medical cannabis.
Investigators documented few serious side-effects associated with cannabis. “AEs [adverse events] were mainly mild or moderate in severity,” they wrote. “Fatigue was the most common AE in this study.”
The study’s authors concluded: “These results suggest an improvement in pain-related outcomes for patients with osteoarthritis following the initiation of CBMP treatment. Furthermore, there was an improvement in general HRQoL [health-related quality of life] metrics across the follow-up period. CBMPs also appeared to be well-tolerated at 12-month follow-up. … Hence, this study supports the development of RCTs [randomized clinical trials] for CBMP use in osteoarthritis.”
Other studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, inflammatory bowel disease, and other afflictions.
Full text of the study, “Assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry,” appears in theJournal of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy.
Kilmarnock, Scotland: The administration of a purified formulation of plant-derived CBD (aka Epidiolex) provides significant short-term relief to patients suffering from acute toothaches, according to placebo-controlled clinical trial data published in the journal Evidence-Based Dentistry.
A pair of Scottish scientists assessed the use of Epidiolex versus placebo in 61 patients with moderate-to-severe dental pain. Forty patients received CBD in doses of either 10 or 20 mgs. Twenty-one subjects received a placebo. Patients’ pain was monitored for three hours following dosing.
Patients who consumed CBD, on average, experienced a greater than 50 percent reduction in their pain, investigators reported. By contrast, those receiving placebo experienced a 37.5 percent decrease in pain.
“Based on this randomized clinical trial, pure CBD drug Epidiolex demonstrates effective analgesia against acute toothache,” the study’s authors concluded.
The US Food & Drug Administration approved the prescription use of Epidiolex as an anti-epileptic drug in 2018. The DEA removed Epidiolex from the Controlled Substances Act in 2020.
Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol – an effective analgesic for toothache,” appears in Evidence-Based Dentistry.
Analysis: Fewer Young Adults Driving Impaired Following Marijuana Legalization
Seattle, WA: The legalization of marijuana in Washington state is not associated with any uptick in the percentage of young people driving under the influence of either cannabis or alcohol, according to data published in the journal Prevention Science.
A team of researchers with the University of Washington assessed DUI trends among young adults immediately prior to the adoption of adult-use sales and for the next five years.
Following legalization, fewer young people engaged in DUI alcohol. Among young people who used cannabis, fewer acknowledged driving under its influence.
“[These] trends may reflect some success in reducing DUI, but additional detection and prevention efforts are needed,” the study’s authors concluded.
The findings are similar to those of a 2022 study concluding, “The risk of self-reported DUIC [driving under the influence of cannabis] is lower in recreational and medical cannabis states compared to states without legal cannabis.”
Full text of the study, “Young adult alcohol and cannabis impaired driving after the opening of cannabis retail stores in Washington state,” appears in Prevention Medicine.
Review: Use Of Nicotine Products Typically Precedes Teens’ Use Of Cannabis
Phoenix, AZ: Teens’ use of cigarettes and other nicotine products is predictive of later cannabis use, according to data published in Substance Use & Misuse.
A team of investigators affiliated with the University of Arizona assessed data from 21 studies involving nearly 2.8 million adolescents.
They determined, “Nicotine-product use emerged as a significant factor associated with future cannabis use among adolescents.”
The study’s authors concluded, “Current evidence suggests an association between nicotine-product use and subsequent recreational cannabis use among adolescents.”
Longitudinal data published last year in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence similarly reported that young people typically try either alcohol or tobacco before ever experimenting with cannabis.
Full text of the study, “Nicotine and alcohol use as predictors of recreational cannabis use in adolescence: A systematic review and narrative synthesis,” appears in Substance Use & Misuse.
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