Boston, MA: The enactment of state-level laws legalizing marijuana for adults does not influence early adolescents’ attitudes toward its potential risks, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Investigators affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School assessed children’s perceptions of marijuana-related harms over three years in states with and without legal cannabis marketplaces.
They determined that “individual child-level characteristics, rather than state policy,” contribute primarily to young people’s attitudes toward cannabis.
“There was no significant main effect of state RCLs [recreational cannabis laws] on perceived risk of cannabis use, and no differences in change over time by state RCLs,” researchers reported.
They concluded, “This analysis indicates that state-level RCLs are not associated with differential perception of cannabis risk among children.”
The study’s conclusions are consistent with those of numerous others, finding that adult-use regulations are not associated with increased marijuana use or access among young people.
Full text of the study, “State-level recreational cannabis legalization is not differentially associated with cannabis risk perception among children: A multilevel regression analysis,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.
Analysis: Consumers’ Cannabis Purchasing Patterns Are Determined By Price, Ease of Access
Ontario, Canada: Consumers’ decisions regarding whether to purchase cannabis products from the legal market or the unregulated market are influenced primarily by price and convenience, according to data published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Canadian researchers surveyed a cohort of more than 11,000 marijuana consumers in the United States and Canada. Respondents said that they were most likely to forgo accessing marijuana from the legal marketplace if they believed that they could obtain cheaper products more conveniently from unregulated sources.
“Higher prices and inconvenience of legal sources were common barriers to purchasing legal cannabis,” authors concluded. “Future research should examine how perceived barriers to legal purchasing change as legal markets mature.”
Data has previously shown that cannabis consumers are willing to pay higher prices for legal cannabis products because they believe that they are superior to those available from other sources. However, consumers acknowledge that they will not pay for products that they perceive are priced excessively high.
Separate data provided earlier this year by Leafly.com reported that jurisdictions with the most robust legal cannabis markets and the fewest local bans on retail outlets are most successful at disrupting unregulated cannabis supply chains.
“The most effective way to disrupt the unregulated marketplace is for lawmakers and regulators to swiftly provide cannabis consumers with an accessible and affordable legal marketplace,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. NORML has consistently criticized the enactment of municipal bans on cannabis-related businesses, opining that they perpetuate the unregulated market by limiting consumers’ access to licensed products.
Full text of the study, “Reasons for purchasing cannabis from illegal sources in legal markets: Findings among cannabis consumers in Canada and U.S. States, 2019-2020,” appears in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Study: Inhaled Cannabis “Safe and Effective” for Treating Chronic Low Back Pain
Haifa, Israel: The inhalation of THC-dominant cannabis flower long-term safely mitigates symptoms of chronic lower back pain in a manner that is more effective than the use of CBD-dominant extracts, according to observational trial data published in the Israeli journal Rambam Maimonides.
Israeli researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of THC-dominant flowers and CBD-dominant sublingual extracts in a cohort of patients with low back pain. Study participants engaged in the daily use of extracts for one year, followed by the use of cannabis flower in year two.
Researchers reported, “THC-rich smoked cannabis inflorescence was more effective than CBD-rich cannabis-extracts for inducing symptom relief in LBP [lower back pain],” as assessed on a visual analogue scale and by a disability index. Additionally, patients’ use of analgesic medicines fell significantly during year two of the trial. No serious adverse events were reported.
Authors concluded: “Our findings indicate that inhaled THC-rich therapy is more effective than CBD-rich sublingual extract therapy for treating low back pain and that cannabis therapy is safe and effective for chronic low back pain.”
An estimated 111,000 Israelis are currently licensed to use medical cannabis products. More than half of those patients utilize cannabis to treat chronic pain conditions.
Several prior studies have similarly demonstrated that cannabis use is associated with reduced opioid consumption in patients with chronic back pain.
Full text of the study, “Comparing sublingual and inhaled cannabis therapies for low back pain: An observational open-label study,” appears in Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal.
#cReatoR @RussellRope
Subscribe To WC Channel