Study: Cannabis Edibles Reduce Chronic Lower Back Pain
Boulder, CO: The consumption of cannabis-infused edible products, particularly those that are higher in THC content, provides acute relief for patients with chronic lower back pain, according to data published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.
Researchers with the University of Colorado at Boulder assessed the ad libitum use of three distinct edible products (THC-dominant products, CBD-dominant products, or products containing similar amounts of THC and CBD) in 249 subjects with low back pain. Participants consumed the products for two weeks. Researchers evaluated changes in patients’ pain intensity and subjective mood, which were assessed at the conclusion of the study.
“Pain intensity following edible cannabis use decreased over time across all three broadly defined product groups,” investigators reported. Decreases in pain intensity were most pronounced in patients who consumed THC-dominant edibles. CBD-dominant products were “primarily associated with short-term tension relief” rather than significant reductions in acute pain.
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The study’s authors concluded: “These findings support the short-term analgesic effects of THC and anxiolytic effects of CBD … [and] indicate that edible cannabis may be a safe and suitable alternative pain therapy for those looking to substitute more traditional pain medications.”
Longitudinal data published in 2022 determined that patients suffering from chronic back pain reduce their use of prescription opioids and report improvements in their condition following medical cannabis treatment.
Full text of the study, “Edible cannabis for chronic low back pain: Associations with pain, mood, and intoxication,” appears in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.
VOTE FOR TRUMP OVER HARRIS!
TRUMP IS FOR CANNABIS & FREEDOM OF SPEECH, ETC.
KAMALA IS CROOKED: See Obstructed Reports as CA AG
Harris Campaign Pledges To Work With Congress To Legalize Marijuana at the Federal Level
Washington, DC: The Kamala Harris campaign released a policy agenda this week that includes a pledge to “legalize marijuana at the federal level.”
If elected, Harris promises to “work with Congress to ensure that the safe cultivation, distribution, and possession of recreational marijuana is the law of the land.”
The pledge comes nearly two weeks after Harris said in an interview, “I just think we have come to a point where we have to understand that we need to legalize [marijuana] and stop criminalizing this behavior.”
Republican Presidential contender Donald Trump had previously declared that he intends to vote ‘yes’ on a Florida ballot initiative legalizing adult-use marijuana sales, and if elected, he would work with Congress to enact reforms at the federal level, including SAFER Banking.
As a US Senator, Kamala Harris sponsored legislation to end the federal prohibition of cannabis. In 2022, the Biden administration provided pardons to low-level offenders convicted of federal marijuana offenses and initiated an administrative petition to reclassify cannabis under federal law. In March, Harris led a round-table discussion with marijuana pardon recipients.
Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Enacts Ordinance Protecting Medical Cannabis Patients From Employment Discrimination
Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh lawmakers have enacted municipal legislation protecting state-registered medical cannabis patients from employment discrimination due to their off-the-job marijuana use.
The law defines patients as a “protected class” under local law, thereby making it unlawful for most employers to require them to participate in pre-employment drug testing for marijuana. It also limits most employers’ ability to require qualified patients to undergo marijuana testing while they are on the job, absent suspicion that they are impaired.
Certain employers, such as construction companies and companies subject to federal drug testing regulations, are exempt from the ordinance.
“Gainful employment should be accessible to everyone regardless of the type of medical treatment they receive,” said Rachel Shepherd, The Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations.
Theresa Nightingale, Executive Director of Pittsburgh NORML – which lobbied on behalf of the bill – added: “Many of these patients are seniors, low-income and middle-class Pennsylvanians. Being able to provide for their families is integral to their survival. [It’s] discriminatory to deny them employment based on their medical conditions.”
In recent years, lawmakers in three states – Michigan, Nevada, and Washington – and in numerous other municipalities and counties nationwide – including Atlanta, Cleveland, the District of Columbia, Philadelphia, and St. Louis – have similarly ended pre-employment marijuana screening for most public employees. Several other states — including California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island — have enacted broader workplace protections limiting employers’ ability to either test or sanction workers for their use of cannabis use while off the job.
Nebraska: Judge Sets Trial Date in Medical Cannabis Ballot Fight
Lincoln, NE: A judge has set a trial date to hear arguments brought by litigants who oppose the certification of a pair of medical cannabis access ballot initiatives.
State regulators affirmed on August 30th that advocates Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana had gathered the requisite number of signatures to place the measures before voters. Opponents filed litigation shortly thereafter, alleging several thousand signatures should have been determined invalid because of clerical errors or malfeasance.
The judge has requested to hear evidence substantiating litigants’ allegations on October 29th. If substantiated, the trial will continue, and representatives of the campaign will have the opportunity to respond on October 31st. If the case extends beyond that date, it is unlikely that the issue will be resolved prior to Election Day.
Early voting has already begun in Nebraska and paper ballots have already been printed containing both ballot questions.
In a prepared statement responding to the allegations, the Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana campaign said: “It is appalling that the State of Nebraska is working to silence and disenfranchise the voices of tens of thousands of Nebraskans based on primarily unsubstantiated technical issues. These issues have absolutely nothing to do with the more than 115,000 voters who signed each of these petitions, or the dedicated patients and Nebraska citizens who worked hard to get the issue on the ballot.”
The two proposed ballot measures (Initiated Measures 437 and 438) are complementary. The first permits qualified patients to possess and use cannabis. The second measure regulates the production and distribution of cannabis to authorized patients. Advocates had to frame the issue as two separate ballot questions so as not to run afoul of the state’s ‘single subject’ rule. In 2020, the state Supreme Court invalidated a similar stand-alone measure for addressing issues that it deemed were “not naturally and necessarily connected to the [initiative’s] primary purpose.” A 2022 effort failed to obtain sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Voters in Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota will be deciding on adult-use legalization measures this fall.
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