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Brasilia, Brazil: Autistic patients who use plant-derived cannabis extracts perceive benefits in their symptoms and reduce their use of prescription medications, according to data published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

A team of Brazilian researchers assessed the use of individually tailored doses of cannabis extracts in 20 subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most patients (80 percent) consumed cannabis extracts for at least six months. Patients used extracts dominant in either CBD or THC. All extracts were administered orally via drops.

Cannabis treatment was associated with perceived symptom improvements as well as with reductions in patients’ use of neuropsychiatric medications. Reported side effects from cannabis treatment were mostly “mild and temporary.”

Investigators reported: “In this manuscript we present the perceived improvements of ASD patients and their families over the course of 3 to 21 months of treatment with FCE [full-spectrum cannabis extracts], using a titration protocol that resulted in personalized CBD and THC dosages, resulting in individually tailored CBD to THC proportions. … Parents reported improvement in all aspects evaluated. Side effects observed during FCE treatment were mild. … As treatment evolved, most other medications had their doses reduced or were completely removed during FCE treatment, which is consistent with the subjective perception of general improvement after FCE treatment. Patients’ and their families’ quality of life improved in 19 out of the 20 cases.”

They concluded: “Our study expands the scientific data demonstrating that clinical use of cannabis extracts is a safe intervention with promising and valuable effects over many core and comorbid aspects of autism that are not achieved by conventional medications. … Based on our findings, we propose guidelines for individually tailored dosage regimens that may be adapted to locally available qualified FCEs and guide further clinical trials.”

Numerous other studies have also identified improvements in autism patients who consume either plant-derived extracts or cannabis flower. Survey data published in 2021 by the publication Autism Parenting Magazine reported that 22 percent of US caregivers or parents have provided CBD to an autistic child.

Full text of the study, “Individually tailored dosage regimen of full-spectrum cannabis extracts for autistic core and comorbid symptoms: A real-life report of multi-symptomatic benefits,” appears in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

Analysis: Unregulated Cannabis Products Far More Likely to Contain Pesticides

Ottawa, Canada: Cannabis flower provided by Canadian-licensed marijuana cultivators are far less likely to test positive for the presence of pesticide residues than are similar products obtained from unregulated sources, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

Researchers affiliated with Health Canada analyzed samples of cannabis flower obtained from the legal and unregulated market. (Canada legalized the adult-use marijuana market in 2018.)

They reported that only six percent of the samples obtained from the licensed marketplace contained trace levels of pesticide residues. By contrast, 92 percent of unregulated flower products tested positive for the residual presence of pesticides.

“Pesticides were detected in 92 percent of Canadian illicit cannabis inflorescence samples with 23 unique pesticide active ingredients quantified,” investigators determined. “Illicit cannabis contained on average 3.7 different pesticides per sample, and 87 percent of positive samples contained more than one different pesticide.”

They concluded: “To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the only extensive pesticide multiresidue analysis that compares pesticides in the licensed and illicit cannabis markets in a nationwide jurisdiction where cannabis has been legalized. Albeit being a small study, our results do support the government of Canada’s messaging where ‘Consuming illegal products could lead to adverse effects and other serious harms.’”

Since Canada legalized the adult-use cannabis market, the percentage of consumers who say that they obtain marijuana products exclusively from legally licensed retailers has risen steadily every year.

Data from the United States estimates that 43 percent of cannabis consumers nationwide now obtain their products from state-licensed retailers. Among those residing in legal marijuana states, only six percent of respondents say that they obtain their cannabis primarily from the unregulated market.

Full text of the study, “High levels of pesticides found in illicit cannabis inflorescence compared to licensed samples in Canadian study using expanded 327 pesticides multiresidue method,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

Survey: Nearly One-Third of Cancer Patients Acknowledge Using Cannabis Post-Diagnosis, Most Don’t Tell Their Doctors

New York, NY: Patients diagnosed with cancer frequently turn to cannabis for symptom management, according to survey data published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer.

Researchers affiliated with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City surveyed 1,258 cancer patients. Thirty-one percent of respondents said that they used cannabis products following their diagnosis. (All respondents resided in states where the medical use of cannabis for cancer is legal.)

Respondents were most likely to report consuming cannabis products to improve sleep, reduce pain, and relieve stress and depression. Those who used cannabis for palliative care “overwhelmingly reported improvements in their symptoms.” Only one in four consumers discussed their cannabis use with their healthcare providers – a result that is consistent with other studies finding that most patients are reluctant to speak with their doctors about cannabis-specific health issues.

Authors concluded: “Our study found that cannabis use among cancer patients is common across sociodemographic and clinical populations, with cannabis often obtained without oncologist involvement. Oncologists and other members of the oncology team are uniquely positioned to provide education about the harms and benefits of cannabis use specifically for cancer patients, which is especially important in the context of inconclusive and often conflicting evidence. Interventions to improve cannabis education and communication need not target oncologists who treat specific cancers, as cannabis use appears consistent across multiple patient characteristics.”

According to survey data compiled earlier this year by researchers at the University of Michigan, a majority of physicians say that they lack the skills to adequately counsel patients on the use of medical cannabis.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis use among recently treated cancer patients: Perceptions and experiences,” appears in Supportive Care in Cancer.

Analysis: Court-Mandated Marijuana Treatment Admissions for Young People Decline Significantly Following Legalization

Philadelphia, PA: Far fewer young people are referred by the criminal courts to attend marijuana-specific treatment programs following the adoption of statewide adult-use legalization laws, according to data published in the journal Addiction Medicine.

Researchers with Temple University in Philadelphia analyzed ten years (2008 to 2019) of admissions data from the US government’s Treatment Episode Data Sets (TEDS). They reported that the total number of marijuana-related drug treatment admissions declined significantly among adolescents (ages 12 to 17) and young adults (ages 18 to 24) during this time period. Much of this decline was the result of fewer court-mandated admissions.

“Our results indicate that the proportion of referrals to CUD [cannabis use disorder] treatment from the criminal justice system fell following recreational legalization in the United States among young adults, likely due to post-legalization declines in cannabis-related arrests,” the study’s authors concluded.

In 2010, courts ordered nearly 60,000 teens and another 70,000 young adults to attend marijuana treatment. Those totals fell to fewer than 20,000 adolescents and approximately 30,000 young adults in 2019.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano commented on the trend, stating: “In addition to ending tens of thousands of needless low-level marijuana arrests, cannabis legalization is also freeing up space in drug treatment centers for those people who truly need it. Most people arrested for violating marijuana possession laws do not require mandatory drug treatment, and historically, these referrals were provided primarily to divert people away from the criminal justice system.”

Numerous state and federal surveys have failed to identify an uptick in adolescents’ use of cannabis following the adoption of state-level legalization policies.

Full text of the study, “Criminal justice referrals to cannabis use disorder treatment among adolescents and young adults following cannabis legalization in the United States,” appears in Addiction Medicine.