Weekly Stories, Studies, Surveys, Poll Results, Laws, etc.
Analysis: No Uptick in Suicidal Ideation Post-Legalization
Halifax, Canada: Rates of suicide in Canada remained stable following the adoption of adult-use cannabis legalization, according to data published in the journal BJPsych Open.
Canadian investigators assessed the number of hospitalizations related to suicide during the six months immediately following legalization and again two years later. Suicide rates remained stable during the study period. Researchers also acknowledged, “Individuals present to the emergency department with cannabis use less frequently than alcohol.”
The study’s authors concluded: “Post-cannabis legalization, there is not an ongoing increase in emergency department presentations for suicidal ideation and attempts. This is in line with other work in Canadian jurisdictions showing no increases in cannabis-related emergency department presentations overall post-legalization.”
Data from the United States previously reported a correlation between the enactment of state-specific medical cannabis access laws and declining suicide rates. A more recent study determined that suicide rates rose in some states following the adoption of adult-use legalization, but fell in other legal jurisdictions.
Full text of the study, “Understanding the role of cannabis in patients with suicidal ideation presenting to the emergency department: Systematic chart review,” appears in BJPsych Open.
Case Series: Patients With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Report Improvements Following Cannabis Use
London, United Kingdom: Patients with complex regional pain syndrome (chronic neuropathic pain) report improvements in their health-related quality of life following their use of medical cannabis products, according to data published in the journal Brain and Behavior.
British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) in 64 pain patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (British health care providers may prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients who are unresponsive to conventional medications.) Patients’ outcomes were assessed at baseline and six months later. Study participants consumed either herbal cannabis or oil extracts containing both THC and CBD.
Investigators reported “clinically important” improvements in patients’ pain severity, anxiety, sleep quality, and overall quality of life following cannabis treatment. Participants with prior experience using cannabis “were more likely to experience clinically significant improvements” in their pain scores than were cannabis-naïve subjects.
The study’s authors concluded: “These findings are consistent with existing literature which similarly demonstrates an association between CBMP treatment and consistent improvements in pain severity in chronic or neuropathic pain conditions. … Importantly, the observed changes in pain-specific PROMs in this study may confer opioid-sparing effects in complex regional pain syndrome patients. … This supports further research through high-quality randomized controlled trials to ascertain the efficacy of cannabis-based medicinal products in improving complex regional pain syndrome symptoms.”
Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products among those enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry have reported them to be beneficial for patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant epilepsy, cancer-related pain, anxiety, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, hypermobility disorders, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, substance use disorders, insomnia, and inflammatory arthritis, among other conditions.
Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A clinical outcomes analysis for insomnia,” appears in PLOS Mental Health.
Study: Cannabis Use Promotes Improvements in Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Tel Aviv, Israel: Patients experience reductions in chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CIPN) following the sustained daily use of medical cannabis products, according to data published in the journal Biomedicines.
Israeli investigators assessed outcomes in 751 patients with CIPN. Study participants consumed prescribed medical cannabis products (either herbal cannabis or oral extracts), dominant in either THC or CBD. (Approximately 150,000 Israeli patients receive prescription cannabis from the Ministry of Health.) Patients consumed cannabis daily for six months.
Researchers reported that patients in both cannabis treatment groups experienced significant symptomatic improvements, with those consuming higher doses of THC-dominant products reporting the greatest degree of improvement.
“The significant improvement in CIPN symptoms, ADL (activities in daily living), and QOL (quality of life), particularly in the THC-high cluster, supports the clinical use of medical cannabis as a complementary therapeutic option for patients with chemotherapy-induced neuropathy who experience limited relief from standard therapies,” the study’s authors concluded. “Moreover, the observed improvement in functionality (ADL) underscores the potential of cannabis to improve daily living and overall patient well-being, aspects often overlooked in traditional CIPN management.”
Numerous other studies have similarly reported that cannabis use provides sustained improvements in patients suffering from neuropathy.
Data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that nearly one in three patients with chronic pain use cannabis as an analgesic agent and that many of them substitute it in place of opioids.
Full text of the study, “Comparative effects of THC and CBD on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: Insights from a large real-world self-reported dataset,” appears in Biomedicines.
Maryland: Appellate Court Upholds Ban on Sale of Hemp-Derived Intoxicants
Annapolis, MD: Judges for the Maryland Appellate Court have ruled in favor of a state-imposed prohibition on the retail sale of hemp-derived intoxicants containing delta-8-THC, delta-10-THC, and other synthetically produced cannabinoids.
The decision reverses a lower court’s preliminary injunction halting state officials from taking legal actions against intoxicating hemp providers.
The Court determined that no “common right” exists for retailers to sell hemp-derived psychoactive products because they “are now and have always been illegal in Maryland.” The Court added, “That their prohibition has been the subject of lax enforcement does not make [them] legal.”
Judges further opined that the hemp sales ban is reasonable because it “protect[s] public health and [serves] the public interest.”
Courts have recently upheld similar state-imposed bans in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, and Virginia.
Consumers’ use of hemp-derived products containing delta-8-THC and other synthetically produced cannabinoids has increased in recent years, particularly in jurisdictions where cannabis remains illegal. The synthetic conversion process typically involves the use of potentially dangerous household products. Third-party laboratory testing of these unregulated products often finds that they contain percentages of cannabinoids that differ from 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.
Nearly half of all US states impose restrictions on the retail sale of delta-8-THC and similar products, according to reporting provided by Courthouse News Service.
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