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Study: Artisanal CBD-Rich Extracts Show Long-Term Efficacy in Children with Epilepsy

Tel Aviv, Israel: Children with refractory epilepsy respond favorably to long-term treatment with plant-derived CBD extracts, according to data published in Pediatric Neurology.

Israeli researchers assessed the safety and efficacy of artisanal CBD-rich extracts in a cohort of adolescents with treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy. Among patients administered extracts for a period of at least one year, 51 percent experienced a significant decline in seizure frequency. Patients reported only nominal side-effects associated with CBD treatment.

Authors concluded, "Artisanal cannabidiol-enriched cannabis may be an effective and safe long-term treatment for refractory epilepsy."

In 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration granted market approval to Epidiolex, a prescription medicine containing a standardized formulation of plant-derived cannabidiol for the treatment of two rare forms of severe epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Shortly after approval, the US Drug Enforcement Administration reclassified Epidiolex to Schedule V of the US Controlled Substances Act - the lowest restriction classification available under federal law.

Full text of the study, "The long-term effectiveness and safety of cannabidiol-enriched oil in children with drug-resistant epilepsy," appears in Pediatric Neurology.

Analysis: Incidences of Acute Cannabis-Induced Psychosis Are Uncommon

Lausanne, Switzerland: Cannabis consumption rarely triggers episodes of acute psychosis in those without a pre-existing psychiatric disorder, according to data published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

An international team of researchers from Australia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom assessed lifetime occurrences of "cannabis-associated psychotic symptoms" (CAPS) requiring hospitalization in a cohort of 233,000 European marijuana consumers.

Authors reported that less than one-half of one percent of subjects reported ever having had such an experience. Those at higher risk for such incidences included younger aged subjects, as well as those with a prior diagnosis of bipolar, anxiety, or depressive disorder, or psychosis.

"Our findings are in line with the idea of a common (genetic) vulnerability representing risk that is shared across psychiatric disorders," authors determined. They concluded, "Rates of CAPS as observed here are comparable to rates of other drug-induced psychosis, such as alcohol-associated psychosis (around 0.4 – 0.7 percent)."

The study's findings are consistent with those of a separate paper, published in July in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, which reported that medical cannabis patients are at "low" risk for psychiatric hospitalizations resulting from their marijuana use. In that trial, investigators assessed marijuana-related hospitalizations among a cohort of over 23,000 subjects over a median period of 240 days. During that time, only 26 patients were hospitalized explicitly because of "mental or behavioral disorders due to the use of cannabis."

The findings push back against high-profile claims from some cannabis reform opponents that marijuana exposure is a frequent trigger for psychosis and other mental health disorders.

Full text of the study, "Rates and correlates of cannabis-associated psychotic symptoms in over 230,000 people who use cannabis," appears in Translational Psychiatry.

Canada: Nearly One-in-Ten Cannabis Consumers Engage in Home Cultivation

Waterloo, Canada: Approximately ten percent of Canadian cannabis consumers report engaging in home cultivation, according to data published in the journal Addictive Behavior Reports.

Canadian researchers surveyed home cultivation patterns prior to and following the enactment of adult-use legalization in 2018. Under the law, adults in most regions of the country are permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants for their own personal use. (The provinces of Quebec and Manitoba prohibit home cultivation.)

Researchers reported that the percentage of consumers who grew their own cannabis increased from six percent prior to the passage of legalization to nine percent in 2020. Those residing in more rural areas were more likely to home cultivate. Most of those who engaged in home cultivation did not exceed legally imposed plant limits.

"Almost one-in-ten Canadian cannabis consumers reported home cultivation of cannabis in 2020, with modest increases following legalization of non-medical cannabis," authors concluded. "The uptake of home cultivation is associated with province and cultivation policies; specifically, Manitoba and Quebec, the only provinces to prohibit non-medical home cultivation, reported among the lowest rates. Although the current study reported an increase in home cultivation among past 12-month consumers after legalization, it will be important to see whether rates continue to increase, even as access to legal cannabis and the price of legal cannabis decreases."

Data from the United States has estimated that fewer than two percent of cannabis consumers acknowledge engaging in home cultivation, although the actual percentage of home growers has likely increased in recent years as more jurisdictions have adopted marijuana legalization policies.

NORML has long advocated that consumers in legal jurisdictions ought to have the option to home cultivate personal use quantities of cannabis, opining: "The inclusion of legislative provisions protecting the non-commercial home cultivation of cannabis serves as leverage to assure the product available at retail outlets is high quality, safe and affordable. Additionally, permitting home cultivation provides adult consumers with an immediate source of cannabis - providing an alternative to the illicit market. Such a source is necessary because it typically takes state regulators several months, or even years, following the law's enactment to establish licensed retail operators."

Full text of the study, "Home cultivation across Canadian provinces after cannabis legalization," appears in Addictive Behavior Reports.

New York: State Regulators Finalize Home Cultivation Rules for Qualified Patients

New York, NY: Qualified patients and their designated caregivers can begin home cultivating marijuana next month, following the adoption of rules by state regulators.

Under the new rules, patients and caregivers registered with the state may grow specified quantities of marijuana on their own private property. Individual patients are limited to no more than three mature plants and three immature plants. Caregivers with multiple patients are limited to growing no more than six mature plants and six immature plants at any one time.

The new rules will take effect on October 5, 2022. State regulators initially announced their intent to authorize limited home grows nearly one year ago.

Nearly 125,000 New Yorkers are currently registered in the state's medical marijuana access program.

State lawmakers in 2021 approved separate legislation, The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA), legalizing and regulating marijuana possession and sales for adults. Regulators just recently began accepting applications from those seeking licensure to establish retail cannabis facilities.

Additional information is available from the New York State Office of Cannabis Management.