Weekly Stories, Studies, Surveys, Poll Results, Laws, etc.
Survey: Epidermolysis Bullosa Patients Frequently Use Cannabis for Symptom Management
Among EB patients who consume cannabis, 28 percent report that cannabinoids provide greater pain relief than traditional medications.
Study: Cannabis Use Not Independently Associated With Increased Risk of Head and Neck Cancers
Gainesville, FL: Marijuana use is not independently associated with an elevated risk of head and neck cancers, according to data published in the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Florida at Gainesville assessed the risk of head and neck cancers in a cohort of patients with a history of cannabis use. Investigators found no association once they adjusted for participants’ use of alcohol and tobacco. By contrast, subjects’ use of alcohol and cigarettes was associated with an elevated risk of cancer even after researchers adjusted for covariates.
They reported: “The odds ratio for oral cancer among cannabis users … became insignificant after adjustment for alcohol and cigarette smoking (OR=0.7 | OR=0.62). … Furthermore, after adjusting for cannabis use, the OR [odds ratios] for OPC [oropharyngeal cancer] in the alcohol users was 7.95 and 7.39 for smokers. The OR for OC [oral cancer] after adjusting for cannabis in the alcohol users was 9.67 and 7.52 in the cigarette smokers.”
The study’s authors concluded: “Alcohol and cigarette smoking rather than the use of cannabis may play a major role in establishing an association between cannabis use and both types of head and neck cancers. … Further large-scale studies are required to elucidate the risk of head and neck cancer in cannabis users.”
A 2020 review of 34 studies concluded that cannabis use is not associated with an increased risk of cancer, including those typically associated with tobacco. A 2025 study reported that cannabis use is associated with a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Full text of the study, “Use of cannabis and odds ratio for oropharyngeal and oral cancer: A cohort study,” appears in the Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.
Feds: Few Banks Provide Services To State-Licensed Cannabis Businesses
Washington, DC: Just over 800 financial institutions have filed paperwork with the federal government to provide services to state-licensed cannabis businesses, according to the latest quarterly data available from the US Department of the Treasury.
This total remains nearly unchanged since the fourth quarter of 2019, when 789 banks and credit unions filed paperwork with the agency.
In total, fewer than ten percent of all financial institutions nationwide provide services to state-licensed cannabis businesses.
Federal law discourages banks and other financial institutions from facilitating relationships with cannabis-related businesses because marijuana remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. On seven occasions, members of the US House of Representatives have passed legislation (aka SAFE Banking) to explicitly permit banks and other institutions to engage in relationships with marijuana businesses. However, Senate leadership has never advanced this language to the floor for consideration.
Last fall, President Donald Trump indicated in a Truth Social post that, if elected, he would work with Congress to enact reforms at the federal level, including the passage of SAFE Banking. Federal lawmakers have yet to reintroduce the legislation this session.
According to survey data compiled by Whitney Economics, over 70 percent of participating cannabis businesses say that the “lack of access to banking or investment capital” is their top challenge.
NORML has repeatedly called upon Congress to amend federal banking legislation, opining: “No industry can operate safely, transparently or effectively without access to banks or other financial institutions, and it is self-evident that the players in this industry (smaller and minority-owned businesses in particular), and those consumers that are served by it, will remain severely hampered without better access to credit and financing.”
Additional information is available from the Department of the Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Study: Use of State-Regulated Cannabis Products Associated With Decreased Stress
Boulder, CO: The use of state-regulated cannabis products, particularly those dominant in CBD, is associated with reduced stress and improved mood, according to observational data published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Human & Experimental.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Colorado at Boulder assessed the ad libitum use of cannabis products in subjects with elevated levels of anxiety. Participants were assigned to consume state-regulated cannabis products dominant in either THC or CBD for the duration of the trial. Patients’ symptoms (feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety) were assessed at baseline, at two weeks, and at four weeks.
Investigators acknowledged “significant changes” in participants’ DASS Scale (Depression Anxiety Stress) scores over the length of the trial. Participants who consumed CBD-dominant products experienced the greatest decrease in symptoms. Contrary to researchers’ expectations, participants did not decrease their alcohol intake during the study.
The study’s authors concluded: “Among a sample of individuals underrepresented in research, both CBD and THC were significantly related to improvement in mood but not to alcohol use, with participants using CBD demonstrating more improvement over the course of the entire study period. … These results suggest that CBD may be helpful in reducing negative mood in the short term without increasing risk for disordered alcohol use.”
Patients authorized to use medical cannabis products most frequently report doing so to mitigate symptoms of pain, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, sleep disturbances, and depression.
Full text of the study, “Effects of cannabinoid on emotional states and alcohol use among underrepresented groups: Moderation by perceived discrimination,” appears in Human Psychopharmacology: Human & Experimental.
Survey: Epidermolysis Bullosa Patients Frequently Use Cannabis for Symptom Management
Chicago, IL: Patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare blistering skin condition, often report using cannabis to mitigate pain, itching, and other symptoms, according to survey data published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Investigators affiliated with Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago surveyed 244 EB patients.
Forty-four percent acknowledged having used either cannabis or CBD to treat their condition. Among cannabis consumers, 28 percent reported that cannabinoids provide greater pain relief than traditional medications.
“Cannabinoids are used by nearly half of all EB patients with notable improvements in pain, itch, and overall wellbeing, suggesting that cannabinoids could be a promising new therapy for EB symptom management,” the study’s authors concluded.
Case reports have previously documented that the topical use of CBD by patients with EB is associated with a “reduction in pain and blistering,” “rapid wound healing,” and “the objective need for less analgesic [medicines].” The oral consumption of cannabis extracts has also been associated with pain mitigation in EB patients.
Full text of the study, “Cannabinoids for epidermolysis bullosa symptom management: A survey,” appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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