#NORML #News @WeedConnection

Study: Cannabis Mitigates Pain in Patients with Refractory Gastroparesis, Is Associated with Improvements in In-Hospital Mortality

Valhalla, NY: The use of marijuana significantly reduces abdominal pain in patients with refractory gastroparesis, according to data published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. (Gastroparesis involves the partial paralysis of the stomach; symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, heartburn, and weight loss.)

Researchers affiliated with New York Medical College and with Westchester Medical Center University Hospital assessed the effects of either plant cannabis or dronabinol (FDA-approved oral THC) on pain in a cohort of 24 patients with treatment-resistant gastroparesis.

While both the administration of oral THC and cannabis was associated with reductions in patients' self-reported pain, whole-plant cannabis was associated with greater improvements.

"Our study shows that cannabinoids may play an important role in the management of gastroparesis-related abdominal pain," authors concluded. "There are currently no treatments shown to be effective for gastroparetic pain in clinical trials, and cannabinoids may serve a niche for this under-treated symptom."

Separate data assessing the relationship between cannabis use and gastroparesis, published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, further reports that patients who consume cannabis possess "better hospitalization outcomes, including decreased length of stay and improved in-hospital mortality" as compared to those with no history of recent use.

Prior observational studies have similarly reported that marijuana use is associated with a decreased risk of in-hospital mortality among patients suffering from congestive heart failure, cancer, COPD, pancreatitis, HIV, burn-related injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and various other types of severe trauma.

Full text of the study, "Cannabinoids lead to significant improvement in gastroparesis-related abdominal pain," appears in The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Full text of the study, "Trends and socioeconomic health outcomes of cannabis use among patients with gastroparesis: A United States nationwide inpatient sample analysis," appears in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology.

Survey: Arthritis Patients Likely to Report Improvements Following CBD Therapy

Great Neck, NY: Arthritis patients frequently report symptom improvements and reductions in their use of prescription medications following the use of CBD products, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

A team of investigators affiliated with the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University in New York and with the Banner University Medical Center in Arizona surveyed a convenience sample of patients with either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Most of the participants (70 percent) acknowledged having used CBD products for symptomatic relief.

"The overall cohort reported significant reductions in pain after CBD use, with a 44 percent reduction in numerical pain score and 2.58-point reduction [on a zero-to-ten numerical pain score]," authors reported. "Pairwise comparisons demonstrated that the osteoarthritis group had greater percentage reduction and point reduction compared to RA and other autoimmune arthritis."

Consistent with other studies, authors reported that many patients either reduced or eliminated their use of medications following their use of CBD products. They acknowledged, "Most respondents using CBD for joint pain reported a reduction or cessation of other medications due to CBD use (60.5 percent), including a reduction in anti-inflammatories (31.1 percent), discontinuation of anti-inflammatories (17.8 percent), reduction in acetaminophen (18.2 percent), discontinuation of acetaminophen (17.8 percent), reduction in opioids (8.6 percent), and discontinuation of opioids (18.9 percent)."

Most participants taking CBD products acknowledged experiencing either mild or no adverse effects.

Authors concluded: "In terms of the perceived effects of CBD on pain, physical function, and sleep quality, many patients using CBD reported symptomatic improvements. ... These findings suggest that CBD could be an alternative to opioids for the treatment of arthritic pain. ... Clinicians and patients should be aware of the various alternative therapeutic options available to treat their symptoms of arthritis, especially in light of the increased accessibility to cannabidiol products."

The administration of a topical form of CBD has been previously shown to be effective in patients with thumb basal joint arthritis, according to placebo-controlled trial data. Arthritis patients who consume medical cannabis have similarly reported reductions in their opioid intake and improvements in their quality of life.

Full text of the study, "Cannabidiol as a treatment for arthritis and joint pain: An exploratory cross-sectional study," appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

Analysis: Medical Cannabis Access Not Associated with Increases in Problematic Use by Young People

New York, NY: The implementation of state laws legalizing the medical use of cannabis is not associated with increases in rates of problematic marijuana use by either adolescents or by young adults, according to data published in the Community Mental Health Journal.

A pair of researchers affiliated with the Weill Medical College at Cornell University assessed rates of so-called ‘cannabis use disorder' among those ages 15 to 24 in states with and without medical cannabis access laws.

"We found that states that have implemented MML [medical marijuana laws] for more than five years are not significantly associated with smaller or greater 2019 DALYs [disability adjusted life years] for cannabis use disorders in an adolescent and young adult population aged 15 to 19, and 20 to 24 years-old, as compared to states that have not," they concluded. "Our findings suggest that MML may have a negligible effect (if any) on cannabis use disorders in this population group."

Their findings are consistent with those of several other studies that have failed to identify any link between medical cannabis legalization and increased marijuana use among young people.

Full text of the study, "Long-term impact of medical marijuana laws on the burden of cannabis use disorders in US male and female adolescents and young adults," appears in Community Mental Health Journal.

Study: Cannabis Use Associated with Lower BMI Among Those with HIV/HCV

Marseille, France: People co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C who consume cannabis are at a lower risk of being overweight, according to data published in the journal AIDS Education and Prevention.

French investigators assessed the relationship between cannabis use and body mass index (BMI) in a cohort of 992 HIV/HCV patients. Consistent with prior research, they reported that a history of marijuana use was "inversely associated with BMI."

Prior studies involving HIV/HCV subjects have also identified a link between cannabis use and a lower risk of diabetes, fatty liver disease, and early mortality.

Other case control studies have consistently reported that those with a history of marijuana use are less likely than abstainers to be obese or to suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Full text of the study, "Cannabis use as a protective factor against overweight in HIV-hepatitis C virus co-infected people," appears in AIDS Education and Prevention.