Study: Plant-Derived Cannabis Oils Effective for Symptom Management in Older Patients with Treatment-Resistant Neurological Diseases
Sydney, Australia: The use of plant-derived cannabis oils containing balanced ratios of THC and CBD is generally safe and effective for patients suffering from neurological diseases, according to observational trial data published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Australian researchers assessed the sustained use of cannabis extracts in 157 patients with treatment-resistant neurological, musculoskeletal, autoimmune, or anti-inflammatory disorders. (Under Australian law, physicians may only authorize medical cannabis to patients that have been unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.)
Investigators reported that patients age 65 or older and/or those suffering from neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, and multiple sclerosis, perceived the greatest overall benefits from cannabis therapy. Their findings are consistent with those of several other studies reporting health-related quality of life benefits among older patients who consume cannabis.
Subjects were most likely to report cannabis to be effective for improving sleep and for reducing pain – findings that are consistent with other studies. By contrast, patients suffering from spondylosis were least likely to perceive benefits from cannabis therapy.
Authors concluded: “This retrospective medical record review describes the population characteristics of patients using medicinal cannabis at a clinic in Sydney, Australia and provides data on the effectiveness and safety of medicinal cannabis treatment on patient conditions and indications. … [Its findings] indicate that medicinal cannabis, in a balanced formulation, may address a variety of non-cancer conditions and indications concurrently and can be safely prescribed by a medical doctor.”
Full text of the study, “A retrospective medical record review of adults with non-cancer diagnoses prescribed medical cannabis,” appears in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Analysis: No Uptick in Traffic-Related Hospitalizations Following Marijuana Legalization
Toronto, Canada: The implementation of adult-use marijuana sales in Canada is not associated with any increase in traffic injury-related hospitalizations, according to data published in the journal Addiction.
Investigators assessed nationwide rates of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in the years before and immediately following legalization.
Authors concluded, “Overall, there is no clear evidence that RCL [recreational cannabis laws] had any effect on rates of ED visits and hospitalizations for either motor vehicle or pedestrian/cyclist injury across Canada.”
The findings are consistent with those of a 2021 Canadian study that similarly “found no evidence that the implementation of the Cannabis Act was associated with significant changes in post-legalization patterns of all drivers’ traffic-injury ED visits or, more specifically, youth-driver traffic-injury ED presentations.”
Several studies from the United States also found no significant changes in traffic safety in the years immediately following the enactment of adult-use legalization. However, other assessments evaluating longer-term trends in traffic safety following legalization have yielded inconsistent results.
Full text of the study, “The effect of recreational cannabis legalization on rates of traffic injury in Canada,” appears in Addiction.
North Dakota: Lawmakers Advance Bill Increasing THC Limits for Qualified Patients
Bismarck, ND: Members of the state House and Senate have approved legislation (Senate Bill 2068) increasing the quantity of THC-containing products that patients may legally possess at any one time.
House members advanced the bill by a vote of 77 to 16. Members of the Senate passed it by a vote of 34 to 14. The measure now awaits action from Republican Gov. Doug Burgum.
Under the state’s medical cannabis access law, registered patients are not permitted to either purchase or possess a supply of THC-infused products totaling more than 4,000 milligrams in any 30-day period. The pending legislation raises this 30-day cap to 6,000 milligrams.
According to the state’s Department of Health & Human Services website, over 9,000 residents are currently registered to obtain medical cannabis products at state-licensed dispensaries.
South Dakota: Mixed Bag of Cannabis Bills Advance to Governor’s Desk
Pierre, SD: A pair of medical cannabis reform bills have been advanced by the legislature and await action from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.
The first bill, Senate Bill 1, expands the pool of patients eligible to receive medical cannabis authorizations to include those explicitly diagnosed with AIDS/HIV, ALS, multiple sclerosis, cancer (or who are undergoing chemotherapy), Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, and/or post-traumatic stress. However, the legislation repeals provisions providing patients and others the ability to petition health department officials to add additional qualifying conditions in the future. Going forward, lawmakers will have the sole discretion to add new qualifying conditions.
The second bill, House Bill 1053, prohibits health practitioners from providing patients with an authorization to access medical cannabis if they are either pregnant or breastfeeding. No other state explicitly imposes similar restrictions. (Last year, members of the Alabama Senate approved similar legislation requiring women of childbearing age to show proof of a negative pregnancy test before they could apply to obtain medical cannabis; however, that bill eventually failed in the House.)
In January, the Arizona Supreme Court held that a mother’s authorized use of medical cannabis to treat symptoms of morning sickness did not constitute child neglect under the state’s child welfare laws.
According to survey data published last year, a small percentage of patients acknowledge having used cannabis to treat symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). However, among those that do, most say that it is more effective than prescription medications at reducing severe nausea and vomiting.
NORML opposes HB 1053 because it unduly interferes with doctor/patient relations. For information on additional legislation, please visit NORML’s ‘Take Action Center.’
Study: Clinicians More Likely to Order Drug Tests for Black Newborns
Ann Arbor, MI: Black newborns are more likely to undergo drug testing than are other babies, according to data published in the journal JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Network Open.
Researchers affiliated with the University of Michigan assessed rates of infant drug testing in a cohort of over 26,000 newborn children. They reported that clinicians ordered drug tests to be performed on Black newborns at nearly four times the rate of other children.
“This study [finds] racial disparities in newborn drug testing unrelated to obstetrical risk,” authors determined. “Our findings strongly suggest that changes in policies regarding drug testing and reporting at the hospital and state level and improvement measures focused on the health, well-being, and dignity of Black birthing people are needed to reduce health inequity for Black parents and their newborns.”
The findings are consistent with those of prior studies reporting that Black patients and their newborns are more likely to be drug tested for cannabis and other substances than those of other ethnicities.
For example, a study published earlier this month in the journal Hospital Pediatrics reported that patients selected to undergo marijuana-specific drug screening during the labor and delivery process are disproportionately Hispanic or African American.
Data assessing the relationship between in utero cannabis exposure and various neonatal outcomes, such as birth weight, is inconsistent. However, longitudinal data indicates that cannabis exposure is rarely independently linked with adverse neurodevelopmental consequences, finding, “Although there is a theoretical potential for cannabis to interfere with neurodevelopment, human data drawn from four prospective cohorts have not identified any long-term or long lasting meaningful differences between children exposed in utero to cannabis and those not.”
Nonetheless, in some states, such as in Oklahoma and Alabama, mothers have been arrested and criminally prosecuted for the use of cannabis during their pregnancy. In total, 24 states and the District of Columbia consider substance use during pregnancy to be child abuse under civil child-welfare statutes and three consider it grounds for civil commitment, according to data provided by The Guttmacher Policy Institute.
Full text of the study, “Incidences of newborn drug testing and variations by birthing parent race and ethnicity before and after recreational cannabis legalization,” appears in JAMA Network Open.
