Tag: Weed Connection

Feds: Marijuana Trafficking Convictions Have Fallen Dramatically Following Statewide Legalization

Washington, DC: The federal government is prosecuting and convicting fewer people for violating marijuana trafficking laws, according to data provided by the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC).

According to a new fact sheet issued by the Commission, just over 1,000 people were sentenced federally in 2020 for violating marijuana trafficking laws. That’s down 67 percent since 2016, and over 80 percent since 2012 – when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize and regulate the adult-use marijuana market.

“These trends illustrate the fact that state-legal domestic cannabis production has supplanted the foreign market and that marijuana law enforcement is becoming less of a federal priority in an age where the majority of Americans believe that cannabis ought to be legal,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “It is vital that Congress take action to amend federal law in a manner that comports with this reality.”

Overall, fewer than seven percent of all federal drug trafficking cases in 2020 involved marijuana, the USSC reported. Eighty-eight percent of marijuana trafficking prosecutions resulted in a prison sentence.

Additional information is available on the USSC.gov website.

Study: Marijuana Legalization Not Associated with Changes in Marijuana Use Among High-Risk Youth

Toronto, Canada: The enactment of adult-use marijuana legalization in Canada is not associated with changes in either cannabis use or perceived access among high-risk youth, according to data published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

A pair of researchers affiliated with the University of Toronto assessed cannabis use patterns immediately prior to and following legalization in a cohort of young people who had been enrolled in a substance abuse treatment program. All of the 269 participants in the study had a history of marijuana use.

Investigators determined: “[A]s a whole, cannabis use patterns did not change with legalization across a range of cannabis use and polysubstance use behaviors, nor did the perception of ease of access or safety of the source of cannabis.” Authors also reported “no change in mental health symptomatology or substance use dependence” following legalization.

They concluded, “Cannabis use does not appear to have changed substantially in the short-term following legalization among youth seeking services for substance use disorders, whether or not the youth have reached the age of majority.”

Full text of the study, “Legalization of cannabis use in Canada: Impacts on the cannabis use profiles of youth seeking services for substance use,” appears in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

Clinical Trial: Single Dose of CBDV Modulates Atypical Brain Circuitry in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder

London, United Kingdom: The administration of the phytocannabinoid CBDV (cannabidivarin) modulates brain chemistry in autistic patients in a manner that is typically associated with better patient outcomes, according to clinical data published in the journal Molecular Autism.

An international team of investigators from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom assessed the administration of CBDV versus placebo in a cohort of male patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers reported that CBDV dosing led to brain changes in the striatum that are typically associated with the mitigation of ASD symptoms.

Authors concluded: “A single dose of CBDV was sufficient to shift atypical striatal FC [functional connectivity] in the mature autistic brain towards the profile found at baseline in neurotypicals. … Future studies are required to determine whether modulation of striatal FC is associated with a change in ASD symptoms.”

Several observational trials have documented behavioral improvements in ASD patients administered whole-plant cannabis extracts. Most recently, a 2021 review of the relevant literature summarized: “Cannabis products [have been demonstrated to] reduce the number and/or intensity of different symptoms, including hyperactivity, attacks of self-mutilation and anger, sleep problems, anxiety, restlessness, psychomotor agitation, irritability, aggressiveness perseverance, and depression. Moreover, they [are associated with an] improvement in cognition, sensory sensitivity, attention, social interaction, and language.”

Authors of the review concluded, “Cannabis and cannabinoids may have promising effects in the treatment of symptoms related to ASD and can be used as a therapeutic alternative in the relief of those symptoms.”

Full text of the study, “Modulation of striatal functioning connectivity differences in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder in a single-dose randomized trial of cannabidivarin,” appears in Molecular Autism.

Study: Legal Marijuana Farms Are Not a Drain on Water Resources

Berkeley, CA: Licensed outdoor marijuana farms in northern California do not put undue strain on limited water resources, according to data published in the Journal of Environmental Management.

A team of researchers affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley and with the State of California, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board assessed irrigation patterns among licensed cannabis farms.

Authors stated that cannabis farming isn’t “particularly thirsty relative to other crops.” They estimated that “legal outdoor [cannabis] production uses about the same amount of water as a crop like tomatoes” and about 33 times less water than almonds.

The study’s findings run counter to previous claims that cannabis farming placed undue strain on the state’s limited water supply.

Because the University study only assessed water use among legally licensed farms, the authors cautioned that their findings may not be applicable to illicit growing practices. A prior study, published by New Frontier Data in partnership with the Resource Innovation Institute and the University of California, Berkeley similarly concluded that cannabis is among the most “water-economical” of California’s top revenue crops.

Full text of the study, “Water storage and irrigation practices for cannabis drive seasonal patterns of water extraction and use in northern California,” appears in the Journal of Environmental Management.

Clinical Trial: Oral CBD Dosing Doesn’t Consistently Mitigate Experimental Pain in Healthy Volunteers

New York, NY: The administration of oral CBD is not consistently associated with analgesia in healthy volunteers exposed to experimentally-induced pain, according to clinical data published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Researchers affiliated with Columbia University assessed the administration of various doses of purified CBD (200, 400, or 800mg) versus placebo in subjects exposed to experimental pain conditions.

Investigators reported that CBD “failed to consistently affect pain threshold and tolerance … relative to placebo.” In some cases, CBD dosing was associated with increases in subjects’ perceptions of pain.

Authors concluded: “CBD did not elicit consistent dose-dependent analgesia and in fact increased pain on some measures. Future studies exploring CBD-induced pain relief should consider using a more extensive pain assessment paradigm in different participant populations.”

Other studies have documented the anti-inflammatory effects of CBD, which may be useful in the treatment of chronic pain in certain pain populations. Moreover, the inhalation of whole-plant cannabis is well-established as an analgesic agent in various populations, particularly those suffering from neuropathy.

Full text of the study, “The dose-dependent analgesic effects, abuse liability, safety and tolerability of oral cannabidiol in healthy humans,” appears in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

Study: Marijuana Use Not Associated with Deleterious Effects on Male Sexual Function

* Note @WeedConnection Does Not Need A Study To Confidently State The Headline iS Correct
** Based On Personal Experience; Interviewing & Witnessesing Old Stoners Pop Out Babies iN Old Age

Winnipeg, Canada: Cannabis use does not appear to have any significant adverse effects on either male reproductive health or sexual function, according to longitudinal data published in the Canadian Urological Association Journal.

A team of Canadian investigators assessed male reproductive health in a cohort of nearly 8,000 subjects over a ten-year period.

Authors reported that subjects with a history of cannabis use “had a higher mean Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) score and mean total testosterone than non-users.”

They concluded, “[T]he present study provides compelling evidence against significant deleterious effects of cannabis use on male sexual function. Further studies, particularly large randomized controlled trials, are needed to establish causation of cannabis use on levels of testosterone and other reproductive hormones, semen parameters, sexual function, and fertility.”

Full text of the study, “The impact of cannabis use on male sexual function: A 10-year single-center experience,” appears in the Canadian Urological Association Journal.

Supreme Court Justice Questions Whether Federal Marijuana Ban Should Remain in Place

Washington, DC: United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has called into question the US government’s authority to impose federal prohibitions on the state-licensed production and sale of cannabis.

In a written opinion issued on Monday, Thomas wrote, “The Federal Government’s current approach is a half-in, half-out regime that simultaneously tolerates and forbids local use of marijuana.” Specifically, Thomas referred to legislation passed by Congress every year since 2015 prohibiting the Justice Department from interfering in states’ medical cannabis access programs. “This contradictory and unstable state of affairs strains the basic principle of federalism,” he wrote.

Thomas further acknowledged that times have changed significantly since 2005, when the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 (in Gonzalez v Raich) that federal law prohibited any state-sanctioned use of marijuana as a medicine – even in instances where there was no interstate commerce. Thomas was among the judges who dissented in that case.

He wrote: “Whatever the merits of Raich [were] when it was decided, federal policies of the past 16 years have greatly undermined its reasoning. … Suffice it to say, the Federal Government’s current approach to marijuana bears little resemblance to the watertight nationwide prohibition that a closely divided Court found necessary to justify the Government’s blanket prohibition in Raich. If the Government is now content to allow States to act ‘as laboratories’ ‘and try novel social and economic experiments,’ then it might no longer have authority to intrude on ‘[t]he States’ core police powers . . . to define criminal law and to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens.’ A prohibition on intrastate use or cultivation of marijuana may no longer be necessary or proper to support the Federal Government’s piecemeal approach.”

Thomas issued his comments while presiding over the appeal of a case (Standing Akimbo LLC et al v United States) challenging the federal ban on tax deductions for state-licensed cannabis businesses.

In response to Justice Thomas’ comments, NORML’s Executive Director Erik Altieri said: “Justice Thomas’ comments reflect what has been obvious to the vast majority of Americans for some time now. With nearly half of all Americans residing in a state where the use of marijuana by adults is completely legal, it is both absurd and problematic for the federal government to continue to define cannabis as a prohibited Schedule I controlled substance. This intellectually dishonest position is in conflict with the available science and the current cultural landscape, and it complicates the ability of states to successfully regulate and oversee state-legal marijuana businesses.”

Altieri concluded, “It is time for Congress to end this untenable situation by removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act so that states can make their own decisions with regard to marijuana and marijuana commerce free from undue federal interference.”

Mexico: Court Moves to Abolish Laws Prohibiting Personal Use of Marijuana

Mexico City, Mexico: Justices on Mexico’s highest court moved this week to permit adults to possess and cultivate small quantities of marijuana without penalty.

In 2018, members of the Supreme Court of Justice determined that the sections of the federal law criminalizing the private use and cultivation of cannabis by adults were unconstitutional. At that time, the majority opined, “The effects caused by marijuana do not create an absolute prohibition on its consumption.”

Justices gave Mexican lawmakers until April 30, 2021 to enact legislation regulating the use of cannabis by adults. However, House and Senate lawmakers did not agree on a plan prior to the deadline.

On Monday, a majority of the Court mandated that officials with Mexico’s Health Department begin issuing permits to members of the public ages 18 and older who wish to either possess or grow personal use quantities of cannabis. Activities involving commercial activities remain illegal.

“With these actions by the Court, the United States has become an island of federal marijuana prohibition in North America,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said.

Canada legalized its marijuana market in 2018. Mexican lawmakers in 2009 decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis (5 grams or less) and other substances.

Additional information is available from the Court.

Marijuana Use Not Associated with Increased Risk of Atherosclerosis

Bern, Switzerland: The cumulative use of cannabis over a 20-year period is not independently associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), according to longitudinal data published in The American Journal of Medicine.

An international team of investigators from Switzerland and the United States assessed the relationship between the use of tobacco and/or cannabis and the risk of subclinical atherosclerosis in a cohort of 3,257 subjects.

Authors reported that lifetime exposure to tobacco over a 20-year period was “strongly associated” with subclinical atherosclerosis, whereas the cumulative use of cannabis alone was not – a finding that is consistent with prior research.

They concluded, “This study adds to the growing body of evidence that there might be no association between the average population level of marijuana use and subclinical atherosclerosis.”

Previous research published by several of the same investigators reports that the cumulative use of cannabis is not associated with an increased risk of either cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease in middle-age subjects.

Other analyses of nationally representative samples of recreational marijuana consumers have reported inconsistent results regarding the relationship between cannabis and adverse cardiovascular events. A 2021 study of 57,000 US adults concluded, “After controlling for several confounding variables, we found that there was a decrease in the prevalence of cardiovascular events with marijuana use (Odds Ratio: 0.74).” By contrast, a 2020 review of nearly 134,000 US adults reported, “Frequent marijuana smoking is associated with significantly higher odds of stroke and myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease, with a possible role in premature cardiovascular disease.” More recently, the results of a 2021 literature review of 67 studies published in The American Journal of Medicine concluded, “[M]arijuana itself does not appear to be independently associated with excessive cardiovascular risk factors.” Authors did caution, however, that “it can be associated with other unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol use and tobacco smoking that can be detrimental” to cardiovascular health.

Full text of the study, “Cumulative marijuana use and carotid intima-media thickness at middle age: the CARDIA study,” appears in The American Journal of Medicine.

Clinical Trial: Cannabis Extracts Improve Quality of Life in Glioma Patients

Sydney, Australia: The daily administration of plant-derived cannabis extracts is well-tolerated and improves the overall quality of life in patients with glioma (brain cancer), according to clinical trial data published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology.

A team of Australian researchers assessed the daily administration of cannabis extracts containing either a 1 to 1 ratio of THC and CBD or a 4 to 1 ratio of THC and CBD in 83 patients with glioma. Subjects in the trial consumed the extracts for a period of at least four weeks.

Investigators reported that subjects responded most favorably to extracts containing equal ratios of THC and CBD.

They concluded: “This study provides robust evidence that medicinal cannabis administered to this patient population is safe, well tolerated, and can provide symptomatic relief to these patients. … [It] suggests that cannabis, especially a 1:1 CBD/THC mixture can be helpful for many of the symptoms impacting QoL [quality of life] in this patient population, especially sleep disturbance. As such, MC [medical cannabis] may be a valuable potential therapy for maintaining the best QoL and daily function for this poor prognosis population, [while] also assisting patients during anticancer and potential life extending therapies.”

Full text of the study, “A phase II randomized clinical trial assessing the tolerability of two different ratios of medicinal cannabis in patients with high grade gliomas,” appears in Frontiers in Oncology.

Study: CBD-Rich Cannabis Products Associated with Improvements in Pain, Anxiety, and Depression in Patients with More Severe Symptoms

Montreal, Canada: The long-term use of CBD-rich cannabis products is associated with overall improvements in patients with moderate to severe anxiety, pain, and depression, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.

A team of Canadian researchers assessed the use of lab-tested, CBD-rich products over a six-month period in a cohort of 279 subjects with mild to severe symptoms. Patients with more severe symptoms exhibited clinical benefits following the use of CBD, whereas those subjects with mild symptoms experienced little overall change in their symptoms.

“This study on CBD-rich products demonstrates the potential of RWE (real-world evidence) for the advancement of medical cannabis research and practice guidelines, especially in a world where CBD use is exponentially increasing but scientific data are limited. It revealed that CBD-rich treatments have a beneficial impact on patients with self-reported moderate or severe symptoms of pain, anxiety, or depression and overall wellbeing but not in patients with mild symptoms. … The results of this study contribute to address the myths and misinformation about CBD treatment and demand further investigation.”

Full text of the study, “Cannabidiol use and effectiveness: Real-world evidence from a Canadian medical cannabis clinic,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.