Cannabis, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 30.10.2024

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sarah Keim, PhD Associate Professor, Epidemiology College of Public Health The Ohio State University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Marijuana is the illicit substance most commonly used during pregnancy, and use is increasing. Some evidence suggests that marijuana is associated with deficits in executive function and increased delinquent behavior in school-age children and adolescents, with potential downstream impacts on achievement and social functioning. However, this evidence comes largely from only 2 studies several decades old. Today cannabis is more than 10 times more potent than it was several decades ago. (more…)
Cannabis, Pain Research / 09.10.2024

As awareness grows regarding the therapeutic properties of cannabis, many are turning to cannabis edibles as an option for pain management. Edibles provide a discreet, long-lasting, and controlled way to consume cannabis without the need for smoking or vaping, for those seeking relief from chronic pain. This article explores the benefits of cannabis edibles, how they work in pain management, and how you can find the right product for your needs.

Why Cannabis Edibles Are Effective for Pain Management

Cannabis contains compounds known as cannabinoids, which interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system to regulate various physiological functions, including pain perception. The two primary cannabinoids in cannabis are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol), both of which play a role in pain relief. (more…)
Cannabis / 07.10.2024

  In recent years, Florida has seen significant growth in the medical cannabis industry. This expansion has transformed healthcare options for patients across the state. Medical cannabis is now being accepted as a viable treatment for various medical conditions. It is providing new alternatives for those seeking relief from chronic pain, anxiety, and other health issues. With the increasing acceptance of cannabis, Florida dispensaries are making a difference in people's lives. These establishments are vital in enhancing patient care and offering personalized treatment options. A Florida dispensary focuses on promoting wellness through education and support. They contribute significantly to Florida's healthcare landscape, helping improve patient outcomes.  (more…)
Addiction, Author Interviews, Cannabis / 05.08.2024

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Luke Cavanah, BS Department of Medical Education Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Scranton, PA 18509 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Amphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, and methylphenidate, are first-line treatments for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are classified as Schedule II stimulants due to their risk of addiction. (1–3) There has been high and increasing use and misuse of these medications with inadequate explanation. (4)  Since chronic cannabis use can result in similar cognitive effects as ADHD 5–7, we wondered if more stimulants were prescribed for what appeared to be ADHD but was a consequence of chronic cannabis use. In other words, has the legalization of cannabis contributed to this inadequately explained increase in stimulant use? A recent study by our lab group that looked at the slopes of stimulant distribution rates over time -- before and after medical cannabis legalization -- did not support this.(8) Given the prevalence and increasing legalization of recreational cannabis, we wanted to determine how slopes of stimulant distribution rates compared before and after recreational cannabis legalization. (more…)
Cannabis, Technology / 03.07.2024

In recent times, the lawn of the marijuana market has undergone a massive change, with one product in particular standing out. These smooth, concealed apparatuses have quickly become popular, capturing both old and new souls. The popularity of THC Pen raises pertinent issues about what makes them so widespread among users than other products in the industry. This text tackles this phenomenon by looking at what is drawing many people to these products, how practical they are, and what kind of customers prefer buying THC pens over all other types in today’s day cannabis market.  

Factors Contributing  To The Success Of  THC Pens

The rise of THC pens: a phenomenon explained

THC pens have become extremely popular due to their ease of use, portability, and discreteness. Unlike traditional methods of smoking cannabis, pens provide a more portable and odorless way to consume the drug, which can appeal to a broader audience than seasoned users. This rise has been blamed on changing societal attitudes towards marijuana as well as its legalization in various regions, thus making it commonplace among many individuals. Moreover, their sleek designs and user-friendly traits have made them accessible even to novices who may fear other ways of administration. Consequently, this has made them dominate the cannabis market, thereby showing a paradigm shift in how cannabis products are consumed and perceived. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, Education / 27.06.2024

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Ahmed El Fatmaoui Ph.D. Candidate Department of Economics University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The impetus for this research was the growing trend of recreational marijuana legalization (RML) and its potential impact on higher education. With increasing marijuana use among college students, it was crucial to understand how RML might influence college enrollment decisions. Specifically, it is important to examine whether recreational marijuana is regarded by some students as another college amenity, similar to Greek life and other amenities. (more…)
Addiction, Author Interviews, Cancer Research, Cannabis / 23.03.2024

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Brian J. Piper, PhD Associate Professor of Neuroscience Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Scranton PA 18411 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Many cancer patients use marijuana to treat pain, nausea, or anxiety, often without communicating this with their health care providers. Two observational studies (1, 2) from a single institution in Israel purporting to find a dangerous drug interaction between medical cannabis and immunotherapy have been cited hundreds of times, including by clinical practice guidelines. The cannabinoid CB2 receptor is found on immune tissues so it is biologically possible that marijuana could make immunotherapies like nivolumab less effective. However, there were anonymous reports on PubPeer (3-5) of many irregularities in the data-analysis. If there were unappreciated differences on other important variables at baseline besides subsequent cannabis use, this could change the interpretation of these influential reports (1, 2). This investigation involved attempting to repeat and verify the data-analysis. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Aging, Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA / 19.01.2024

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Patricia Di Ciano, PhD Scientist, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology University of Toronto Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute Collaborative Program in Neuroscience MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: It is now fairly well established that cannabis has a detrimental effect on driving. The most consistently reported effect of cannabis on driving is to increase ‘weaving’ on the road. We know that cannabis use is on the rise in people over 65 years of age. In fact, over the past few years cannabis use is increasing the most in this age group. Despite this, there are few studies of the effects of cannabis on people over 65; most studies have been conducted on younger adults. We know that there are important age-related changes in the way the body works that may alter the impact of cannabis on the body. Also, older adults may have more experience with cannabis and this can change the effects of cannabis. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, Medical Imaging, Pulmonary Disease / 10.12.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jessie Kang, MD, FRCPC Assistant professor Department of Diagnostic Radiology Faculty of Medicine Dalhousie University   MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
  • Marijuana is the most widely used illicit psychoactive substance in the world.
  • Use has increased in Canada since legalization of non-medical marijuana in 2018.
  • It is commonly believed that smoking marijuana is not harmful to the lungs. There is an abundance of established research that identifies the harms of cigarette smoking. In contrast, very little is known about the effects of marijuana smoking, and even less research has been done on the combined effects of smoking marijuana and cigarettes.
To determine the effects of marijuana and cigarette smoking, we examined the chest CT images of four patient groups: non-smokers, cigarette smokers, marijuana smokers, and combined marijuana and cigarette smokers. Marijuana smokers included in the study had smoked marijuana at least four times a month for two years. Patients who ingested marijuana via edibles or oral drops were excluded from the study. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis / 30.08.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Luke Cavanah, BS Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Scranton, PA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: It is well-known that schedule II stimulants, which are those that are highly addictive and include amphetamine, methylphenidate, and lisdexamfetamine, have had increasing use and misuse in the US. Despite understanding the presence of this phenomenon, the reason for it is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to see if rising rates of schedule II stimulants are related to the legalization of medical marijuana. We were interested in this because schedule II stimulants are primarily used as the treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic cannabis use has been demonstrated to cause neurocognitive deficits resembling that of ADHD, and the conditions have been shown to affect similar brain regions. (more…)
Addiction, Author Interviews, Cannabis, Mental Health Research / 12.07.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jessica Kruger PhD Clinical Associate Professor of Community Health and Health Behavior University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The 2018 Farm Bill authorizing hemp production led to new cannabinoids in the consumer marketplace. As the market becomes increasingly saturated with suppliers, companies continually diversify available products. The rapid emergence of novel cannabinoids outpaces systematic research necessary to inform regulations and harm reduction. Empirical evidence is needed to guide policies, practices, and education of consumers. Product manufacturers, social media participants, and cannabis oriented on-line news sources have claimed that THC-O-acetate is a "psychedelic" cannabinoid, producing experiences similar to those associated with LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT. (more…)
Anesthesiology, Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA, Opiods, Surgical Research, University Texas / 10.07.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Paul Potnuru, MD Assistant Professor Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine The John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Medical School The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston UTHealth MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The use of cannabis is on the rise in the United States, as it becomes increasingly legally accepted and is viewed as harmless. Furthermore, the potency of cannabis is steadily increasing over time. There is some evidence from previous studies that compared to non-users, cannabis users require more anesthetics, have higher pain after surgery that requires more opioids, and have an increased risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Given this context of increased usage and potential risks during surgery, we conducted a study to examine the impact of cannabis use on patients undergoing surgery. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis / 07.07.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Edward Liu, BA Second year medical student Department of Medical Education Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Scranton, PA MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The use pattern of two FDA approved cannabinoids, dronabinol (Marinol) and cannabidiol (Epidiolex) has not been previously studied. Dronabinol has been approved in the United States since 1985 for chemotherapy induced nausea as well as vomiting and HIV-induced anorexia,1,2 whereas cannabidiol has been approved since 2018 to treat childhood epileptic disorders, Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndrome.3 This longitudinal study examined Medicaid claims between 2016-2020 for these two prescription cannabinoids to better comprehend the state-level pharmacoepidemiologic trends and distribution of these drugs in US Medicaid amidst the increasing use of non-pharmaceutical formulations of cannabis. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA, OBGYNE, Pediatrics / 26.06.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Alex P. Miller, PhD TranSTAR T32 Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Psychiatry Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, MO   MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Adolescent cannabis use is increasing in the United States. Prior research suggests that people who start using cannabis earlier are more likely to engage in problematic use and also experience greater mental health challenges and socioeconomic disadvantages overall. For example, children who begin using cannabis early are more likely to have behavioral problems and disorders and are more less likely to complete school. In our study, we used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which is following nearly 12,000 kids across the nation to track behavior and brain development as well as health from middle childhood to young adulthood. We looked at what factors are associated with the initiation of cannabis use by age 12-14. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis / 24.05.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:   Tara M Lovestead, PhD, (She/her/hers) Group Leader | Fluid Characterization Group Applied Chemicals and Materials Division National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD   MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: In 2012, when cannabis was decriminalized for adult recreational and medical use in Colorado, I started thinking about how a cannabis breathalyzer could work. I knew that an alcohol breathalyzer model would be pursued for a field sobriety test, but also knew that THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, was a completely different animal, chemically speaking, than ethanol, the intoxicant in alcohol. I began by measuring the vapor pressure of THC and determined that it is a million times less volatile than ethanol. This is why the main strategy for measuring THC in breath is based on collecting breath aerosols with filters (ethanol is measured as a vapor in breath and does not need to be “collected”). My colleague, Dr. Kavita Jeerage and I began working together to design a study using a simple device that samples breath aerosols that hadn’t been used before. We designed this as a small study to piggyback on a larger study with our collaborator Prof. Cinnamon Bidwell at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Bidwell’s experience studying the effects of legal market cannabis product use on psychology and behavior was leveraged to launch the pilot study. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, Pharmacology, Tobacco Research / 08.03.2023

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Philip Lazarus, PhD Boeing Distinguished Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor, Dept of Pharmaceutical Sciences College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Washington State University Spokane, WA 99210   MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Smoking and tobacco use remains a major health issue. Smokers use cigarette over the course of the day because the levels of nicotine, the addictive agent in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, dimmish with time in the bloodstream due to the breakdown of nicotine by enzymes in the body. By inhibiting the breakdown of nicotine in smokers, one would expect that the levels of nicotine would remain higher after smoking a single cigarette, and that these individuals may not require lighting up another cigarette so quickly, reducing the number of cigarettes smoked over the course of a day. This could have a profound effect on reducing the overall harm incurred from smoking or from using other forms of tobacco. In a single previous study, smokers who used a CBD inhaler exhibited a 40% reduction in cigarette use. In addition, while cannabis users are often smokers, previous studies have indicated that they smoke less cigarettes than non-cannabis-using cigarette smokers. In previous studies published in 2021, we found that major cannabinoids present in cannabis like THC and CBD inhibit major metabolizing enzymes in our body, including several that are important in drug metabolism. We hypothesized that CBD and its major active metabolite, 7-hydroxy (OH)-CBD, may also be inhibiting one or more of the enzymes important in the metabolism (or breakdown) of nicotine. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA, Pediatrics / 07.01.2022

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Daniel Myran, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC Family and Public Health and Preventive Medicine Physician CIHR Fellow, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Department of Family Medicine Innovation Fellow University of Ottawa MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Canada legalized recreational, or non-medical, cannabis in October 2018. Canada took phased approach to legalization initially only allowing flower-based cannabis products and oils and after one year permitting the sale of commercial cannabis edibles (e.g. THC containing candies, baked goods, and drinks). In this study we took advantage of this phased roll out of legal cannabis to understand the impact of legalization on cannabis exposures or poisonings in children aged 0-9 years and the contribution of different types of cannabis products to these events. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, Neurology, Pediatrics / 15.12.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Rayyan Raja Zafar BSc. MSc. MRSB. Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership (MRC DTP) PhD Candidate Centre for Psychedelic research & Neuropsychopharmacology Division of Psychiatry Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Professor David Nutt DM, FRCP, FRCPsych, FSB, FMedSci Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Sciences The Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology Imperial College London MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Since 2018 medical cannabis prescription has become legal in the UK for patients to access. In spite of this legal change less than 3 NHS prescriptions have been made available and access to whole-plant medical cannabis products has been restricted largely to private prescriptions with very few clinicians prescribing such products. There has been a lot of anecdotal and real world evidence of the value of whole-plant medical cannabis in children suffering with treatment resistant epilepsy. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, Fertility / 30.11.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Kanako Hayashi PhD Associate Professor Associate Director, Center for Reproductive Biology Washington State University MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: There have been several correlative reports showing statistical associations between cannabis use and low sperm counts, dysregulated menstruation, abnormal placentation, preterm birth, stillbirth and offspring psychosis etc. However, the long-term consequences of cannabis use on reproductive functions and how it might impact the next generation have not been examined. In the present study, we examined the generational effects of cannabis vapor exposure on male reproductive function. Vaporization is the most common route of cannabis administration in humans. Therefore, in order to understand the generational effects of cannabis exposure on male reproductive functions, the present study was performed using an inhalation method as an administration route, by which adult male mice were exposed to dry cannabis plants to assess the toxicological effects of cannabis on F0, F1 and F2 male reproductive functions. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA, Pediatrics / 25.10.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Carmen Lim BSc(Hons), MSc, CStat PhD Candidate National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences The University of Queensland Brisbane Australia MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: This review has systematically summarized the trends and products used for cannabis vaping using 17 studies published globally between Jan 1, 2003 and August 19, 2020. The pooled prevalence has increased for lifetime use (6.1% in 2013 to 13.6% in 2020), past-year use (7.2% in 2017 to 13.2% in 2020) and past-month use (1.6% in 2013 to 8.4% in 2020). Adolescents' preference for cannabis products may be shifting from less potent products (e.g., herbal cannabis) to highly potent vape oil and concentrates. (more…)
Author Interviews, Cannabis, JAMA / 07.09.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Mark Anderson, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics Montana State University, IZA, and NBER  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: In a previous study that was published in JAMA Pediatrics, we used Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data and found that the adoption of recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) was associated with an 8% decrease in the odds of marijuana use among high school students.  This earlier study, however, had pre-legalization and post-legalization data from only 7 states and pre- and post-recreational sales data from only 3 states, calling into question the generalizability of our findings. (more…)
Accidents & Violence, Author Interviews, Cannabis, CMAJ / 06.04.2021

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Sarah Windle, MPH PhD Student in Epidemiology Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health McGill University (Montréal, Québec, Canada) MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Concerns have been raised about the potential for increases in impaired driving following the legalization of recreational cannabis use in Canada in October 2018. Data from Statistics Canada suggest that cannabis use in the previous three months increased among adults (15 and older) from 14% before legalization in 2018 to 17% in 2019. Among those users with a driver’s license, 13% reported driving within two hours of cannabis use. While this proportion remained the same before and after legalization, this indicates that the absolute number of individuals who reported driving within two hours of use has increased following legalization (due to an increase in the number of users). (more…)