Cannabis News and Research

Latest Cannabis News and Research

Using cannabinoids for management of acute pain

A new systematic review and meta-analysis showed a small but significant reduction in subjective pain scores for cannabinoid treatment compared to placebo in patients experiencing acute pain.

23 Mar 2020

Why is the tobacco industry supporting wider access to medical cannabis?

A new study published in the BMJ reveals disturbing connections between organizations and groups that are lobbying for broader access to medical cannabis and those who are fighting for the legalization of recreational cannabis. This raises questions as to the reasons behind the industry’s support for measures that will make it easier for patients to gain access to medical cannabis – is it because of the knowledge that by so doing, they will also be able to market the drug for recreational use in the UK?

18 Mar 2020

UCLA researcher awarded NIH grant to study pain-relieving effects of cannabis chemicals

Ziva Cooper, research director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, has been awarded a $3.9 million grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the NIH to study whether cannabis chemicals called terpenes can reduce the amount of opioid medication a person needs to reduce pain.

18 Mar 2020

How effective is Gabapentin in alcohol use disorder?

A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine in March 2020 reports the striking efficacy of the drug gabapentin in helping people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) with their alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

9 Mar 2020

Study looks at lung injury and vaping THC and vitamin E acetate

The US has witnessed a spate of patients presenting with acute lung injury associated with e-cigarettes or vaping product use. A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine shows the pattern of the outbreak in California where recreational cannabis use is legal and which has among the maximum cases of the strange illness.

8 Mar 2020

Fears prevent vaping to help smokers to quit

According to a new report from the Public Health England (PHE) published this week, more and more people are not using e-cigarettes to quit traditional smoking due to fears about the harm the former cause.

5 Mar 2020

Cannabis use more prevalent among pregnant women with depression

Cannabis use is much more common among pregnant women with depression and pregnant women with depression are more than 3 times more likely to use cannabis than those without depression, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

3 Mar 2020

How cannabis interacts with medications

A new practice guideline published in the journal CMAJ in February 2020 describes five types of drug interactions possible with the use of cannabis. Cannabis is a plant-derived drug containing the psychoactive ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). These cannabinoids are broken down by the liver enzymes cytochrome P450 C(YP)34A, and CYP2CC9.

2 Mar 2020

Cases of poisoning attributed to manipulated cannabidiol liquids in e-cigarettes

The health risks of e-cigarettes have come into focus after the deaths of several “vapers” due to lung injury in the USA recently.

27 Feb 2020

McMaster researchers identify antibacterial compound made by cannabis plants

McMaster University researchers have identified an antibacterial compound made by cannabis plants that may serve as a lead for new drug development.

26 Feb 2020

Researchers uncover hidden antibiotic potential of cannabis compound

Public health agencies worldwide have identified antibiotic resistance of disease-causing bacteria as one of humanity's most critical challenges. However, scientists haven't discovered a new class of antibiotics in more than 30 years.

26 Feb 2020

Research looks at prenatal cannabis use

More and more, pregnant women today are using cannabis, which is mostly for relieving stress and coping with mood changes. However, the risk associated with this for pregnant women who have mental ill-health or trauma is mostly unexplored.

19 Feb 2020

Common human gene variant linked to THC reward in adolescent females

A common variation in a human gene that affects the brain's reward processing circuit increases vulnerability to the rewarding effects of the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis in adolescent females, but not males, according to preclinical research by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

12 Feb 2020

Marijuana use increases false memories finds study

A new study published this week has revealed that the use of marijuana or cannabis can implant false memories. The study titled, "Cannabis increases susceptibility to false memory," was published in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

11 Feb 2020

Effective THC labeling could help reduce over-consumption of cannabis edibles

Few cannabis consumers understand what the THC numbers on packages of cannabis edibles really mean, according to a new University of Waterloo study.

9 Feb 2020

Discrepancy found between empirical evidence and cannabis users' beliefs about medical marijuana

Researchers quizzed cannabis enthusiasts at a marijuana advocacy event about their beliefs on whether the drug is effective in treating certain medical conditions.

31 Jan 2020

Study provides insight into how CBD influences the brains of people with psychosis

Published in Psychological Medicine, the research used fMRI scans to examine the brain activity of 13 people with a diagnosis of psychosis under the influence of a single dose of CBD or placebo and 16 controls whilst they were undertaking a memory task.

29 Jan 2020

Majority of people knowingly use fentanyl, UBC research shows

Fentanyl use by people who use drugs has doubled since 2015, and two-thirds of people are aware they've taken it, finds new research out of British Columbia, the Canadian province that has experienced the highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths as a result of the opioid crisis.

24 Jan 2020

Study provides important insight into the recent lung intoxication epidemic

A new study published on 24 January 2020 in the journal Toxics provides important insight into the recent lung intoxication epidemic referred to as "e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury" (EVALI).