Category Cannabis Basics

Cannabis Basics

Consuming Cannabis 101

For the uninitiated, taking on the wide world of cannabis can be an overwhelming feat. Entire university courses can be, and are, devoted to various cannabis-related topics. One could devote months simply trying to learn the lingo — street slang,…

HeroGrown
March 18, 2020

Cannabis Basics

Overview of State vs. Federal Marijuana Law

By Derek J. Connor Esq. A significant portion of my practice is dedicated to providing patients and entrepreneurs with legal advice regarding Nevada’s complex marijuana laws and regulations. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of confusion regarding marijuana laws due…

HeroGrown
December 1, 2018

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1. **Regardless of either quantity or potency, cannabis cannot cause lethal overdose in humans**:

– Calabria, B., Degenhardt, L., Hall, W., & Lynskey, M. (2010). Does cannabis use increase the risk of death? Systematic review of epidemiological evidence on adverse effects of cannabis use. *Drug and Alcohol Review*, 29(3), 318-330.

– Volkow, N. D., Baler, R. D., Compton, W. M., & Weiss, S. R. (2014). Adverse health effects of marijuana use. *New England Journal of Medicine*, 370(23), 2219-2227.

2. **State-based cannabis legalization has lowered crime rates**:

– Morris, R. G., TenEyck, M., Barnes, J. C., & Kovandzic, T. V. (2014). The effect of medical marijuana laws on crime: evidence from state panel data, 1990-2006. *PloS One*, 9(3), e92816.

3. **In states where medical cannabis is legal, opioid-related mortality has fallen significantly**:

– Bachhuber, M. A., Saloner, B., Cunningham, C. O., & Barry, C. L. (2014). Medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in the United States, 1999-2010. *JAMA Internal Medicine*, 174(10), 1668-1673.

4. **Cannabis is more likely to be used as an “exit” from dangerous drugs than to act as a “gateway” drug**:

– Lucas, P., Reiman, A., Earleywine, M., McGowan, S. K., Oleson, M., Coward, M. P., & Thomas, B. (2016). Cannabis as a substitute for alcohol and other drugs: A dispensary-based survey of substitution effect in Canadian medical cannabis patients. *Addictive Behaviors*, 64, 27-34.

– Lucas, P., & Walsh, Z. (2017). Medical cannabis access, use, and substitution for prescription opioids and other substances: A survey of authorized medical cannabis patients. *International Journal of Drug Policy*, 42, 30-35.

Depression:
- El-Alfy, A. T., Ivey, K., Robinson, K., Ahmed, S., Radwan, M., Slade, D., … & Ross, S. (2010). Antidepressant-like effect of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and other cannabinoids isolated from Cannabis sativa L. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 95(4), 434-442. This study found that certain cannabinoids, including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), demonstrated antidepressant-like activity in animals.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
- Greer, G. R., Grob, C. S., & Halberstadt, A. L. (2014). PTSD symptom reports of patients evaluated for the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 46(1), 73-77. This study reported a more than 75% reduction in CAPS (Clinician Administered Posttraumatic Scale) symptom scores when patients were using cannabis.
- Bitencourt, R. M., & Takahashi, R. N. (2018). Cannabidiol as a therapeutic alternative for post‐traumatic stress disorder: From bench research to confirmation in human trials. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 502. This review summarized preclinical research and clinical data suggesting that CBD may be used therapeutically for PTSD.
Pain:
- Whiting, P. F., Wolff, R. F., Deshpande, S., Di Nisio, M., Duffy, S., Hernandez, A. V., … & Schmidlkofer, S. (2015). Cannabinoids for medical use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA, 313(24), 2456-2473. This systematic review and meta-analysis of 79 trials involving over 6,000 participants found that cannabinoids are associated with improvements in pain.
- Russo, E. B. (2008). Cannabinoids in the management of difficult to treat pain. Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 4(1), 245. This article discussed the history, pharmacology, and therapeutic uses of cannabis in treating pain.
- Johnson, J. R., Burnell-Nugent, M., Lossignol, D., Ganae-Motan, E. D., Potts, R., & Fallon, M. T. (2010). Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of THC:CBD extract and THC extract in patients with intractable cancer-related pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 39(2), 167-179. This study found that a THC:CBD extract provided better pain relief compared to THC alone in cancer patients with pain.
Nausea:
- Parker, L. A., Rock, E. M., & Limebeer, C. L. (2011). Regulation of nausea and vomiting by cannabinoids. British Journal of Pharmacology, 163(7), 1411-1422. This review provides evidence that cannabinoids, particularly CBD, can suppress nausea and vomiting.
- Tramèr, M. R., Carroll, D., Campbell, F. A., Reynolds, D. J. M., Moore, R. A., & McQuay, H. J. (2001). Cannabinoids for control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: quantitative systematic review. BMJ, 323(7303), 16. This review found that cannabinoids are more effective than placebo and similar in effectiveness to other anti-emetic medications in controlling chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Spasticity:
- Zajicek, J., Fox, P., Sanders, H., Wright, D., Vickery, J., Nunn, A., & Thompson, A. (2003). Cannabinoids for treatment of spasticity and other symptoms related to multiple sclerosis (CAMS study): multicentre randomised placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet, 362(9395), 1517-1526. This study found that cannabinoids can reduce spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis.
- Novotna, A., Mares, J., Ratcliffe, S., Novakova, I., Vachova, M., Zapletalova, O., … & Gasperini, C. (2011). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, enriched-design study of nabiximols* (Sativex®), as add-on therapy, in subjects with refractory spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis. European Journal of Neurology, 18(9), 1122-1131. This trial demonstrated the efficacy of nabiximols (Sativex), an oromucosal spray containing THC and CBD, in treating spasticity in MS patients.
Movement Disorders:
- Carroll, C. B., Bain, P. G., Teare, L., Liu, X., Joint, C., Wroath, C., … & Goghlan, D. (2004). Cannabis for dyskinesia in Parkinson disease: a randomized double-blind crossover study. Neurology, 63(7), 1245-1250. This study suggested that cannabis has a potential benefit in reducing dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease.
- Kluger, B., Triolo, P., Jones, W., & Jankovic, J. (2015). The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for movement disorders. Movement Disorders, 30(3), 313-327. This review assessed the evidence for therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in treating various movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, suggesting potential benefits but also highlighting the need for more rigorous studies.