Medical marijuana laws and suicides by gender and age.

Authors: D. Mark Anderson, Daniel I. Rees, Joseph J. Sabia
American Journal of Public Health, December 2014

OBJECTIVES: We estimated the association between legalizing medical marijuana and suicides. METHODS:
We obtained state-level suicide data from the National Vital Statistics System’s Mortality Detail Files for 1990-2007. We used regression analysis to examine the association be…

TRP channel cannabinoid receptors in skin sensation, homeostasis, and inflammation.

Authors: Michael J. Caterina
ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 19 November 2014

In the skin, cannabinoid lipids, whether of endogenous or exogenous origin, are capable of regulating numerous sensory, homeostatic, and inflammatory events. Although many of these effects are mediated by metabotropic cannabinoid receptors, a growing body of evidence has revea…

Cannabinoid CB2 receptors modulate midbrain dopamine neuronal activity and dopamine-related behavior in mice.

Authors: Hai-Ying Zhang, Ming Gao, Qing-Rong Liu, Guo-Hua Bi, Xia Li, Hong-Ju Yang, et al
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 18 November 2014

Cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB2Rs) have been recently reported to modulate brain dopamine (DA)-related behaviors; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying these actions are unclear. Here we report that CB2Rs are expressed in ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA neurons and functi…

Intestinal permeability–a new target for disease prevention and therapy.

Authors: Stephan C. Bischoff, Giovanni Barbara, Wim Buurman, Theo Ockhuizen, Jörg-Dieter Schulzke, et al
BMC Gastroenterology, 18 November 2014

Data are accumulating that emphasize the important role of the intestinal barrier and intestinal permeability for health and disease. However, these terms are poorly defined, their assessment is a matter of debate, and their clinical significance is not clearly established. In…

Medicinal marijuana for epilepsy: a case series study.

Authors: Lady Diana Ladino, Lizbeth Hernández-Ronquillo, José Francisco Téllez-Zenteno
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, November 2014

OBJECTIVE: To describe the social, clinical and use-patterns characteristics of medicinal marijuana use among patients with epilepsy (PWEs). METHODS: Eighteen PWEs with prescriptions for medicinal marijuana from a Canadian adult-epilepsy clinic were included in this study. RES…

The potential therapeutic effects of THC on Alzheimer’s disease

Authors: Chuanhai Cao, Yaqiong Li, Hui Liu, Ge Bai, Jonathan Mayl, Xiaoyang Lin, Kyle Sutherland, Neel Nabar, Jianfeng Cai
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 16 September 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential therapeutic qualities of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with respect to slowing or halting the hallmark characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease. N2a-variant amyloid-β protein precursor (AβPP) cells were incubated with TH…

Young adult sequelae of adolescent cannabis use: an integrative analysis.

Authors: Edmund Silins, L. John Horwood, George C. Patton, David M. Fergusson, Craig A. Olsson, et al
The Lancet Psychiatry, September 2014

BACKGROUND: Debate continues about the consequences of adolescent cannabis use. Existing data are limited in statistical power to examine rarer outcomes and less common, heavier patterns of cannabis use than those already investigated; furthermore, evidence has a piecemeal app…

Medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in the United States, 1999-2010.

Authors: Marcus A. Bachhuber, Brendan Saloner, Chinazo O. Cunningham, et al
JAMA Internal Medicine, October 2014

IMPORTANCE: Opioid analgesic overdose mortality continues to rise in the United States, driven by increases in prescribing for chronic pain. Because chronic pain is a major indication for medical cannabis, laws that establish access to medical cannabis may change overdose mort…

Central anandamide deficiency predicts stress-induced anxiety: behavioral reversal through endocannabinoid augmentation.

Authors: R J Bluett, J C Gamble-George, D J Hermanson, N D Hartley, L J Marnett, S Patel
Translational Psychiatry, 8 July 2014

Stress is a major risk factor for the development of mood and anxiety disorders; elucidation of novel approaches to mitigate the deleterious effects of stress could have broad clinical applications. Pharmacological augmentation of central endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) signaling…

Prenatal cannabis exposure and infant outcomes: overview of studies.

Authors: A.C. Huizink
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 3 July 2014

Accumulating evidence from both human and preclinical studies indicates maternal substance use during pregnancy can affect fetal development, birth weight and infant outcomes. Thus, the prenatal period can be regarded as an important and potentially sensitive period of develop…

Effects of WIN 55,212-2 (a non-selective cannabinoid CB1 and CB 2 receptor agonist) on the protective action of various classical antiepileptic drugs in the mouse 6 Hz psychomotor seizure model.

Authors: Magdalena Florek-Luszczki, Aleksandra Wlaz, Maria W. Kondrat-Wrobel, et al
Journal of Neural Transmission, July 2014

The aim of this study was to characterize the influence of WIN 55,212-2 (WIN–a non-selective cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptor agonist) on the anticonvulsant effects of various classical antiepileptic drugs (clobazam, clonazepam, phenobarbital and valproate) in the mouse 6 Hz-…

Marijuana use in hepatitis C infection does not affect liver biopsy histology or treatment outcomes.

Authors: Theresa Liu, Glen T Howell, Lucy Turner, Kimberley Corace, Gary Garber, Curtis Cooper
Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, July-August 2014

BACKGROUND: Marijuana smoking is prevalent among hepatitis C virus-infected patients. The literature assessing the influence of marijuana on liver disease progression and hepatitis C virus antiviral treatment outcomes is conflicting. METHODS: The authors evaluated hepatitis C…