Entries by Site Administrator

Medical marijuana laws and adolescent marijuana use in the USA from 1991 to 2014: results from annual, repeated cross-sectional surveys.

Authors: Deborah S. Hasin, Melanie Wall, Katherine M. Keyes, Magdalena Cerdá, John Schulenberg, et al
The Lancet Psychiatry, July 2015

BACKGROUND: Adolescent use of marijuana is associated with adverse later effects, so the identification of factors underlying adolescent use is of substantial public health importance. The relationship between US state laws that permit marijuana for medical purposes and adoles…

Psychotic experiences are linked to cannabis use in adolescents in the community because of common underlying environmental risk factors.

Authors: Sania Shakoor, Helena M.S. Zavos, Philip McGuire, Alastair G. Cardno, et al
Psychiatry Research, 30 June 2015

Cannabis users are more likely to have psychotic experiences (PEs). The degree to which these associations are driven by genetic or environmental influences in adolescence is unknown. This study estimated the genetic and environmental contributions to the relationship between…

Cannabinoid Dose and Label Accuracy in Edible Medical Cannabis Products.

Authors: Ryan Vandrey, Jeffrey C. Raber, Mark E. Raber, Brad Douglass, Cameron Miller, Marcel O. Bonn-Miller
JAMA, 23 June 2015

As the use of cannabis (marijuana) for medical purposes has expanded, a variety of edible products for oral consumption has been developed. An estimated 16% to 26% of patients using medical cannabis consume edible products.1,2 Even though oral consumption lacks the harmful by-…

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Medical Marijuana for Treatment of Chronic Pain and Other Medical and Psychiatric Problems: A Clinical Review.

Authors: Kevin P. Hill
JAMA, 23 June 2015

IMPORTANCE: As of March 2015, 23 states and the District of Columbia had medical marijuana laws in place. Physicians should know both the scientific rationale and the practical implications for medical marijuana laws. OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacology, indications, and law…

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Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Authors: Penny F. Whiting, Robert F. Wolff, Sohan Deshpande, Marcello Di Nisio, Steven Duffy, et al
JAMA, 23 June 2015

IMPORTANCE: Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs are widely used to treat disease or alleviate symptoms, but their efficacy for specific indications is not clear. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and adverse events (AEs) of cannabinoids. DATA SOURCES: Twenty…

Medical Marijuana: Is the Cart Before the Horse?

Authors: Deepak Cyril D’Souza, Mohini Ranganathan
JAMA, 23 June 2015

There is a pressing need to develop new medications for many debilitating conditions. Novel approaches based on marijuana or its constituent cannabinoids, if proven, could be added to the armamentarium of available treatments. In this issue of JAMA, reviews by Whiting et al1 a…

Controlled Cannabis Vaporizer Administration: Blood and Plasma Cannabinoids with and without Alcohol.

Authors: Rebecca L. Hartman, Timothy L. Brown, Gary Milavetz, Andrew Spurgin, et al
Clinical Chemistry, June 2015

BACKGROUND: Increased medical and legal cannabis intake is accompanied by greater use of cannabis vaporization and more cases of driving under the influence of cannabis. Although simultaneous Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and alcohol use is frequent, potential pharmacokineti…

Use of Prescription Pain Medications Among Medical Cannabis Patients

Authors: Brian E. Perron, Kipling Bohnert, Angela K. Perone, Marcel O. Bonn-Miller, Mark Ilgen
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, May 2015

OBJECTIVE: Management of chronic pain is one of the most common reasons given by individuals seeking medical cannabis. However, very little information exists about the concurrent use of cannabis and prescription pain medication (PPM). This study fills this gap in knowledge by…

Research Pioneer: Ethan Russo MD

Ethan Russo, MD, is a board-certified neurologist and psychopharmacology researcher. He has held faculty appointments in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Montana, in Medicine at the University of Washington, and as visiting professor, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is currently Past-President of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and is former Chairman of the International Association for Cannabinoid Medicines.

Proapoptotic effect of endocannabinoids in prostate cancer cells.

Authors: O. Orellana-Serradell, C. E. Poblete, C. Sanchez, E. A. Castellón, I. Gallegos, et al
Oncology Reports, April 2015

In the early stages, prostate cancer is androgen‑ dependent; therefore, medical castration has shown significant results during the initial stages of this pathology. Despite this early effect, advanced prostate cancer is resilient to such treatment. Recent evidence shows that…

Current Status and Future of Cannabis Research

Authors: Ethan B. Russo, Alice P. Mead, Dustin Sulak
Clinical Researcher, April 2015

Although cannabis is primarily viewed by the public as a recreational drug or agent of abuse, its medical application spans recorded history.1,2 Evolution has yielded a cannabis plant that produces a family of some 100 chemicals called phytocannabinoids (“plant cannabinoids”)…

Proportion of patients in south London with first-episode psychosis attributable to use of high potency cannabis: a case-control study.

Authors: Marta Di Forti, Arianna Marconi, Elena Carra, Sara Fraietta, Antonella Trotta, Matteo Bonomo, et al
The Lancet Psychiatry, March 2015

BACKGROUND: The risk of individuals having adverse effects from drug use (eg, alcohol) generally depends on the frequency of use and potency of the drug used. We aimed to investigate how frequent use of skunk-like (high-potency) cannabis in south London affected the associatio…