“New regulations are in place at the federal and provincial levels in Canada regarding the way medical cannabis is to be controlled. We present them together with guidance for the safe use of medical cannabis and recent clinical trials on cannabis and pain.
“Different types of insults to the CNS lead to axon demyelination. Remyelination occurs when the CNS attempts to recover from myelin loss and requires the activation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells.
With the rationale that CB1 receptor is expressed in oligodendrocytes and marijuana consumption alters CNS myelination, we study the effects of the cannabinoid agonist WIN55212.2 in (1) an in vitro model of oligodendrocyte differentiation and (2) the cuprizone model for demyelination.
“The purpose of this article is to review the current status of cannabis in the treatment of glaucoma, including the greater availability of marijuana in the USA.
The pharmacology of marijuana and its effect on intraocular pressure has not changed since the research in the 1970s and 1980s.
Marijuana is an effective ocular hypotensive agent.
However, cardiovascular and neurological effects are observed at the same dose, and may theoretically reduce the beneficial effect of lowering intraocular pressure by reducing ocular blood flow. The clinician must be cognizant of this potential in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy.”
“The endocannabinoids, endogenous lipid mediators of related chemical structure to the prototype exogenous cannabinoid Δ9-THC found in marijuana, have emerged as important mediators that regulate central and peripheral neural functions as well as immune responses.
Endogenous and exogenous cannabinoid ligands bind to cannabinoid receptors: the predominant central cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) and the peripheral cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2). CB1 and CB2 are members of the G-protein coupled receptor family.
Cannabinoids were shown to modulate the immune system and to affect the migration of blood cells, such as T-cells, monocytes and myeloid leukemia cells, through CB receptors.
Recent data indicate the potential role of cannabinoid ligands and receptors in the regulation of hematopoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) migration and trafficking.
These studies may lead to clinical applications of cannabinoid-based compounds as new HSC-mobilizer agents for therapeutic intervention in bone marrow failure.”
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-007-2993-3_30
“Laboratory data suggest that marijuana could have an immunomodulatory effect.
Little is known, however, regarding the effects of marijuana use on cervical HPV or neoplasia. Therefore, we studied the natural history (i.e., prevalence, incident detection, clearance/persistence) of cervical HPV and cervical neoplasia (i.e., squamous intraepithelial lesions; SIL) in a large prospective cohort of 2,584 HIV-seropositive and 915 HIV-seronegative women.
No positive associations were observed between use of marijuana, and either cervical HPV infection or SIL. The findings were similar among HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative women, and in tobacco smokers and nonsmokers. These data suggest that marijuana use does not increase the burden of cervical HPV infection or SIL.
In summary, our investigation found no positive associations between marijuana use and cervical HPV or SIL. These findings are comforting given the high prevalence of marijuana use in HIV-seropositive and other populations…”
“Cannabis has been cultivated and used by humans for thousands of years. Research for decades was focused on understanding the mechanisms of an illegal/addictive drug. This led to the discovery of the vast endocannabinoid system.
Research has now shifted to understanding fundamental biological questions related to one of the most widespread signaling systems in both the brain and the body.
Our understanding of cannabinoid signaling has advanced significantly in the last two decades. In this review, we discuss the state of knowledge on mechanisms of Cannabis signaling in the brain and the modulation of key brain neurotransmitter systems involved in both brain reward/addiction and psychiatric disorders.
It is highly probable that various cannabinoids will be found to be efficacious in the treatment of a number of psychiatric disorders.
We are at crossroads for research on endocannabinoid function and therapeutics (including the use of exogenous treatments such as Cannabis).
With over 100 cannabinoid constituents, the majority of which have not been studied, there is much Cannabis research yet to be done. With more states legalizing both the medicinal and recreational use of marijuana the rigorous scientific investigation into cannabinoid signaling is imperative.”
“The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations of marijuana use with changes in intellectual performance in two longitudinal studies of adolescent twins.
There was no evidence of a dose-response relationship between frequency of use and intelligence quotient (IQ) change. Furthermore, marijuana-using twins failed to show significantly greater IQ decline relative to their abstinent siblings.
Evidence from these two samples suggests that observed declines in measured IQ may not be a direct result of marijuana exposure but rather attributable to familial factors that underlie both marijuana initiation and low intellectual attainment.”
“Recently, cannabis has been suggested as a potential alternative therapy for refractory epilepsy, which affects 30% of epilepsy patients including children who do not respond to current medications.
There is a large unmet medical need for new antiepileptics for refractory epilepsy and conditions associated with refractory seizures that would not interfere with normal function.
The two chief cannabinoids are delta-9-tetrahyrdrocannabinol, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive component of marijuana.
There are claims of clinical efficacy of CBD-predominant cannabis or medical marijuana for epilepsy, mostly from limited studies, surveys or case reports.
However, the mechanisms underlying the antiepileptic efficacy of cannabis remain unclear. This article highlights the pharmacological basis of cannabis therapy, with an emphasis on the endocannabinoid mechanisms underlying the emerging neurotherapeutics of CBD in epilepsy.
CBD is anticonvulsant, but it has a low affinity for the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors; therefore the exact mechanism by which it affects seizures remains poorly understood.
A rigorous clinical evaluation of pharmaceutical CBD products is needed to establish the safety and efficacy for the treatment of epilepsy.
Identification of mechanisms underlying the anticonvulsant efficacy of CBD is additionally critical to identify other potential treatment options.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26787773
http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/early/2016/01/19/jpet.115.230151.long
“This research provides data on the development of 59 Jamaican children, from birth to age 5 years, whose mothers used marijuana during pregnancy.
Approximately one-half of the sample used marijuana during pregnancy and were matched with non-users according to age, parity, and socioeconomic status. Testing of the children was done at 1, 3, and 30 days of age with the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scales and at ages 4 and 5 years with the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities. Data about the child’s home environment and temperament were collected from direct observations as well as from standardized questionnaires.
The results show no significant differences in developmental testing outcomes between children of marijuana-using and non-using mothers except at 30 days of age when the babies of users had more favourable scores on two clusters of the Brazelton Scales: autonomic stability and reflexes. The developmental scores at ages 4 and 5 years were significantly correlated to certain aspects of the home environment and to regularity of basic school (preschool) attendance.”
“Exposed and nonexposed neonates were compared at 3 days and 1 month old, using the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale, including supplementary items to capture possible subtle effects.
There were no significant differences between exposed and nonexposed neonates on day 3. At 1 month, the exposed neonates showed better physiological stability and required less examiner facilitation to reach organized states.
The neonates of heavy-marijuana-using mothers had better scores on autonomic stability, quality of alertness, irritability, and self-regulation and were judged to be more rewarding for caregivers.
The absence of any differences between the exposed on nonexposed groups in the early neonatal period suggest that the better scores of exposed neonates at 1 month are traceable to the cultural positioning and social and economic characteristics of mothers using marijuana that select for the use of marijuana but also promote neonatal development.”