“An argument against the legalization of the cannabis market is that such a policy would increase crime. Exploiting the recent staggered legalization enacted by the states of Washington (end of 2012) and Oregon (end of 2014) we show, combining difference-in-differences and spatial regression discontinuity designs, that recreational cannabis caused a significant reduction of rapes and thefts on the Washington side of the border in 2013-2014 relative to the Oregon side and relative to the pre-legalization years 2010-2012.” https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2841267]]>
Author Archives: David Worrell
Joint culpability: The effects of medical marijuana laws on crime
“Most U.S. states have passed medical marijuana laws. In this paper, we study the effects of these laws on violent and property crime. We first estimate models that control for city fixed effects and flexible city-specific time trends. To supplement this regression analysis, we use the synthetic control method which can relax the parallel trend assumption and better account for heterogeneous policy effects.
Both the regression analysis and the synthetic control method suggest no causal effects of medical marijuana laws on violent or property crime at the national level. We also find no strong effects within individual states, except for in California where the medical marijuana law reduced both violent and property crime by 20%.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016726811830180X?via%3Dihub “Legalising medical marijuana shows no effect on crime rates in US states” https://theconversation.com/legalising-medical-marijuana-shows-no-effect-on-crime-rates-in-us-states-102030“Study shows that medical cannabis use does not lead to rise in rate of crimes committed” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12130350
“Study shows that medical marijuana use DOES NOT lead to a significant increase in the rate of crimes committed” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6197313/Study-shows-medical-marijuana-use-DOES-NOT-lead-significant-increase-crime-rate.html
A review of the effects of baclofen and of THC:CBD oromucosal spray on spasticity-related walking impairment in multiple sclerosis.
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with a heterogeneous and unpredictable clinical course. Mobility impairment after progressive paralyses and muscle tone spasticity is common.
Areas covered: The prevalence, assessment, and pharmacological management of gait impairment and spasticity in MS and their effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are discussed.
The roles of oral and intrathecal baclofen and of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol (THC:CBD) oromucosal spray in treating MS spasticity-related gait impairment are reviewed.
Expert commentary: Mobility impairment and spasticity are experienced by approximately 90% and 80% of MS patients, respectively, during the disease course. Prevalence and severity of gait impairment and spasticity increase as disease progresses. The symptoms are related and both impact negatively on HRQoL.
Oral baclofen and tizanidine are generally used for first-line treatment of MS spasticity but are ineffective in approximately 40% of cases.
Second-line therapy includes add-on THC:CBD spray for patients with resistant MS spasticity. Results of studies evaluating baclofen for treating MS spasticity gait impairment are equivocal.
In studies of patients with resistant MS spasticity, THC:CBD spray consistently improved the timed 10-meter walk test and significantly improved multiple spatial-temporal and kinematic gait parameters.
THC:CBD oromucosal spray warrants further investigation as a treatment for MS spasticity-related gait impairment.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30235965
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14737175.2018.1510772?journalCode=iern20
“Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the deadliest form of breast cancer because compared with other types of breast cancer, it is more aggressive, diagnosed at later stage and more likely to develop recurrence.
Many patients do not experience adequate tumor control after current clinical treatments involving surgical removal, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, leading to disease progression and significantly decreased quality of life.
Here we report a new combinatory therapy strategy involving 
“As cancer therapies improve, patients are living longer. With these improvements in therapy comes a responsibility to optimize patients’ quality of life during cancer therapy and beyond. This report reviews three timely and important topics.
The first section reviews the mechanism underlying chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and evaluates the evidence for interventions to prevent and treat peripheral neuropathy. It also provides a framework for approaching the diagnosis and management of this common and bothersome side effect.
The second section addresses the controversial but effective use of 
“A comparative study of