“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]]>
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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 Comparative Study on Hemp (Cannabis sativa) Essential Oil Extraction Using Traditional and Advanced Techniques.
“A comparative study of Cannabis sativa (Hemp) essential constituents obtained by using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SCFE), Steam Distillation (SD) and Hydrodistillation (HD) is presented here.
The optimized extraction temperatures were 130，110 and 50 ℃ for hydrodistillation, steam distillation and supercritical fluid extraction respectively. The essential oil of C. sativa was analyzed by using Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 33, 30 and 31 components have been identified in HD, SD and SCFE respectively. Yield of essential oil using SCFE (0.039%) was more than HD (0.025%) and SD (0.035%) extraction respectively.
The main component of sesquiterpenes obtained by hydrodistillation at 130 ℃ with their percentages included caryophyllene (40.58%), trans-α-bergamotene (5.41%), humulene (10.97%), cis-β-farnesene (8.53%) and monoterpenes included α-pinene (2.13%), d-limonene (6.46%), p-cymol (0.65%) and cineole (2.58%) respectively.
The main component of sesquiterpenes obtained by SD steam distillation at 110 ℃ including caryophyllene (38.60%) trans-α-bergamotene (4.22%), humulene (10.26%), cis-β-farnesene (6.67%) and monoterpenes included α-pinene (3.21%), d-limonene (7.07%), p-cymol (2.59%) and cineole (3.88%) whereas the more percentages of major components were obtained by SCFE at 50 ℃ included caryophyllene (44.31%), trans-α-bergamotene (6.79%), humulene (11.97%) cis-β-farnesene (9.71%) and monoterpenes included α-pinene (0.45%), d-limonene (2.13%) p-cymol (0.19%) and cineole (1.38 %) respectively.
We found yield/efficiency, chemical composition, quality of the essential oils by supercritical fluid extraction superior in terms of modern, green, saving energy and a rapid approach as compared to traditional techniques.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30221908
“Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, play important roles in defending the brain against pathogens and supporting neuronal circuit plasticity. Chronic or excessive pro-inflammatory responses of microglia damage neurons, therefore their activity is tightly regulated.
Pharmacological and genetic studies revealed that 
“With treatment benefits in both the central nervous system and the peripheral system, the medical use of cannabidiol (CBD) has gained increasing popularity.
Given that the therapeutic mechanisms of CBD are still vague, the systematic identification of its potential targets, signaling pathways, and their associations with corresponding diseases is of great interest for researchers.
In the present work, chemogenomics-knowledgebase systems pharmacology analysis was applied for systematic network studies to generate CBD-target, target-pathway, and target-disease networks by combining both the results from the in silico analysis and the reported experimental validations.
Based on the network analysis, three human neuro-related rhodopsin-like GPCRs, i.e., 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 1 A (5HT1A), delta-type opioid receptor (OPRD) and G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55), were selected for close evaluation. Integrated computational methodologies, including homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation, were used to evaluate the protein-CBD binding modes. A CBD-preferred pocket consisting of a hydrophobic cavity and backbone hinges was proposed and tested for CBD-class A GPCR binding.
Finally, the neurophysiological effects of CBD were illustrated at the molecular level, and dopamine receptor 3 (DRD3) was further predicted to be an active target for CBD.”
“Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of 
“Anti-virulence strategies are being explored as a novel approach to combat pathogens. Such strategies include inhibition of surface adhesion, tissue invasion, toxin production, and/or interference with the gene regulation of other virulence traits.
Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, is a facultative intracellular food pathogen characterized by a wide distribution in the environment. Its ability to persist within biofilms and to develop resistance to sanitizers is the cause of significant problems in food processing plants and of steep costs for the food industry.
In humans, the treatment of listeriosis is hampered by the intracellular location of listeriae and the poor intracellular penetration of some antibiotics. Eleven L. monocytogenes isolates from patients who were diagnosed with invasive listeriosis in Italy in 2014-2016 were studied.
This in vitro and in vivo study explored the antibacterial and anti-virulence properties of a steam-distilled essential oil of Cannabis sativa L., which is being intensively investigated for its high content in powerful bioactive phytochemicals.
Susceptibility experiments demonstrated a moderate bactericidal activity of the essential oil (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration > 2048 μg/mL).
Food contamination with L. monocytogenes is a major concern for the food industry, particularly for plants making ready-to-eat and processed food.
The present work provides a baseline in the study of the anti-virulence properties of the C. sativa essential oil against L. monocytogenes. Further studies are needed to understand if it could be used as an alternative agent for the control of L. monocytogenes in food processing plants.”
“Pain and symptom control challenges are common in palliative care, and the search for other therapeutic strategies is ongoing.
Unfortunately, patients and their caregivers are receiving little information or support from healthcare providers regarding the increasingly popular cannabinoid-based medicines (CBM).
Clinicians, meanwhile, feel understandably perplexed by the discrepancy between the available evidence and the rapid interest in which patients and their families have demonstrated for CBM.
There is an urgent need to address the many challenges that are delaying the appropriate integration of CBM into clinical practice, notwithstanding the obvious need for a solid general knowledge of pharmacology, mechanism of action and available clinical evidence supporting its use.
The authors will address these challenges and provide practical recommendations regarding patient assessment for the use of CBM. The authors will also make suggestions regarding patient expectations in order to define clear objectives, review the necessary precautions prior to initiating treatment, aid in selecting the appropriate strain and route of administration as well as establishing proper titration and monitoring protocols. The authors will also discuss the lesser known but potentially therapeutic psychoactive effects of cannabis.
As this class of therapeutic agents are likely to play a major role in palliative medicine in the near future, clinicians would benefit from familiarizing themselves with CBM and we can expect that patients and their caregivers will appreciate receiving support in their search for safe and effective therapeutic alternatives.”