“Inhalation by vaporization is a promising application mode for cannabis in medicine.
An in vitro validation of 5 commercial vaporizers was performed with THC-type and CBD-type cannabis.
Temperature-controlled, electrically-driven vaporizers efficiently decarboxylate inactive acidic cannabinoids and reliably release their corresponding neutral, active cannabinoids.
Thus, they offer a promising application mode for the safe and efficient administration of medicinal cannabis.”
“The seed of Cannabis sativa L. has been an important source of nutrition for thousands of years in Old World cultures. Technically a nut, hempseed typically contains over 30% oil and about 25% protein, with considerable amounts of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. Hempseed oil is over 80% in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and is an exceptionally rich source of the two essential fatty acids (EFAs) linoleic acid (18:2 omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (18:3 omega-3). The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (n6/n3) in hempseed oil is normally between 2:1 and 3:1, which is considered to be optimal for human health. Hempseed has been used to treat various disorders for thousands of years in traditional oriental medicine.” http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10681-004-4811-6
“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.”
“To shed more light on the role of heart rate and blood pressure during cannabis withdrawal.
Abrupt cessation of recreational long-term daily cannabis use was not followed by significant changes in heart rate, blood and pulse pressure.
Also, these measures were not significantly correlated with the severity of the cannabis withdrawal syndrome.
The cohort’s risk for CVD was moderate (all tobacco using, overweight in 9 of 35 patients and elevation of serum C-reactive protein in many patients).
Its metabolic risk for CVD was minor considering the mostly normal blood pressure, normal serum lipids and glucose.“
“The classical endogenous cannabinoid (CB) system is composed of the endocannabinoid signalling molecules, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and anandamide (AEA) and their G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR), CB1 and CB2 which together constitutes the endocannabinoid system (ECS).
However, putative, novel lipid-sensing CB receptors have recently been identified, including the orphan GPR55 and GPR18 receptors that are regulated by cannabinoid-like molecules and interact with CB system.
CB receptors and associated orphan GPCRs are expressed at high levels in the immune and/or central nervous systems (CNS) and regulate a number of neurophysiological processes, including key events involved in neuroinflammation.
As such, these receptors have been identified as emerging therapeutic targets for a number of brain disorders in which neuroinflammation is a key feature, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
This review will consider the role of the widercannabinoid receptor superfamily in mediating immune function with a focus on the immune processes that contribute to neuroinflammatory conditions.”
“As of September 2015, the cultivation, possession, and/or use of marijuana is illegal under U.S. federal law as a Schedule I narcotic; however, it is legal in four states and Washington, D.C. Forty-six states allow some form of medicinal marijuana or decriminalization.
Marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years; Marijuana’s regulation by law enforcement in the U.S., rather than the medical community, led to an almost complete halt to academic and scientific research after the 1930s.
The late 1960s saw an upsurge in recreational marijuana use by middle-class youth, the majority of whom experienced minimal adverse effects aside from arrest and attendant legal complications.
Since the mid-1990s, the use of medicinal marijuana for certain conditions has gained increasing acceptance.
In the East, the feeling is primarily that marijuana continue to be proscribed. In the West, where clinicians must face the realities of medicalization, decriminalization, and/or legalization, as well as widespread recreational use, there is more of a movement to minimize adverse effects, particularly on youth.”
“We investigated associations between adolescent cannabis use and IQ and educational attainment in a sample of 2235 teenagers from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.
After full adjustment, those who had used cannabis ⩾50 times did not differ from never-users on either IQ or educational performance.
Adjusting for group differences in cigarette smoking dramatically attenuated the associations between cannabis use and both outcomes, and further analyses demonstrated robust associations between cigarette use and educational outcomes, even with cannabis users excluded.
These findings suggest that adolescent cannabis use is not associated with IQ or educational performance once adjustment is made for potential confounds, in particular adolescent cigarette use.
Modest cannabis use in teenagers may have less cognitive impact than epidemiological surveys of older cohorts have previously suggested.”
“To assess the effects of cannabis on the ability required to ride a bicycle, repetitive practical cycling tests and medical examinations were carried out before and after inhalative consumption of cannabis.
A maximum of three joints with body weight-adapted THC content (300 μg THC per kg body weight) could be consumed by each test subject.
Fourteen regular cannabis-consuming test subjects were studied (12 males, 2 females).
In summary, only a few driving faults were observed even under the influence of very high THC concentrations. A defined THC concentration that leads to an inability to ride a bicycle cannot be presented.
The test subjects showed only slight distinctive features that can be documented using a medical test routinely run for persons under suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26739323
“Alcohol-related deficits were already identifiable at very low blood alcohol concentrations (BAC)s. A significant increase in gross motoric disturbances compared to the soberness state did not regularly occur until a BAC of at least 0.8 g/kg was reached. At the BAC of 1.4 g/kg and above, no test subjects were able to achieve or surpass their sober driving results.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25428289
“The practical ability to ride a bicycle was significantly reduced in the postalcoholic state… The relative cycling performance in the postalcoholic state was comparable to the rides under the influence of BAC of around 0.30 g/kg… it can be assumed that the direct influence of residual blood alcohol levels plays a minor role for the ability to ride a bicycle in the postalcoholic state. Instead, the side effects of the high amounts of alcohol that were consumed the night before are crucial.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25940454
“A defined THC concentration that leads to an inability to ride a bicycle cannot be presented.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26739323
“This paper explores the interplay between the human rights and drug control frameworks and critiques case law on medicinal cannabis use to demonstrate that a bona fide human rights perspective allows for a broader conception of ‘health’.
This broad conception, encompassing both medicalised and social constructionist definitions, can inform public health policies relating to medicinal cannabis use.
The paper also demonstrates how a human rights lens can alleviate a core tension between the State and the individual within the drug policy field.
The leading medicinal cannabis case in the UK highlights the judiciary’s failure to engage with an individual’s human right to health as they adopt an arbitrary, externalist view, focussing on the legality of cannabis to the exclusion of other concerns.
Drawing on some international comparisons, the paper considers how a human rights perspective can lead to an approach to medicinal cannabis use which facilitates a holistic understanding of public health.”