Monthly updates on cannabis and cannabinoid research, by…
UC Irvine School of Medicine, 2021
UC Irvine School of Medicine, 2023
UC Santa Barbara, 2020
June 4, 2021
An original investigation conducted by Arkell et al. assayed the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) compared to ∆9-Tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC) on driving performance. The study investigated the effects of vaporized THC-dominant versus CBD-dominant cannabis o …
March 1, 2021
Regular use of cannabis high in delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is associated with increased risk of psychotic symptoms among young people. This finding has not been explored as deeply in adults who use cannabis-based medications. Velayudhan et al. …
February 12, 2021
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is characterized by intrusive memories of life-threatening events accompanied by severe anxiety and sleeplessness that often adversely affect quality of life. PTSD has been reported to have a life-time prevalence o …
January 25, 2021
Cannabinoid receptor activation is known to ameliorate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in animal models, but the contributions of other factors in combination with receptor activation remain unstudied. Cannabinoids bind to G protein coupled receptors …
December 10, 2020
This study assesses cannabidiol, which inhibits the reuptake of endocannabinoids, as a treatment for cannabis use disorder. Freeman et al. (2020) conducted a phase 2a, randomized, double-blind, placebo, controlled, clinical trial investigating the heal …
July 20, 2020
Sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 Americans. It is a genetic disease characterized by chronic pain and extremely painful episodes, which usually require treatment with large doses of opioids for extended periods of time. Opioids have a …
March 2, 2020
With increasing availability of cannabis products and its decriminalized status in many states, understanding its acute and residual effects on driving is important in promoting public health and in guiding law enforcement with implementations of legal …
January 31, 2020
Cannabis has shown promise in treating several medical conditions but its effects on pregnant women and developing fetuses is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association of self-reported cannabis use by pregnant women and unfavorable mater …
January 31, 2020
This review article analyzed nine peer-reviewed studies focused on the effects of cannabinoids on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Due to the increasing life expectancy in society aging related Alzheimer’s disease onset has continued to increase since …
December 4, 2019
Cannabidiol’s anxiolytic effects have been demonstrated in several studies. However, the mechanism for this effect remains to be elucidated. The present paper offers additional data that may aid in future research in understanding endocannabinoids’ rol …
October 15, 2019
Benzodiazepines (BDs) like Xanax, are a class of medications used for anxiety, seizures, insomnia, and a variety of other neurological/psychiatric conditions. The adverse side effects of BDs are well documented and include dependence, addiction, withdr …
September 11, 2019
This paper reports that incidences of pediatric cannabis exposure in Massachusetts increased following medical marijuana legalization. The study analyzed cannabis exposure cases amongst individuals aged 0-19 reported to the Regional Center for Poison C …
August 27, 2019
The issue of JAMA published on August 09, 2019 includes an entire section on cannabis curated by Kevin Hill. Topics include cannabis use for medical purposes such as chronic pain and cancer treatment.
August 10, 2019
Currently, there is not enough significant data to conclude that THC or any other cannabinoid is harmful to a developing fetus. This study of 367,403 pregnancies among women in Northern California, reports that the relative rates of daily, weekly, and …
August 10, 2019
Up to 7.5% of pregnant women in the United States use cannabis during their pregnancy. The concentration of THC in cannabis is increasing as is the number of pregnant women who use cannabis. It is critical that the developmental risk of THC and its mai …
August 10, 2019
Approximately 35% of Americans suffer from obesity and its related health effects. The activation of cannabinoid 1 receptor [CB1R] has been shown to increase body weight, appetite, insulin resistance, and fat cell production. Thus, overactivity of CB1R …
June 21, 2019
Adolescence is a critical period marked by complex neurological processes and is frequently associated with mood fluctuations and impulsivity. Consequently, understanding the effects of cannabis use during this developmental stage is essential in order …
May 28, 2019
Due to the increasing rates of tobacco and cannabis use co-occurrence among individuals seeking treatment for cannabis use disorder (CUD), appropriate timing of tobacco intervention (TI) initiation is important in maximizing the effects of both the CUD …
February 6, 2019
Cannabis’ increasing popularity is paralleled by growing concerns about its habit-forming propensity along with other important public health concerns including but not limited to driving under the influence and availability to adolescents. This double …
February 6, 2019
As the cannabis market expands, consumers face a wide variety of products with different methods of consumption such as vaporizing, smoking, edible formulations, etc., Thus, rigorous analyses of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for each route of c …
February 6, 2019
Cannabidiol, a non-intoxicating constituent of cannabis, has been implicated as a possible anxiolytic and anti-epileptic with the FDA recently approving a drug to treat epilepsy with cannabidiol as its primary ingredient. The present study aims to exam …
December 16, 2018
Over 12 million births in the US were analyzed to identify pregnant women who use cannabis and to assess obstetric and neonatal outcomes. The results showed that the incidence of cannabis dependence in 2013 is two-times more than in 1999 and that canna …
December 16, 2018
This review provides insights on three clinical trials that showed cannabidiol’s efficacy in reducing seizure episodes by at least 38%. More importantly, this review highlights the need for further research to fully elucidate CBD’s mechanism of action …
December 16, 2018
Despite increasing evidence of cannabinoids’ analgesic properties, concerns regarding its potential for abuse limit its utility in pain management. The present study posits a solution to such valid and thoughtful concern. GAT211 is a novel compound tha …
December 14, 2018
With the legalization of cannabis in many states, it is imperative that policies are adopted based on scientific findings. This study, conducted in Canada, where recreational use of cannabis recently became legal, sought to determine how cannabis inhal …
December 14, 2018
The study used positron emission tomography to show that men may have a greater number of CB1-type cannabinoid receptors than women do. This interesting finding may help in designing future studies regarding the health impact of cannabis in men and wom …
December 14, 2018
This study examined the anti-anxiety effect of cannabidiol using the Simulated Public Speaking Test to induce anxiety and the Visual Analogue Mood Scale to assess subjective ratings of anxiety. The authors also sought to identify the optimal dose of ca …