After 50 Years, U.S. Opens The Door To More Cannabis Crops For Scientists
After more than 50 years, the federal government is lifting a roadblock to cannabis research that scientists and advocates say has hindered rigorous studies of the plant and possible drug development.
Since 1968, U.S. researchers have been allowed to use cannabis from only one domestic source: a facility based at the University of Mississippi, through a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
That changed earlier this month, when the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it’s in the process of registering several additional American companies to produce cannabis for medical and scientific purposes.
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Older adults and medical marijuana: Reduced stigma and increased use
As a primary care doctor who has incorporated medical cannabis into his practice, it is notable how many silver-haired patients are coming in to discuss the pros and cons of a trial of medical cannabis. These patients range from people in their 60s with kidney failure who can no longer take certain pain medications but…
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Medical marijuana helped elderly with chronic pain and reduced their use of opioids, study found
Your grandparents’ chronic aches and pains might best be eased with a little weed, a new study suggests. Not only did folks over 75 who took medical marijuana report less pain, their use of pot-based capsules, tinctures and e-cigarettes allowed a third of these patients to reduce their use of opioid painkillers, researchers found. “Medical marijuana, in…
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Thanks to the Farm Bill, Hemp Is Legal. Here’s What It Means for CBD.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted to approve a new an $867 billion farm bill, and on Wednesday, it passed in Congress. While the bill has plenty of positive merits, the one people are perhaps most excited about is the fact that it will legalize the production, sale, and distribution of industrial hemp at a federal…
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Assessing Health-Related Outcomes of Medical Cannabis Use among Older Persons: Findings from Colorado and Illinois
ABSTRACT Objectives To assess health-related outcomes associated with medical cannabis use among older patients in Colorado and Illinois enrolled in their home state’s medical cannabis program. Methods Cross-sectional data from anonymous surveys were collected from 139 persons over the age of 60 using medical cannabis in the past year. We used structural equation modeling (SEM)…
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LEGALIZING CANNABIS LINKED TO LESS OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS, COULD HELP COMBAT EPIDEMIC, SCIENTISTS SAY
There are less opioid prescriptions on average in U.S. states where medical and recreational marijuana are legal, research has revealed. Access to recreational cannabis in the U.S. was tied with a 11.8 percent lower rate of opioids prescriptions each day, and 4.2 percent for medical marijuana. The authors of the paper published in the Journal of Health Economics said recreational weed…
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Research shows cannabis can lower opioid dosage, but studies are preliminary
Larson cited one statistic to justify his bill: “Studies have shown up to 75% reduction in opioid dosage for medical cannabis users” The intersection of medical cannabis and opioid use as treatments for chronic pain is an emerging field of research as more states loosen regulations on medical and recreational use of marijuana. But does…
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