Colorado looks to medical marijuana to ease opioid crisis
As the nation grapples with an opioid crisis that kills more than 130 people every day, Colorado thinks a solution may lie in a joint, a vape pen or a topical.
On Friday, it becomes the third state in the nation after New York and Illinois to allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana for any condition for which they would prescribe an opioid.
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Cannabis and autism, explained
Over the past decade, autistic people and their families have increasingly experimented with medical marijuana and products derived from it. Many hope these compounds will alleviate a range of autism-related traits and problems. But scientists are still in the early stages of rigorous research into marijuana’s safety and effectiveness, which means that people who pursue…
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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…
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Former Detroit Lions players announce partnership with Harvard to study marijuana
Former Detroit Lions football players Calvin Johnson and Robert Sims are expanding their emerging cannabis enterprise into the field of medicine. The pair announced an agreement Thursday with the International Phytomedicines and Medical Cannabis Institute at Harvard University, which is researching the benefits of medical marijuana and looking at the best ways to deliver cannabis-based…
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Unstructured EHR data more useful for predictive analytics, study shows
A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association has shown that real-world data contained in unstructured narratives has big predictive value when it comes to clinical research. WHY IT MATTERSWhile structured clinical notes in the electronic health record have obvious value, the research in JAMIA suggests that real-world data captured in unstructured notes…
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Cannabis improves symptoms of Crohn’s disease despite having no effect on gut inflammation
In the first study of its kind, cannabis oil has been shown to significantly improve the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and the quality of life of sufferers but, contrary to previous medical thinking, has no effect on gut inflammation. In a randomised, placebo-controlled study, researchers from Israel have shown that cannabis can produce clinical remission…
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World Cancer Day – Shine a Light on the World
In 2018, it was estimated that 1,735,350 new cancer cases would be diagnosed in the United States and 609,640 individuals would pass from the disease [Cancer.gov]. We cannot sit by and ignore this life altering disease, which is why World Cancer Day, recognized on Feb. 4, is such an important awareness campaign to the Arfinn…
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