Cannabis use is becoming increasingly common among older adults in the United States, but less is known about how often cannabis use may become problematic in this population. A new study from University of California San Diego School of Medicine finds that among the...
Here’s what to know about the latest research on cannabis and health risks. Read article
The measure postpones for a month a federal ban on most hemp-derived THC products, including gummies and beverages. The provision was inserted into the continuing resolution, which funds the government through Dec. 11, at the behest of the White House, which has made...
Cannabis marketers may be shaping how young adults think about sex and intimacy in ways alcohol advertisers have long been discouraged from doing, according to a new Washington State University study. Published in Communication Research, the study suggests that...
The legalization of cannabis affects substance use, with the potential for both negative and positive impacts on public health, a new McGill-led review study found. The global review found an increase in cannabis use and cannabis-related emergency department visits,...
Drivers who consume cannabis gummies are impaired for hours after taking the drugs, according to a new study published Monday. Researchers gave regular cannabis users either an edible or a placebo gummy, then had them operate a driving simulator. While the researchers...
A combination of THC and CBD eased symptoms in an especially frail population: patients with advanced dementia near the end of their lives. The preliminary results of the trial involving 120 patients with advanced dementia near the end of their lives, presented...
A new study has found that more American teenagers seeking treatment for cannabis use disorder, known as CUD, are facing longer wait times before receiving care. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, analyzed national data from more than...
The Drug Enforcement Administration kicks off its hearing on a proposal to reclassify recreational cannabis under federal drug laws. Scheduled to run from June 29 through July 15, the hearing is designed to review the agency’s May 21 proposal to move cannabis from...
Five years after becoming the first Southern state to legalize possession of marijuana, Virginia has approved a legal way to sell it to recreational users. Full article
A guide to understanding the differences between the various delta THCs, and about the actual amounts of THC in the available products. There’s delta-8, delta-9, delta-10 and THCA. The amounts of THC in legally infused drinks and edibles also varies, with products...
This report presents educational information and insights for those who are evaluating Indiana's cannabis policies or considering potential alternatives. The authors' goal was not only to assess the cannabis policy landscape in Indiana but to highlight the areas of...
A long-term study of more than 11,000 children and teens has linked recreational cannabis use to slightly slower development of memory, attention, and thinking skills. This is the largest analysis of its kind conducted in the US. It's based on data from the Adolescent...
On April 23, acting U.S. attorney general Todd Blanche signed an order changing the federal classification of medical marijuana. The move, which came at the behest of President Donald Trump and will make the substance a Schedule 3 drug, will bring enormous tax...
THC doesn’t just blur memories—it can create new ones that never happened. In a controlled experiment, cannabis users were much more likely to recall words that were never shown and struggled with tasks like remembering to do something later. Researchers found that...
Earlier this month, the Texas Department of State Health Services released regulations on consumable hemp-derived THC products that will go into effect on March 31. These new regulations include child-resistant packaging, a significant increase in licensing fees, new...
A survey conveys clinicians’ experiences, concerns and their lack of training to adequately care for those who seek help. In a survey of nearly 400 Washington state clinicians, more than half expressed strong concern about the mental-health risks of cannabis use, and...
Along with chronic pain, mental health conditions are some of the top reasons people use marijuana for medical purposes. But a sweeping review of cannabis studies over the past 45 years in The Lancet Psychiatry concludes there is little to no high-quality evidence...
About one-third of patients in a Veteran Affairs (VA) Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment program reported using cannabis during SUD treatment, according to authors of research published in Harm Reduction Journal. Cannabis was used primarily targeting analgesia,...
The risks of developing psychiatric disorders are significantly increased among adolescents using cannabis, according to a recent study published in JAMA Health Forum. Adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who reported cannabis use had approximately 2-fold greater risks of...
Emergency department visits linked to cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) have increased nearly 29 percent over a five-year period in Virginia. According to the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Data Analytics Teams, the annual adult emergency...
Texas’ medical marijuana program is expanding, with new laws now in effect that increase access for patients across the state, including in North Texas. Original article
Michigan’s legal cannabis industry is entering 2026 at a moment of real vulnerability, as a newly enacted 24% wholesale tax takes effect in a market that has already slowed after years of rapid expansion. What began as one of the country’s strongest adult-use cannabis...
A small new Brazilian study published in the international Journal of Alzheimer's Disease investigated the effects of microdoses of cannabis extract on patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The results found positive effects, without the associated "high" of...
A trial conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina tested men and women on whether varenicline could help with cannabis use disorder and the results showed that it helped men to reduce cannabis use, but not women. It also showed that the men in the study...
A systematic review of studies evaluating cannabis as a pain treatment concluded that some cannabis products do likely work to reduce chronic pain a little bit. The review, which was led by OHSU researchers and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed...
Wayne State University is seeking veterans with post traumatic stress disorder to participate in a study testing the impacts of cannabis use to treat the disorder. During the clinical trials, veterans will participate in a 12-week treatment program testing varying...
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to fast-track the reclassification of cannabis, which would pave the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses. Article link
As part of the spending deal to end the government shutdown, federal lawmakers approved a provision cracking down on hemp products containing THC, restoring a ban Texas Republicans sought to impose earlier this year.
A team of Brown University researchers conducted a study in which participants were given marijuana joints to smoke and then sent out to a controlled “bar lab”, in which they then were given the choice to have up to eight mini alcoholic beverages. The experiment was...
Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of over 100 compounds found in the cannabis plant. Past studies show that CBD may aid with inflammation within the body and also has antioxidant properties. A new study in mice found that CBD may also be used to treat neuroinflammation in...
"Anecdotally, [people] say cannabis works great," says Price, an assistant professor of neurological surgery at UC Davis. "It's the only thing that helps them sleep at night, the only thing that takes the edge off." This is why findings from a pair of major clinical...
New study findings show that over 40% of drivers who died in motor vehicle collisions tested positive for active delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their system, with average blood levels far exceeding those considered to cause impairment. The research highlights a...
A Canadian study has shown that cannabis can have a negative impact on female fertility and the success of IVF treatments. But German experts say more research is needed on factors like age and consumption habits.
An experimental medication made from marijuana successfully reduced back pain in a new study, offering further support for the drug’s potential in treating one of the most common forms of chronic pain.
Pregnancy was a complicated time for Tasha Taylor. The 33-year-old was already managing her bipolar disorder with a psych medication when she got pregnant. Then Taylor learned the prescription drug could hurt her baby. She decided to get off the medication, which led...
Researchers from University of California San Diego have found that Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC), a psychoactive compound often sold as a legal alternative to marijuana, is most commonly used in states where marijuana use remains illegal and delta-8 THC...
As legalization and commercialization of cannabis have spread across the United States, making marijuana edibles more readily available, the number of cannabis-related incidents reported to poison control centers has sharply increased: from about 930 cases in 2009 to...
Recent studies have examined the relationship between the drug and psychoses and looked at how the brain responds to the substance. Key takeaways: Researchers found the contribution of cannabis use to schizophrenia nearly tripled in Ontario after the drug was...
In the first placebo-controlled trial of vaporized cannabis for acute migraine, patients experienced greater relief from pain and other symptoms than those receiving a placebo. During a migraine attack, participants who inhaled a combination of tetrahydrocannabinol...
More older people are using cannabis products regularly, but research suggests their cannabis-related health problems are also on the rise.
Scientists have discovered cannabidiol, a compound in cannabis known as CBD, in a common Brazilian plant, opening potential new avenues to produce the increasingly popular substance.
The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is soliciting proposals from public universities in California for research projects that study the implementation and effects of cannabis legalization. Through the Request for Proposal (RFP), DCC seeks to expand academic...
Researchers at the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis, could help reduce problematic behaviors in autistic boys. The results...
During his final year in office, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. moved to downgrade marijuana from the government’s most restrictive class of drugs. The change would not legalize recreational cannabis under federal law, but would remove it from a category that...
The study, led by Leila Mohammadi at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA, examined the potential connection between THC smoking and ingestion, and endothelial dysfunction—where the inner lining of...
On Wednesday last week, the Texas State House voted to ban all consumable THC hemp products. If Senate Bill 3 is signed into law, the TCUP will become the only way for people in the state to access THC products. House Bill 46 is now being pushed forward by lawmakers,...
The sale and consumption of cannabis has been tolerated in the Netherlands since the 1970s, but the country is now taking a step towards a more regulated approach. Up to ten legal growers have been given a licence to legally produce hash and weed for participating...
The 35th annual ICRS Symposium will be held from July 6-10, 2025. For their 2025 symposium, the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) has chosen Bloomington, Indiana, as the host city. This event promises to bring together experts from around the world,...
The University of Mississippi will be home to a new center designed to help researchers nationwide address challenges that hamper research into therapeutic uses for cannabis. The Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, R3CR, will comprise three...
New research from the Johns Hopkins University found the hemp-derived Delta-8 THC to be less potent than Delta-9 THC, the main psychoactive component in cannabis, when orally ingested, though the former can still produce similar psychoactive effects. Delta-8 resulted...
Many cannabis consumers said they believe consumption has little effect on driving and don't think they are too impaired to drive. These findings were reported in two new studies (here and here) released earlier this month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a...
Oregon Health & Science University researchers have found that consuming cannabis while pregnant could affect fetal lung development and function, potentially leading to the development of chronic respiratory health conditions, such as asthma, in adolescence and...
A new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found no changes in opioid outcomes among the general population with the states’ passage of medical and recreational marijuana laws. However, the findings also show decreases in opioid...
As medicinal cannabis becomes more widely used, Rutgers Health is examining the potential physical and mental health effects on patients. After receiving a $686K grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, researchers recently kicked off a five-year study on...
Adults aged 18 to 49 years reporting medical-only or medical-nonmedical cannabis use may have a higher prevalence of cannabis use disorder (CUD) than those reporting nonmedical only, according to a research letter published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry. Read the...
A reduction of in-home cannabis smoke could "substantially" reduce children's exposure to toxic and carcinogenic chemicals that are in smoke, according to a study titled "Exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke among children," published recently in JAMA Network Open....
After three years and lots of back-and-forth, the FDA finally greenlit the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ (MAPS) Phase 2 study of smoked cannabis in veterans for the treatment of PTSD (MJP2). This study will test the safety and efficacy of...
State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say they’ll champion a bill next year to bring recreational marijuana to Pennsylvania. But advocates and legal reformers say they don’t want people imprisoned due to drug laws to miss out on the “green rush.” Tens of...
Law enforcement officials lack tools to detect cannabis-impaired driving as reliably as they can identify people who get behind the wheel drunk. Only a few states routinely test the blood of drivers involved in serious accidents for marijuana, and as a result, little...
This month, the F.D.A. surprised the researchers behind a proposed study to assess the safety and efficacy of using marijuana to treat military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, and other experts in the field, by authorizing the trial to proceed, according...
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, in a partnership with the University President Tim Killeen and Discovery Partners Institute, launched the Cannabis Research Institute on Nov. 15. The CRI, is a joint effort aimed at providing research and data to advance public knowledge on...
The first Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing on the Biden administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal took place on December 2, with proponents and opponents appearing for a largely procedural meeting to prepare for more substantive hearings in 2025....
A series of new studies is putting a spotlight on the growing use of cannabis among people with cancer and some of the trend’s downstream effects. But research has lagged on whether and which cannabis products are a safe or effective way to help with cancer-related...
Many insomniacs swear by cannabis as a way to help them sleep – while many scientific studies have found that THC actually exacerbates sleep problems. A new study published last week in Addiction might explain why. Researchers from the University of Southern...
A recent study from the University of Georgia College of Public Health, published in The American Journal on Addictions, found that around 6% of pregnant women participating in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported using marijuana in the past month, with...
On November 5, 2024, voters in Nebraska approved a ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana use, while voters in Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected measures to legalize recreational marijuana use. Voters in Massachusetts rejected a ballot measure to...
Products containing delta-8 THC and other synthetic cannibinoids have been proliferating in convenience stores, largely without regulation. This article summarizes the legality and safety of these products. See the article here.
Gov. Tate Reeves signed Senate Bill 2888 on April 8, establishing the Mississippi Cannabis Research Program at the University of Mississippi. The new program will operate under the National Center for Cannabis Research and Education (NCCRE) at the School of Pharmacy....
With more Americans using ever-stronger marijuana, a federal advisory panel is calling for a public health approach that’s a big departure from “Just Say No.” The report - released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and cosponsored...
NIDA intends to promote the reissue of 2 initiatives by publishing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit applications for research on Accelerating the Pace of Substance Use Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Optional and R21 Clinical Trial...
As marijuana legalization has accelerated across the country, doctors are contending with the effects of an explosion in the use of the drug and its intensity. With more people consuming more potent cannabis more often, a growing number, mostly chronic users, are...
A lesser-known cannabinoid that is gaining in popularity Cannabigerol (CBG) effectively reduced anxiety in a clinical trial without the intoxication typically associated with whole plant cannabis. It may even have some memory enhancing effects, according to a new...
The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a long-awaited report on barriers to researching the medical use of marijuana. The report is required under the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, which passed in 2022. Identified barriers...
Using marijuana daily for years may raise the overall risk of head and neck cancers three- to five-fold, according to a new study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, that analyzed millions of medical records. See the CNN article here.
The Cannabis Research Institute (CRI) has officially opened its doors in Chicago. Housed within the Discovery Partners Institute of the University of Illinois System, the CRI will focus on an array of studies ranging from medicinal benefits to agricultural practices...
The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) will host a free, virtual two-day symposium on Thursday and Friday, October 17 and 18, 2024 from 8AM-12 Noon Pacific Time (11AM-3PM Eastern Time), Cannabis, Cannabinoids, Cancer, and Longevity. The 2024 CMCR Symposium...
When breastfeeding mothers in a recent study, published in the journal Breastfeeding Medicine, used cannabis, its psychoactive component THC showed up in the milk they produced. The Washington State University-led research also found that, unlike alcohol, when THC was...
The Justice Department formally moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug in a historic shift in generations of U.S. drug policy. A proposed rule sent to the federal register recognizes the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledges it has less potential...
The number of older adults hospitalized for cannabis poisoning tripled after Canada legalized the retail sale of marijuana, according to a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, as the drug’s rapid legalization in North America leads to more...
Many health experts have worried that relaxing the laws around cannabis will lead to more use of the drug among minors. But Rebekah Levine Coley, a developmental psychologist at Boston College, is less certain. In April, she and colleagues published a study in JAMA...
For the first time, the number of Americans who use marijuana just about every day has surpassed the number who drink that often, a shift some 40 years in the making as recreational pot use became more mainstream and legal in nearly half of U.S. states. In 2022, an...
Many Americans, including patients with cancer, use cannabis and cannabinoids. In response to this reality, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has issued a guideline for clinicians, adults with cancer, caregivers, and researchers on their medical use....
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has issued a Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) is to encourage investigators to submit grant applications to investigate the roles of endocannabinoids and the effects of cannabinoid exposure in the developing brain, from...
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country. The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White...
As the Biden administration moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, scientists say the change will lift some of the restrictions on studying the drug. But the change won't lift all restrictions, they say, neither will it decrease potential risks of the...
As more states pass laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use, Americans continue to favor legalization of both medical and recreational use of the drug. Nearly six-in-ten Americans (57%) who participated in a recent Pew Research Center survery said that...
Lawmakers have established the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Research Program by way of SB 2888. The program will be managed out of the National Center for Cannabis Research and Education at the University of Mississippi and will compile data on the effects of medical...
Vaporized cannabis containing THC and CBD may provide rapid and sustained relief of acute migraine pain with no serious side effects, new research suggests. In a single center randomized controlled trial across 247 treated migraine attacks, 4 puffs of vaporized...
When Michigan voters approved recreational marijuana six years ago, the measure included an innovative mandate: using cannabis tax revenue to pay for research into the health benefits of the drug for military veterans. State officials later committed $40 million. Not...
American teenagers are increasingly using a psychoactive substance called delta-8, sparking concerns the compound could pose a serious public health risk, a nation-wide study has found. As of last year, as many as 11.4 percent of US 12th graders used delta-8,...
Cannabis and/or cannabinoid access and use by adults with cancer has outpaced the science supporting their clinical use. A newly-released guideline from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) provides strategies for open, nonjudgmental communication between...
Florida Senate lawmakers have approved legislation to cap the THC level on adult-use marijuana ahead of a ballot initiative legalization vote in November 2024.The measure stipulates that smokable products may contain a maximum of 30% of THC. If signed into law,...
Asthma is more common among high school students who use cannabis, relative to those who do not, and the prevalence of asthma increases with the frequency of its use among the students, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health...
Patterns of cannabis use that lead patients to seek treatment in the emergency department (ED) may increase the risk of developing an anxiety disorder and worsen anxiety disorders in patients who already have them, according to new research. In a population-based...
Marijuana is neither as risky nor as prone to abuse as other tightly controlled substances and has potential medical benefits, and therefore should be removed from the nation’s most restrictive category of drugs, federal scientists have concluded. The recommendations...
A bill introduced in the Washington state legislature aims to limit high potency cannabis products amid concerns of increasing potency and risks posed to younger people using the products. The bipartisan bill would increase the age limit to buy high-potency cannabis...
A new study has found that there was no association between using cannabis and non-medical opioid use in people receiving pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder. The findings neither confirm that using cannabis leads to opioid use nor that it's effective in reducing...
The University of Utah has marked the beginning of a new phase in the exploration of medical cannabis in Utah with the establishment of the Center for Medical Cannabis Research, which aims to support research to better understand the benefits and risks of the drug....
Georgia, this year, became the first state to permit pharmacies to sell medical marijuana. But the federal Drug Enforcement Administration recently sent out a memo telling independent Georgia pharmacies dispensing medical cannabis violates federal law. Read the...
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