Journal of Cannabis Research最新文献

{"title":"THC degradation does not impair the accuracy of THC doses aerosolized by the metered-dose SyqeAir inhaler: a 24-month stability trial.","authors":"Joshua Aviram, Daniella Atzmony, Anna Frenklakh, Asaf Kroll, Ilana Zaks, Arno Hazekamp","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00166-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42238-022-00166-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although the worldwide use of medical cannabis (MC) is on the rise, there is insufficient data regarding the long-term stability of phytocannabinoids in the plant material under different storage conditions. Specifically, there is insufficient data on the effect of storage conditions on the availability of (-)-∆⁹-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in vaporized cannabis. The Syqe inhaler delivers metered doses of phytocannabinoids by inhalation and utilizes accurate quantities of ground cannabis inflorescence packaged in tamper-proof cartridges. We aimed to assess the stability of phytocannabinoids in ground cannabis before and after packaging in Syqe cartridges as well as the reproducibility of THC delivery in the aerosolized dose.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Ground MC inflorescence was stored under different temperature and humidity conditions, before or after being packaged in Syqe cartridges. Concentrations of the major phytocannabinoids therein were analyzed at different time points using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (U-HPLC). THC doses aerosolized via the Syqe inhaler were evaluated using cartridges stored for up to 2 years at 25°C. Every vapor chip contains 13.5±0.9 mg of ground MC powder.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No significant changes were observed in phytocannabinoid concentrations in ground cannabis inflorescence after 3 months of bulk storage in a polypropylene container and sealed in an aluminum foil pouch at 5°C. In contrast, significant changes in phytocannabinoid concentrations were found when ground inflorescence was stored in the cartridges at 25°C for 2 years. Specifically, CBGA, THCA, and total THC concentrations decreased from 0.097±0.023, 2.7±0.3, and 2.80±0.16 mg/chip at baseline to 0.044±0.007 (55% decrease), 1.50±0.27 (44% decrease), and 2.20±0.083 (21% decrease) mg/chip following 2 years, respectively, while CBN and THC concentrations increased from 0.005±0.005 and 0.44±0.11 mg/chip at baseline to 0.14±0.006 (2700% increase) and 0.88±0.22 (100% increase) mg/chip following 2 years, respectively. Storage at 30°C revealed a steeper change in phytocannabinoid concentrations within an even shorter period. Despite the significant change of relative cannabinoid composition within the cartridge, the actual THC dose present in the aerosol remained relatively stable throughout this period and within the dosage range of 500mcg±25% required for pharmaceutical-grade inhalers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>MC powder in Syqe cartridges may be stored at room temperature for at least 2 years after production without affecting the aerosolized THC dose delivered to patients by more than ±25%. Future studies should analyze additional phytocannabinoids and terpenes in the cannabis inflorescence and assess the stability of different cannabis cultivars following storage in Syqe cartridges.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"55"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9590197/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40674641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and therapeutic implications.","authors":"Harshavardhan Lingegowda, Bailey J Williams, Katherine G Spiess, Danielle J Sisnett, Alan E Lomax, Madhuri Koti, Chandrakant Tayade","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00163-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s42238-022-00163-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Endometriosis patients experience debilitating chronic pain, and the first-line treatment is ineffective at managing symptoms. Although surgical removal of the lesions provides temporary relief, more than 50% of the patients experience disease recurrence. Despite being a leading cause of hysterectomy, endometriosis lacks satisfactory treatments and a cure. Another challenge is the poor understanding of disease pathophysiology which adds to the delays in diagnosis and overall compromised quality of life. Endometriosis patients are in dire need of an effective therapeutic strategy that is both economical and effective in managing symptoms, while fertility is unaffected. Endocannabinoids and phytocannabinoids possess anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, and anti-proliferative properties that may prove beneficial for endometriosis management, given that inflammation, vascularization, and pain are hallmark features of endometriosis. Endocannabinoids are a complex network of molecules that play a central role in physiological processes including homeostasis and tissue repair, but endocannabinoids have also been associated in the pathophysiology of several chronic inflammatory diseases including endometriosis and cancers. The lack of satisfactory treatment options combined with the recent legalization of recreational cannabinoids in some parts of the world has led to a rise in self-management strategies including the use of cannabinoids for endometriosis-related pain and other symptoms. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of endocannabinoids with a focus on their potential roles in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. We further provide evidence-driven perspectives on the current state of knowledge on endometriosis-associated pain, inflammation, and therapeutic avenues exploiting the endocannabinoid system for its management.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9540712/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33493554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"C. elegans as a test system to study relevant compounds that contribute to the specific health-related effects of different cannabis varieties.","authors":"Monique van Es-Remers,&nbsp;Jesus Arellano Spadaro,&nbsp;Eefje Poppelaars,&nbsp;Hye Kyong Kim,&nbsp;Marieke van Haaster,&nbsp;Marcel de Wit,&nbsp;Eva ILiopoulou,&nbsp;Marjolein Wildwater,&nbsp;Henrie Korthout","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00162-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00162-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The medicinal effects of cannabis varieties on the market cannot be explained solely by the presence of the major cannabinoids Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Evidence for putative entourage effects caused by other compounds present in cannabis is hard to obtain due to the subjective nature of patient experience data. Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is an objective test system to identify cannabis compounds involved in claimed health and entourage effects.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From a medicinal cannabis breeding program by MariPharm BV, the Netherlands a set of 12 varieties were selected both THC rich varieties as well as CBD rich varieties. A consecutive extraction process was applied resulting in a non-polar (cannabinoid-rich) and polar (cannabinoid-poor) extract of each variety. The test model C. elegans was exposed to these extracts in a broad set of bioassays for appetite control, body oscillation, motility, and nervous system function.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Exposing C. elegans to extracts with a high concentration of cannabinoids (> 1 μg/mL) reduces the life span of C. elegans dramatically. Exposing the nematodes to the low-cannabinoid (< 0.005 μg/mL) polar extracts, however, resulted in significant effects with respect to appetite control, body oscillation, motility, and nervous system-related functions in a dose-dependent and variety-dependent manner.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>C. elegans is a small, transparent organism with a complete nervous system, behavior and is due to its genetic robustness and short life cycle highly suitable to unravel entourage effects of Cannabis compounds. Although C. elegans lacks an obvious CB1 and CB2 receptor it has orthologs of Serotonin and Vanilloid receptor which are also involved in (endo)cannabinoid signaling.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>By using C. elegans, we were able to objectively distinguish different effects of different varieties despite the cannabinoid content. C. elegans seems a useful test system for studying entourage effects, for targeted medicinal cannabis breeding programs and product development.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"53"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9528106/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40389085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shifts in therapeutic practices and decline of medicinal cannabis in Indian North-Eastern Frontier (1826-1925).","authors":"Gita Bania","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00159-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00159-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The emergence of colonial medicine in the North-Eastern Frontier witnessed different phases of consistent competition and resistance. Herbs such as cannabis provided native physicians with a coherent power to resist colonial medical intervention. Before British rule, cannabis assumed great significance in the socio-economic, cultural, and religious spheres. The colonizers' bioprospection of cannabis shifted the production and use of cannabis from a medical and recreational plant to an industrial and commercial commodity. British policies on cannabis caused its ban leading to natives' reliance on colonial cannabis products. As a result, the native medical practitioners resisted for reviving cannabis in the indigenous therapeutics. This paper mainly aims to investigate the decline of medicinal cannabis in indigenous therapeutics, causing subtle resistance of the native physicians of the North-Eastern Frontier.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This paper follows a nomadology method based on primary and secondary sources to understand the impact on native physicians after the ban on private use, cultivation, and sale of cannabis. The primary sources/data have been collected from the Directorate of Archives: Government of Assam and Directorate of State Archives and Research Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal. Secondary sources have been collected from books, articles, and theses accessed from various libraries and websites.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ban on cannabis led to dual responses from the indigenous population of the frontier. First is the interest of the native physicians resisting the revival of cannabis in indigenous therapeutics. The second is the interest of the frontier's elites, who viewed cannabis as a \"dangerous drug.\" The British policies of control and restrictions on cannabis, the rift of response from the natives, and the over-powering of the indigenous therapeutics by the colonial medical system led to the decline of medicinal uses of cannabis in the North-Eastern Frontier.</p><p><strong>Discussions: </strong>Various pre-colonial and colonial factors helped colonial medical practices to get the upper hand over indigenous therapeutics. Such a shift led to the decline of indigenous medicinal cannabis causing native resistance, which was patient and silent.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>British ban on cannabis resulted in a rift of native responses, resistance, and decline of cannabis in the indigenous therapeutics of the North-Eastern Frontier.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9520865/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40382089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Medical cannabis authorization patterns, safety, and associated effects in older adults.","authors":"Laura MacNair,&nbsp;Maja Kalaba,&nbsp;Erica N Peters,&nbsp;Matthew T Feldner,&nbsp;Graham M L Eglit,&nbsp;Lucile Rapin,&nbsp;Cynthia El Hage,&nbsp;Erin Prosk,&nbsp;Mark A Ware","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00158-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00158-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Use of medical cannabis is increasing among older adults. However, few investigations have examined cannabis use in this population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We assessed the authorization patterns, safety, and effects of medical cannabis in a sub-analysis of 201 older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) who completed a 3-month follow-up during this observational study of patients who were legally authorized a medical cannabis product (N = 67). Cannabis authorization patterns, adverse events (AEs), Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale-revised (ESAS-r), and Brief Pain Inventory Short Form (BPI-SF) data were collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The most common symptoms for which medical cannabis was authorized were pain (159, 85.0%) and insomnia (9, 4.8%). At baseline and at the 3-month follow-up, cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant products were authorized most frequently (99, 54%), followed by balanced products (76, 42%), and then delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-dominant products (8, 4.4%). The most frequent AEs were dizziness (18.2%), nausea (9.1%), dry mouth (9.1%), and tinnitus (9.1%). Significant reductions in ESAS-r scores were observed over time in the domains of drowsiness (p = .013) and tiredness (p = .031), but not pain (p = .106) or well-being (p = .274). Significant reductions in BPI-SF scores over time were observed for worst pain (p = .010), average pain (p = .012), and overall pain severity (p = 0.009), but not pain right now (p = .052) or least pain (p = .141).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, results suggest medical cannabis was safe, well-tolerated, and associated with clinically meaningful reductions in pain in this sample of older adults. However, the potential bias introduced by the high subject attrition rate means that all findings should be interpreted cautiously and confirmed by more rigorous studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"50"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9494878/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40375878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Semi-quantitative analysis of cannabinoids in hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.","authors":"Luca De Prato,&nbsp;Matthew Timmins,&nbsp;Omid Ansari,&nbsp;Katinka X Ruthrof,&nbsp;Giles E St J Hardy,&nbsp;John Howieson,&nbsp;Graham O'Hara","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00161-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00161-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a producer of cannabinoids. These organic compounds are of increasing interest due to their potential applications in the medicinal field. Advances in analytical methods of identifying and quantifying these molecules are needed.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This study describes a new method of cannabinoid separation from plant material using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as the analytical tool to detect low abundance cannabinoids that will likely have implications for future therapeutical treatments. A novel approach was adopted to separate trichomes from plant material to analyse cannabinoids of low abundance not observed in raw plant extract. Required plant sample used for analysis was greatly reduced compared to other methods. Derivatisation method was simplified and deconvolution software was utilised to recognise unknown cannabinoid compounds of low abundance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The method produces well-separated spectra and allows the detection of major and minor cannabinoids. Ten cannabinoids that had available standards could be identified and quantified and numerous unidentified cannabinoids or pathway intermediates based on GC-MS spectra similarities could be extracted and analysed simultaneously with this method.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is a rapid novel extraction and analytical method from plant material that can identify major and minor cannabinoids using a simple technique. The method will be of use to future researchers seeking to study the multitude of cannabinoids whose values are currently not understood.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"51"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9503267/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33471395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The association between cannabis and codeine use: a nationally representative cross-sectional study in Canada.","authors":"Ria Garg,&nbsp;Kam Shojania,&nbsp;Mary A De Vera","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00160-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00160-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Due to the growing use of cannabis for the purposes of pain relief, evidence is needed on the impact of cannabis use on concurrent analgesic use. Therefore, our objective was to evaluate the association between the use of cannabis and codeine.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the nationally representative Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (2017). The primary explanatory variable was self-reported use of cannabis within the past year. The outcome was the use of codeine-containing product(s) within the past year. We used multivariable binomial logistic regression models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our study sample comprised 15,459 respondents including 3338 individuals who reported cannabis use within the past year of whom 955 (36.2%) used it for medical purposes. Among individuals who reported cannabis use, the majority were male (N = 1833, 62.2%). Self-reported use of cannabis was associated with codeine use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.89, 95% CI 1.36 to 2.62). Additionally, when limited to cannabis users only, we found people who used cannabis for medical purposes to be three times more likely to also report codeine use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.96, 95% CI 1.72 to 5.09).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The use of cannabis was associated with increased odds of codeine use, especially among individuals who used it for medical purposes. Our findings suggest a potential role for healthcare providers to be aware of or monitor patients' use of cannabis, as the long-term adverse events associated with concurrent cannabis and opioid use remain unknown.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"49"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9463740/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"33456080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Weight stability in adults with obesity initiating medical marijuana treatment for other medical conditions.","authors":"Michelle R Lent,&nbsp;Meghan Visek,&nbsp;Paulina Syracuse,&nbsp;Karen L Dugosh,&nbsp;David S Festinger","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00157-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00157-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Few studies have evaluated weight change in patients who initiate medical marijuana treatment to address diagnosed health concerns. The objective of this study was to examine whether patients initiating medical marijuana use for a qualifying health condition experienced changes in health and biopsychosocial functioning over time, including weight gain or loss. Specifically, this observational, longitudinal study evaluated changes in the body mass index (BMI) of adults with co-morbid obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m²) and severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m²) who were starting medical marijuana treatment for any of the 23 qualifying medical conditions at one of three dispensaries in Pennsylvania. Height and weight measurements were collected at baseline (prior to medical marijuana use) and then 90 days (± 14 days) later. Participants included in analyses (n = 52, M = 55.0 ± 13.6 years, 59.6% female) had a mean baseline BMI of 36.2 ± 5.4 kg/m² and the majority sought medical marijuana for chronic pain (73.1%). No significant change in BMI was observed from baseline to month three (p > 0.05) in the sample. Additionally, no significant change in BMI was observed in the subset of patients with severe obesity (n = 12, p > 0.05). Our findings are limited by low follow-up rates and convenience sampling methodology but may help to mitigate weight gain concerns in the context of medical marijuana use.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"48"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9418648/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40421541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cannabidiol as a treatment for arthritis and joint pain: an exploratory cross-sectional study.","authors":"Nicholas Frane,&nbsp;Erik Stapleton,&nbsp;Cesar Iturriaga,&nbsp;Maximillian Ganz,&nbsp;Vijay Rasquinha,&nbsp;Robert Duarte","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00154-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00154-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>An estimated 54 million Americans currently suffer from debilitating arthritis. Patients who have exhausted conservative measures can be subject to chronic pain and resort to symptomatic management with anti-inflammatories, acetaminophen, and opioids. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that has shown promise in preclinical studies to reduce inflammation and pain associated with arthritis. The purpose of this study was to explore patient perceived effects of cannabidiol on symptoms of arthritis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A novel anonymous questionnaire was created to evaluate perceived efficacy of cannabidiol for the treatment of arthritis. A self-selected convenience sample (N=428) was recruited through online methods including social media accounts and newsletters (The Arthritis Foundation and Savvy Cooperative) between May 5, 2020, and November 5, 2020. Statistical analysis was performed to determine differences between types of arthritis and improvements in quality-of-life symptoms. Furthermore, a regression analysis was performed to identify variables associated with decreasing or discontinuing other medications.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>CBD use was associated with improvements in pain (83%), physical function (66%), and sleep quality (66%). Subgroup analysis by diagnosis type (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid, or other autoimmune arthritis) found improvements among groups for physical function (P=0.013), favoring the osteoarthritis group. The overall cohort reported a 44% reduction in pain after CBD use (P<0.001). The osteoarthritis group had a greater percentage reduction (P=0.020) and point reduction (P<0.001) in pain compared to rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune arthritis. The majority of respondents reported a reduction or cessation of other medications after CBD use (N=259, 60.5%): reductions in anti-inflammatories (N=129, 31.1%), acetaminophen (N=78, 18.2%), opioids (N=36, 8.6%) and discontinuation of anti-inflammatories (N=76, 17.8%), acetaminophen (N=76, 17.8%), and opioids (N=81, 18.9%).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Clinicians and patients should be aware of the various alternative therapeutic options available to treat their symptoms of arthritis, especially in light of the increased accessibility to cannabidiol products. The present study found associations between CBD use and improvements in patient's arthritis symptoms and reductions in other medications. Future research should focus on exploring the benefits of CBD use in this patient population with clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"47"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9400326/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40720992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cannabis consumption is associated with lower COVID-19 severity among hospitalized patients: a retrospective cohort analysis.","authors":"Carolyn M Shover,&nbsp;Peter Yan,&nbsp;Nicholas J Jackson,&nbsp;Russell G Buhr,&nbsp;Jennifer A Fulcher,&nbsp;Donald P Tashkin,&nbsp;Igor Barjaktarevic","doi":"10.1186/s42238-022-00152-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s42238-022-00152-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>While cannabis is known to have immunomodulatory properties, the clinical consequences of its use on outcomes in COVID-19 have not been extensively evaluated. We aimed to assess whether cannabis users hospitalized for COVID-19 had improved outcomes compared to non-users.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective analysis of 1831 patients admitted to two medical centers in Southern California with a diagnosis of COVID-19. We evaluated outcomes including NIH COVID-19 Severity Score, need for supplemental oxygen, ICU (intensive care unit) admission, mechanical ventilation, length of hospitalization, and in-hospital death for cannabis users and non-users. Cannabis use was reported in the patient's social history. Propensity matching was used to account for differences in age, body-mass index, sex, race, tobacco smoking history, and comorbidities known to be risk factors for COVID-19 mortality between cannabis users and non-users.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 1831 patients admitted with COVID-19, 69 patients reported active cannabis use (4% of the cohort). Active users were younger (44 years vs. 62 years, p < 0.001), less often diabetic (23.2% vs 37.2%, p < 0.021), and more frequently active tobacco smokers (20.3% vs. 4.1%, p < 0.001) compared to non-users. Notably, active users had lower levels of inflammatory markers upon admission than non-users-CRP (C-reactive protein) (3.7 mg/L vs 7.6 mg/L, p < 0.001), ferritin (282 μg/L vs 622 μg/L, p < 0.001), D-dimer (468 ng/mL vs 1140 ng/mL, p = 0.017), and procalcitonin (0.10 ng/mL vs 0.15 ng/mL, p = 0.001). Based on univariate analysis, cannabis users had significantly better outcomes compared to non-users as reflected in lower NIH scores (5.1 vs 6.0, p < 0.001), shorter hospitalization (4 days vs 6 days, p < 0.001), lower ICU admission rates (12% vs 31%, p < 0.001), and less need for mechanical ventilation (6% vs 17%, p = 0.027). Using propensity matching, differences in overall survival were not statistically significant between cannabis users and non-users, nevertheless ICU admission was 12 percentage points lower (p = 0.018) and intubation rates were 6 percentage points lower (p = 0.017) in cannabis users.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This retrospective cohort study suggests that active cannabis users hospitalized with COVID-19 had better clinical outcomes compared with non-users, including decreased need for ICU admission or mechanical ventilation. However, our results need to be interpreted with caution given the limitations of a retrospective analysis. Prospective and observational studies will better elucidate the effects cannabis use in COVID-19 patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":15172,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cannabis Research","volume":" ","pages":"46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9356466/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40697294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}