C&P#135: cannabis for PTSD & quitting opioids + sex, drugs & Shakespeare
lots on harm Reduction & the War on Drugs
This week…
Cannabis cost-effective for PTSD + associated with quitting opioids
Sex & drugs: a review on cannabis (Shakespeare’s stoned smashing?)
CBD rinse for gingivitis
Preclinical: CBD for migraines, liver dysfunctions of obesity, depression comorbid with neuropathic pain & the entourage effect for colitis
The male gynecomastia link: does cannabis cause breast tissue growth? (or: Marsha “Keith” Schuchard was a terrible person)
Higher infertility rates in women who use cannabis
On lowering cannabis use with transcranial direct current stimulation
Hemp can uptake pharmaceuticals found in organic fertilizer
War on Drugs: essays on money laundering, Russian Darknet drug sales, nitazines & captagon
Harm reduction: overdoses deaths down in the US + importance of safe consumption sites
For psychedelics, on prolonged difficulties + a story of ketamine addiction + the benefits of a therapeutic community
Psychedelics in Jewish mysticism & South Korean rock
Gay bars for whales & elephants in the Neural Ocean metaphor
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the 135th edition of Cannabinoids & the People, Lex Pelger’s free weekly digest of all the new cannabinoid science, canna-news, War on Drugs coverage, psychedelic updates & ~2.8 jokes per newsletter. Upgrade to a paid subscription here to support my work sharing canna-science. As always, ask me anything.
(newsletter length: ~7500 words, approximate reading time: 6 minutes)
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My work this week:
Canna-Edu Vids for CV Sciences:
(on YT @CVSciencesInc & TT @pluscbd)
The CB2 Receptor & Your Brain (a 4’ dive I’m proud of)
My Vids:
(on TT @lexpelgerandhisbooks or on YouTube)
I’m backing up the earliest videos from my first days on TikTok to my YouTube account (mostly because these are records for my kids in case I get hit by a bus & I trust YT to stick around more than TT). Here’s some of the recent ones:
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede (perhaps the best YA series for young women or people that I’ve ever read)
What book did you like from high school English? Animal Farm
German Week:
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Best Of Cannabinoid Science...
Clinical
For moderate PTSD, a cost-utility analysis found cannabis to be a cost-effective adjunctive therapy
The Cost Effectiveness of Adjunctive Medical Cannabis Therapy in the Treatment of Moderate Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40261-025-01424-z
In people with chronic pain using unregulated opioids, daily cannabis use was associated with higher odds of opioid cessation
Cannabis use and illicit opioid cessation among people who use drugs living with chronic pain
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dar.14014
In cancer patients hospitalized with sepsis, those with cannabis use disorder had a higher prevalence of chronic pulmonary disease but lower rates of cardiovascular comorbidities, respiratory failures & death
Cannabis use disorder and severe sepsis outcomes in cancer patients: Insights from a national inpatient sample
https://www.wjgnet.com/2220-3141/full/v14/i2/100844.htm
In people with gingivitis, a rinse of tea tree oil, CBD & spilanthol ( a spicy fatty acid) reduced bleeding & plaque
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Mouthwash Containing Spilanthol and Cannabidiol on Improving Oral Health in Patients with Gingivitis—Clinical Trial
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/14/5/1641
In women with MS at risk of cannabis use disorder, a home-based transcranial direct current stimulation system for a month significantly lowered cannabis use & lowered withdrawal symptoms
EXPANDING ACCESS TO NEUROMODULATION FOR ADDICTION: A PILOT STUDY OF HOME-BASED TDCS IN CANNABIS USE DISORDER
https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(24)00986-0/pdf
And increased brain region connectivity
REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION TO THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX INCREASES CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND THE DORSAL STRIATUM BUT NOT THE VENTRAL STRIATUM IN PARTICIPANTS WITH CANNABIS USE DISORDER
https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(24)00823-4/pdf
via delayed-discounting effects
Using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Applied to Either Incentive-Salience or Cognitive-Control Circuitry to Engage Craving and Delayed Discounting in a Preliminary Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial for Cannabis Use Disorder
https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(24)00694-6/pdf
Unsurprisingly, cannabis decreased test performance & increased mind wandering
The effects of cannabis on mind-wandering
https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(25)01292-7
For the risks of men developing gynecomastia (increased breast tissue) from cannabis use, public health data found no link
Association between cannabis use and risk of gynecomastia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39810512/
On this subject & the War on Drugs, I wrote in my Queer cannabis graphic novel about the anti-marijuana parent’s movement of the ‘80s:
“Dr. Carlton Turner [then head of the UMiss cannabis grow, later Reagan’s drug czar] pitched in by drafting Marsha “Keith” Manatt Schuchard, the powerhouse housewife of the nascent parent’s movement. Together on the limitless dime of [Ross] Perot’s oiled billions, the three put on a traveling roadshow of prohibition. They spent months journeying Texas, displaying paraphernalia, sharing propaganda & preaching on the harms of pot….
On the lecture circuit, Schuchard pushed the ‘feminization’ effects of cannabis. At high school anti-drug rallies in the gymnasiums & auditoriums of Amerika, she knew just the tactic to change the minds of those scrawny boys yearning to be men. According to Baum [in ‘Smoke & Mirrors’], after lecturing about the testosterone-reducing effects of THC, “she’d pick out the scrawniest boy in the class, the one with the long hair & the sallow complexion & the Grateful Dead stickers on his notebook. She’d make him stand and take his shirt off in front of the others...
‘See what pot can do to you?’ she’d say.
The kids would go very quiet.”
In beagle dogs, how a CBD-rich hemp extract moved through their system in IV versus oral administration
Pharmacokinetics of cannabidiol, (-)-trans-D 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol, and their oxidative metabolites after intravenous and oral administration of a cannabidiol-dominant full-spectrum hemp product to beagle dogs
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1556975/abstract
Harms
In a survey of women with infertility, those who used cannabis regularly had 50+% odds of infertility
Cannabis use & female infertility: A cross sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2013–2018
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1047279725000341
In people with prior mental health conditions using delta-8 THC products, a case series of three people with various psychiatric manifestations requiring hospitalization
Psychiatric Manifestations of Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC) Use Among Patients With Preexisting Psychiatric Disorders: A Case Series
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40008106/
Among people who use cannabis, heroin & cocaine, they were more likely to die by suicide than non-users (with the strongest association being for cocaine)
Suicide Risk Among Cannabis, Heroin and Cocaine Users
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-025-01460-y
In mice with chronic THC exposure, the cognitive deficits were mediated by ensembles of astrocytes (the most predominant brain support cell) in the hippocampus-nucleus accumbens brain circuit
Astrocytic Ensemble at vHip-NAc synapses Modulates Cognitive Impairments Induced by Chronic THC Exposure
https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-5999833/v1
In pregnant female mice exposed to cannabis extracts or THC, their pups were smaller & had delays in puberty onset with minor effects in their own offspring
Transgenerational effects of perinatal cannabis exposure on female reproductive parameters in mice
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.24.639897v1
Reviews
On sexual experiences, a review of how recreational psychoactives impact sex & its risks, with a special section on the double-edged sword of cannabis
Exploring Pleasure and Risks: The Interplay Between Recreational Substances and Sexual Health
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/26318318241287173
Or as Shakespeare called the physical act of love in his sex-soaked problem play ‘Measure for Measure’, groping for trouts in a peculiar river.
Also, let us never forget that in the Bard’s garden were found pipes with cannabis residue. We will never be sure, but I like to think that he passed the pipe around before his trysts with the Fair Youth & the Dark Lady.
For sickle cell disease, a review of using the cannabinoids for pain management, inflammation & cardiac complications
Modulation of the endocannabinoid system in chronic conditions: a potential therapeutic intervention yet to be explored in sickle cell disease
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17474086.2025.2471864
For kidneys, a review of the benefits & injuries from cannabinoid use, especially synthetic cannabinoids (good charts)
Renal Outcomes and Other Adverse Effects of Cannabinoid Supplementation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39796493/
For HIV, a review on the promise of cannabis for managing inflammation, gut dysbiosis & immune system dysfunction
Cannabis Use in HIV: Impact on Inflammation, Immunity and the Microbiome
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11904-025-00729-0
For depression, a review on targeting the CB2 receptor in the microglia (guardian immune cells of the brain) (nice charts)
Microglial cannabinoid receptor 2 and epigenetic regulation: Implications for the treatment of depression
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014299925001761
For orofacial pain, a review of using cannabinoids (Portuguese)
Canabinoides na Dor Orofacial - Uma Revisão de Escopo
https://revistacannabis.med.br/sbec/article/view/51
For high doses of cannabinoids causing apoptosis (programmed cellular suicide) in the hippocampus (a memory center of the brain), a review of the potential mechanisms
Hippocampal Apoptosis: Molecular Mechanisms Triggered by Toxic Cannabinoid Exposure: A Narrative Review
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X25000191
Preclinical
(basically, the phytocannabinoid research goes here & the ECS research goes below)
In adolescent squirrel monkeys, six months of low-dose THC injections increased functional connectivity in the central executive network
Central Executive Network drives delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-induced nonlinear changes in large-scale functional connectivity in adolescent nonhuman primates
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-025-02068-5
In 3 different mouse models of migraines, a 100:1 CBD:THC combination reduced the most bothersome symptoms (thanks to Dr. Erik Zorrilla for alerting me to his new study)
Combined effects of cannabidiol and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol alleviate migraine-like symptoms in mice
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/03331024251314487
In a rat model of neuropathic pain & depression, a comparison of CBD versus fluoxetine found that while both help with the depression-like behavior, only CBD also helped with the pain
Comparison between Cannabidiol and Fluoxetine effects on chronic neuropathic pain and depression comorbid in rats
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11055-025-01751-w
In a mouse model of colitis, on the entourage effect for pain reduction by combining CBD, CBG, CBC & CBDV
Entourage effects of nonpsychotropic cannabinoids on visceral sensitivity in experimental colitis
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022356525097253
In a rat model of liver dysfunction caused by a high fat diet, CBD prevented ceramide deposition & improved insulin signaling via the sphingolipid pathway
Cannabidiol and sphingolipid metabolism – an unexplored link offering a novel therapeutic approach against high-fat diet-induced hepatic insulin resistance
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286325000282
In a mouse model of a high fat diet, gut bacteria that produce the endocannabinoid oleoylethanolamide led to significant weight loss, the increase of beneficial gut bacteria & improved metabolic dysfunction, depression, anxiety & gut barrier function
Oleoylethanolamide-producing Lactobacillus paracasei F19 improves metabolic and behavioral disorders by restoring intestinal permeability and microbiota-gut-brain axis in high-fat diet-induced obese male mice
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159125000534
Another series of tests that found CBD to not be genotoxic, to not cause DNA damage & to not influence genomic stability
Assessment of the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of a CBD isolate and a Cannabis sativa extract in vitro
https://www.proquest.com/openview/44ecdb2d5160843ebda02219c20da18c/1
Novel Studies
(my new grab bag section for stuff I haven’t quite seen before)
When mystery calling budtenders to ask about morning sickness, an analysis of their answers
Recommendations From Arizona Budtenders to Mystery Callers Regarding Morning Sickness
https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(25)00010-3/abstract
“Most budtenders (71.2%, n = 74) recommended cannabis products for morning sickness, especially cannabidiol and edibles. One fifth of these budtenders (18.9%, n = 14) recommended tinctures, one eighth (12.2%, n = 9) recommended inhalation products such as vapes and joints, and a few (5.4%, n = 4) recommended topicals. Most budtenders (85.6%, n = 89) encouraged a medical consultation, but relatively few (34.6%, n = 36) did so without prompting.”
In human breast milk banks, pasteurization (which uses heat) increased the levels of anandamide, PEA & oleoylethanolamide while high hydrostatic pressure processing (non-thermal method) did not cause these alterations
The human milk endocannabinoidome is preserved by high hydrostatic pressure processing but altered by holder pasteurization
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pediatrics/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1558524/abstract
When using organic fertilizers, hemp may uptake pharmaceuticals from the sewage sludge, especially tramadol & carbamazepine
Occurrence of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Cannabis sativa L. Following Application of Sewage Sludge-Based Composts and Vermicomposts
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/5/470
In a mouse model of anxiety due to electromagnetic radiation (at ranges similar to mobile phones & communication stations), they had decreased levels of CB1 receptors in their medial prefrontal cortex as well as notable reductions in their levels of anandamide & 2-AG
The CB1R of mPFC is involved in anxiety-like behavior induced by 0.8/2.65 GHz dual-frequency electromagnetic radiation
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2025.1534324/abstract
For controlling the khapra beetles (Trogoderma granarium) that feed on stored wheat, cannabis extracts reduced adult emergence & caused the highest mortality rate
SciELO Brazil - Efficacy of botanicals and entomopathogenic fungi in controlling khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) infestations in stored wheat
https://www.scielo.br/j/abmvz/a/GxsKdr9xYhJ3pswYfQL7Gyq/
the Headlines & Fav Articles
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Analysis of US state cannabis policies & tests of their influence pathways
Influences on cannabis policy design and adaptation in the American states
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/psj.70002
The use of cashless ATMs at cannabis shops might finally be crashing down thanks to a lawsuit against Trulieve
https://talkingjointsmemo.com/the-era-of-cashless-atms-at-dispensaries-is-about-to-come-crashing-down/
According to a NuggMD survey, two-thirds of cannabis users are spending less on cannabis because of the economy
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/two-out-of-three-marijuana-consumers-are-buying-less-cannabis-due-to-inflation-poll-finds/
In Massachusetts, a crisis of access for medical cannabis patients
https://talkingjointsmemo.com/on-a-lack-of-access-to-and-technological-failures-of-medical-marijuana-in-mass/
This is the big fear of medical cannabis advocates like Americans for Safe Access: legalized adult-use cannabis destroys the medical market, leading to higher prices for patients as well as a reduction in their options to heavily taxed & lightly tested high-THC products.
In New York, the state wants to claw back $50M that it invested in the cannabis industry, but amid the turbulent rollout & lack of help, it is now seen as a state-sponsored debt trap
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/04/nyregion/cannabis-marijuana-hochul.html
Actor David Krumholtz said he almost died from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
https://pagesix.com/2025/03/02/celebrity-news/santa-clause-star-david-krumholtz-almost-died-from-pot/
Ironically, he played a stoner in several movies including the infamous ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’.
International
Biggest cannabis users in the EU: the Czech Republic, Italy, France & Spain
https://www.bgnes.com/health/italy-france-and-spain-are-the-eu-countries-with-the-highest-cannabis-use
In the EU, a court ruled the Hungarian opposition to cannabis was illegal
https://cannabislaw.report/hungarys-opposition-to-eu-decision-on-cannabis-was-illegal-says-eu-judge/
Germany doubled its cannabis imports last year
https://businessofcannabis.com/german-cannabis-imports-double-in-2024-but-political-pressure-builds-on-flourishing-medical-market/
And on what the German election results mean for cannabis by Deepak Anand of Cultivated
https://www.cultivated.news/p/what-the-german-election-results-mean-for-the-future-of-cannabis
In Malaysia, the Health Ministry asks for companies to submit their medical cannabis products for registration
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/03/04/health-ministry-opens-door-for-cannabis-based-products-in-medical-treatment
In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro called on lawmakers to legalize cannabis & for governments around the world to stop banning coca leaves for purposes other than cocaine
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colombian-president-calls-on-lawmakers-to-legalize-marijuana-to-combat-cartel-violence-in-the-illicit-market/
In South Africa, on the contradiction of cannabis policy being shaped by court decisions rather than government policy makers
https://www.cannabiz-africa.com/news-4/government%E2%80%99s-control-of-cannabis-reform-threatened-by-the-growing-%E2%80%98crisis-of-illegality%E2%80%99
In the Australian region of Victoria, drivers who use medical cannabis will no longer have their driving licenses automatically revoked
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast-episode/victorias-parliament-drops-automatic-licence-bans-for-cannabis-using-drivers/5i8z1pdx8
In the Basque region of Spain, on their flourishing cannabis social clubs (low-key jealous)
Os Clubes Sociais de Cannabis (CSCs) na Comunidade Autônoma do País Basco (CAPB), Espanha: Trajetória e Obstáculos na Busca pela Normalização Canábica.
https://www.scielo.br/j/mediacoes/a/zqJbSDzn6KwGF56pw95QPGN/abstract/?lang=en
Using Brazil’s Lattes information platform, a map of key collaborators in their cannabinoid research network
Cannabis e Ciência: Identificação de Redes de Pesquisa com/sobre a Cannabis a Partir da Plataforma de Currículos Lattes
https://www.scielo.br/j/mediacoes/a/cQKYcpvGQvfkxsDQf8yYCRN/abstract/?lang=en
The War on Drugs
Excellent essay on how money laundering words in the illegal drugs trade
https://theconversation.com/money-laundering-plays-a-key-role-in-every-part-of-the-illegal-drugs-industry-heres-how-it-works-251288
How Russia cornered the Darknet drug world
https://tripsitter.substack.com/p/russian-drug-bazaars
I miss Silk Road.
On the rise of nitazines, the synthetic opioids flying under the radar
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/nitazenes-opioid-drugs-uk-heroin-b2694421.html
https://www.talkingdrugs.org/under-the-radar-are-nitazenes-more-prevalent-than-known/
On the psychostimulant captagon & its therapeutic uses, health risks & worldwide trade
The Psychostimulant Drug, Fenethylline (captagon): Health Risks, Addiction and the Global Impact of Illicit TradeThe Psychostimulant Drug, Fenethylline (captagon): Health Risks, Addiction and the Global Impact of Illicit Trade
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277272462500006X
In an encyclopedia of geography, the geography of drugs entry that covers legality, production, prohibition & harm reduction (paywalled, but I can you the PDF thanks to author Sotiria Kyriakidou)
Drugs, Geography of
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-031-25900-5_238-1
An analysis of the 1958 Goldstein framework on the relationship between drugs & violence in the US
Revisiting Goldstein’s Drugs-Violence Nexus: Expanding the Framework for the Globalized Era
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43576-025-00160-w
The DEA & the Cartels
The new DEA drug fact sheets are out
https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/publication/drug-fact-sheets
The one on cannabis isn’t too bad. It’s about where I’d say the negatives are, though they didn’t even mention how abrupt cannabis withdrawal can lead to psychosis (Also, they do have a typo under Epidiolex. It’s approved not for “Lennox-Gestaut” syndrome but Lennox-Gastaut syndrome).
Overall, the odd part of these fact sheets is how out of touch they are, even on the negatives. For ketamine, they don’t mention how long-term use can absolutely wreck the bladder. Since K hit the London party scene hard twenty years ago, we had reports of teenagers in agonizing pain who needed bladder transplants. For an org focused on the negatives, they sure do miss a lot of known negatives.
Excellent analysis of how fentanyl reaches the US
https://www.cfr.org/article/how-does-fentanyl-reach-united-states
On Caro Quintero, the cartel leader just handed over to the US, known as the murderer of DEA agent Kiki Camarena
https://insightcrime.org/news/many-lives-rafael-caro-quintero-mexico/
On the probable death of Marco Ebben, the Dutch drug trafficker who took the Latin America/European connection to the next level & was known for faking his death
https://insightcrime.org/news/life-death-sinaloa-cartel-dutch-emissary/
On search warrants for drugs, an analysis of their effectiveness
Searching for a big score: Analyzing drug yield from search warrant executions
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235225000261
“Investments in high-effort search warrant work should generate higher yields than would be possible using less intensive law enforcement endeavors; yet our findings show that neither high-effort investigative activities, such as surveillance or controlled buys, nor the mobilization of specialized teams or agencies actually predict drug yield, even when search warrants lead to at least one felony drug arrest. This pattern raises questions about the efficacy of high-effort law enforcement activities and the costs, both financial and symbolic, of drug-related search warrant applications and executions.”
In Brazil, the spillover effect of Uruguay’s cannabis legalization led to more cannabis & cocaine seizures
The Cross-Border Spillover Effects of Cannabis Regulation in South America
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10940-025-09603-z
#Cannabis
On federal drug task force & state cannabis legalization, a thesis project found that early adopting states did not have any greater issues with federal drug enforcement than late adopters or non-adopters
MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION POLICY AND FEDERAL DRUG TASK FORCE PROGRAMS: A STUDY OF DRUG CONTROL FEDERALISM MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION POLICY AND FEDERAL DRUG TASK FORCE PROGRAMS: A STUDY OF DRUG CONTROL FEDERALISM
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7580&context=doctoral
In Canada, raids against cannabis dispensaries on Mi’kmaw reserves led to protests of violations of treaty rights
https://cannabislaw.report/canada-rcmp-cannabis-raids-violate-treaty-rights-say-mikmaw-dispensary-owners-in-n-s/
In the UK, six convicted of forcing trafficked migrants to work on cannabis farms
https://cannabislaw.report/uk-six-men-convicted-after-trafficked-migrants-forced-to-work-on-cannabis-farms/
In the UK, 8 children in the hospital over cannabis sweets
https://cannabislaw.report/uk-sheffield-bbc-eight-children-in-hospital-over-cannabis-sweets/
In New Zealand, arrest of a “green fairy” named Gandalf puts access to medical cannabis at risk for hundreds of patients
https://cannabislaw.report/arrest-of-gandolf-in-new-zealand-is-causing-medicinal-cannabis-political-ripples/
https://cannabislaw.report/new-zealand-police-bust-gandalf-leaving-hundreds-without-medicinal-cannabis/
In West Africa, a letter to the editor & research report on Kush (potent cannabis/synthetic cannabinoid mix)
Kush Addiction: A Clarion Call for Psychiatric Research and Intervention
https://journals.lww.com/jops/citation/9900/kush_addiction__a_clarion_call_for_psychiatric.6.aspx
https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/kush-in-sierra-leone/
In New York, comparisons of underage access of licensed retailers versus unlicensed retailers
Cannabis Access by Retailer Type in New York
https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/155/3/e2024068669/201048/Cannabis-Access-by-Retailer-Type-in-New-York
In California, $534M of illegal cannabis seized last year
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/03/04/california-seizes-534-million-in-illegal-cannabis-in-2024/
And in Glasglow, a £85k cannabis stash discovered & 3 arrested
https://cannabislaw.report/glasgow-cannabis-haul-discovered-by-cops-as-three-arrested-and-charged/
And in Illinois, parents arrested after their 5-year-old was found with a bag of weed in their clear plastic backpack
https://cannabislaw.report/olney-il-parents-arrested-after-five-year-old-brings-marijuana-to-preschool/
And in Korea, a lawmaker's son busted for trying to buy cannabis
https://cannabislaw.report/korea-ruling-party-lawmakers-son-charged-for-trying-to-buy-cannabis/
Harm Reduction
In the US, overdose deaths down 24% & back to pre-pandemic levels
https://filtermag.org/cdc-overdose-deaths-decrease-pandemic/
For Canada's first drug compassion club operated by the heroes at the Drug User Liberation Front, interviews on its efficacy for “reducing overdose morbidity in high needs communities”
Qualitative findings from North America’s first drug compassion club
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0315804
Inside Rhode Island’s Pioneering Overdose Prevention Center
https://filtermag.org/rhode-island-overdose-prevention-center/
In Glasgow, the safe consumption room has saved over 100 lives
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/safer-drug-consumption-room-saved-105857227.html
In Alberta, Canada, people who use drugs will be forced into treatment
https://filtermag.org/alberta-forced-drug-treatment/
The Research
A summary of the 2024 Association of Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction annual conference
Empowering Change: From Evidence to Action in Addiction Care and Research-Overview and Proceedings of the AMERSA 2024 Conference
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/29767342251320201
States with strong harm reduction policies had less overdose risk while restrictions on opioid prescribing were associated with more overdose risk
How do restrictions on opioid prescribing, harm reduction, and treatment coverage policies relate to opioid overdose deaths in the United States in 2013-2020?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39847857/
Ethical arguments in support of safe supply interventions for drug users
Ethical justifications for safe supply interventions
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39914041/
The demographics of Montreal supervised injection site users & the factors linked to overdose interventions
Characteristics of supervised injection site clients and factors associated with requiring overdose intervention, Montreal, Canada, 2018-2022
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39842392/
Interviews about methadone withdrawal experiences among people in maintenance treatment, including ongoing sickness sensations
"I still can feel the sickness": Withdrawal experiences of people on methadone maintenance treatment
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39722353/
On NY State’s pilot community drug checking programs for harm reduction
Development, Evaluation, and Initial Findings of New York State Department of Health Community Drug Checking Pilot Programs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39387612/
For 12-step meetings during the pandemic, interviews about the positives & and negatives of virtual meetings
How Individuals Seeking Help for Substance Use Disorder Adjusted to Virtual 12-Step Meetings During the COVID-19 Pandemic
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00469580251320767
For mothers who use unregulated drugs, they lack access to almost every method of overdose protection
"Basically every safety protocol we have in place to protect against overdose, parents can't access": Mothers who use unregulated drugs' experiences of dual public health emergencies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40024632/
On substance use & use disorders during pregnancy & the postpartum period, a review for OBGYNs of the evidence for the major psychoactives with an aim to be supportive
Substance Use and Use Disorders During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39798910/
For substance use disorders, a review of pharmacological treatments
Pharmacological treatment for substance use disorder: A systematic review
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39793188/
A feasibility study on placing overdose prevention sites within U.S. hospital settings
A qualitative study exploring the feasibility and acceptability of embedding an overdose prevention sites in a U.S. hospital
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39805406/
An analysis of how U.S. chiefs of police perceive substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure risk, overdose responses & harm reduction
Beliefs of US chiefs of police about substance use disorder, fentanyl exposure, overdose response, and use of discretion: results from a national survey
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40042571/
Business, Laws & Education
In Thailand, an analysis of their cannabis tourism
Emergence of Cannabis Commercialization: Tourists’ Perceptions Toward Destinations and Future Revisit Intention
https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/tri/pre-prints/content-tri689_insuwanno
“To enhance cannabis tourism appeal, managers should offer educational tours about cultivation, wellness retreats with cannabis-infused treatments, and events celebrating cannabis culture.”
In Germany, a proposal to use their “Regulatory Sandboxes” to test the legalizing of edibles
Regulatory sandboxes as an innovative platform for testing Cannabis edibles in Germany
https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-025-00263-1
On the consumer confusion around hemp/CBD oils & the product names used to describe them
Consumer Confusion About Product Names Commonly Used to Describe Hemp‐Based Oils
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/joca.70004
In Brazil, the CBD product labeling regulations seemed to have increased label accuracy
Evaluation of cannabidiol-based products in Brazil: how can current regulations influence their labeling quality?
https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-025-00270-2
In South Africa, on designing new cannabis workplace testing protocols for their new legalization
Effective cannabis testing protocols for workplace safety in South Africa post legalisation: Navigating the new normal
https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/2537
In Argentina, a summary of their cannabis educational initiatives
Un Recorrido Panorámico por Iniciativas Educativas sobre Cannabis en Argentina
https://www.scielo.br/j/mediacoes/a/8yG5cLFhGfYFQMgr7Km7vrs/abstract/?lang=en
Psychedelics, Plant Medicines & Other Psychoactives
An insightful & haunting essay on the dangers of ketamine by a psychedelic facilitator who tried it & fell down a dark rabbithole
https://alisoncrosthwait.substack.com/p/how-i-went-from-psychedelic-facilitator
As someone who finds ketamine to be the most addictive substance I’ve ever tried & have had my struggles with it, I appreciate the candor of this essay.
In Jewish mystical tradition, on the potential of entheogen use (with references to the Zohar, Benjamin & Derrida)
God’s Pharmacy: On the Use of Entheogens in Jewish Mystical Traditions
https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/news/2024/11/gods-pharmacy-use-entheogens-jewish-mystical-traditions
On the psychedelic codes in the rock of Shin Joong Hyun (our album of the week below) & the fiction of Ch’oe In-ho
Psychedelic Codes and Close Listening to South Korean Fiction, 1971 – 1989
https://read.dukeupress.edu/positions/article-abstract/33/1/109/395129/Psychedelic-Codes-and-Close-Listening-to-South
The Psychoactive Research
A case report of low-dose MDMA for neuropathic pain
Treatment of neuropathic pain with repeated low-dose MDMA: a case report
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1513022/full
During a first experience with psilocybin, a map of the brain changes
Human brain changes after first psilocybin use
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.11.617955v2
For prolonged difficulties post-psychedelic use, a survey on duration, severity & beneficial coping methods
An investigation into the varieties of extended difficulties following psychedelic drug use: Duration, severity and helpful coping strategies
https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2054/aop/article-10.1556-2054.2024.00420/article-10.1556-2054.2024.00420.xml
In psychedelic-assisted therapy, on group bonding & therapeutic communities
From Isolation to Social (and Psychedelic) Integration: A Sociology of Collective Effervescence and Therapeutic Community in Psychedelic‐Assisted Therapy
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9566.13872
For headaches, a review of psychedelic therapy
Exploring the Potential of Psychedelics in the Treatment of Headache Disorders: Clinical Considerations and Exploratory Insights
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11916-024-01321-8
For irritable bowel syndrome, an editorial on using psychedelic therapy
Psychedelic-assisted Therapy as a Promising Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
https://journals.lww.com/jcge/abstract/9900/psychedelic_assisted_therapy_as_a_promising.419.aspx
For MDMA, a review of its therapeutic applications
Applications of MDMA in Modern Medicine - A Literature Review
https://apcz.umk.pl/JEHS/article/view/56620
For psilocybin’s antidepressant effects, a systematic review of the neurobiological mechanisms
Neurobiological mechanisms of antidepressant properties of psilocybin: A systematic review of blood biomarkers
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278584625000053
And another systematic review of its mechanisms
Catalyst for change: Psilocybin’s antidepressant mechanisms—A systematic review
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02698811241312866
In a mouse model of epilepsy, psilocin (the active ingredient of psilocybin) caused potent anticonvulsant effects via the kynurenine pathway, nitrergic & opioidergic systems, cGMP, & the CB1 receptor
Psilocin, A Psychedelic Drug, Exerts Anticonvulsant Effects Against PTZ- and MES-Induced Seizures in Mice via 5-HT1A and CB1 Receptors: Involvement of Nitrergic, Opioidergic, and Kynurenine Pathways
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39996441/
On psilocybin, a deep dive on its biochemistry & metabolism
The Biochemistry of Psilocybin & Its Metabolism in the Human Body
https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/331e1e1e-0ee8-4226-869e-08be3b1ed90d/content
The Plant & the History
Growing & Processing
On the effects of pH & micronutrients on cannabis yield
Impact of substrate pH and micronutrient fertility rates on Cannabis sativa
https://acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/agg2.70044
On the effects of herbicide on hemp
Herbicide-induced alterations in hemp fiber: A comparative analysis of strength and morphology
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15589250251319321
The effects of drought on cannabis yield
Effects of Drought on Inflorescence Yield, and Secondary Metabolites in 2 Cannabis sativa L.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/02/20/2025.02.16.638548.full.pdf
On how the water conservation of hemp is driven by the behavior of the stomata (pores in the leaves & stems)
Water conservation and assimilation is driven by stomatal behaviour in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009884722500036X
An analysis of pollen from 4 hemp cultivars
The Potential Impact of Flower Characteristics and Pollen Viability of Four Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Grain Varieties on Cross-Pollination
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/515
On creating hemp mutants, a thesis project on using physical & chemical mutagenesis methods
Inducing Potential Mutants in Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) via Physical and Chemical Mutagenesis
https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/items/3268dc23-c484-4304-b6c9-49406e72c777
Who’s going to create the Wolverine of cannabis?
Or my personal favorite, Nightcrawler…
Formulating & Analyzing
On creating nano hemp proteins complexes with green tea polyphenols
Hemp proteins conjugated with green tea polyphenol extract form de novo plant-sourced emulsifiers suitable for nanodelivery systems bearing lipophilic psychopharmaceuticals
https://chemrxiv.org/engage/api-gateway/chemrxiv/assets/orp/resource/item/67be40466dde43c9087f7c4b/original/hemp-proteins-conjugated-with-green-tea-polyphenol-extract-form-de-novo-plant-sourced-emulsifiers-suitable-for-nanodelivery-systems-bearing-lipophilic-psychopharmaceuticals.pdf
On a new nano CBD system
O-carboxymethyl chitosan-grafted-cholesterol succinic acid monoester nanomicelles improve oral absorption of cannabidiol
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1773224725001662
On creating CBG-co-crystals with piperazines
(IUCr) Surface analysis of cannabigerol cocrystals: linking crystal structure to enhanced properties
https://journals.iucr.org/m/issues/2025/02/00/lt5073/index.html
Food & Nutrition & Hemp Seeds
For bread making, hemp flour improved bread quality & enhanced shelf stability
Hemp flour in breadmaking: circularity and opportunities for bread quality and stability during storage
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00217-025-04687-0
On creating sustainable protein concentrate from cannabis seeds using green chemistry
Sustainable protein concentrate from Cannabis sativa L. seeds: Green chemistry and new functional concentrates for the alternative protein industry
https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1750-3841.70071
Modifying hempseed protein isolate with high-pressure homogenization & ultrasound
Modification of hempseed protein isolate using a novel two-stage method applying high-pressure homogenization coupled with high-intensity ultrasound
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39608063/
Industrial Uses & Fiber
On creating synthetic fur out of hemp
From bio-based to fossil-based to bio-based: Exploring the potential of hemp as a material for next-gen fur
https://riviste.fupress.net/index.php/fh/article/view/2974
Where’s my hemp merkin?
For removing the drug tamoxifen from hospital wastewater, on using activated carbon from hemp roots
Effective adsorption performance of hemp root-derived activated carbon for tamoxifen-contaminated wastewater
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167732225003861
In dye adsorption, on using hemp/polyacrylomtrile fiber
Preparation of hemp/polyacrylonitrile composite fiber membrane and its application in dye adsorption.
https://openurl.ebsco.com/EPDB%3Agcd%3A14%3A32366574/detailv2?sid=ebsco%3Aplink%3Ascholar&id=ebsco%3Agcd%3A183117868&crl=c
On creating antibiotic UV resistant hemp fabrics with silver nanoparticles
Preparation of Hemp Fabrics With Durable UV‐Protective and Antibacterial Properties Using Silver Nanoparticles
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1155/jnt/9695944
On an antibacterial plastic composite using hemp & an assessment of its life cycle
Life Cycle Assessment of Novel Antibacterial Polylactide-Hemp-Nanosilver-Biocomposites
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10924-025-03512-9
For car body panels, testing hemp & flax composites
Explicit Dynamic Analysis of Car Body Panels made with Hemp and Flax Composites
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389201149_Explicit_Dynamic_Analysis_of_Car_Body_Panels_made_with_Hemp_and_Flax_Composites
A new circular honeycomb made of a hemp/epoxy composite
A New Circular Honeycomb Made by Hemp/Epoxy Composite: Manufacturing and Mechanical Characterization
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11665-025-10842-1
On creating a carbon cathode from hemp for supercapacitors
Hemp-derived hierarchically porous carbon cathode enabling high energy storage for advanced zinc-ion hybrid capacitor
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352152X25006887
A thesis project of using hemp in electrocatalysts (specifically hydrogen)
Characterization of hemp-derived electrocatalysts
https://boa.unimib.it/bitstream/10281/541901/2/phd_unimib_816320.pdf#page=131
On combining hempcrete with the 3D printing of houses
Incorporating Carbon-Negative Hempcrete in 3D-Printed Eco-Friendly Residential Houses
https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/7b05ca45-0fe8-4a7c-a576-202aff7d1fac
And on using clay-hemp for printing
3D Printing of “Clay-Hemp” Sustainable Structures for Residential Construction
https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/4ea90f56-19d0-4b82-b2f0-5c55e243414a
Oh Proteus. Where is the 3D-printed hemp library for my backyard?
On the various uses of hemp wastes & an analysis of their composition
From Waste to Resource: Mineral and Biochemical Characterization of Hemp By-Products in the Fiber and Seed Supply Chain
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/3/564
CANNABINOID SCIENCE
Public Health & Driving
In Danish medical cannabis patients, a survey found they had a statistically significant lower quality of life
Patients' Health-Related Quality of Life and Use of Medicinal Cannabis: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39794668/
Yes, but this is a common finding. In general, people in worse shape are the ones that turn to cannabis.
Analysis of state medical cannabis programs found that many have qualifying conditions without “substantial evidence”
Medical Cannabis in the United States: Comparing 2017 and 2024 State Qualifying Conditions to the 2017 National Academies of Sciences Report
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2542454825000013
But I think this is all a crock of bullshit. Many of the conditions that people report in surveys where they found cannabis helpful were for ones that don’t have “substantial bodies of evidence”. The evidence is lacking, not the effects. Otherwise, we’d never use CBD for pain or cannabis for female orgasmic disorder.
In California, an analysis of ingestion methods
Modes of Cannabis Consumption: Results From a California Statewide Survey
https://escholarship.org/content/qt21b8s539/qt21b8s539.pdf
“Overall, 15.2% of California adults were current users of cannabis. Among the current users, 56.3% reported using 2 or more modes to consume cannabis in the past 30 days. Smoking cannabis in a joint, bong, or pipe (9.4%) was the most prevalent mode of consumption, followed by eating (8.4%), vaping (6.0%), blunt (2.6%), dabbing (2.2%) and drinking (1.7%). Exclusive use of a single mode was rare, with eating at 2.9%, joint/bong/pipe at 2.5%, and the remaining modes all below 1%.”
In sexual minority women & gender-diverse individuals, an analysis of their cannabis use frequency, consumption modes & consequences
Event-level differences in quantity, frequency, and consequences of cannabis use by modes of use: Moderation by differences in how often individuals use each mode among sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39812471/
In first responders, factors predicting their cannabis use
Predictors of Ever Using Marijuana among U.S. First Responders
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39793009/
On how the COVID pandemic altered cannabis use & demand
Using prospective mixed methods to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on cannabis demand
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39996464/
For pharmacists, a commentary on their place in the evolving cannabis regulatory landscape
Cannabis at a Crossroads: Pharmacist Care Considerations in the Context of a Changing Cannabis Regulatory Landscape
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1544319125000408
For drug-related non-fatal motor vehicle crashes, states with adult use cannabis laws had a higher prevalence
Drug use among individuals injured in non-fatal motor vehicle crashes and related policies in 2023
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39998816/
To reduce cannabis-impaired driving in Canadian youth, a thesis project on a brief smartphone intervention named ‘High Alert’
Development and Evaluation of ‘High Alert’, A Brief Smartphone Intervention to Reduce Cannabis-Impaired Driving Among Canadian Youth
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=13624&context=etd
Adolescents & Young Adults
Suggestions for new research on young adult cannabis use & a roundup of a special issue
Youth and young adult cannabis research – Critical approaches to advancing the field
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395925000519
For students & dropout rates, those who use tobacco or drugs were nearly twice as likely to drop out
Substance Use Related to School Dropout: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.23442
In adolescents, on how they use alcohol or cannabis as sleep aids
Alcohol and cannabis as sleep aids among adolescents and associations with sleep quality and problematic use
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460325000590
In college students, how they describe alcohol & cannabis
Alcohol and Cannabis Perceived Descriptive and Injunctive Norms, Personal Use, and Consequences Among 2-Year College Students
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/3/251
In university students, higher levels of mindfulness in their profile are linked to less substance use
Mindfulness Profiles and Substance Use Outcomes in University Students: The Role of Alcohol and Cannabis Use Motives
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-025-02544-5
In young adults using delta-8 THC, an analysis of prevalence from the Monitoring the Future study
Use of Delta-8-THC and Other Types of Cannabis among Young Adults in the U.S.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379725000698
For the co-use of cannabis & tobacco in young adults, racial & ethnic discrimination was linked to increased use
Unpacking the complexities in racial and ethnic discrimination and tobacco use and cannabis co-use behaviors among young adults in the U.S
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853225000112
In biracial & monoracial US youth, predictors of when they start using cannabis
Age patterns and predictors of cannabis initiation among biracial and monoracial U.S. youth
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00952990.2025.2461520
In Brazilian university students, factors associated with cannabis use (Portuguese)
Fatores associados ao uso de cannabis por estudantes de uma universidade pública
https://seer.ufrgs.br/index.php/rgenf/article/view/146029
A thesis project on why Berlin university students use cannabis
Higher education – Epidemiology of cannabis use among Berlin college students
https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/bitstream/handle/fub188/45973/diss_naegele.pdf?sequence=1
In adolescent Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, an analysis of their cannabis usage
Marijuana use among adolescent Asian Americans and Pacific islanders: Analysis of ethnic subgroup and gender differences
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335525000555
In Bangkok, Thailand, an intervention in schools to prevent the risks of legalized cannabis
An intervention to promote health literacy in Bangkok schools: Preventing the risks of legalized cannabis on vulnerable youth
https://ideas.repec.org/a/aac/ijirss/v8y2025i1p1890-1901id4825.html
In Moroccan youth, on their views about cannabis legislation
Beliefs and attitudes of young towards cannabis legislation and associated factors: a cross-sectiona
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02673843.2025.2470204
In the hair of schoolchildren, analyzing cannabinoid metabolites with an LC-MS
Analysis of (-)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and (-)-11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol in hair from a school-age population
https://academic.oup.com/jat/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jat/bkaf020/8045955
The Brain & Neurological Disorders
In people with epilepsy, the variability in their CBD pharmacokinetics (how it travels through your body)
Pharmacokinetic variability and use of therapeutic drug monitoring of cannabidiol in patients with refractory epilepsy
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39985501/
In a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, activating the CB1 receptor enhanced cognition, memory & motor performance
Chronic exposure to a synthetic cannabinoid improves cognition and increases locomotor activity in Tg4-42 Alzheimer's disease mice
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/25424823241306770
In a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome (a genetic disorder of intellectual disability & a wide range of comorbidities), antagonizing the CB1 receptor may help to correct the sensory processing deficits arising from enhanced CB1 receptor suppression of GABA (the brain’s primary inhibitory neurotransmitter)
Enhanced CB1 receptor function in GABAergic neurons mediates hyperexcitability and impaired sensory-driven synchrony of cortical circuits in Fragile X Syndrome model mice
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39803465/
Mental Health, Addiction & Cannabis Use Disorder
In people at risk of psychosis, their psychosis risk declined after stopping the use of cannabis, though this dropped to non-significance when adjusting for frequency & potency
Cannabis Use Cessation and the Risk of Psychotic Disorders: A Case-Control Analysis from the First Episode Case-Control EU-GEI WP2 Study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39810593/
On defining cannabis dependence using indicators adapted from tobacco dependence
Adapting and applying tobacco dependence indicators to cannabis dependence
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376871625000663
In Bengal, India, on the substitution effects between cannabis, alcohol & opium
Substitution and Complementarity in the Consumption of Alcohol, Cannabis, and Opium
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.4938
There’s two drugs I’ve always longed to try. Opium is one of them. Quaaludes is the other.
Reproduction & Hormones
In Wisconsin public health data on prenatal cannabis use, a thesis found the biggest predictors to be preconception cannabis use & the biggest driver to be mental health & stress
Multidimensional Influences on Prenatal Cannabis Use: A Mixed Methods Study
https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/94837
In pregnant women with insurance & cannabis use disorder, a study to examine prevalence
Cannabis use disorder among insured pregnant women in the U.S., 2015-2020.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0749379725000686
Pain, Musculoskeletal & Surgeries
For pain relief, a comparison of cannabis versus alcohol & the risk for substance use disorders
Alcohol and Cannabis Use for Pain Management: Translational Findings of Relative Risks, Benefits, and Interactions
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003193842500068X
In young adults, pain predicts the initiation of cannabis use
Pain Predicts Cannabis Initiation Among Emerging Adults: Results from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08964289.2025.2465525
A review of anesthesia management for cannabis using patients
Perioperative management of the patient on cannabis and cannabinoids: A review
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17504589251320804
In a rat model of preterm infants undergoing painful procedures, CBD decreased the vocalizations in male pups but did not alter their later increased levels of anxiety
Investigating the effectiveness of cannabidiol to mitigate the adverse consequences of exposure to neonatal procedural pain
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/02/25/2025.02.21.639541.full.pdf
In a rat model of neuropathic pain, activating the CB1 receptor lowered pain via neurons in the spinal dorsal horn
Spinal dorsal horn neurons involved in the alleviating effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists on neuropathic allodynia-like behaviors in rats
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1347861325000180
The anti-inflammatory properties of an Indian cannabis cultivar
Investigating the phytochemical diversity and anti-inflammatory activity of a non-psychoactive genotype of Cannabis sativa L. from India
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0026265X25004655
The Guts, Metabolism & Oral Health
In older people with a poor appetite, this study found no help from two small doses of cannabinoids (8.1 mg THC & 7.5 mg CBD)
The appetite stimulating effect and safety of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in older patients with poor appetite: A triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial
https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(25)00059-7/fulltext
In an adolescent mouse model of binge eating disorder, activating the CB2 receptor significantly reduced the binge-like intake of food
The Administration of Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Agonist Decreases Binge-like Intake of Palatable Food in Mice
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/5/1981
For diabetes, the identification of new glucosidase inhibitory peptides in hemp seed proteins
Identification and Molecular Mechanism of Novel α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Peptides from the Hydrolysate of Hemp Seed Proteins
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/5/2222
The Immune System & Microbes
For people with cystic fibrosis, a survey about their ease discussing substance use with their health care provider
A Joint Conversation: People With Cystic Fibrosis' Perception of Healthcare Teams' Knowledge, Comfort, and Barriers in Discussing Substance Use
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ppul.71017
For lessening allergies, a CB1 antagonist drug
Synthesis, anti-allergic rhinitis evaluation and mechanism investigation of novel 1,2,4-triazole-enamides as CB1 R antagonist
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0223523425002260
The Heart
In rats with high blood pressure, cannabis leaf oil protected their hearts & reduced oxidative stress via the Ang II/AT1 receptor/NOX2 pathway
Cannabis sativa L. Leaf Oil Displays Cardiovascular Protective Effects in Hypertensive Rats
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/5/1897
For high blood pressure, on targeting the endocannabinoid enzyme NAPE-PLD with thiazide diuretics
NAPE-PLD is target of thiazide diuretics
https://www.cell.com/cell-chemical-biology/abstract/S2451-9456(25)00031-5
The Lungs
In an exhaled breath analysis, cannabis users had metabolite profiles more similar to nonusers than tobacco users, but these levels were increased by combustion
Impacts of vaping and marijuana use on airway health as determined by exhaled breath condensate (EBC)
https://respiratory-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12931-025-03147-3
In a mouse model of lung injury, blocking the CB1 receptor improved congestion of alveolar wall capillaries, reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells & decreased inflammation via the macrophages (white blood cells)
Cannabinoid receptor 1 promotes M1 polarization of macrophages through the Gαi/o/RhoA signaling pathway in mice with acute lung injury
https://xuebao.shsmu.edu.cn/EN/abstract/abstract14021.shtml
The Skin & Topicals
On creating a topical nano CBD for treating alopecia
Chitosan Nanoparticulate System Loaded with Cannabidiol: A Topical Formulation for Potential Alopecia Management
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/13/3/617
Cancer & Chemotherapy
For colorectal cancer, on the network effects of CBD for modulating key molecular processes related to cell proliferation, cell cycle & apoptosis (programmed cellular suicide)
Exploring Cannabidiol’s Therapeutic Role in Colorectal Cancer: Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Insights
https://www.mdpi.com/2218-0532/93/1/12
In gastric cancer cells, anandamide caused apoptosis (programmed cellular suicide) via mitochondrial Bax/Bak proteins & AKT downregulation via the CB2 receptor
Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Anandamide in Human Gastric Cancer Cells Are Mediated by AKT and ERK Signaling Pathways
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/5/2033
In a model of breast cancer cells metastasizing to bone cells, a drug to activate the CB2 receptor suppressed cancer cell invasion & related bone factors
Cannabinoid Receptor Type 2 Agonist, GW405833, Reduced the Impacts of MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells on Bone Cells
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39980332/
In osteosarcoma cancer cells, CBD significantly inhibited their activity, proliferation, migration & invasion via the TNF-α/NF-κB/CCL5 chemokine axis
Antitumor Effects of Cannabidiol (CBD) on Osteosarcoma by Targeting TNF-α/NF-κB/CCL5 Signaling Axis
https://d197for5662m48.cloudfront.net/documents/publicationstatus/246166/preprint_pdf/f4975b0a896a9d876a648d7cc03540b9.pdf
Synthetic Cannabinoids & Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids
In Cook County Jail, deaths linked to the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA
MDMB-4en-PINACA-Related Deaths in Cook County Jail: Awareness and Preventive Measures
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39018467/
On identifying HHC metabolites in urine
Identification of Hexahydrocannabiphorol Metabolites in Human Urine
https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/dta.3871
Biochemical Discoveries & Tools
On the interactions between the orexin & cannabinoid receptors
In Vitro Signaling Properties of Cannabinoid and Orexin Receptors: How Orexin Receptors Influence Cannabinoid Receptor-Mediated Signaling
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40001198/
Surprisingly, CB2 drugs can manipulate the cell surface expression of CB2 receptors
Insights into anterograde trafficking and pharmacological chaperoning of Cannabinoid Receptor 2 (CB2)
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/02/28/2025.02.23.639698.full.pdf
In our Neural Ocean metaphor, this means that when whales & elephants show up at the gay bar, they can induce a whole chain of gay bars to open up on the same block.
On how endocannabinoids activate GPR55 (a receptor that may one day be known as CB3)
Structural basis for lipid-mediated activation of G protein-coupled receptor GPR55
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57204-y
Visualizing endocannabinoid patterns in the brains of mice with mass spectrometry imaging
Enhanced visualization of endocannabinoids spatial distribution in mouse brain via MALDI-2 mass spectrometry imaging
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039914025003017
On using the fungus Yarrowia lipolytica for producing cannabinoids
De novo biosynthesis of cannabinoid and its analogs in Yarrowia lipolytica
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2025/02/24/2025.02.23.639773.full.pdf
Thanks.
- lex
PS: For this week’s psychedelic Korean rock, ‘Beautiful Rivers and Mountains’ by Shin Joong Hyun (whose work is referenced in the psychedelic section above). Often called Korea's "Godfather of Rock", in 1962 Hyun began the country’s first rock band known as Add4. In 1972, he wrote his most famous song, "Beautiful Rivers and Mountains" to protest the military dictatorship of Park Chung Hee (after they asked him to write a praise song). This, plus a charge for giving a cannabis plant to a friend of the President’s son, led to his imprisonment, torture & the ban of his music until the ‘80s.
Despite both parents dying when he was young, Hyun taught himself to play guitar & by 19, was playing at US military bases because they were one of the few places with regular work for rock musicians. His popularity exploded & he was soon doing 40 shows a month, crediting US bases as the cradle of Korean rock. His 1968 album ‘My Dear’ led to mainstream success. Persecuted until the assassination of the president in 1979, Hyun opened a rock club in Seoul & the ‘90s saw another resurgence of interest in his music. When he retired in 2006, his farewell concert aired over 10 nights on South Korean TV. In 2010, he became the first Asian musician, & the sixth musician ever, to be honored with a Fender Custom Shop Tribute Series guitar (along such luminaries as Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen & Stevie Ray Vaughan). Still alive at 87, the Godfather has witnessed & birthed the movement of rock & roll.
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