C&P#59: A Newsletter Roundup + cerebral palsy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis & substance use disorders
C&P#59: A Newsletter Roundup + cerebral palsy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis & substance use disorders
Lots of intriguing drug law changes
Hello everyone,
Welcome to the 59th edition of Cannabinoids & the People, a weekly newsletter where I collect all the new cannabinoid science. You can check out last week’s issue here & if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do.
As always, here’s the Living Glossary of Cannabinoid Terms & at the bottom is the album of the week.
This week, two new features:
A Newsletter Roundup – Besides my science alerts, each week I go thru ~170 newsletter messages to find content for C&P. I wanted to highlight the most important of those sources & the people doing the Good Work below.
Conference Corner – I often find a conference that puts all of their posters & presentations up, so I want to highlight the ones with a strong show of cannabinoids research. This week we’ll start with the 2023 American Academy of Neurology Meeting & I’ll put it near the top of the Cannabinoid Science section.
As always, a note to any researchers out there: if you’re presenting any clinical cannabinoid research at a conference this year, let me know & I can spread the word about your work with a video interview of you for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine.
This week…
Cannabinoids for cerebral palsy, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis & substance use disorders
Again, acupuncture helps via the endocannabinoid system
Young females more vulnerable to the mental health harms of cannabis than young males
Rastafarians in the Caribbean allowed to use their sacrament
Psilocybin for alcohol use disorder
The dark side of the ketamine clinic world + controlled cocaine sales in Switzerland?
A request to spread the word
This newsletter only spreads by word of mouth – so please forward to colleagues & tell your friends & relatives.
Paid subscriptions here. There’s no extra content with a paid subscription, but as I’m always balancing contract work, kid time & creating free content for the community, your support allows me to produce more educational content for you.
Sponsor: PlusCBD & a commitment to education & research
One sign of a great CBD company is when they go to the next level for educating their customers. PlusCBD has articles for all levels of knowledge, videos about how CBD works & a YouTube channel of great educational content.
(Plus, they even sponsored two seasons of my podcast ‘The Lex Files’)
In addition, they’ve done more peer-reviewed research than any other company other there. They put their money down to advance the field.
Check out this (partial) bibliography:
A GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) study on hemp extracts to prove their safety
A clinical trial on healthy people to show that hemp extracts helped their cholesterol, sleep quality, stress response & perceived life pleasure
A post-marketing safety study where experts went over 2 years of PlusCBD’s adverse event reports to highlight the strong safety of hemp extracts
A case series of using CBD to treat PTSD
And funding me to create the extensive cannabinoid science archive at CVResearch.info
PlusCBD takes their commitment to education & research to the next level. And they do the same with their products.
Buy excellent CBD products today from PlusCBDoil.com.
Enjoy this offering from my company White Whale Creations.
I produce educational content for cannabis & psychedelic companies: writing, science archives, social media content, newsletters & podcasts.
My portfolio
Book Lex for a 1-on-1 cannabis/CBD/psychedelics counseling session:
Join the many other people who booked a session with me to get clear, simple guidance for using cannabis, CBD & psychedelics for a healthier & happier life.
Read my free How-To Guides, watch my One-Minute Cannabinoid Science videos & book a session with me here.
My work this week:
(No videos this week. Still recovering from surgery)
My platforms: Linktree
YouTube for educational videos, lectures & shorts on new cannabinoid science
My podcasts
Anandamide; or, the People: my graphic novel series on cannabis, the endocannabinoid system & the War on Drugs based on Moby-Dick
LinkedIn, Twitter & my TikTok on books, hermeticism, science & history
Ways to support this work:
Buy Me a Coffee
Venmo: @Lex-Pelger
Zelle: pelger@gmail.com
PayPal: donate here
Best Of Cannabinoid Science...
A memorial tribute to the great cannabinoid scientist Dr. Mary Abood
In Memoriam of Professor Mary E. Abood
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37083481/
Clinical
On the use of CBD by children with cerebral palsy
Cannabidiol Use Patterns and Efficacy for Children Who Have Cerebral Palsy
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37216564/
In patients with Parkinson's disease, those using CBD & THC experienced small detrimental effects on cognition
Cognitive Safety Data from a Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group, Placebo-Controlled Phase IIb Study of the Effects of a Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Drug on Parkinson's Disease-Related Motor Symptoms
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37212386/
In Black mothers, prenatal stress was linked to later autism in their children but prenatal cannabis use was not
Prenatal Cannabis Use and Offspring Autism-Related Behaviors: Examining Maternal Stress as a Moderator in a Black American Cohort
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37097527/
Cannabis use did not alter the DNA methylation (turning off of genes) related to high blood pressure
Impact of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana on genome-wide DNA methylation and its relationship with hypertension
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37216580/
Reviews
For chronic pain, a guide for dosing the cannabinoids
Climbing the Evidence Pyramid: Dosing Considerations for Medical Cannabis in the Management of Chronic Pain
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37124080/
For multiple sclerosis, a review of the potential & the safety concerns of treatment with cannabinoids
Cannabinoids and Multiple Sclerosis: A Critical Analysis of Therapeutic Potentials and Safety Concerns
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37111637/
For substance use disorders, a review on targeting the endocannabinoid system
Targeting the endocannabinoid system in the treatment of addiction disorders
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360685011_Targeting_the_endocannabinoid_system_in_the_treatment_of_addiction_disorders
Preclinical
In a mouse model of depression, CBD caused anti-anxiety & antidepressant effects, worked faster & better than the SSRI sertraline & was better at reducing cognitive impairments & anhedonia than sertraline (though the CBD seemed to make the SSRI not work as well, so be careful with combos)
Unveiling behavioral and molecular neuroadaptations related to the antidepressant action of cannabidiol in the unpredictable chronic mild stress model
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37144214/
In a mouse model of stroke, electroacupuncture lowered their cognitive dysfunction & depressive behaviors via CB1 receptors on the mitochondria (powerhouse of the cell)
Electroacupuncture treatment ameliorates depressive-like behavior and cognitive dysfunction via CB1R dependent mitochondria biogenesis after experimental global cerebral ischemic stroke
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37091920/
In immune cells, CBD was stronger at lowering inflammation than THC
The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Cannabis Sativa Extracts on LPS-Induced Cytokines Release in Immune and Non-Immune Cells in Vitro
https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202305.1512/v1
An evergreen note on reading restricted papers:
First stop for seeing if there’s a free version of a paper, use the Google Scholar Chrome extension (Mac version), Google Scholar itself or try ResearchGate.
Three other helpful browser extensions are: Unpaywall, Open Access Button & PaperPanda
For the infamous backdoor, use Sci-Hub – the pirated papers repository (Chrome extension here). This works better for older paper than the stuff that just came out.
For Twitter users, send a Tweet of the paper’s title with the hashtag #icanhazpdf. It works because people are beautiful(ish).
Finally, email the author. They’re almost always happy to oblige because, thanks to the predatory academic publishing system, they don’t make a dollar off of their papers.
A Newsletter Roundup
My most important & helpful newsletters…
Cannabis news!
Marijuana Moment – the absolute best daily cannabis newsletter out there & one that is essential to the creation of this newsletter (thanks Tom & Kyle)
International Cannabis Weekly – excellent roundup by Prohibition Partners
The Broccoli Report – awesome cannabis news roundup by Lauren Yoshiko
Burn After Reading – Northeast US focus, but also national & international news with good analysis by Eric Casey
Regulated State – on Colorado’s cannabis industry by Jonathan Rose
Puffie's Newsletter – African cannabis news
Cannabitch – cannabis culture by one of my favorite cannabis journalists & thinkers, Jackie Bryant
Home growing…
The Hobby Grow – on cannabis growing & industry thoughts by Ben Owens
The Drug War…
Iconoclasms – Drug War commentary by DC Reade
Cannabis business…
Money Puff – the cannabis business newsletter that consistently cracks me up by Liam Kelly
Cannabis Management Review – practical takes & lessons on the cannabis business environment by Mitchell Osak
Cultivated – banking & business with analysis by Jeremy Berke
Highly Objective – great business roundup by Dai Truong
Cannabis Law Report – a longrunning newsletter with a wide roundup of cannabis legal updates from various lawyers
Cannabis Musings – cannabis industry business, law & capital markets by Marc Hauser
The Dose – Bloomberg’s Tiffany Kary on cannabis & psychedelics transition to business
Cannabis Business Executive – short updates on cannabis business by an array of authors
US Hemp Roundtable – CBD industry group with a strong roundup of legal updates around the US
For psychedelics & other psychoactives…
Alien Insect On Drugs – drug pharmacology by Dr. Andrew Gallimore. I never miss a post
Ecstatic Integration – excellent thinking on ethics, integration & potential harms by Jules Evan – one of my favorites
On Drugs – two lawyer’s thoughtful takes on drug laws by Matt Zorn & Shane Pennington
Psychedelic Press – the luminous old press itself…
Burning Shore – occasional updates from techgnostic psychedelic luminary Erik Davis (& my interview with him here)
DoubleBlind Magazine – great intros & articles on psychedelics with a feminist angle
Deep Fix – addiction, drugs & excellent essays by Alex Olshonsky
Rave New World – the gonzo drug reporting of Michelle Lhooq
The Brave New World of Psychedelic Science – on the Psychedelic Renaissance by Dr. Mona Sobhani
The Microdose – a psychedelic news roundup by Jane Hu for the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics
the Headlines & Fav Articles
Ugh. An appeals court confirmed that a woman from El Salvador does not deserve US citizenship because of her lack of “good moral character” for running a state licensed cannabis business
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2023/06/02/22-35248.pdf
Colorado once again leading in sanity by allowing for the online purchase of cannabis (though you still have to pick it up in person)
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/colorado-governor-signs-bill-to-allow-online-marijuana-sales
San Francisco enacts a three-year moratorium on new cannabis shops
https://sfstandard.com/politics/san-francisco-ban-new-pot-stores-temporarily
while New York begins their crackdown against unlicensed cannabis businesses
https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-start-state-interagency-enforcement-actions-against-unlicensed
The Kansas City Royals partner with Pure Spectrum CBD & become the second MLB team to team up with a cannabinoid company
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/kansas-city-royals-become-second-mlb-team-to-partner-with-cbd-company
International
In a breathtaking display of sanity, officials in Bern, Switzerland confirm their willingness to experiment with controlled cocaine sales
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/swiss-capital-city-wants-to-test-controlled-sale-of-cocaine/48560562
In the Caribbean, Antigua & Barbuda to allow members of the Rastafari religion to grow & smoke their sacred herb
https://apnews.com/article/marijuana-rastafari-religious-freedom-caribbean-faith-religion-cannabis-983dce21b8ca0b076f4ab53c4f5b78cc
The War on Drugs & Prohibition
More sanity: NYC launches public health vending machines that include free lifesaving harm reduction supplies including naloxone, fentanyl test strips, condoms, hygiene kits & sterile syringes
https://twitter.com/nycHealthy/status/1665755420793683968
In Canada, legalization caused no change to the proportion of people classified as high risk for their cannabis use
Patterns of problematic cannabis use in Canada pre- and post-legalisation: Differences by neighbourhood deprivation, individual socioeconomic factors and race/ethnicity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37137866/
Business & Law
The National Cannabis Industry Association cut staff almost 50% amidst the general downturns in the industry
https://www.greenmarketreport.com/ncia-cuts-staff-to-six-cites-revenue-downturn
Canopy Growth delisted from the S&P/TSX Composite Index (their benchmark index of Canadian companies)
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/s-amp-p-dow-jones-indices-announces-changes-to-the-s-amp-p-tsx-composite-index-845017856.html
For cannabis brands, how to navigate the villainous & censorious social media channels by Shayda Torabi of the podcast ‘To Be Blunt’
An op-ed on cannabis patent law by Jayashree Mitra
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/what-marijuana-businesses-need-to-know-about-enforcing-patent-rights-op-ed
On modeling how far cannabis odor will travel
Utilisation of QSPR ODT modelling and odour vector modelling to predict Cannabis sativa odour
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37098051/
Psychedelics, Plant Medicines & Other Psychoactives
On the rebranding of ketamine from dangerous party drug to woo-woo depression panacea by the topnotch drug reporter Shayla Love
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/a43920470/ketamines-woo-woo-rebrand
And to highlight the dark side of that ketamine clinic world, an insider’s report from a ketamine wellness center by Michelle Lhooq (paywall)
On one of the world’s most intense psychoactives: datura
The Psychoactive Research
[This isn’t a deep dive into all of the science of psychedelics & other psychoactives like I do for the cannabinoids. If a newsletter with all that new science would be of interest to your company or organization, reach out to me]
On the effects of 2-CB, often called the sexiest psychedelic
Assessment of the Acute Effects of 2C-B vs. Psilocybin on Subjective Experience, Mood, and Cognition
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37253161/
An economic analysis finds psilocybin to have the potential to be a cost-effective therapy for severe depression
Cost-effectiveness of psilocybin-assisted therapy for severe depression: exploratory findings from a decision analytic model
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37264950/
In people with alcohol use disorder, psilocybin treatment “helped them process emotions related to painful past events and helped promote states of self-compassion, self-awareness, and feelings of interconnectedness”
Reports of self-compassion and affect regulation in psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder: An interpretive phenomenological analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37276086/
“The acute states during the psilocybin sessions were described as laying the foundation for developing more self-compassionate regulation of negative affect. Participants also described newfound feelings of belonging and an improved quality of relationships following the treatment… Our results support the assertion that psilocybin increases the malleability of self-related processing, and diminishes shame-based and self-critical thought patterns while improving affect regulation and reducing alcohol cravings. These findings suggest that psychosocial treatments that integrate self-compassion training with psychedelic therapy may serve as a useful tool for enhancing psychological outcomes in the treatment of AUD [alcohol use disorder].”
A review of 48 studies on the afterglow effects of psychedelics
The psychedelic afterglow phenomenon: a systematic review of subacute effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37284524/
“Taken together, the following subacute effects were observed: reductions in different psychopathological symptoms; increases in wellbeing, mood, mindfulness, social measures, spirituality, and positive behavioral changes; mixed changes in personality/values/attitudes, and creativity/flexibility. Subacute adverse effects comprised a wide range of complaints, including headaches, sleep disturbances, and individual cases of increased psychological distress.”
The Plant & the History
Growing & Farming
In cannabis plants, little change in cannabinoid levels when using an antagonist of auxin (an important plant hormone that regulates plant growth & the elongation of shoots)
Investigation of the Effect of the Auxin Antagonist PEO-IAA on Cannabinoid Gene Expression and Content in Cannabis sativa L. Plants under In Vitro Conditions
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37111886/
Characterization of the cannabinoid transport genes in the plant
Characterization and co-expression analysis of ATP-binding cassette transporters provide insight into genes related to cannabinoid transport in Cannabis sativa L
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37224907/
The genetic diversity in Himalayan cannabis
Phytochemical and genetic marker (SCoT and CBDP) based study of genetic diversity and population structure in natural populations of Cannabis sativa L.: A high-value sustainable biodiversity of North-Indian Himalaya
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092666902300657X
Nutrition
A nutritional analysis of using hemp seeds for dog & cat food
Nutrient profile, amino acid digestibility, true metabolizable energy, and indispensable amino acid scoring of whole hemp seeds for use in canine and feline diets
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37097066/
Industrial Use
A review of using hemp stalks as an insulating biomaterial for buildings
Applications and Properties of Hemp Stalk-Based Insulating Biomaterials for Buildings: Review
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37110081/
CANNABINOID SCIENCE
Clinical Use
In a small pilot study of people exercising, two doses of CBD oil had little effect on inflammation, performance, or pain
A Pilot Study on Cannabidiol (CBD) and Eccentric Exercise: Impact on Inflammation, Performance, and Pain
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37114193/
If you have a corpse, how to determine the THC levels in its blood
Simple Method for the Determination of THC and THC-COOH in Human Postmortem Blood Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37110820/
(should this be filed under “post-clinical”?)
Adolescents
In young adults, female cannabis users seemed more liable to higher levels of depression, anxiety & stress
Emotion dysregulation in relation to cannabis use and mental health among young adults
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37224581/
A short guide to the vulnerability of adolescents to the cognitive & psychological effects of cannabis
Cannabis Use in Adolescence: Vulnerability to Cognitive and Psychological Effects
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37124353/
Ingestion Methods & Safety
A pilot study of a THC breathalyzer
THC in breath aerosols collected with an impaction filter device before and after legal-market product inhalation-a pilot study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37211879/
Conference Corner: the Neurology 2023 Meeting
The conference abstracts:
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2
In New York, 5 women working as housekeepers suffered from cannabis toxicity after unknowingly ingesting THC gummies
The Gummies Strike Again: An Emerging Stroke Mimic in New York City’s Unsuspecting Hotel Housekeepers (P12-5.007)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/4528
In analysis of patients with concussions, CBD users (but not cannabis users) were more likely to report greater total post-concussion symptoms
A Retrospective Analysis of Cannabidiol (CBD) Use in a Concussion Cohort (P7-1.007)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2812
In patients using diazepam nasal spray for their seizures, CBD did not alter its safety or effectiveness but the CBD users had a greater incidence of epileptic encephalopathies
Concomitant Cannabidiol Does Not Impact Safety and Effectiveness of Diazepam Nasal Spray for Seizure Clusters: Post Hoc Analysis of a Phase 3 Safety Study (P9-1.012)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/1573
In brain scans of patients with schizophrenia & cannabis use disorder, they showed atypical activity in areas related to reward processing
An fMRI Investigation of Brain Reward Function in Patients with Schizophrenia and Comorbid Cannabis Use Disorder (S8.010)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2123
“For reward contrasts, SCZ-CUD [schizophrenia and comorbid cannabis use disorder] patients showed greater task-related activity compared to healthy controls in a cluster including the right parahippocampal gyrus and the cingulate gyrus... SCZ-CUD patients also showed increased activity compared to SCZ-only patients in a cluster consisting of the precuneus, posterior cingulate, and the limbic lobe... For reward magnitude contrasts, SCZ-CUD patients showed significantly decreased activity compared to CUD-only group in the cingulate gyrus.”
In analysis of a caregiver survey for epileptic patients, a substantial proportion reported CBD treatment improved seizure related outcomes
Seizure Outcomes With Cannabidiol (CBD) in Pediatric Versus Adult Patients With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS): Subgroup Analysis of BECOME, a Caregiver Survey (P14-1.006)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2509
And they also reported improvements in outcomes beyond seizure control
Nonseizure Outcomes With Cannabidiol (CBD) in Pediatric Versus Adult Patients With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS): Subgroup Analysis of BECOME, a Caregiver Survey (P14-1.008)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2515
“In pediatric patients, the most common improvements were in the ability to learn new things (76%) and, in nonverbal patients, looking up or smiling at mention of their name (76%). For adult patients, the most common improvement was in alertness (70%).”
In patients with tuberous sclerosis (growth of benign tumors that cause seizures), adding CBD to the standard treatment was well tolerated & produced sustained reductions in seizure levels
Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Add-on Cannabidiol (CBD) for Seizures Associated With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC): 3-Year Results From GWPCARE6 Open-Label Extension (OLE) (P14-1.004)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2500
In pediatric patients with rare or severe seizure syndromes, the majority saw improvement from CBD therapy
Real-world Outcomes of Cannabidiol For The treatment of Refractory Epilepsy in Pediatric Patients (P13-1.011)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2649
In patients with epilepsy, an analysis on the effects of non-medical cannabis use found that they reported benefits
Use of Non-Medical Cannabis in Epilepsy: A Scoping Review (P4-1.008)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/2336
In a mouse model of epilepsy, prophylactic treatment with inhaled CBD lessened the severity of seizure symptoms in an effect that lasted for hours
Beneficial effects of Inhalant Cannabidiol in the prophylactic treatment of drug resistant epilepsy (P4-1.001)
https://n.neurology.org/content/100/17_Supplement_2/4530.abstract
Mental Health & Substance Use Disorders
In patients with schizophrenia, they had higher levels of CB1 receptors in the excitatory boutons of their prefrontal cortex but lower levels in their inhibitory boutons
Terminal type-specific cannabinoid CB1 receptor alterations in patients with schizophrenia: a pilot study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37090672/
Synaptic boutons, aka axon terminals, are small swellings that are found at the terminal ends of axons. This is the place of communication across the synaptic cleft to downstream neurons.
In patients with first episode psychosis, a genetic analysis finds that their variant of the CB1 or CB2 receptor alters their reward circuits related to cannabis
Cannabis Use and Endocannabinoid Receptor Genes: A Pilot Study on Their Interaction on Brain Activity in First-Episode Psychosis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37108689/
In a rat model of PTSD, blocking the CB1 receptor caused the females, but not the males, to remember to freeze at a fearful stimulus via the TRPV1 receptors
CB1R blockade unmasks TRPV1-mediated contextual fear generalization in female, but not male rats
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37090594/
Harms & Cannabis Use Disorder
In patients with psychosis, stopping to ingest THC was associated with an increase in inflammatory markers (including white blood cell, lymphocyte & monocyte levels) & this correlated to their symptoms of psychosis
Increased markers of inflammation after cannabis cessation and their association with psychotic symptoms
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37114467/
In India, the patterns of remission from cannabis induced psychosis
Psychopathology and Pattern of Remission of Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37115153/
“Hostility, excitement, and grandiosity were the predominant positive symptoms, and these symptoms showed a steady reduction toward the end of the study. The most frequent negative symptoms were emotional withdrawal, passive or apathetic social withdrawal, and difficulty in abstract thinking, and these symptoms also showed significant improvement”
On a digital intervention for reducing cannabis use
A guided digital intervention to reduce cannabis use: The ICan randomized controlled trial
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37128762/
The characteristics of people who better respond to treatment for cannabis use disorder
Who responds to a multi-component treatment for cannabis use disorder? Using multivariable and machine learning models to classify treatment responders and non-responders
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37132085/
Synthetic Cannabinoids
In mice, JWH-018 (one of the most popular synthetic cannabinoids & an activator of the CB1 & CB2 receptors) enhanced the impairments of alcohol
Ethanol enhances JWH-018-induced impairment of sensorimotor and memory functions in mice: From preclinical evidence to forensic implication in Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37120918/
Pain, Inflammation & Surgeries
An examination of Canada’s evolving medical culture around using cannabis for chronic pain
The evolving culture of medical cannabis in Canada for the management of chronic pain
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37089954/
In a rat model of chronic migraines, activating the CB1 receptors lessened central sensitization to pain in the periaqueductal gray brain region
Activation of CB1R alleviates central sensitization by regulating HCN2-pNR2B signaling in a chronic migraine rat model
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37085778/
Female-specific, Reproduction & Hormones
In pregnant & postpartum women, a survey of their cannabis use, mental health disorders & cannabis use disorder
Cannabis use, cannabis use disorder and mental health disorders among pregnant and postpartum women in the US: A nationally representative study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37267745/
In the mouse reproductive tract, aging causes changes to the endocannabinoid system there
Endocannabinoid System Components of the Female Mouse Reproductive Tract Are Modulated during Reproductive Aging
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37108704/
The Heart
In a rat model of heart attacks, a drug that activates both cannabinoid receptors improved heart repair via angiotensin signaling (a chemical signal for narrowing blood vessels)
Cannabinoid receptor agonist attenuates angiotensin II-induced enlargement and mitochondrial dysfunction in rat atrial cardiomyocytes
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37113758/
In mice, JWH-018 (one of the most popular synthetic cannabinoids & an activator of the CB1 & CB2 receptors) caused cardio/respiratory toxicity with the strongest antidote being atropine, a drug that acts on the sympathetic & cholinergic systems
Acute Cardiovascular and Cardiorespiratory Effects of JWH-018 in Awake and Freely Moving Mice: Mechanism of Action and Possible Antidotal Interventions?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37108687/
The Guts, the Microbiome & Oral Health
A review of how intestinal homeostasis is regulated by your gut microbiome & oleoylethanolamide (an analogue of anandamide that activates the PPAR nuclear receptors that regulate genetic transcription)
Gut microbiota and oleoylethanolamide in the regulation of intestinal homeostasis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37091842/
In a rat model of obesity induced by diet, both activating the CB2 receptor & blocking the CB2 receptor caused reductions in the levels of leptin & changes in the levels of mRNA responsible for thermogenesis
Treatment of Diet-Induced Obese Rats with CB2 Agonist AM1241 or CB2 Antagonist AM630 Reduces Leptin and Alters Thermogenic mRNA in Adipose Tissue
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37108770/
In a rat model of metabolic disorder, blocking the CB1 receptor lowered inflammation, caused antioxidative effects & protected from an enlarged prostate
Effects of the CB1 receptor antagonists AM6545 and AM4113 on metabolic syndrome-induced prostatic hyperplasia in rats
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37212036/
Cancer & Chemotherapy
A review of targeting the endocannabinoid system for treating cancer
The Endocannabinoid System as a Target in Cancer: Status and Future Perspectives
https://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/198322
In leukemia, cannabis caused anti-tumor effects via Notch1 in the T-cells
Antitumoral effects of cannabis in Notch1-mutated T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37086009/
Thanks.
- lex
PS: For this week’s lost lovely music, the album ‘How Sad, How Lovely’ by Connie Converse. A singer/songwriter in NYC during the start of the folk music revolution & sometimes called the female Bob Dylan, this very private musician never released any music before her decision to disappear in 1973. Luckily, her music was rediscovered in 2004 & led to this album as well as other albums where songs written by Converse were performed. Her work shows the power of just a voice & a guitar to weave a story.