Get a Clue - Weed

Details: Published: 16 April 2024; Hits: 659

CBD is now a widely sold supplement in oils, vapes, weed gummies, and drinks at local supermarkets

Trendy cannabidiol products such as CBD gummies and oils are a waste of money and even potentially harmful, according to Oxford scientists.

Researchers analysed 16 clinical trials and found that in 15 of them, the use of CBD was no better than a placebo at alleviating pain.

CBD is one of the chemicals found in the cannabis plant and is now a widely sold supplement in oils, vapes, weed gummies, and drinks at local supermarkets.

A highly-critical meta-analysis of existing studies around CBD by experts from the universities of Bath, Oxford, and Alberta, Canada, found there was “no evidence” the supplement worked, regardless of the dosage, how often it was taken or the route it was administered.

The report says: “For people living with pain, the evidence for CBD or hemp extract shows it is expensive, does not work, and is possibly harmful.”

The report found differing levels of CBD in products than what had been advertised, with none present in some cases.

Chemicals other than CBD were also present in some products, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main psychoactive part of the plant that is used recreationally and is illegal in the UK and other countries.

Experts also linked the use of CBD to increased rates of serious harm to users, including liver toxicity and hepatitis.

The products are not regulated by a medical body, and are freely available in the UK, promote health benefits including alleviating pain.

Dr Andrew Moore, co-author and former senior pain researcher at the University of Oxford, said: “For too many people with chronic pain, there’s no medicine that manages their pain. Chronic pain can be awful, so they are very motivated to find pain relief by any means. This makes them vulnerable to the wild promises made about CBD.”

He said there were “no consumer protections” and that without regulation of CBD sellers and products, it was “unlikely that the false promises being made about the analgesic effects of CBD will slow down in the years ahead”. (for complete article got to TELEGRAPH)

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Details: Published: 16 April 2024; Hits: 609

When you have ‘formulations’ not pharmaceuticals being peddled as medicine, then recreational cannabis use is easy to ‘hide’. In fact it was a key strategy of pro-cannabis lobby to get legalisation for recreational use of the highly engineer drug. (Source: SBS Story here)

Also see Cannabis as ‘Medicine?’: Pot Propaganda, Emotive Anecdote, Marketing Manipulation, and the Side Stepping of Science

Details: Published: 12 April 2024; Hits: 761

Many Think Marijuana Causes Little to No Harm, Study Finds

"In Colorado, the whole campaign to legalize was that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol," Roffman noted. He said it's possible that, as a result, many people could "come to the conclusion that if attitudes change and laws change maybe there is nothing to worry about."

The changing public perception doesn't always align with medical opinion.

"That was a controversy from the very beginning," Dr. Patrick Fehling, an addiction psychiatrist at the University of Colorado Hospital Center for Dependency Addiction and Rehabilitation told ABC News. "Marijuana became legalized before a lot of its effect were fully understood."

Research on the drug has been limited and is now expanding, in part thanks to legalization and the tax dollars selling it has raised. But, so far, much of the research is actually "indicating potential for harm" from marijuana use, according to Fehling.

"There is a very big difference between recreational use and 'addictional' use," Fehling said. The "signs of addiction include tolerance and withdrawal, loss of control around your use, and consequences and problems in your life around your use."

"The use of medical marijuana is still highly controversial," he added, explaining that much of the research is still "anecdotal," based on what people self-report.

The number of American adults in the surveys who reported using marijuana increased from 10.4 percent to 13.3 percent over the 12-year period. The study, however, largely reflects self-reported data and may not account for how legalization has changed the way people report their marijuana use.

For Complete Article

Also see Think it's harmless? Now nine in ten teens at drug clinics are being treated for marijuana use

Details: Published: 03 April 2024; Hits: 821

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between frequency of cannabis use and psychiatric symptoms among people seeking mental health and addiction services in Nova Scotia (2019-21)

Abstract – Background: Cannabis use may be a modifiable risk factor for mental health problems; however, the role of cannabis use frequency in population seeking mental health and addiction services remains unclear. This study aimed to: 1) compare the prevalence and functional impact of psychiatric symptoms among frequent, infrequent, and non-users of cannabis; and 2) evaluate the associations between cannabis use frequency and functional impact of psychiatric symptoms in help-seeking individuals.

Results: Frequent and infrequent cannabis users had a higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in each domain than non-users, while no significant differences were found between frequent and infrequent users. Frequent cannabis use was associated with greater functional impact of psychiatric symptoms in each domain compared to non-users, while infrequent use was only associated with greater functional impact of externalizing behaviors.

Conclusion: Frequent cannabis use is associated with increased prevalence and functional impact of psychiatric symptoms among adults seeking mental health services. (Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38518571/ )

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Details: Published: 03 April 2024; Hits: 639

Marijuana edible-related poison control calls among children 0-12 increased 3,311% from 2016 to 2022

sam24 According to data from America’s Poison Centers, from 2016 to 2022, marijuana edible-related poison control calls among children aged 0-12 years old increased 3,311%:

2016: 187 calls
2017: 343 calls
2018: 816 calls
2019: 1,364 calls
2020: 3,132 calls
2021: 4,354 calls
2022: 6,379 calls

This trend is exacerbated by kid-friendly edible packaging and product design. Products are often sold in colorful packaging and are made to look like and taste like candies, cookies, and other snacks. Many toddlers eat these THC products not knowing that they are in fact marijuana. Additionally, many users fail to properly store marijuana products, leaving them accessible to kids.

(Source SAM – Drug Report March 2024)