NEWS

New Study Suggests Pot Could Help End Opioid Dependency

Feb 28, 2018 - Rolling Stone 
The United States sees more than 12.7 million new cancer cases a year – and among those who must undergo surgery, one in 10 will become dependent on opioid pain relievers. With America's opioid epidemic killing 116 people everyday from lethal overdoses, dependence on pain medications is a close rival to cancer itself as a serious threat to patients' lives. In a new study published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers from Tikun Olam, the largest medical marijuana provider in Israel, investigated the efficacy of cannabis for cancer patients. What they found was that, at least for cancer patients, marijuana could help stop opioid dependency before it starts. "Cannabis is a very good alternative to reduce opioid consumption, to increase quality of life, and to reduce pain, nausea and vomiting," says Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider, lead researcher on the study. READ MORE

Marijuana use is increasing among older demographics

Feb 19, 2018 - The Conversation 
When most people think of cannabis users, they probably think mainly of the younger generations. But it’s actually the 45 to 64 age group who show the highest proportion of household spending on cannabis.
Recent figures on cannabis use in Canada found nearly 5m people aged between 15 and 64 spent an estimated $5.7 billion on cannabis during 2017. That’s one in five people in this age group. Most of this was spent on the drug for recreational rather than medical, which is currently illegal in Canada. No surprise then that the cannabis industry in Canada is now bigger than the beer and tobacco industry. Well, that’s just Canada, you might think, but you would be wrong. In Australia, lifetime cannabis use more than doubled between 2004 and 2013 in the over 50s. The UK has seen similar trends, with lifetime use of cannabis in the 65 to 74 age group rising more than sevenfold between 2000 and 2014. In the US, the rate of self-reported cannabis use over the previous 12 months in people aged 65 and above also jumped massively between 2003 and 2014. READ MORE

Medical Cannabis Clearly Saves Lives, Federal Judge Declares

Feb 14, 2018 - Leafly
​Army veteran Jose Belen says the horrors of the Iraq War left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the drug that helped him cope best with the symptoms was one his Veterans Affairs doctors could not legally prescribe: cannabis. 'How can you say there is no currently accepted medical use?' the judge asked. 'Your argument does not hold.'“ Once I did use cannabis, immediately I felt the relief,” said Belen, who is now working with other medical cannabis patients to mount a court challenge to federal laws criminalizing the drug. The 35-year-old father of two is one of five plaintiffs in a lawsuit claiming that the government’s decision to classify cannabis as dangerous is irrational, unconstitutional and motivated by politics, not hard science. Belen and his fellow plaintiffs are pushing to have the Schedule I classification of cannabis ruled illegal. READ MORE
Jan 17, 2018 - Bloomberg
The fledgling cannabis industry is full of wide-eyed claims about what pot can do. Outperform your favorite energy drink? Maybe. Cure cancer? Worth a try. The biggest believers and entrepreneurs make the plant sound almost magical. Now one startup has the key to keep the science from the hype: the first-ever full map of the cannabis genome. 
“DNA, of course I’m biased because it’s what I do, but it doesn’t lie. It really is a way to just sort of clear a lot of the b.s.,” said CJ Schwartz, chief executive officer of Sunrise Genetics, the Fort Collins, Colorado-based company behind the map. “The excessive claims are really doing a disservice to the plant or the potential of the plant and the science surrounding that.”
A deeper understanding of genetics means companies will be able to figure out which parts of cannabis’s makeup drive different functions, making it easier to test for strain continuity and breed plants more quickly and effectively. Schwartz said the genome research can allow for more targeted recreational products by specifying exactly how a product might affect the body or mind, for instance by making a consumer feel tired or energized. But knowledge of the full genome itself, which will be presented for the first time at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference in San Diego on January 17, also opens the door to the prospect of making good on some of the loftier possibilities for legal marijuana. READ MORE

Marijuana studied as treatment for tics of Tourette syndrome

Dec 25, 2017 - New Haven Register
NEW HAVEN — Marijuana is being studied as a treatment for Tourette syndrome’s involuntary movements and vocalizations. While the Board of Physicians for the state Department of Consumer Protection’s medical marijuana program rejected Tourette syndrome as an approved condition, researchers are studying the properties in cannabis that appear to help relieve the tics that come with the disorder, according to Dr. Michael Bloch, an associate professor at the Yale Child Study Centerand assistant director of the center’s Tic Disorder/Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Specialty Clinic. Tourette syndrome typically appears in children between 4 and 6 years old, two-thirds of them boys. But “about one-half to two-thirds of kids with Tourette’s get better in adolescence and we really don’t know why,” Bloch said. “You have involuntary movements or vocalizations that typically change in character over time.” Fortunately, symptoms decrease as children get older. “Most times, since the tics are going to get better on their own … often the major treatment intervention would be just trying to minimize the impairment,” Bloch said, addressing problems the tics cause in school, at home or with friends. Bullying is a problem for children with Tourette. “Oftentimes these kids get bullied or made fun of because the other kids don’t understand,” Bloch said. A child with an eye-rolling tic might be misinterpreted as making fun of a classmate. The Tourette Association of America has local youth ambassadors to help educate students about the disorder. READ MORE

Last resort treatment for Parkinson's disease: Former cop finds astounding relief from medical marijuana

Dec 10, 2017 - NewsTarget
Although there has been little scientific research conducted so far regarding the use of cannabis to treat Parkinson’s disease, the anecdotal evidence provided by an ex-cop named Larry Smith makes a very strong case for its efficacy. Smith, who served 26 years in law enforcement before retiring in 1999, has been battling Parkinson’s for 20 years. His story is the subject of an upcoming documentary, Ride With Larry, which chronicles his fight against the disease. Larry has been successful in controlling some of his symptoms through exercise, with particular emphasis on the use of a recumbent bicycle. In fact, the documentary follows Larry as he embarks on a 300-mile bike journey across South Dakota. Larry Smith tries medicinal marijuana to combat worsening Parkinson’s symptoms. As Larry Smith’s disease progressed, he explored every treatment available to ease the symptoms. Recently, he turned to medical marijuana and found it to be amazingly effective in alleviating his dyskinesia (uncontrollable movements) and other symptoms. On the Ride With Larry Facebook page, a three-part video series follows Larry and his wife, Elizabeth, as they travel to San Diego to try medical marijuana for the first time – medical marijuana is not legal in their home state, South Dakota.
In Part One of the series, Larry and Elizabeth arrive in San Diego and visit a doctor who gives him a prescription for medical marijuana. At this point, Larry’s symptoms are pronounced – he has trouble walking and is in pain, despite the 20 pills he takes each day.
In Part Two, the pair visit a marijuana dispensary and obtain $40 worth of cannabis buds. Elizabeth mentions the fact that one of Larry’s prescriptions costs $3,000 each time to fill. READ MORE

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