marijuana research Archives

Republican Senator Introduces Marijuana Research Bill

September 13, 2017

Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) today introduced the Marijuana Effective Drug Study Act of 2017 (the MEDS Act) which is designed to improve the process for conducting scientific research on marijuana as a safe and effective medical treatment.

In introducing this legislation, Senator Hatch was joined by Senator Schatz (D-HI) and cosponsors Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC).

“It’s high time to address research into medical marijuana,” Hatch said. “Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration, and quality of medical marijuana. All the while, the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana, which is why I’ve decided to roll out the MEDS Act.”

Jeff Sessions Shuts Down DEA Research of Marijuana

August 15, 2017

**Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his Justice Department has effectively shutdown a potential increase in the research of marijuana by the Drug Enforcement Administration.**

Sessions has effective stopped the DEA from taking action on more than two dozen requests to grow marijuana to use in research, according to a report by The Washington Post.

As noted by the Post, a year ago the DEA began accepting applications to grow more marijuana for research, and as of this month, had received 25 proposals to consider. However, the DEA says they need the Justice Department to sign-off on more research in order to move forward, and so far, the department hasn’t been willing to provide it.

“They’re sitting on it,” said one law enforcement official familiar with the matter. “They just will not act on these things.” As a result, “the Justice Department has effectively shut down this program to increase research registrations”, says a senior DEA official.

Study: Marijuana Reverses Aging Processes in the Brain

May 8, 2017May 8, 2017

**Although memory performance decreases with age, marijuana can reverse these aging processes in the brain. This is according to a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine.**

In the study, old mice were able to regress to the state of two-month-old mice with a prolonged low-dose treatment with marijuana as its active ingredient. This has strong relevancy in the treatment of brain-related disorders such as dementia. The results are now presented in the journal Nature Medicine.

According to scientists at the University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, mice have a relatively short life expectancy in nature and display pronounced cognitive deficits even at twelve months of age. The researchers administered a small quantity of THC, the active ingredient in the hemp plant (cannabis), to mice aged two, twelve and 18 months over a period of four weeks.

Top 10 Marijuana Studies So Far in 2017

April 3, 2017

We’re only three months into 2017, but it’s already been a great year for marijuana science.

Numerous marijuana studies have been released so far this year; these studies are wide-ranging in the medical ailments cannabis is found to benefit, and in the positive effects brought forth by a liberalization of the laws surrounding it.. We’ve narrowed these studies down to the 10 most important, with a few honorable mentions.

Below is that list (in no particular order):

Study: Cannabis an Effective Medicine in Early and Late Stage Dementia

August 29, 2016

A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease has found that cannabis is not only an effective medicine in the early stages of dementia, it’s also effective in its late stages.

“Previous reports have demonstrated that the combination of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) botanical extracts, which are the components of an already approved cannabis-based medicine, reduce the Alzheimer-like phenotype of AβPP/PS1 transgenic mice when chronically administered during the early symptomatic stage”, begins the study’s abstract. “Here, we provide evidence that such natural cannabinoids are still effective in reducing memory impairment in AβPP/PS1 mice at advanced stages of the disease”.

Study: Cannabinoids Offer Therapeutic Benefits for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

August 25, 2016

Yet another study has found that cannabinoids may treat or at least greatly benefit those with post traumatic stress disorder (and may prevent it if administered shortly after a traumatic event). The new study was published in the journal Behavioural Pharmacology, and published online by the National Institute of Health.

“There is substantial evidence from studies in humans and animal models for a role of the endocannabinoid system in the control of emotional states”, says the study’s abstract. It states that preliminary studies in humans “suggest that treatment with cannabinoids may decrease PTSD symptoms including sleep quality, frequency of nightmares, and hyperarousal.”

Cannabinoids May Protect Against Essential Tremor, New Study Finds

August 23, 2016

A new study published by the British Journal of Pharmacology has found that cannabinoids may protect against the behavioral disturbances caused by an essential tremor.

“Essential tremor (ET) is a neurological disorder with unknown etiology”, states the study’s abstract. “Its symptoms include cerebellar motor disturbances, cognitive and personality changes, hearing and olfactory deficits.”

For the study researchers “set out to establish the effects of cannabinoid type 1 receptor agonism [such as cannabinoids] and antagonism in an established rodent model of ET using a battery of accepted behaviour assays in order to determine risk and therapeutic potential of endocannabinoid system modulation in ET.”

Study: Cannabidiolic Acid (CBDA) Inhibits Highly Aggressive Breast Cancer

August 20, 2016August 18, 2016

Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), a little-known compound found in cannabis, can inhibit the migration of highly aggressive breast cancer, according to a study published by the Journal of Natural Medicines and published online by the National Institute of Health.

“The biological activities of CBDA have been attracting increasing attention”, states the study’s researchers, who “identified CBDA as an inhibitor of the migration of MDA-MB-231 cells, a widely used human breast cancer cell line in cancer biology, due to its highly aggressive nature.”

Study: Pain Relieving Effects of Cannabis Stronger for Men than Women

August 16, 2016

A study published in the September, 2016 issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and epublished ahead of print by the U.S. National Institute of Health, has found that the pain relieving effects of cannabis are significantly stronger on men than on women,

According to the study’s abstract; “This retrospective analysis compared the analgesic, subjective and physiological effects of active cannabis (3.56-5.60% THC) and inactive cannabis (0.00% THC) in male and female cannabis smokers under double-blind, placebo-controlled conditions.”

Top 10 Studies Released in 2016 that Exemplify Cannabis’ Medical Diversity

August 15, 2016

In recent years there has been a vast amount of research released that exemplifies cannabis’ diverse medical value, and 2016 – despite being far from over – has been no different.

Below is a list featuring 10 of the top studies released this year that demonstrate this diversity:

THC Stimulates Toxic Plaque Removal in the Brain, Blocks Inflammation, Finds Study

A study published last month in Nature Partner Journals found that THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) stimulates toxic plaque removal in the brain, and also blocks inflammation (which can damage neurons).