Does Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer? Doctors Call For More Research - NBC News
Does smoking cannabis cause lung cancer? Most studies point to no, but with the dearth of legit cannabis research, doctors are calling for more extensive investigation into the long-term effects of regular smoking or vaping. The most common respiratory side effects from daily or near-daily smoking are chronic bronchitis, bullous lung disease, and pneumothorax, An increase in both availability and potency may increase the risk for lung diseases, including cancer, but until there is easier access to cannabis for research, it is unclear. For frequent consumers, maybe smoking isn’t the way to go.
From the article:
Marijuana, unlike tobacco, does not have any controls on its strength or quality so people don’t use the same amount in one dose. Also, those who use medical marijuana for non-specific conditions such as pain treatment, may vary in the amount of drug they need to provide relief. These factors make it hard for researchers to set standards to measure the drug’s effects.
Study Finds Marijuana Motivates People to Exercise - Boston Globe
Think most marijuana consumers are lazy stoners who sit on the couch and eat Doritos all day? Well, science disagrees with you. A recent study from the University of Colorado questioned 600 cannabis users about their exercise habits in relation to their cannabis use and found that almost 500 respondents support using marijuana up to one hour before or four hours after working out. Researchers also found that those who combined cannabis and working out, worked out almost 50 percent longer than those who did not.
From the article:
While it might seem counter-intuitive given how cannabis consumers have typically been portrayed in media, there’s a growing body of research showing that many marijuana enthusiasts engage in active lifestyles and that cannabis is associated with positive health outcomes. For example, another recent study found that people who use marijuana are less likely to be obese compared to non-users.
How Cannabis Prohibition Is Harming Veterans Suffering From PTSD And Other Ailments - Forbes
The obstacles to thorough and effective cannabis studies are widely known. Due to its status as a schedule 1 drug, the red-tape scientists have to wade through is problematic and makes researching marijuana exceptionally difficult and has left a gaping hole in what is known about the medical benefits of the drug. A long-awaited study into the use of cannabis by veterans to treat service-related injuries like PTSD began in 2011 but faced an uphill battle in obtaining data due to harsh regulation. Until now, the successful use of cannabis for PTSD and other ailments by veterans has been anecdotal, with prohibition making studying the benefits all but impossible. The VA’s stance on cannabis use, however, comes from the out-dated perception of cannabis use as a disorder. That perception puts millions of veterans at risk for suicide, addiction, and mental health problems because of their inability to integrate cannabis into their therapeutic regimen.
From the article:
Current research supports the potential efficacy of cannabis in dozens of different applications, all of which could have direct positive impacts on overall veteran health. Whether for pain relief, as a sleep aid, or for help in overcoming stress and anxiety, so many veterans find relief in cannabis because it provides an alternative way to manage their conditions far better than a slew of toxic pharmaceuticals.
Cannabis Users Needed up to Twice the Sedation for Medical Procedures - CNN
A recently released study published in the journal of The American Osteopathic Association found that marijuana consumers may need as much as twice the amount of sedation for routine medical procedures than non-users. Increased doses of sedative drugs can be problematic as some drugs cause complications at higher doses, making the collection of accurate patient information at intake vitally important. However, the study was quite small, and based findings on the data of only 25 cannabis users. The results of such a small study, while interesting, do not prove causation and should be investigate further.
From the article:
Comparing cannabis users to nonusers, they found that patients who reported smoking or using edibles on a daily or weekly basis required 14% more fentanyl, 20% more midazolam and 220% more propofol to achieve optimum sedation for routine procedures, including colonoscopies. For example, it took 13.83 milligrams of propofol, on average, for 225 nonusers to float into unconsciousness, compared with 44.81 milligrams needed, on average, by 25 cannabis users.
CannaHealth Stories Published This Week
It was a busy week at CannaHealth: we published three new articles for you dive into:
Cannabis Use Associated With Few Crohn's Complications
From the article:
When other concurrent variables like age and gender were controlled for, the researchers found that cannabis users were less likely to have many of the severe complications that result from Crohn’s disease.
Cannabis use was associated with lower rates of the following complications:
- Fistulas and abscesses
- Parenteral nutrition (intravenous nutrition due to malnutrition)
- Blood transfusion
- Partial or total colectomy (a surgical procedure to remove the colon)
Read the full story (and caveats/limitations for the study) here.
How Your DNA Can Affect How Your Body Responds to Cannabis
A new monthly column from Nicco Reggente, PhD tackles DNA and Cannabis:
There are still some glaring issues facing product and strain reliability in the cannabis industry. As such, specific product recommendations require consistent lab testing and updates, which new California legislation mandates as part of compliance. Nonetheless, insights from one’s DNA could provide a user with meaningful information when making a purchasing choice where lab testing data is available. For instance, a user likely to develop dementia could scan a lab report for products highest in alpha-pinene. This process could often yield a product different than what they found on their last trip to the dispensary due to the multitude of factors that can influence cannabinoid and terpene expression in the cannabis plant (e.g. curing method, averse weather, etc.).
You can read the full column here.
Scientists Create CBD Nanoemulsions to Try and Increase Bioavailability
From the article:
From their data, the researchers calculated that the bioavailability of CBD oil was about 73% while the bioavailability of CBD NE was nearly 94%. Note that rats are able to metabolize CBD oil much better than humans (~73% bioavailability in rats vs 6-20% in humans). But an increase of 73% to 94% is still significant.
They also found that absorption of CBD oil relied on bile production while CBD NE did not. Bile production occurs in the liver and helps digest fats, including CBD oil. However, CBD NE absorption did not depend on bile production. CBD NE was most likely absorbed directly into the intestine without the help of bile, explaining its speedy absorption.
Here's the full, exciting story.
