Frank Schuler, Author at International Cannabis Chronicle

Youth Cannabis Exposure Is Not Associated With Changes In Brain Morphology

Written by Frank Schuler on May 4, 2022. Posted in Archives, Science.

When it comes to cannabis politics, you will be hardpressed to find a talking point that is more popular among cannabis opponents than the ‘what about the children’ talking point.

Opposing cannabis reform in the context of politics is almost entirely based on fear-mongering and incorporating scare tactics, and using the thought of children in hypothetical doomsday scenarios is a common strategy for cannabis opponents.

One specific talking point relating to youth that cannabis opponents go to early and often relates to youth cannabis use and the young person’s brain. Cannabis opponents act as if one puff off of a joint will cause brain damage to the youth for the rest of the youth’s life.

To be clear, cannabis should be kept away from young people unless it’s for medical use approved by the youth’s doctor(s). With that being said, it’s an obvious fact that some young people will try cannabis, and according to a recent study out of Australia, such use will not result in changes in brain morphology.

Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Canberra, Australia: Cannabis exposure is not associated with significant changes in brain morphology in young adults, according to a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

A team of Australian researchers reviewed sixteen studies in order to assess whether cannabis exposure is associated with changes in brain volume. The review samples included 830 participants with a mean age of 22.5 years old. Of these, 386 were marijuana users (with cannabis use onset at 15-19 years) and 444 were controls.

Researchers identified no significant differences between youth cannabis users and controls in global and regional brain volumes.

“This meta-analysis of structural MRI findings specific to youth regular cannabis users suggests no volume alterations, and no effect of age and cannabis use level on group differences in volumetry,” authors concluded. “Important areas for future work include measuring and embracing the role of cannabis potency, pubertal stage, and personal (and parental) education, to identify which brain maturation stage is most vulnerable to cannabis-related brain and mental health/wellbeing. New knowledge will be necessary to provide clear recommendations for preventive interventions targeting youth at risk and update addiction theory with novel mechanistic insights into neurodevelopment.”

Full text of the study, “Brain anatomical alterations in young cannabis users: A meta-analysis of structural neuroimaging studies,” appears in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. Additional information is available from the NORML fact sheet, ‘Marijuana Exposure and Cognitive Performance.’

brain

UK Government Fund Invests In Cannabis Company

Written by Frank Schuler on May 4, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

During the pandemic, the United Kingdom set up a fund called the ‘British Business Bank’s Future Fund.’ The aim of the taxpayer-backed fund was to ‘support innovative companies that might have struggled to secure money during the pandemic.’

The fund recently announced another round of applicant approvals, and among the winners of the government investments was a cannabis company that specializes in making hemp-derived oil. Per excerpts from The Guardian:

The UK government has become a shareholder in a cannabis oil company, a yoghurt bar business, a London-based craft brewery and a maker of land, underwater and air drones that “take inspiration from the clever tricks that animals use to move”.

The latest round of investments include Grass & Co, founded by brothers Ben and Tom Grass in 2019, which makes cannabidiol (CBD) products using chemicals found in hemp, which are stocked in stores including Selfridges and Boots.

According to coverage by The Guardian, the fund has shelled out over £1.4 billion to a total of 1,190 companies so far, with 335 of those companies converting government loans into government equity stakes after finding private investments to match the government’s money.

The investment into the CBD oil company is bittersweet, in that it’s obviously great news for the recipient and great to see the United Kingdom recognize the economic potential of the merging cannabis industry, however, to some degree it highlights the deficiencies of the United Kingdom’s medical cannabis program.

As we previously reported, out of an estimated 1.4 million suffering patients, only thousands of patients have been prescribed a cannabis product by the United Kingdom directly, or indirectly via a private medical practitioner.

Patients deserve unfettered safe access to all forms of effective medical cannabis, which is unfortunately not the case in the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom

wheelchair disability health condition patient

Most Canadian Patients With MS Report Consuming Cannabis

Written by Frank Schuler on May 3, 2022. Posted in Archives, Science.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a serious issue around the world. It is estimated that as many as 2.8 million people suffer from MS globally and that someone new is diagnosed with the health condition every 5 minutes.

MS is a progressive disease involving damage to the sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, numbness, impairment of speech and of muscular coordination, blurred vision, and severe fatigue.

Cannabis has been found by a growing number of MS patients to help effectively and safely treat their condition. Those personal experiences are backed up by a growing number of peer-reviewed studies.

A recent study out of Canada reflects cannabis’ popularity as a form of treatment among MS patients. Below is more information about the recent Canadian MS study via a news release from NORML:

Edmonton, Canada: Most Canadians diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) report using cannabis to mitigate their symptoms, according to data published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Alberta, Department of Medicine surveyed MS patients’ frequency of cannabis use and their motivations for consuming it. Canadian officials legalized the use of medical cannabis products nearly two decades ago. Adult-use sales were legalized in 2018. An oral spray containing precise ratios of plant-derived THC and CBD (Sativex) has also been available by prescription in Canada for the treatment of MS since 2005.

Authors reported that nearly two-thirds of respondents had consumed cannabis during their lifetimes and that 52 percent identified themselves as current users. Patients most frequently reported consuming cannabis to address symptoms related to sleep (84 percent), pain (80 percent), and spasticity (69 percent). Respondents said that cannabis was “moderately to highly effective” at mitigating their symptoms. The majority of patients acknowledged learning about the therapeutic use of cannabis from “someone other than [their] healthcare provider.”

Human trials indicate that the use of both whole-plant cannabis and cannabis extracts can alleviate various symptoms of the disease as well as potentially modulate its progression.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis use in Canadians with multiple sclerosis,” appears in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Additional information about the use of cannabis in multiple sclerosis is available from NORML.

Canada, multiple sclerosis

Cannabis Control Bill Moves Forward In Trinidad And Tobago

Written by Frank Schuler on May 2, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

Trinidad and Tobago’s emerging medical cannabis industry received a big boost on Friday when the Caribbean nation’s House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass the Cannabis Control Bill 2020.

The bill would, among other things, set up the Trinidad and Tobago Cannabis Licensing Authority which would serve as the regulatory body for the nation’s medical cannabis industry.

As I previously reported, part of the measure would create licenses for religious use. The religious use licensing provisions seemed to be causing some concern among religious groups and at least one lawmaker leading up to the vote, however, those concerns were obviously not enough to prevent the unanimous vote.

There are five cannabis licenses that people who use cannabis for religious purposes would be able to apply for according to the measure:

a cultivator license
dispensary
import license
export license
transport license

Cannabis was decriminalized in Trinidad and Tobago in 2019, and people can possess up to 30 grams of cannabis and cultivate up to 4 plants on their own property. The recently passed measure would create economic opportunities if it makes it all the way to the finish line, especially in rural areas, as touched on by coverage from Newsday:

In his wind-up on the motion Minister of Local Government and Rural Affairs Faris Al-Rawi said the bill would give the country opportunities to make some “serious money” even as the broader relaxation of the law on cannabis consumption (by the Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill has greatly helped to unclog the country’s legal justice system. He said the commercial handling of cannabis under the Cannabis Control Bill will not be impeded by the Dangerous Drugs Act, Proceeds of Crime Act, Medical Board Act, or Pharmacy Board Act.

He said the bill will allow individuals entering the cannabis industry to become bankable, without any risk of correspondent bank failure.

“People have the opportunity to make some serious money in a serious industry.”

The Cannabis Control Bill now moves to the upper house (Senate) of the bicameral Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.

trinidad and tobago

Malawi Farmers Considering Cannabis As Demand For Tobacco Declines

Written by Frank Schuler on May 1, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

The life of a small-scale farmer is not an easy one. After all, there are no set hours and there are no days off. From sunrise to sunset you have to do as much as you can to get the most out of every day, especially during non-winter months.

Tobacco farmers have it even harder in that the crop that they cultivate is surrounded by a great deal of stigma, and understandably so. Smoked tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death on earth.

With that being said, not every tobacco farmer is greedy and evil. Many simply cultivate tobacco because that is essentially their only option. For some farmers in Malawi, cultivating tobacco is the foundation of their existence.

Malawi ranks 7th globally for overall tobacco production and leads the world in cultivating the ‘burley’ tobacco variety. Burley tobacco leaf is commonly used for making cigarettes.

As demand for tobacco products continues to decline around the world, farmers in Malawi are scrambling to try to find a new crop to cultivate.

More and more farmers are considering cannabis as an alternative to tobacco, however, the price for licenses is extremely steep, especially considering that Malawi is one of the poorest countries on earth. Per Africa News:

Growers, who operate in groups of around 30, have on average to cough out $10,000 per collective in farming licence fees alone.

Easing the process of obtaining cannabis licences would give farmers an immediate boost.

“It takes just about three months to mature, and then boom, we have the forex,” said Tchereni.

“Licences can’t be this expensive.”

Malawi is not the only country in Africa that is considering making the transition from cultivating tobacco to cultivating cannabis.

As we previously reported, Zimbabwe is also seeing an uptick in interest in cannabis among farmers. Zimbabwe is Africa’s largest overall producer of tobacco.

malawi

london bridge england united kingdom britain

How Many UK Patients Are Being Privately Prescribed Cannabis?

Written by Frank Schuler on April 29, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

The United Kingdom is a fairly rough place when it comes to safe access to medical cannabis. The country’s medical cannabis program is notoriously restrictive, leaving suffering patients with little to no options depending on the situation.

For starters, the number of medical products that are considered to be legal in the United Kingdom is very low. Raw flower is not available to patients, and patients are not permitted to cultivate their own cannabis.

The National Health Service only allows cannabis-based products. Below is the definition of what that involves, via the National Health Service’s website:

There are three broad requirements that a product should satisfy:

The product is or contains cannabis, cannabis resin, cannabinol or a cannabinol derivative

It is produced for medicinal use in humans; and

It is a product that is regulated as a medicinal product, or an ingredient of a medicinal product.

The definition is necessarily broad to take account of the range of preparations which are cannabis-based that have been used for therapeutic purposes and to ensure that raw products/ingredients and intermediate products are captured.This is essential to ensure that where there is a clinical need, a patient will be able to access appropriate cannabis-based medicines and/or products can be made to meet any prescription.

Patients can get a prescription for a cannabis-based product through the National Health Service (NHS), however, as of last summer only 3 prescriptions had reportedly been issued by NHS.

Filling the void left by the NHS is private prescriptions. The prescriptions can only be issued by clinicians listed on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council, and even then, the products eligible for a prescription are limited.

According to a new report from Prohibition Partners, private prescriptions have risen in the last two years. Below is an excerpt from their report:

Based on Prohibition Partners’ calculations, which conservatively assume all quarters in 2021 are equal, the annual number of products for last year amounted to 23,466 – a 425% increase on 2020. Things are moving more quickly elsewhere in the UK. On the island of Jersey, with a population of just over 100,000 inhabitants, more than 2,000 prescriptions were filled from January 2019 up to late 2021.

To put the figures into perspective, Prohibition Partners estimates that there are as many as 1.4 million patients in the United Kingdom that would purchase medical cannabis products if they were able to.

With that in mind, the uptick in private prescriptions in the UK is welcomed news, however, the UK’s medical cannabis program still has a long way to go when it comes to improving safe access for suffering patients.

In addition to expanding the type of products that patients can acquire, such as raw flower, patients also need to be able to cultivate their own medicine if they choose to do so, among other much-needed improvements.

United Kingdom

Thailand Has Granted 80 Cannabis Licenses

Written by Frank Schuler on April 28, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Thailand is getting ready to embark on a unique public policy journey with plans to officially launch a nationwide, every-household-eligible cannabis program this summer.

As of June 9th, every household in Thailand will be able to cultivate low-THC cannabis if they choose to, and according to prior coverage provided on this website, there will be no limit to the number of plants that someone can cultivate as long as they are registered with the government.

People and entities are already applying for licenses, with some already being granted by Thailand’s government. Per Bangkok Post:

The general public and organisations have filed 4,712 applications with the FDA, seeking licences related to the use of either as an ingredient or product.

So far, 80 licences have been granted for the production of cannabis, hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products, including hemp seed oil, dietary supplements, beverages, seasoning sauce, jelly candy and instant food, said the FDA official.

In the grand scheme of things, 4,712 applications is a drop in the bucket for a country that has a population of roughly 70 million people. The granting of 80 licenses is an even smaller drop in the bucket.

However, every country has to start a new program somewhere, and with weeks to go before the program actually launches, it’s likely a safe bet that the number of applications will spike considerably between now and June 9, and along with it, a spike in the granting of licenses.

Hiccups and bumps along the way are to be expected given that Thailand is doing something that has essentially never been tried before. Hopefully the launch of home cultivation proves to be successful and it encourages other nations in Thailand’s region to reform their cannabis laws.

Thailand

Researchers In Korea Make Surprising Discovery Involving Cannabis Stems

Written by Frank Schuler on April 28, 2022. Posted in Archives, Science.

The cannabis plant is arguably the most useful plant on earth. Cannabis enthusiasts throughout human history have used it for countless purposes, including medicine and sacrament.

It’s also no secret that the cannabis plant has been used by humans for personal enjoyment as well. When cannabis buds are smoked, vaporized, and/or infused into consumables it can yield euphoric effects.

Cannabis plants are comprised of dozens of cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabinoids are the subject of numerous studies, including studies focused on cannabis’ ability to battle inflammation.

But what about the stems of the cannabis plant? Are they useful for battling inflammation in any meaningful way? Researchers in Korea set out to answer that question via a recent study, the results of which were made public earlier this month.

A team of researchers from the Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio-industry, the Biomaterials Research Institute, and Andong National University in Korea examined shelled seeds, roots, and stems from cannabis plants. The researchers looked at non-cannabinoid phytochemicals in those parts of the cannabis plant to see if they possessed any anti-inflammation properties.

“Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Cannabis extracts from plant parts of shelled seeds, roots, and stems containing no or trace amounts of cannabinoids.” the researchers stated.

“Among water and ethanol extracts from three plant parts, Cannabis stem ethanol extract (CSE) had the most potent free radical scavenging activities and suppressive effects on the production of nitric oxide from macrophages. In further studies using macrophages, CSE effectively inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses by suppressing proinflammatory cytokines, nuclear factor-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylations, and cellular accumulation of reactive oxygen species.” the researchers concluded.

“Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses of CSE showed several active compounds that might be associated with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Collectively, these findings indicate that CSE counteracts LPS-induced acute inflammation and apoptosis, suggesting pharmaceutical applications for the stem part of C. sativa.” the researchers went on to state.

These findings are significant given the fact that so much medical cannabis product creation is focused on the buds of the cannabis plant. For many producers, the stems are just a useless byproduct nuisance that often gets discarded. In the future, it’s possible that the stems could prove to be just as valuable from a profit and wellness standpoint as the cannabis buds themselves.

korea

Religious Cannabis Use Provisions Are Creating Confusion In Trinidad And Tobago

Written by Frank Schuler on April 27, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

Trinidad and Tobago is a dual-island Caribbean nation that is home to roughly 1.4 million people, some of which use cannabis for religious purposes. The most well-known religious group in the nation that uses cannabis for sacramental purposes is the Rastafarians.

The Caribbean nation is currently working to ramp up its medical cannabis industry, with a bill working its way through the House of Representatives. The provisions specific to religious use seem to be causing quite a bit of confusion.

There are five cannabis licences that people who use cannabis for religious purposes can apply for:

a cultivator licence
dispensary
import licence
export licence
transport licence

The licenses can only be obtained after the organization they are a part of is registered per the Non-Profit Organisations Act, and the organization attests that its members use cannabis for religious purposes. However, getting a license apparently creates additional issues under the provisions of the proposed measure in the House, as described by Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally earlier this month. Per Newsday:

He said while only a specific amount of marijuana for sacramental or religious purposes would be available, it did not address how religious leaders would be expected to get it as the sale of marijuana was prohibited under the bill.

“When we look at Clause 47, we are told that there must be no commercial benefit, no sale, supply or any transaction involving cannabis for sale, profit, monetary gain or compensation. But not even water which falls from the sky is free, so how then are we expecting the religious groups to procure, store, maintain and dispense cannabis, completely devoid of any cash flow, to facilitate a basic access to cannabis for religious use?

“Anyone who contravenes the section, that is to say engages in handling cannabis for money not necessarily for profit because it can be for mere reimbursement of monies used in acquisition, can be liable to stiff penalties.”

Members of Trinidad and Tobago’s Rastafarian community are pointing out that if getting a license doesn’t allow them to possess more cannabis, then why go through the trouble of obtaining a license?

Cannabis was decriminalized in Trinidad and Tobago in 2019, and people can possess up to 30 grams of cannabis and cultivate up to 4 plants on their own property.

trinidad and tobago

Social Organizations Receive Medical Cannabis Cultivation Licenses In Mexico

Written by Frank Schuler on April 21, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

The road towards adult-use cannabis legalization in Mexico has been full of twists, turns, detours, and in some cases dead ends. In late 2018 Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that cannabis prohibition as it pertained to personal use was unconstitutional. Since that time lawmakers have tried, and failed, to pass a Court-mandated measure to establish an adult-use industry in Mexico.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s emerging medical cannabis program and industry have moved along in the shadows of adult-use reform. As is the case in every country, there are countless suffering patients in Mexico that can benefit from safe access to medical cannabis.

Fortunately for patients in the Oaxaca area, medical cannabis cultivation licenses were issued to over two-dozen community entities that will further boost safe access in the region. Per Politico MX (translated from Spanish to English):

In Oaxaca, 26 social organizations belonging to Oaxacan communities received permits from the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks ( Cofepris ) for the management, selection and cultivation of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Among the benefited places are San Dionisio Ocotepec and San Pablo Guilá , who from now on will be able to process cannabis for the production of products whose objectives are to help different medical treatments.

Horacio Sosa Villavicencio, a deputy from Morena, indicated that it was not an easy road, but that thanks to the community organization and the solidarity that exists in the native peoples governed under the regime of uses and customs, it was possible to achieve these authorizations.

Oaxaca has made international headlines multiple times in recent weeks. As we previously reported, city officials in Oaxaca recently issued a directive to local police to leave cannabis consumers alone, even when they are consuming cannabis in public spaces.

Safe access to medical cannabis is extremely important, as is the ability to safely consume medical cannabis after it is legally acquired. For many patients, finding a place to consume cannabis can be tricky.

With that in mind, it’s a great thing to know that if a patient in Oaxaca has to consume cannabis outside of a private residence for whatever reason, they will be able to do so without being persecuted.

Mexico, oaxaca

Switzerland Set To Launch Cannabis Pilot This Summer

Written by Frank Schuler on April 19, 2022. Posted in Archives, Business, Policy.

Switzerland, in many ways, is at the forefront of cannabis policy. Since 2017, selling low-THC products (less than 1%) has been legal nationwide. Switzerland is also one of a growing list of countries in Europe that is set to launch an adult-use cannabis pilot program.

A cannabis pilot program essentially involves national governments letting local municipalities conduct legal cannabis commerce as part of a research program that seeks to gather information to, in theory, help national lawmakers craft their cannabis policies.

In addition to Switzerland, the Netherlands is also in the process of launching an adult-use pilot program, although the country’s pilot program has experienced ongoing setbacks. Copenhagen is home to a cannabis pilot program, and lawmakers in Denmark are seeking to expand the program to other jurisdictions.

News came out today that Switzerland will finally launch its first pilot program site this summer in Basel. Per DW:

Swiss health authorities on Tuesday approved the launch of a pilot project for the recreational consumption of cannabis in Basel this summer.

About 400 people in the city will be allowed to buy cannabis from select pharmacies in Basel in late summer, the city’s government said.

They will be questioned regularly about their usage pattern and physical and mental health.

Basel is home to a population of roughly 171,000 people, the fifth most populated city in Switzerland, so allowing only 400 people to participate in the program is essentially a drop in the bucket. However, every pilot program has to start somewhere, and for Switzerland, it will start in Basel.

While Basel is the first city in Switzerland to launch a pilot program, it will not be the last. Switzerland’s government has made it clear that it intends to allow pilot programs to operate in multiple cities, so long as the participants are teamed up with an accredited research organization, such as a university.

For more information about Switzerland’s cannabis pilot program, check out the Switzerland Federal Office of Public Health’s FAQ page.

Switzerland

Quebec Cannabis Use Increased Among Adults, Decreased Among Teenagers After Legalization

Written by Frank Schuler on April 18, 2022. Posted in Archives, Policy.

A very common talking point for cannabis opponents leading up to a vote on legalization, either by citizens or lawmakers, is that cannabis use will spike among youth if/when cannabis becomes legal. It’s a talking point that is used against both medical cannabis reform as well as adult-use reform.

Cannabis opponents will hype up doomsday scenarios, acting as if young people don’t consume unless cannabis becomes legal for patients and/or adults. The ‘stoned youth epidemic’ scare tactic is as old as prohibition. Obviously, some percentage of young people are going to consume cannabis whether it’s legal for patients and/or adults or not.

Unfortunately for cannabis opponents, the data does not back up their previously mentioned claims. Quebec is one of many examples. Canada was the first G-7 nation to legalize cannabis for adult use and the first nation on earth to allow cannabis sales to any adult of legal age, regardless of their citizenship status.

Since October 2018 when legalization was enacted in Canada, a considerable amount of data has been collected. A recent examination of usage data from Quebec shows that while more adults are reporting using cannabis, the youngest group for which data is available is trending in the opposite direction. Per CTV News:

According to a survey published this week by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, one in five people over the age of 15 — 20 per cent of the population — have used cannabis in the past year. By comparison, in 2018 — the year the federal cannabis law came into effect — the rate was 14 per cent.

This increase in the popularity of cannabis is observed across all age groups, except for teenagers aged 15 to 17, where there was a decline from 22 per cent in 2018 to 19 per cent in 2021.

The biggest marijuana users are 21-24 year olds, with 43 per cent saying they used it in 2021. In general, men (23 per cent) are also more likely than women (16 per cent) to use the substance.

Cannabis supporters have long pointed to the fact that in a regulated cannabis system, identifications are routinely checked to ensure that only people of legal age are able to purchase cannabis. That is not something that happens in a regulated system, as there is no requirement to check ID at all.

The fact of the matter is that regulation works, as demonstrated by the recent data analysis in Quebec. As far as the data pertaining to adults, it’s quite possible that what we are seeing in the data is not necessarily more people consuming cannabis for the first time. Instead, it could be a reflection of more people being willing to admit that they consume cannabis now that cannabis is legal and the stigma is going away.

Of course, it’s also possible that it could be a combination of the two. Regardless, given how much safer cannabis is compared to other substances, and the wellness properties that the cannabis plant possesses, more people consuming it is ultimately a good thing.

Canada, quebec

Author: Frank Schuler