Abstract Background: Recent changes to the legal status of cannabis across various countries have renewed interest in exploring its use in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The use of cannabinoids for alleviation of motor symptoms has been extensively explored in pre-clinical studies. Objective: We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze literature on the use of medical cannabis or its derivatives (MC) in PD patients to determine its effect on motor function and its safety profile. Methods: We reviewed and analyzed original, full-text randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Primary outcomes were change in motor function and dyskinesia. Secondary outcomes included adverse events and side effects....

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to explore the effect of health-care providers' attitudes towards the medical use of cannabis, subjective norms and perceived stigma towards medicinal cannabis users on health-care providers' intention to recommend medicinal cannabis for patients with qualifying conditions. Methods A cross-sectional correlational study included 221 health-care providers (mean age, 42.2 ± 11.2; 74.2% women and 76.5% nurses) who completed a questionnaire examining theory-based variables and stigma towards medicinal cannabis users. Results More positive attitudes towards the medical use of cannabis were associated with lower stigma towards medicinal cannabis users, which,...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Introduction Canadian youth consume cannabis in multiple ways, including by smoking, vaping, and eating or drinking. Existing evidence suggests that these behaviours may change after law liberalization, though data regarding youth are scarce. We investigated changes in cannabis modes of use and associated factors across the federal legalization of recreational cannabis use for adults in Canada, among a large sample of underage youth before alternative products were made legally available. Methods Data were available from 2953 longitudinally linked Canadian high school students who reported on their cannabis use during the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 school years. We explored...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Past research on cannabis has been limited in scope to THC potencies lower than legally available and efforts to integrate the effects into models of driving performance have not been attempted to date. The purpose of this systematic review is to understand the implications for modeling driving performance and describe future research needs. The risk of motor vehicle crashes increases 2-fold after smoking marijuana. Driving during acute cannabis intoxication impairs concentration, reaction time, along with a variety of other necessary driving-related skills. Changes to legislation in North America and abroad have led to an increase in cannabis’ popularity. This has...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract There is not a single pharmacological agent with demonstrated therapeutic efficacy for traumatic brain injury (TBI). With recent legalization efforts and the growing popularity of medical cannabis, patients with TBI will inevitably consider medical cannabis as a treatment option. Pre-clinical TBI research suggests that cannabinoids have neuroprotective and psychotherapeutic properties. In contrast, recreational cannabis use has consistently shown to have detrimental effects. Our review identified a paucity of high-quality studies examining the beneficial and adverse effects of medical cannabis on TBI, with only a single phase III randomized control trial. However, observational studies demonstrate that...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Cannabis sativa L. is a valuable plant that has regained its importance for medicinal use. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry based untargeted metabolomic study was conducted in seeds of two accessions from different environments. A total of 236 metabolites were observed, and 43 metabolites were found differentially significant (p ≤ 0.05) in both the accessions. Based on the qualitative and quantitative accumulation of the nutraceutically important amino acids, cannabinoids, alkaloids, and fatty acids, the high altitude temperate Himalayan accession (CAN2) was found to have an advantage over the low altitude subtropical accession (CAN1). Seed oil from CAN2 showed the exclusive...

Abstract In recent decades, a lot of attention has been paid to Cannabis sativa L. due to its useful applications, including in fibers, oil, food for humans and animals, and therapeutics. The present study aimed to determine antioxidant activity of cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. in vivo, evaluating the possible antioxidative effect of Cannabis sativa L. extract (CE) on malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations as well as on catalase (CAT) activity in BALB/c mice. In total, 40 mice were divided into five equal groups: the aluminum group (7.5 mg AlCl3/kg/d (0.15 LD50), the saline group, the 10% ethanol group (an appropriate amount of the solution for mouse weight), the...

Abstract Background Cannabis is often used by patients with ulcerative colitis, but controlled studies are few. We aimed to assess the effect of cannabis in improving clinical and inflammatory outcomes in ulcerative colitis patients. Methods In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, patients received either cigarettes containing 0.5 g of dried cannabis flowers with80mgTetrahydrocannabinol (THC)or placebo cigarettes for 8 weeks. Parameters of disease including Lichtiger disease activity index, C reactive protein (CRP), calprotectin, Mayo endoscopic score and quality of life (QOL) were assessed before, during and after treatment. Results The study included 32 patients. Mean age was 30 years, 14 (43%) females. Lichtiger index improved...

Abstract Cannabis is one of the most common drugs in the United States and is the third most prevalent substance consumed by adults aged 50 years and older. Normal aging is associated with physiological changes that make older adults vulnerable to impaired function and geriatric conditions (e.g., falls, cognitive impairment). However, the impact of medical cannabis use on fall risk in older adults remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate if cannabis use in older adults influences fall risk, cognitive function, and motor function. It was hypothesized that older chronic cannabis users would perform worse than non-users on gait, balance, and...

Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Canada legalized nonmedical cannabis possession and sale in October 2018. In the United States, state legalization has been tied to an increase in cannabis-related emergency department (ED) visits; however, little research exists on provincial changes in pediatric visits after nationwide legislation. We compared pre- and postlegalization trends in pediatric cannabis-related ED visits and presentation patterns in urban Alberta EDs. METHODS Retrospective National Ambulatory Care Reporting System data were queried for urban Alberta cannabis-related ED visits among patients aged <18 years from October 1, 2013, to February 29, 2020. Population subgroups included children (aged 0–11 years), younger adolescents (12 to 14...