Abstract Background: Clinical trials are underway of medicinal cannabis for cancer-related anorexia, using various formulations and modes of administration. Objectives: To explore the benefits and burdens of vaporized medicinal cannabis flower bud for anorexia from the perspectives of trial participants with advanced cancer and their carers. Design: People with advanced cancer enrolled as inpatients in a Phase I/IIb clinical trial, and their carers participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Analysis used the framework method. Setting: Inpatient specialist palliative care. Results: Ten out of 12 trial participants and 6 carers were interviewed. All perceived benefits to eating but, in two cases, this arose from reduced nausea...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Operant conditioning and social learning theories suggest that positive cannabis use–related outcomes are a primary contributor to maintained use and risk for dependence. However, currently there does not exist a reliable, validated measure of positive cannabis-related outcomes. This study sought to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Positive Outcomes of Cannabis Use Scale (POCUS). We collected three samples, college students (N = 883), community adults (N = 214), and college students (N = 615), of predominantly White adults in the United States who completed an online survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses evaluated scale structure and identified four factors:...

Abstract Objective: Cannabis has been touted for a host of pharmacological and therapeutic effects and users commonly report reduced symptoms of physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. While there is existing empirical evidence supporting these effects of cannabis use, little is known about the extent to which these effects result from pharmacological versus expectancy factors. We evaluated the associations between participants' cannabis expectancies and their acute self-reported reactions after using legal market forms of cannabis with varying levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in three domains: anxiety, depression, and pain. Methods: Fifty-five flower and 101 edible cannabis users...

Abstract Background Similar to drink driving, the prevalence of driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC) is expected to depend on the availability and cost of cannabis which would impact cannabis use in both drivers and passengers, and factors that specifically target cannabis use in drivers such as the deterrent effect of traffic laws and driver’s opinion about the risks and acceptability of DUIC. To disentangle these effects, we aimed to compare the prevalence of alcohol and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) detection 1) in drivers vs. passengers involved in motor vehicle accidents and 2) in drivers and passengers from BC vs. Ontario. Methods Chart review and...

Abstract Background Inhaled combusted cannabis and co‐use of combusted cannabis and nicotine electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) are emerging trends among young adults, yet the potential cardiovascular disease risks associated with these substances remain unclear. This study examined whether cannabis use increases cardiovascular disease risk, specifically, arrhythmia risk, as estimated by ventricular repolarization, and whether ECIG co‐use further amplifies this risk. Methods A cross‐sectional parallel group comparison study was conducted with 3 groups: healthy adults (21–30 years) who (1) chronically use combusted cannabis but no tobacco, (2) chronically co‐use both nicotine ECIGs and combusted cannabis, and (3) are nonusers (controls). The primary outcomes, Tpeak‐Tend (Tp‐e) interval, Tp‐e/QT, and Tp‐e/QTc, were assessed...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Given the popularity and ease of single-item craving assessments, we developed a multi-item measure and compared it to common single-item assessments in an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) context. Two weeks of EMA data were collected from 48 emerging adults (56.25% female, 85.42% White) who frequently used cannabis. Eight craving items were administered, and multilevel factor analyses were used to identify the best fitting model. The resulting scale’s factors represented purposefulness/general desire and emotionality/negative affect craving. Convergent validity was examined using measures of craving, cannabis use disorder symptoms, frequency of use, cannabis cue reactivity, cannabis use,...

Abstract Cannabis is a psychoactive substance consumed worldwide in the form of smoking, vapors, food additives, or beverages. Delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a primary component responsible for short and long-term effects on various cognitive and motor functions in a dose-dependent manner. The legal status of cannabis has shifted significantly in recent decades. Some regions maintain strict penalties, but others have legalized them for medicinal use. In India, the use of cannabis in any form is illegal; however, the use of bhang, a cannabis beverage made from leaves, is acceptable due to cultural reasons and thus permitted in some places. We report the case of a 28-year-old...

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aims to identify the characteristics of patients with cannabis use disorder and to determine whether the challenges in treating cannabis use disorder stem from the pharmacological properties of cannabis as an abused substance or from other contributing factors. Methods The subjects of this study were the 208 male cases of methamphetamine-related mental disorders (MAP group) and 82 male cases of cannabis-related mental disorders (CAN group), which drawn from the “2024 Nationwide Survey on the Actual Conditions of Drug-Related Mental Disorders in Psychiatric Hospitals in Japan.” Clinical variables were compared between the two groups, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to...

Abstract Background and aims Patterns of daily or near-daily (DND) use of alcohol and cannabis among adults in the United States have been changing. The current study measured how these shifts have occurred across developmental periods of adulthood. Design, Setting, and Participants U.S. national data from the Monitoring the Future Panel Study include responses from approximately 20 000 adults aged 19 to 65 in 2023. In total, annual data from 1988 to 2023 include 389 649 responses. Measurements Self-report measures of use of cannabis and alcohol DND (i.e., 20 + occasions in the last 30 days) were available for the full age ranges of 19–30 years from 1988 to 2023,...