Some women use marijuana to manage the side effects of pregnancy, to cope with anxiety, or to sleep better. Many also hope they can safely do so while breastfeeding. According to 2017 research carried out on a group of pregnant women in California, about 7 percent of the women surveyed used marijuana. Research suggests…
Study questions link between medical marijuana and fewer opioid deaths
The association between medical marijuana and lower levels of opioid overdose deaths — identified previously in several studies — is more complex than previously described and appears to be changing as both medical marijuana laws and the opioid crisis evolve, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The report —…
A new target for marijuana
Cellular-level changes to a part of the brain’s reward system induced by chronic exposure to the psychoactive component of marijuana may contribute to the drug’s pleasurable and potentially addictive qualities, suggests a study in young mice published in JNeurosci. The results could advance our understanding of marijuana’s effects on the developing…
Marijuana may produce psychotic-like effects in high-risk individuals
Marijuana may bring on temporary paranoia and other psychosis-related effects in individuals at high risk of developing a psychotic disorder, finds a preliminary study from researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study was published last month in an online edition of Psychiatry Research. Individuals who have had mild or…
Compound derived from marijuana interacts with antiepileptic drugs
New research published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), suggests that an investigational neurological treatment derived from cannabis may alter the blood levels of commonly used antiepileptic drugs. It is important for clinicians to consider such drug interactions during treatment of complex conditions. Cannabidiol (CBD), a…