GW Pharmaceuticals PLC reported Tuesday afternoon that sales of its cannabis-derived epilepsy drug more than doubled from the previous quarter, sending shares spiking more than 11% higher in after-hours trading. GW Pharmaceuticals GWPH, +10.22% reported second-quarter sales of $68.4 million for Epidiolex, which uses cannabidiol, a compound present in cannabis plants to treat certain forms of epilepsy. Wall Street […]
Medical Marijuana
Scientists unlock the secrets of marijuana’s pain-relief potential, study says
Researchers have uncovered how marijuana plants produce pain-killing molecules that are 30 times stronger than aspirin — a property that gives them medicinal promise as a substitute for opioid pain relievers, which can lead to crippling addiction, researchers said. “There’s clearly a need to develop alternatives for relief of acute and chronic pain that go […]
Legal Implications for Physicians Recommending Medical Cannabis in the USA
In our studies examining the use of Medical Cannabis Therapy (MCT) by Oncologists and Pain Management Specialists[i], we asked physicians what their biggest barrier was to their adoption of medical cannabis. Two-thirds (65%), mention legal concerns. Concern for legal exposure and increased risk of malpractice associated with MCT remains high, given the federal status of […]
Active athletes use cannabis for pain and well-being
The conventional wisdom is that recreational cannabis users are “stoners” and that medical users are too sick to be functional. What if I told you that a recent survey of adult athletes showed that cannabis use and exercise can be symbiotic? Furthermore, athletes who use a combination of THC and CBD showed the most benefits […]
How About a Holiday?
The concept of a drug holiday is standard medical practice for chronic users of pharmaceutical medications. Physicians use this abstinence tactic for a variety of reasons, including: limiting side effects of a medicine or allowing a patient to maintain sensitivity to a drug’s effect. When using cannabis, we often talk about tolerance: the need for […]
Columbia Care Announces Launch of Pioneering Research Study to Identify Genetic Factors Affecting the Efficacy and Safety of Medical Cannabis
PRESS RELEASE First-of-their-kind results to enhance patient experience and efficacy of Columbia Care products by further informing and personalizing treatment recommendations to support optimal product dosing and formulation selection NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Columbia Care Inc. (“Columbia Care” or the “Company”) (NEO: CCHW, OTC: COLXF), one of the largest global operators in the medical cannabis industry, with […]
Gene linked to cannabis abuse
New research from the Danish psychiatric project, iPSYCH, shows that a specific gene is associated with an increased risk of cannabis abuse. The gene is the source of a so-called nicotine receptor in the brain, and people with low amounts of this receptor have an increased risk of cannabis abuse. Cannabis is the most commonly […]
Who Is Going To Own “Medical Marijuana? Or: Those Who Define The Issue Win The Issue
In December 2018, Tilray (which Bloomberg described in their news coverage as a “Canadian pot firm”) announced a global partnership with a division of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG to develop and distribute its “medical marijuana” in legal jurisdictions around the world using the Novartis Sandoz brand. At the time, Bloomberg quoted Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy as saying the […]
Marijuana Study Finds CBD Can Cause Liver Damage
There is no denying that cannabidiol, more commonly referred to as CBD, is rapidly becoming more popular in the United States than sliced bread. It is a hot trend that got started several years ago after Dr. Sanja Gupta showed the nation in his documentary ‘Weed 2’ just how this non-intoxicating component of the cannabis plant was […]
Promoting Medical Cannabis Among Pain Patients in the USA
John Taenzler, Ph.D. Of all the potential benefits of medical cannabis being explored, pain relief appears to hold the most immediate promise. A review by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the implications of pain on a patient’s life has shown to have serious consequences for the patient, including a severely detrimental effect on […]
AP analysis: Broad legalization cuts into medical marijuana
PORTLAND, Ore. — When states legalize pot for all adults, long-standing medical marijuana programs take a big hit, in some cases losing more than half their registered patients in just a few years, according to a data analysis by The Associated Press. Much of the decline comes from consumers who, ill or not, got medical […]
Data-Driven Growth Strategies for Medical Cannabis Providers
Many cannabis manufacturers and dispensary owners I talk to don’t have a direct sales team; most don’t like making sales visits or calls to key physicians and virtually all say they don’t have the time to do more on the development side of their business. Does this sound like you or your practice? As competition […]
TSA approves cannabis-containing epilepsy drug for flights
The Transportation Security Administration will now permit a pediatric epilepsy drug containing cannabis on flights, according to the agency’s guidelines. Its guidelines now say that, subject to “special instructions,” “products/medications that contain hemp-derived CBD or are approved by the FDA are legal as long as it is produced within the regulations defined by the law under the […]
Uncharted Territory – Part II
Possible candidates for the next big cannabinoid In Uncharted Territory: how changing the way we think about cannabis will create new commercial opportunities, we explored how THC and CBD are just two of over 100 unique compounds found in the cannabis plant, known as cannabinoids. A growing body of research indicates that several less-abundant cannabinoids may provide […]
New committee could spell the end of the NFL’s marijuana ban
Despite the fact that recreational marijuana is legal in 10 states–including NFL-populated states California, Michigan, Massachusetts and Washington–and medical marijuana is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia–the NFL has held fast to its own standards of legality, which is to say that marijuana is part of the league’s Substances of Abuse guidelines, […]
No, Cannabis Does Not Do All Things For All People
By Joanne Zieger For most of my life I have had a complicated relationship with pain. You see, I’ve been an athlete for more than four decades, and for three of those I was considered “elite”. I raced as a professional triathlete for 12 years, and during that time, I placed 4th in the Sydney […]
The CBD boom is way ahead of the science
Strict regulations have stunted research on cannabidiol, but that hasn’t hampered product popularity A few months back, a new storefront appeared in my small Oregon town. Its shelves were packed with tinctures, jars of salve, coffee beans, bath bombs — even beard oil. This motley collection shared a single star ingredient: CBD. Produced by the […]
Promoting MMJ Among Pain Management Specialists in the USA
By John Taenzler, Ph.D. Millions suffer from acute or chronic pain every year and the effects of pain exact a tremendous cost in terms health care costs, rehabilitation and lost worker productivity, as well as the emotional and financial burden it places on patients and their families. The costs of unrelieved pain can result in longer […]
