Browse more cannabis research, findings, methods, and limitations.
Review shows endocannabinoids promote obesity through dual mechanisms: stimulating brain appetite circuits and directly promoting fat storage in adipose tissue, with CB1 blockers showing promise for both.
Five RCTs of Sativex (THC:CBD spray) in 368 neurological patients showed significant benefits for neuropathic pain, spasticity, and sleep, leading to approval in Canada for MS pain.
Comprehensive review found strong evidence linking cannabis to psychosis, supported the existence of cannabis withdrawal syndrome, and called for more rigorous research on prevention and treatment.
Review found that despite thousands of years of medicinal use, clinical cannabis research remained in its infancy, with studies hampered by small sizes, poor controls, and inconsistent formulations.
Randomized trial of 66 MS patients found THC:CBD spray significantly reduced central neuropathic pain (P = 0.005) and sleep disturbance (P = 0.003) with 97% completion rate.
Review found cannabis-based MS medicines had mild side effects in trials but urged caution for psychosis-prone and pregnant patients, noting therapeutic benefits remained modest.
Review found marijuana smoking causes airway inflammation, chronic cough, and precancerous cell changes, but epidemiological evidence for COPD and lung cancer remained limited and inconsistent.
Study of adolescent cannabis treatment seekers found nearly two-thirds experienced four or more withdrawal symptoms, though rates were lower than in adult studies.
Review confirmed CB1 receptors drive appetite and fat storage. The CB1 blocker rimonabant showed significant weight loss and metabolic improvement in early Phase III obesity trials.
12-month follow-up of 630 MS patients found oral THC produced a small but significant spasticity reduction (P = 0.01), suggesting a longer-term treatment effect not seen in the initial 15-week study.
Review of twin and family studies found a genetic basis for every stage of cannabis involvement, with some genetic risk factors shared across cannabis, alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Brief review outlines therapeutic potential of cannabinoid agonists for spasticity, pain, and inflammation, and CB1 antagonists for Parkinson's disease.
Review identifies FAAH and MAGL enzymes as key therapeutic targets. Blocking endocannabinoid breakdown could treat anxiety, cancer, and neurodegeneration by boosting the body's own cannabinoid system.
Clinical review of Sativex shows patients typically use 8-12 sprays daily (22-32 mg THC + 20-30 mg CBD), with positive trial results for MS spasticity and neuropathic pain.
UK study of 152 first-episode schizophrenia patients found 68% had lifetime drug use, with cannabis independently predicting earlier psychosis onset after adjusting for other substance use.
Clinical case series of 20 chronic pain patients found 75% reported improvement with nabilone, with sleep and nausea benefits being the primary reasons for continued use.
Researchers developed the first potent and selective inhibitors of DAGL-alpha, the enzyme that produces the endocannabinoid 2-AG, creating essential tools for studying the endocannabinoid system.
Vouchers drove abstinence during treatment. Adding CBT helped keep it going over the next year.
Mouse study found the anabolic steroid nandrolone blocked THC reward and increased withdrawal severity without changing CB1 receptor binding, suggesting downstream signaling interactions.
Three-year follow-up in Aboriginal communities found cannabis use decreased overall, but persistent users had higher rates of hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and imprisonment.
Two-year study of 615 heroin users found reducing heroin use was associated with decreased use of most other drugs, not substitution. Cannabis and alcohol use were independent of heroin changes.
Review of oral fluid drug testing found THC detection is complicated by depot effects from mouth absorption after smoking, temporarily inflating concentrations above blood-comparable levels.
Cell study found CBD blocked inflammation pathways (p38 MAP kinase, NF-kappaB) triggered by Alzheimer's-associated beta-amyloid protein, adding to evidence of CBD's neuroprotective properties.
CBD-rich cannabis extract reversed THC-induced memory deficits but failed to reverse memory impairments caused by anticholinergic or antiglutamatergic drugs, suggesting CBD's effects are cannabinoid-system specific.
Reanalysis found people who used cannabis and ecstasy together had the same cognitive impairments as ecstasy-only users, showing no neuroprotective benefit from concurrent cannabis use.
CAMS substudy found cannabis extract reduced MS urinary incontinence by 38% and THC by 33%, both significantly better than placebo (18%), despite the main study finding no spasticity benefit.
Four large trials of CB1 blocker rimonabant showed significant weight loss, improved lipids and blood sugar, and increased smoking quit rates. Later withdrawn due to psychiatric side effects.
Population study of 4,815 adults found cannabis use nearly tripled the risk of developing manic symptoms over 3 years (OR 2.70), independent of psychotic symptoms and with no evidence of self-medication.
Dose-escalation trial showed cannabis extract produced clear dose-related pain relief (NNT comparable to standard analgesics) but was terminated after a serious vasovagal event at the highest dose.
Cell study found prolonged THC and CBD exposure reduced drug-resistance protein expression in leukemia cells, increasing their sensitivity to the chemotherapy drug vinblastine.
fMRI study of 10 moderate cannabis users after 1 week abstinent found normal working memory and attention performance, with only subtle brain activity changes in one parietal region.
Norwegian twin study found genetic factors accounted for 58-81% of variation in illicit drug use and dependence, replicating findings from higher-prevalence countries like the US and Australia.
Review shows cannabinoids suppress immune function by affecting antigen-presenting cells and cytokine production, suggesting therapeutic potential for chronic inflammatory diseases.
Review of endocannabinoid system modulation identifies therapeutic potential for MS, rheumatoid arthritis, IBD, atherosclerosis, allergic asthma, and autoimmune diabetes based on cell and animal studies.
Review highlights CB2 receptor on immune cells as a target for anti-inflammatory treatments without psychoactive effects, with evidence in autoimmune disease and bone metabolism models.
fMRI validation study confirmed cocaine, nicotine, and cannabis users show identical hemodynamic brain responses to controls during finger-tapping, validating drug-user neuroimaging comparisons.
Comparison of drug detection methods found dramatic underreporting of drug use versus hair analysis results. Cocaine detection by hair was excellent; cannabis detection required specialized metabolite analysis.
Study of Nigerian army veterans from peacekeeping operations found 22% had PTSD, which was significantly associated with longer deployment, alcohol use, and lifetime cannabis use.
Major endocrinology review describes the endocannabinoid system as a regulator of hormonal axes, stress response, reproduction, and energy balance through both brain and peripheral tissue mechanisms.
Review of Sativex clinical development shows efficacy across multiple pain conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, and MS symptoms, with no significant intoxication, tolerance, or withdrawal reported.
Systematic review found no consistent structural brain damage from chronic cannabis use, but functional changes including altered cerebellar/frontal activity and compensatory activation during cognitive tasks.
Controlled study of 20 cannabis users found impairment began at 2-5 ng/ml serum THC, with 75-90% impaired at 5-10 ng/ml and 100% above 30 ng/ml, providing a framework for driving limits.
Review found THC transiently impairs memory for new information (not existing memories) in a dose-dependent manner, by disrupting encoding, consolidation, and retrieval through multiple neurotransmitter systems.
The scientific manifesto for THC-CBD combination therapy: clinical data showing CBD reduces psychotoxicity from ~40% to <2% at equivalent THC doses while preserving therapeutic efficacy for pain, spasticity, and MS symptoms.
This review examined why cannabis is banned in competitive sports despite lacking proven performance-enhancing properties. THC's long excretion time makes testing results difficult to interpret.
fMRI study of 18-22 year olds from a 20-year longitudinal study found altered brain activation during memory tasks in those prenatally exposed to marijuana, despite normal task performance.
Early-life cannabis exposure was linked to subtle cognitive and psychiatric outcomes, with animal studies offering mechanistic clues but not human behavior.
Small crossover trial found sublingual THC (5 mg) temporarily lowered eye pressure in glaucoma patients for 2 hours, while CBD had no benefit and higher doses transiently raised eye pressure.
Cell study found raw cannabis acid (THCa) has anti-inflammatory effects through different pathways than THC, with sustained TNF-alpha inhibition versus THC's paradoxical induction with prolonged exposure.
Review of nicotine-cannabis interactions found co-use may enhance reinforcing and anxiolytic effects while having opposite effects on appetite and cognition, with adolescent co-use being a major concern.