Your Dose of Cannabis Education
Your Dose of Cannabis Education
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Your Dose of Cannabis Education is based on data from the studies and reviews published in the current peer-reviewed medical journals. Whether you are a healthcare provider, patient, caregiver, an individual working in the healthcare sector, or just a curious person, you can benefit from Your Dose of Cannabis Education.
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2025-05-20
"The American College of Physicians Population Health and Medical Science Committee (PHMSC) developed this best practice advice to inform clinicians about what is currently known about the benefits and harms of cannabis or cannabinoids in the management of chronic noncancer pain and to provide advice for clinicians counseling patients seeking this therapy." These guidelines were published in April 2025. According to the PHMSC, what is the goal of treatment of chronic pain? How should a patient track the effects of the cannabinoid therapy?
According to the American College of Physicians Population Health and Medical Science Committee (PHMSC), "the goal of any treatment for chronic pain is to improve patients' ability to do the things they want and need to do.... A patient should keep a record of their daily cannabis or cannabinoid use, including dose and timing, the effect on their chronic noncancer pain and their ability to do things, and any adverse effects.... [The patient should] stop using cannabis or cannabinoids if it is not helping to improve function or if it is causing adverse effects that outweigh the benefit experienced."Kansagara, D., Freeman, M., & O'Neil, M. (2025). Cannabis or cannabinoids for the management of chronic noncancer pain: Best practice advice from the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-24-03319
2025-05-19
It is common knowledge that the THC levels of cannabis-based products sold today are greater than the THC levels of products sold in the 1990s. What is the magnitude of change in THC levels?
"In the 1990s, 5% THC cannabis was some of the strongest you could find...Today, "it's very difficult to find cannabis that's less than 20% THC" in a Los Angeles dispensary, says Ziva Cooper, director of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids. According to National Institute of Drug Abuse data, cannabis samples seized in 1995 averaged less than 4% THC. In 2022, they averaged more than 16%." The percentage of THC in cannabis products has continued to increase since 2022.Mallenbaum C. (2025, April 18). Chart: How cannabis has gotten dramatically stronger. Axios San Francisco. https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/04/18/cannabis-thc-high-levels-potency-chart
2025-05-16
Has research indicated that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) might be a potential contributor to the initiation and/or progression of autism spectrum disorder(ASD)?
Yes. "the ECS has the ability to modulate a variety of synaptic mechanisms, including neurotransmission, synaptic currents, inhibition (E/I balance), and neuroplasticity. Moreover, the ECS has been implicated in several processes that are frequently affected in individuals with ASD, such as social communication, motor control, repetitive behaviors, emotional control, as well as learning, and memory" In addition, "seizure susceptibility, and circadian rhythm, are also thought to be regulated by the ECS in ASD."Jana A, Nath A, Sen P, Kundu S, Alghamdi BS, Abujamel TS, Saboor M, Woon-Khiong C, Alexiou A, Papadakis M, Alam MZ, Ashraf GM. Unraveling the Endocannabinoid System: Exploring Its Therapeutic Potential in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neuromolecular Med. 2024 May 14;26(1):20. doi: 10.1007/s12017-024-08781-6. PMID: 38744725; PMCID: PMC11093854.
2025-05-15
"Almost half of the children with autism spectrum disorder and exhibiting disruptive behavior fail to respond to behavioral and medical interventions." Does Cannabidiol (CBD) benefit patients with severe autism? Does CBD improve some of the core symptoms (repetitive behaviors and social interaction)?
To address these questions, a 2025 prospective, observational, before-and-after study was conducted. The study involved 20 patients with severe ASD who initiated treatment with purified CBD. According to the results, "As to the primary outcome evaluating symptoms reported by parents, improvement in at least one was observed after CBD initiation in 18 patients (90 %) and no improvement in two (10 %) (1 worsening, 1 no response). In the responders, 83.5 % (n = 76) of all reported symptoms improved. Regarding the secondary outcomes based on the assessment with different scales, improvement of around 30 % was found in irritability, social withdrawal, hyperactivity. Restricted and repetitive behavior improved in nine (50 %), while no changes were seen in seven (38.8 %). Sleep patterns were found to be slightly improved... In 40 % of the children, concomitant medication could be reduced or partially discontinued... The families considered the quality of life to have improved."Fortini, Toibaro, and Caraballo. Purified cannabidiol leads to improvement of severe treatment-resistant behavioral symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder. Pharmacology, BioChemistry and Behavior 249 (2025) 173971. Available on line Feb 2025.
2025-05-14
Have any investigational medications for the treatment of cannabis withdrawal syndrome been granted "fast track status"?
Yes. In February 2025, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to PP-01 ( a nabilone/gabapentin product) for the mitigation of cannabis withdrawal symptoms in patients with cannabis use disorder. PP-01 is "an oral cannabinoid-1 (CB1) partial agonist and GABAergic modulator that targets suppressed CB1 receptors and neurotransmitter dysregulation in the mesolimbic reward pathway. The Fast Track designation is supported by data from the randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2b CAN-002 study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05494437), which enrolled individuals aged 18 to 55 years with moderate to severe cannabis use disorder seeking to minimize withdrawal symptoms related to cannabis discontinuation (N=234)." Specifically, "Findings from a phase 2b study showed participants treated with PP-01 had a statistically significant reduction in cannabis withdrawal symptoms compared with placebo." Of note, currently, there are no FDA-approved medications available for cannabis withdrawal or cannabis use disorder.Ernst, D. FDA Grants Fast Track Status to PP-01 for Cannabis Withdrawal Syndrome. Clinical pain Advisor Feb 20, 2025.
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