cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Appears to Benefit Mental Health: Study
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Marijuana Appears to Benefit Mental Health: Study
Posted by CN Staff on November 16, 2016 at 13:16:43 PT
By Alexandra Sifferlin
Source: Time
USA -- Legal access to marijuana, medicinal or otherwise, is growing. In 2016, four states approved recreational use of the drug and four states passed laws related to medical-cannabis access, bringing the total number of states that allow some form of legal marijuana use to 28.Scientists know that marijuana contains more than 100 compounds, called cannabinoids, that have biological effects on the body. Mdically, cannabis can be prescribed for physical ailments like arthritis and cancer symptoms as well as mental health issues like PTSD, depression and anxiety. Still, the role marijuana can play in medicine remains murky. The dearth of research is in large part due to the fact that most studies have focused on illicit use of marijuana rather than its therapeutic potential, and because it’s classified as a schedule 1 drug, making it nearly impossible to study.
Looking for answers about marijuana’s potential mental health benefits, a team of researchers in Canada and the U.S. recently conducted a review of the science. In their report, published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review, researchers found evidence that cannabis can likely benefit people dealing with depression, social anxiety and PTSD, though it may not be ideal for people with bipolar disorder, for instance, for which there appears to be more negative side effects than positive ones. “This is a substance that has potential use for mental health,” says Zach Walsh, an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. “We should be looking at it in the same way [as other drugs] and be holding it up to the same standard.”Though more research is needed, studies also suggested that cannabis may have a place in dealing with addiction. “We are really excited about the potential substitution effect,” says study author Zach Walsh, an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. “If people use cannabis as a replacement for opioid medications, or to get off of opioids or cut back, we could see some pretty dramatic public health benefits. The level of opioid overdoses is so high right now.”There’s evidence to support that potential. Another unrelated study suggested that pot may even have a place in curbing the opioid epidemic. And yet marijuana can be notoriously hard to study in the U.S. because it’s classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which means it has a high potential for abuse. Many scientists and medical professionals think the classification hampers research, and that marijuana’s medical potential merits further exploration. More studies, research advocates argue, would also help eliminate stigma associated with the drug, paving the way for more and better studies.“I think people will derive more benefit if they can speak more openly with providers about whether they are using cannabis and why,” says Walsh.Walsh is a lead investigator on a clinical trial of cannabis that is being funded by a medical cannabis producer called Tilray. Another researcher on the study has been a consultant for other medical cannabis producers. When asked if this represents a conflict of interest, Walsh points out that funding for marijuana-related research is hard to come by. “I think we are entering a different world,” he says, “but for now a lot of the research, at least in Canada, is funded by the producers.”Like any drug, pot can have side effects, and Walsh and other researchers argue that for now, all aspects of cannabis need to be further explored, both benefits and potential harms.Source: Time Magazine (US)Author: Alexandra Sifferlin Published: November 16, 2016Copyright: 2016 Time Inc.Contact: letters time.comWebsite: http://www.time.com/time/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/GzAOHfxPCannabisNews  -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #9 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 18, 2016 at 09:53:53 PT
Expectations
I don't expect the republicans to do anything progressive, if anything, based on history, policy will go backwards. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by runruff on November 18, 2016 at 07:56:29 PT
" This is your brain...
...this is your brain on drugs!"-Remember?
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by FoM on November 18, 2016 at 05:15:56 PT
Hope
I try to remember that Trump was a Democrat longer then a Republican so I hope some sense is still in his head.
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Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on November 17, 2016 at 21:32:54 PT
Anslinger
the CBS article leaves out this one critical piece of information (from wikipedia):>> Anslinger was appointed by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew W. Mellon, his wife's uncle.
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Comment #5 posted by Hope on November 17, 2016 at 21:11:50 PT
No, I have not forgotten
that some of Trump's biggest supporters are people that really love the war on the Americans that dare to disobey an unjust law. The Semblers are just part of it.I doubt he has the nerve to go up against people like them, even if he wasn't one of them. I really fear he may be one of them, though.If he was telling the truth back when he spoke of people that he knew of that had been helped by cannabis... marijuana, maybe there is a bit of reason to hope. That and the recent cannabis votes all over the country.
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Comment #4 posted by Hope on November 17, 2016 at 20:18:29 PT
FoM
I hope all our people at Drugsense, MPP, NORML, and whoever else, can see that President elect Trump is informed of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The story of Billie Holiday is so tragic... as have been so many others. The injustice. The demonization. The humiliation, ruin, and deaths. Something has to give. Surely they just can't keep doing these terrible things to people in the name of a lie... the so called war on drugs.Articles like this might help him actually learn the truth, if he doesn't know much about all this. Maybe Donald Trump has the sheer nerve to end this macabre debacle. Maybe not.
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 17, 2016 at 17:58:56 PT
CBS News: The Man Behind the Marijuana Ban
The Man Behind the Marijuana Ban for All The Wrong ReasonsUrl: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/harry-anslinger-the-man-behind-the-marijuana-ban/
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Comment #2 posted by The GCW on November 16, 2016 at 16:56:46 PT
The next frontier
Jake Plummer auctioning off Broncos game-day experiences to raise money for cannabinoid research(for NFL use regarding concussions etc. -that's mental health...)http://www.denverpost.com/2016/11/16/jake-plummer-raising-money-cannabinoid-research/This is a potential break through next direction. And it's getting more attention lately. Vague with numbers but like 27 teams are in legal cannabis locations and 7 are not... 
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on November 16, 2016 at 15:08:36 PT
High potential for federal government abuse! 
"it’s classified as a Schedule 1 drug, which means it has a high potential for abuse"High potential for federal government abuse! -that is.-0-Remember about 10 or 15 years ago, cannabis helped D.C. citizens escape crack?
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