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Published: 01 November 2023

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Associations between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and affective psychiatric illnesses are understudied. Researchers analyzed registry data from Danish persons ≥16 years old between 1995 and 2021 to examine the associations between CUD diagnosis and subsequent diagnoses of major depressive disorder (unipolar depression) and bipolar disorder, including psychotic and non-psychotic subtypes of each illness.

• Of the 6,651,765 persons (50 percent female) analyzed, 1 percent (n=60,696) were diagnosed with CUD and 4 percent (n=260,746) were diagnosed with an affective disorder over the study period.
• There was an increased risk of developing both psychotic depression (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.97) and nonpsychotic depression (aHR, 1.83) among persons with CUD compared with those without CUD.
• There was an increased risk of developing psychotic bipolar disorder (aHR, 4.05) and nonpsychotic bipolar disorder (aHR, 2.96 for men; aHR, 2.60 for women) among persons with CUD compared with those without CUD.
• Risk of developing an affective illness was highest within the first 6 months of CUD diagnosis for both unipolar depression and bipolar disorder, but the risk of developing either affective illness disorder remained elevated for 10 years following CUD diagnosis.

Comments: These data suggest that CUD is associated with an increased risk of developing both psychotic and nonpsychotic major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, although a causal link has not been established. As cannabis use and CUD become increasingly prevalent, clinicians should be aware that patients with CUD may have higher likelihood of developing affective illnesses.

Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence (bu.edu)

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Published: 01 November 2023

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Cannabis Use Need Not Meet Criteria for Use Disorder to Be Harmful to Adolescents

Cannabis use can affect memory, motivation, attention, and mental health. Adolescents are particularly susceptible to its effects due to critical brain development during this developmental stage. As more US states legalize cannabis, adolescents are increasingly perceiving it to be safe, compared with a decade ago. This study used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to investigate the association of both cannabis use disorder (CUD) and non-disordered cannabis use (NDCU)* with adverse psychological events among US adolescents.

• NDCU was found to be 4 times more prevalent than CUD. Youth with NDCU averaged meeting 0.5 DSM-5 CUD criteria, while those with CUD met an average of 3.5 criteria.
• Both NDSU and CUD were associated with poor mental health, but the difference between the two was not significant.
• NDCU was associated with difficulty concentrating (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.8) and truancy (aOR, 2.4), compared with non-use; the odds were greater for those with CUD (aOR, 2.4 and 3.0, respectively).
• NDCU was also associated with past-year arrests (aOR, 4.2) and the association was stronger among those with CUD (aOR, 10.5); both NDCU and CUD were associated with aggression when compared with non-use.

* CUD defined as meeting DSM-5 CUD criteria; NDCU defined as recent cannabis use that does not meet criteria for CUD.

Comments: This study suggests that cannabis use is potentially harmful for all adolescents, even when it does not meet criteria for a use disorder. This reinforces the importance of screening all adolescents for cannabis use. All cannabis use in adolescence should be taken seriously, particularly in this time of increasing legalization in the US, where attitudes towards cannabis use are becoming more positive and availability has increased.

(Source )

Also see All Young Cannabis Users Face Psychosis Risk

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Published: 01 November 2023

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Published: October 18, 202 3DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2023.10.009

Highlights

• CBD products may have varying amounts of CBD, varying from none to much more than advertised.
• CBD products may contain other chemicals than CBD, some of which may be harmful.
• 16 RCTs for pain used pharmaceutical CBD in oral, buccal/sublingual, and topical forms.
• 15 of the 16 RCTs were negative: no greater pain-relieving effect for CBD than for placebo.
• Meta-analyses link CBD to increased rates serious adverse events and hepatotoxicity.

 Small clinical trials using verified CBD suggest the drug to be largely benign; while large scale evidence of safety is lacking there is growing evidence linking CBD to increased rates of serious adverse events and hepatotoxicity.

There is no good reason for thinking that CBD relieves pain, but there are good reasons for doubting the contents of CBD products in terms of CBD content and purity.

(for complete research The Journal of Pain – (US Association for Study of Pain, USASP)

Also see 

• Concerns About CBD
• Only Three Cannabinoid Based Medicines Have FDA approval HHC is not one of them. 

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Published: 25 October 2023

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Team of researchers urges further study and evaluation of standards for medical use.

Date: October 20, 2023 Source: University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture

Summary: Cannabis use, even for medical purposes, could make some people sick due to harmful fungi that contaminate the plants. That is the finding of a recently published peer-reviewed journal article, whose authors recommend further study and consideration of changes to regulations to protect consumers, especially those who are immunocompromised. They examined data, previous studies, and U.S. and international regulations related to the cannabis and hemp industry. 

Cannabis research has mostly focused on the substance and medical uses of the plant, but with the increased legalization of cannabis for various uses, this article addresses the need for more study of potential health risks.

"Although fungi and mycotoxins are common and well-studied contaminants in many agricultural crop species, they have been generally under-studied in cannabis and hemp. This is partly because human health risk assessment methodologies used to regulate food and pharmaceuticals have yet to become standard for the emerging cannabis and hemp industries. Additionally, the wide range of consumer uses of cannabis and hemp flowers, including for medical use by patients with susceptible conditions, makes it uniquely challenging to assess and manage human health risk of these contaminants".

(For complete research ScienceDaily)