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Published: 05 July 2019

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Earlier this year, our laboratory published work demonstrating that rats whose mothers were given low-dose THC (or an analogous synthetic cannabinoid) while pregnant showed significant changes in synaptic plasticity and altered levels of several important proteins lasting well into adulthood. We found that the consequences of these changes manifested as a reduced sociability in the exposed offspring. Male rats in particular were much less likely to approach, play with, or sniff other rats.⁴

These findings parallel sociobehavioral changes seen in young adult humans exposed to cannabis during gestation. And scientists are now linking those effects to changes in the brain that are similar to what we observed in rats. Using functional MRI technology, for example, researchers participating in the Ottawa Prenatal Prospective Study observed a reduction in activity in the prefrontal cortices of adult offspring of mothers who smoked marijuana during pregnancy. This drop was associated with decreased working memory, echoing the attentional problems and memory dysfunction seen as early as infancy.⁵

Cannabis is also likely to affect the amygdala, which is critical for emotional development. In 2004, Yasmin Hurd of the Karolinska Institute and colleagues identified a significant reduction in dopamine D2 receptor mRNA in the amygdalae of fetal brains that correlated with the reported quantity of cannabis consumed by their mothers.⁶ (The fetuses were all between 18 and 22 weeks of gestation and donated by women who underwent voluntary abortions.) Given the known role of amygdala dopamine signaling in the regulation of mood and emotion, these findings could explain the increased depressive-like symptoms observed in children following cannabis exposure in utero, as well as these kids’ propensity towards inattention and impulsivity.

The problem of infant cannabis exposure extends well beyond pregnancy. THC and its lipophilic cannabinoid analogs are readily transferred through breast milk of humans and other mammals, and animal studies have pointed to these compounds’ influence on development throughout the pre-weaning period. Worse yet, given that these cannabinoids linger in the body for weeks, the “pump-and-dump” approach often employed to avoid feeding alcohol-laden milk to an infant isn’t as effective for cannabis users—a Friday night joint can continue to deliver active cannabinoids through breast milk throughout the weekend and into the next week.

For complete study and comprehensive analysis go to  THE SCIENTIST 2019 and Marijuana for Morning Sickness a Mistake!

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Published: 05 July 2019

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Conflict-related neural activations. Between-group t-map of conflict-related activations (voxel-wise cluster-defining threshold of p

The development of neural circuits in youth, at a particularly important time in their lives, can be heavily influenced by external factors—specifically the frequent and regular use of cannabis. A new study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) reports that alterations in cognitive control—an ensemble of processes by which the mind governs, regulates and guides behaviors, impulses, and decision-making based on goals are directly affected.

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Published: 04 July 2019

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Cannabis-induced psychosis has reached crisis levels, forcing the NHS [National Health Service] to open the first clinic specifically treating addicts of the mind-altering drug, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The clinic has been launched by a leading psychiatrist who warns that psychosis among users of skunk – a very strong strain of cannabis flooding the streets – has become ‘a crisis that we can simply no longer ignore’, with tens of thousands of people affected. 

Dr Di Forti, a consultant adult psychiatrist and lecturer at King’s College London, said she decided to launch the clinic after being overwhelmed by the number of psychosis patients with a history of cannabis use.

‘It became ridiculous how many psychosis patients were also cannabis smokers,’ she said.

‘It got to the point where two-thirds of my psychosis patients had a history of cannabis use.’

Talking about the former trainee teacher, Dr Di Forti said: ‘He has a degree and professional skills but because he’s stoned all day, he can’t even read a book at the moment. He was training to be a teacher before cannabis took over his life but right now his main goal is simply to be able to use his brain again.’

Calls for the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use have grown in the last year, helped by the Government permitting its limited use for medical treatment.

But Dr Di Forti warned against following the lead of Canada and the U.S. states of California and Colorado, where legalisation has seen usage increase.

‘My concern is that there is no way you can legalise recreational cannabis without cannabis use going up, as has happened in America, and there is a potential for a lot of people to come to harm,’ she said. 

Treatment comprises a mix of anti-psychotic medication, sessions with therapists, and motivational meetings to wean patients off cannabis.

Dr Di Forti said: ‘The problem has been that while you’re trying to do all these things to help patients with their psychotic episodes, they are smoking from half-an-hour after they wake up until just before they go to bed, so they’re basically stoned all the time.

‘Trying to reintegrate them by getting them to join a local football team or do an art class is very difficult. Often they will be so stoned that they will have no motivation to address their psychosis. That is something we have to work through.’

For complete article - The Mail on Sunday (UK), June 30, 2019

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Published: 02 July 2019

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April 9, 2019 -- When he arrived at the hospital by ambulance, the 70-year-old man said he felt like he was dying. He was pale, nauseated, and reported severe chest pain. "He had had hallucinations at home," says his doctor, Alexandra Saunders, MD, chief medical resident for Dalhousie University in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Soon, the medical team confirmed he’d had a heart attack.

He had eaten a marijuana-laced lollipop, given to him by a friend who thought it might help him sleep. "I don’t know if we can say it caused the heart attack,'' Saunders says, citing the patient's pre-existing heart disease. ''We don't have enough guidance to say what a safe dose would be."

Other health experts share her concern over CBD edibles, including chocolates, brownies and other baked goods, snacks, drinks, and even pizza.

The concern over marijuana edibles is from getting too much THC. In Colorado, where recreational use of marijuana is legal, researchers reviewed more than 2,500 cannabis-related emergency room visits from 2012 through 2016 and found that the percentage of visits was higher for inhaled cannabis, but that those using edibles were more likely to have psychiatric and cardiovascular problems.

Product labeling is an issue, too, for both hemp and marijuana CBD edibles, experts say. Consumers can't be sure that what the label lists is actually in the CBD edible. In a 2015 study, researchers evaluated 75 marijuana edibles and found only 17% accurately labeled.

Despite the popularity, neither type of CBD edible -- from hemp or marijuana -- is considered legal in the eyes of the federal government…the FDA says, it is not lawful to introduce food with added CBD or THC into interstate commerce, or to market the products either as dietary supplements or as an addition to them.

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For Vital juxtapose – Read The Bad Science of Medical Cannabis