The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids
The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-03-31

Total Pages: 487

ISBN-13: 0309453070

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Significant changes have taken place in the policy landscape surrounding cannabis legalization, production, and use. During the past 20 years, 25 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis and/or cannabidiol (a component of cannabis) for medical conditions or retail sales at the state level and 4 states have legalized both the medical and recreational use of cannabis. These landmark changes in policy have impacted cannabis use patterns and perceived levels of risk. However, despite this changing landscape, evidence regarding the short- and long-term health effects of cannabis use remains elusive. While a myriad of studies have examined cannabis use in all its various forms, often these research conclusions are not appropriately synthesized, translated for, or communicated to policy makers, health care providers, state health officials, or other stakeholders who have been charged with influencing and enacting policies, procedures, and laws related to cannabis use. Unlike other controlled substances such as alcohol or tobacco, no accepted standards for safe use or appropriate dose are available to help guide individuals as they make choices regarding the issues of if, when, where, and how to use cannabis safely and, in regard to therapeutic uses, effectively. Shifting public sentiment, conflicting and impeded scientific research, and legislative battles have fueled the debate about what, if any, harms or benefits can be attributed to the use of cannabis or its derivatives, and this lack of aggregated knowledge has broad public health implications. The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids provides a comprehensive review of scientific evidence related to the health effects and potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis. This report provides a research agendaâ€"outlining gaps in current knowledge and opportunities for providing additional insight into these issuesâ€"that summarizes and prioritizes pressing research needs.

Marijuana As Medicine?
Marijuana As Medicine?

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2000-12-30

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 0309065313

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Some people suffer from chronic, debilitating disorders for which no conventional treatment brings relief. Can marijuana ease their symptoms? Would it be breaking the law to turn to marijuana as a medication? There are few sources of objective, scientifically sound advice for people in this situation. Most books about marijuana and medicine attempt to promote the views of advocates or opponents. To fill the gap between these extremes, authors Alison Mack and Janet Joy have extracted critical findings from a recent Institute of Medicine study on this important issue, interpreting them for a general audience. Marijuana As Medicine? provides patientsâ€"as well as the people who care for themâ€"with a foundation for making decisions about their own health care. This empowering volume examines several key points, including: Whether marijuana can relieve a variety of symptoms, including pain, muscle spasticity, nausea, and appetite loss. The dangers of smoking marijuana, as well as the effects of its active chemical components on the immune system and on psychological health. The potential use of marijuana-based medications on symptoms of AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and several other specific disorders, in comparison with existing treatments. Marijuana As Medicine? introduces readers to the active compounds in marijuana. These include the principal ingredient in Marinol, a legal medication. The authors also discuss the prospects for developing other drugs derived from marijuana's active ingredients. In addition to providing an up-to-date review of the science behind the medical marijuana debate, Mack and Joy also answer common questions about the legal status of marijuana, explaining the conflict between state and federal law regarding its medical use. Intended primarily as an aid to patients and caregivers, this book objectively presents critical information so that it can be used to make responsible health care decisions. Marijuana As Medicine? will also be a valuable resource for policymakers, health care providers, patient counselors, medical faculty and studentsâ€"in short, anyone who wants to learn more about this important issue.

Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis
Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis

Author: British Medical Association

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2020-08-17

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1000159655

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At the last Annual Representative Meeting of the British Medical Association a motion was passed that `certain additional cannabinoids should be legalized for wider medicinal use.'' This report supports this landmark statement by reviewing the scientific evidence for the therapeutic use of cannabinoids and sets the agenda for change. It will be welcomed by those who believe that cannabinoids can be used in medical treatment. The report discusses in a clear and readable form the use and adverse effects of the drug for nausea, multiple sclerosis, pain, epilepsy, glaucoma, and asthma.

Marijuana and Medicine
Marijuana and Medicine

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1999-07-10

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0309071550

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The medical use of marijuana is surrounded by a cloud of social, political, and religious controversy, which obscures the facts that should be considered in the debate. This book summarizes what we know about marijuana from evidence-based medicineâ€"the harm it may do and the relief it may bring to patients. The book helps the reader understand not only what science has to say about medical marijuana but also the logic behind the scientific conclusions. Marijuana and Medicine addresses the science base and the therapeutic effects of marijuana use for medical conditions such as glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. It covers marijuana's mechanism of action, acute and chronic effects on health and behavior, potential adverse effects, efficacy of different delivery systems, analysis of the data about marijuana as a gateway drug, and the prospects for developing cannabinoid drugs. The book evaluates how well marijuana meets accepted standards for medicine and considers the conclusions of other blue-ribbon panels. Full of useful facts, this volume will be important to anyone interested in informed debate about the medical use of marijuana: advocates and opponents as well as policymakers, regulators, and health care providers.

Marijuana and Mental Health
Marijuana and Mental Health

Author: Michael T. Compton, M.D., M.P.H.

Publisher: American Psychiatric Pub

Published: 2016-03-18

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1615370080

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With relatable clinical vignettes that illustrate the applicability of each chapter’s content, as well as key chapter points that summarize major themes, Marijuana and Mental Health is the definitive, single source of comprehensive information on marijuana and mental health in modern American society. Balanced, focused, and highly readable, chapters address topics such as the effects of marijuana on the brain and mind, marijuana-related policy and legislation, the complex link between marijuana use and psychotic disorders, synthetic cannabinoids, and the treatment and prevention of marijuana misuse. Beyond offering clinical and research psychiatrists, psychiatric residents and fellows, clinical psychologists, and psychiatric nurses a comprehensive but concise compilation of research in this area, this reference informs clinical mental health practice as well as policy decisions by articulating the connection between marijuana and mental health, particularly in the United States.

Marijuana
Marijuana

Author: Kevin P Hill

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-03-31

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 1616495707

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The leading clinical expert on marijuana sifts through the myths about the drug to deliver an unbiased, comprehensive guide backed by scientific facts to give you the information you need to make informed decisions about marijuana. Marijuana--or weed, pot, grass, MJ, Mary Jane, reefer, cannabis, or hemp among dozens of other names--has a long, colorful history dating back more than 2,000 years as the one of the most sought-after mood-altering substances in the world. Societal opinion about the drug has dramatically swayed over the years, from viewing it as a grave danger to society in the 1930s film Reefer Madness, to a harmless recreational high in the ’60s, to an addictive substance and gateway to such “hard” drugs as heroin today. The myths and misinformation about marijuana have only multiplied over the years as the controversy over legalization and medical marijuana grows. A nationally recognized clinical expert and leading researcher on marijuana, Kevin P. Hill provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the drug in Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed. Through research-based historical, scientific, and medical information, Hill will help you sort through what you hear on the streets and in the media and cut straight to the facts. Whether you’re a parent concerned about your child’s use, someone with an illness considering medical marijuana as a treatment option, a user who has questions about its effect on your health, or if you’re just trying to make up your mind about legalization, this book will give you the most current and unbiased information you need to make informed decisions about marijuana.

The Health Effects of Cannabis
The Health Effects of Cannabis

Author: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Publisher:

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780888683250

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The Health Effects of Cannabis is a definitive reference text on the adverse, and also the potentially beneficial, effects of cannabis use. Internationally recognized experts in the field contribute a wealth of information about the use and effects of Canada's most widely used illicit drug. The Health Effects of Cannabis will be of interest to addiction medicine specialists, educators, researchers, health program managers and policy-makers, and anyone else who wants scientific information on cannabis and its effects. Topics include: the epidemiology of cannabis use and related problems the long-term central nervous system effects of cannabis mental and behavioural disorders caused by cannabis use cannabis and immunity cannabis use during pregnancy therapeutic uses of cannabis and cannabinoids the health and psychological effects of cannabis use the comparative risks of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and opioid use.

Tell Your Children
Tell Your Children

Author: Alex Berenson

Publisher: Free Press

Published: 2020-02-18

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1982103671

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In “a brilliant antidote to all the…false narratives about pot” (American Thinker), an award-winning author and former New York Times reporter reveals the link between teenage marijuana use and mental illness, and a hidden epidemic of violence caused by the drug—facts the media have ignored as the United States rushes to legalize cannabis. Recreational marijuana is now legal in nine states. Advocates argue cannabis can help everyone from veterans to cancer sufferers. But legalization has been built on myths—that marijuana arrests fill prisons; that most doctors want to use cannabis as medicine; that it can somehow stem the opiate epidemic; that it is beneficial for mental health. In this meticulously reported book, Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, explodes those myths, explaining that almost no one is in prison for marijuana; a tiny fraction of doctors write most authorizations for medical marijuana, mostly for people who have already used; and marijuana use is linked to opiate and cocaine use. Most of all, THC—the chemical in marijuana responsible for the drug’s high—can cause psychotic episodes. “Alex Berenson has a reporter’s tenacity, a novelist’s imagination, and an outsider’s knack for asking intemperate questions” (Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker), as he ranges from the London institute that is home to the scientists who helped prove the cannabis-psychosis link to the Colorado prison where a man now serves a thirty-year sentence after eating a THC-laced candy bar and killing his wife. He sticks to the facts, and they are devastating. With the US already gripped by one drug epidemic, Tell Your Children is a “well-written treatise” (Publishers Weekly) that “takes a sledgehammer to the promised benefits of marijuana legalization, and cannabis enthusiasts are not going to like it one bit” (Mother Jones).

The Complex Connection between Cannabis and Schizophrenia
The Complex Connection between Cannabis and Schizophrenia

Author: Michael T. Compton

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2017-08-25

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 0128051833

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The Complex Connection between Cannabis and Schizophrenia provides an in-depth overview of the current state of research into the role that cannabis plays in schizophrenia, covering both the pathophysiological and the pharmacological implications. It addresses the epidemiology of cannabis use and the risks associated with its use, the biological aspects of the drug, its effects on the brain and the pharmacological possibilities of using cannabidiol to treat schizophrenia. It is the only book on the market devoted exclusively to examining the links between this very commonly used (and misused) drug and a specific set of devastating psychiatric illnesses, providing a comprehensive guide to our current understandings of this relationship. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug globally, and is becoming increasingly decriminalized and even legalized worldwide. Among the numerous mental-health concerns related to the drug, there is mounting evidence of an intricate link between cannabis use and schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. At the same time, there is promising evidence to suggest that cannabidiol, one of the many compounds found in cannabis that activates the brain's cannabinoid receptors, could prove to be an effective antipsychotic to treat schizophrenia. - Synthesizes existing knowledge about the confusing, but crucial, relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia symptoms - Provides a comprehensive overview of the neurobiological mechanisms of cannabis use and its effects on the brain, including an exploration of the endocannabinoid system - Examines the promising evidence suggesting cannabidiol as an effective antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia - Aids readers studying the neurobiological underpinning of cannabis addiction and psychosis in determining directions for their own future research

Health and Social Effects of Nonmedical Cannabis Use (The)
Health and Social Effects of Nonmedical Cannabis Use (The)

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2016-03-15

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13: 9241510242

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Cannabis is globally the most commonly used psychoactive substance under international control. In 2013 an estimated 181.8 million people aged 15-64 years used cannabis for nonmedical purposes globally (UNODC 2015). There is an increasing demand for treatment for cannabis-use disorders and associated health conditions in high- and middle-income countries. This report focuses on nonmedical use of cannabis building on contributions from a broad range of experts and researchers from different parts of the world. It aims to present current knowledge on the impact of nonmedical cannabis use on health from its impact on brain development to its role in respiratory diseases. The potential medical utility of cannabis - including the pharmacology toxicology and possible therapeutic applications of the cannabis plant - is outside the scope of this report.