University of Mississippi Launches Federally Backed Cannabis Research Center
The University of Mississippi has been selected to house the National Institutes of Health’s Resource Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research (R3CR), supported by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
This initiative marks a significant advancement in U.S. cannabis research capabilities.
The R3CR will address longstanding challenges in cannabis research by providing a centralized hub for scientists nationwide.
Ole Miss brings a strong foundation to this role, having maintained the nation’s only federally authorized cannabis cultivation program since 1968 through its National Center for Natural Products Research.
The center benefits from strategic partnerships with Washington State University, which contributes agricultural expertise, and the United States Pharmacopeia, which provides standardization knowledge.
This collaborative approach ensures comprehensive research capabilities.
Resources offered will include an interactive website, educational webinars, seed funding opportunities, and conferences to facilitate networking among researchers. These tools aim to stimulate innovative research and foster collaboration across disciplines.
The center’s primary mission is generating science-backed evidence on cannabis’s medicinal properties.
With increasing state-level legalization, rigorous research is essential to guide sound policy and healthcare decisions. The R3CR will help standardize research methodologies and materials to ensure consistency across studies.
This federal initiative signals an evolving stance toward cannabis research, potentially facilitating breakthroughs in understanding cannabinoids’ therapeutic applications for conditions ranging from chronic pain to epilepsy and beyond.
Source: Marijuana Moment
Vaporized CBD/THC Therapy Shows Promise for Multiple Sclerosis Patients
A six-month clinical study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine has demonstrated encouraging results for multiple sclerosis patients using vaporized CBD13/THC9 therapy.
The research involved 128 MS patients with limited response to conventional treatments, randomly assigned to receive either the cannabinoid formulation or a placebo.
Using standardized measurement tools including the Expanded Disability Status Scale and Modified Ashworth Scale, researchers documented a modest but statistically significant reduction in disability progression among the treatment group.
Notably, 73% of patients receiving cannabinoid therapy reported substantial improvements in muscle spasticity, and 68% experienced enhanced bladder function – both common quality-of-life concerns for MS patients.
The vaporized delivery method demonstrated advantages over oral administration, providing more consistent bioavailability and faster onset of action. This allowed patients to better manage acute symptom flares, particularly beneficial for those experiencing rapid symptom fluctuations.
Side effects were generally mild and transient, including dry mouth, dizziness, and mild cognitive effects during initial dose titration. No serious adverse events were attributed to the therapy during the study period.
While the treatment is considered complementary rather than replacement therapy, these findings contribute to growing evidence supporting cannabinoid use in MS management.
Further research is needed through larger, longer-duration studies to validate these results and explore optimal dosing strategies for different MS subtypes.
Source: MDPI
High CBD Usage Among Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain and Fibromyalgia
A study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada reveals that approximately two-thirds of women with concurrent chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia use cannabidiol (CBD) products to manage their symptoms.
This cross-sectional survey of 387 women across multiple Canadian pain clinics provides valuable insights into alternative pain management approaches.
Among CBD users surveyed, 78% reported moderate to significant pain relief, while 82% noted improved sleep quality.
Additional benefits included improvements in mood (71%), fatigue (69%), and overall quality of life (74%).
Perhaps most significantly, 43% of respondents reduced or eliminated higher-risk medications, including opioids (28%), benzodiazepines (19%), and gabapentinoids (17%).
The overlap of chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia creates a complex pain presentation often resistant to conventional treatments. These conditions represent significant treatment challenges in women’s health with limited effective interventions currently available.
The study highlighted concerning knowledge gaps, with only 31% of participants having discussed CBD use with healthcare providers.
Most obtained products through recreational cannabis stores (48%) or online retailers (37%) rather than medical channels, raising standardization and guidance concerns.
While self-reported benefits appear promising, controlled clinical trials are necessary to establish efficacy definitively.
Researchers are developing a randomized controlled trial to examine specific CBD formulations for this patient population under more rigorous experimental conditions.
Source: PubMed
No Increase in Traffic Accidents After Legalization in Canada
A comprehensive study analyzing emergency department data following Canada’s recreational cannabis legalization has found no statistically significant increase in motor vehicle accidents or pedestrian/cyclist injuries.
The research examined over 487,000 emergency department records from January 2016 through December 2020, establishing baseline accident rates and tracking changes through implementation and market maturation phases.
Emergency department visits for motor vehicle injuries remained statistically consistent post-legalization, with 18.7 visits per 100,000 population compared to the pre-legalization average of 19.1 per 100,000.
Researchers noted a significant decrease in traffic-related injuries during COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020, with rates remaining below post-legalization levels throughout the following year.
The findings suggest either that cannabis legalization hasn’t substantially increased impaired driving incidence or that compensatory behaviors effectively mitigated potential risks.
Public education campaigns and enforcement measures may have played preventative roles.
Demographic analysis found no significant changes in age or gender distribution of traffic accident victims after legalization.
Time-of-day patterns also remained consistent, with no increase in nighttime accidents potentially associated with recreational cannabis use.
These results align with similar findings from U.S. states with earlier recreational cannabis legalization, contributing to evidence that well-implemented legalization may not produce the traffic safety concerns anticipated by critics.
Source: Variance Journal
Cannabis Shows Potential in Cancer Treatment
Emerging research suggests cannabinoids may have anticancer properties, though scientists emphasize the preliminary nature of current findings.
Laboratory studies demonstrate that certain cannabinoids can induce programmed cell death in malignant cells, inhibit tumor blood vessel formation, and reduce metastatic spread.
Preclinical studies show particular promise for cannabinoids against glioblastoma, breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancer cell lines.
Research from Madrid Complutense University found THC decreased tumor growth in glioblastoma animal models by nearly 50% compared to controls, while CBD has demonstrated anti-proliferative effects against triple-negative breast cancer cells in laboratory settings.
Approximately 25% of cancer patients report using cannabis products, primarily for managing treatment side effects like nausea, pain, and appetite loss – applications with stronger evidence bases.
This symptom management role remains the most established medical use of cannabis in oncology.
The research community emphasizes the need for rigorous, large-scale clinical trials, which have been historically limited by regulatory hurdles but may benefit from recent policy changes.
Source: High and Polite