AI Discovers Terpenes Drive Cannabis Pain Relief, Not Just THC
A recent study found that medical cannabis does actually reduce pain—and that the combination of chemicals is more critical than THC or CBD separately.
Scientists studied 329 patients who had used controlled cannabis and discovered ~200 cannabinoids and terpenes in the strains that they actually used.
Models that took chemical composition into account were substantially more accurate at predicting pain relief than those relying on patient demographics alone. Since patients were blinded to the specific chemicals they received, this improved the accuracy of the study, meaning findings cannot be attributed to placebo effects.
Importantly, terpenes such as α-bisabolol and eucalyptol predicted therapeutic outcomes more accurately than THC or CBD alone, supporting the entourage effect hypothesis.
Published in Communications Medicine on July 16, 2025, the study recommends that cannabis labeling and prescribing goes beyond THC and CBD percentages to include standardized terpene analytics, helping clinicians identify optimal strains for their patients
The study has some limitations, including a brief one-month follow-up period and reliance on patient-reported pain scores. However, it provides the strongest evidence to date that chemical profiles can predict treatment outcomes in real patients.
For cannabis producers, the message is simple: grow to target specific cannabinoid and terpene profiles, not to a single molecule.
Patients can expect future clinical guidance to recommend specific terpene profiles tailored to conditions like neuropathic and inflammatory pain, marking a transition from the current focus on THC strength to true precision plant medicine.
Source: marijuanamoment.net
UK Medical Cannabis Acceptance Surges for Pain, Women’s Health
A recent poll of 500 NHS doctors reflects changing public opinion: 87% of those asked report they’d be pleased to prescribe medical cannabis for chronic pain if it’s put on the standard list of NHS options, and 80% of GPs want to consider it in women’s health conditions like endometriosis, PMDD and symptoms of the menopause.
Three-quarters assert treatments for chronic persistent pain have concerning long-term side effects, and two-thirds of respondents say pain patients overwhelm weekly cases—making a diversification of treatment options essential.
The Alternaleaf survey, reported on by Cannabis Health News on August 14, 2025, also shows the access gap: private prescriptions have increased dramatically year-over-year but access through the NHS is “virtually non-existent.”
The physicians polled in the article demand improved training, tougher guidelines, and more research—particularly in the under-served area of women’s health care, where the patient must wait four weeks and undergo trial-and-error pharmacotherapy.
Caveat: commissioned, not peer-review, and little detail on methodology. But the message is clear—front-line physicians are welcoming, especially in places where alternative choices are limited or poorly tolerated.
Source: cannabishealthnews.co.uk
Canada Powers Germany’s Growth, But Tighter Rules Loom
Germany imported 43,257 kg of medical cannabis during Q2 2025, and Canada provided 20,107 kg—half as much—according to recent figures collected by StratCann (Aug 7, 2025).
Portugal came in at second (13,465 kg), frequently serving as an EU production center.
The market remains robust despite Berlin considering legislation that would ban tele-authentications and mail-order cannabis shipments from pharmacies—reforms that industry stakeholders warn could disadvantage patients living far from dispensaries and push others toward illicit channels.
For Canadian exporters, German demand is a lifeline: premiums, good quality specs, and pharmacy distribution.
At the same time, German companies are slowly ramping up local production. When regulators restrict online sales, imports will decline—but for now, Germany’s medical market remains the top overseas destination for high-quality cannabis flower and products.
For medical cannabis users, establishing diversified supply chains across Denmark, Portugal, and Canada provides policy risk mitigation while preserving continuity of care.
Source: stratcann.com
Cannabis May Keep Aging Brains ‘Younger,’ Study Suggests
A large preprint (currently under review) of UK Biobank neuro-imaging and cognition has discovered that there are patterns of functional connectivity in cannabis users typical of younger brains and better performance on a set of tests of cognition.
Using a completely automated, whole-brain network method in tens of thousands of participants, the researchers establish shared neural signatures for cannabis use and heightened cognition—between subcortical and cerebellar regions and sensorimotor and visual networks, respectively—correlated with a seemingly slowed neural aging.
Brain connectivity patterns linked to cannabis use were moderately to strongly associated with cognitive performance.
The researchers acknowledge several limitations, including the observational study design, dependence on self-reported cannabis use, and potential confounding factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and other health conditions.
Because it is a preprint, the findings have had no peer review and should be considered with caution—but the sample size and methodology make it a compelling addition to the “cannabis and aging” literature.
If replicable, subsequent trials can investigate the possibility that specific cannabinoid profiles or dosing regimens optimally enhance brain function in mid to late life.
Source: researchsquare.com
Government Study Links Cannabis to Better Cognitive Abilities
A Nature Portfolio preprint examining 37,929 UK adults aged 44–81 found that cannabis users outperformed non-users on multiple cognitive measures and showed brain network structures similar to younger adults.
Researchers—Georgia Tech, Emory, Georgia State, University of Colorado, UCAS and others—suggest successful neuro protective action of cannabinoids in aging, with enhanced balance of segregation and integration of function among networks.
Even though causality hasn’t been established, the combination of behavior and imaging in an extremely large group makes this a probable milestone in the literature—particularly as the user group of cannabinoids that’s growing the quickest is the elderly population.
As with any research finding, these results require peer review, replication, and careful control of confounding variables before broader conclusions can be drawn. The potential benefits may not extend to heavy or early cannabis use, and effects could differ significantly in younger populations.
Yet just as with earlier research that found little acute cognitive damage with medically authorized cannabis in patients, conclusions push the risk-benefit discussion into the realm of subtlety, not panic.
Source: marijuanamoment.net