Cannabis Study House - NORML Weekly News in Audio 2006.9.28

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Weekly News in Audio

September 28, 2006

Study Finds No Casual Link Between Marijuana Use And Depression

Oral Pot Spray Aids Glaucoma Patients, Study Says

Canadian Parliament Cuts Medical Marijuana Research Funding

Baltimore, MD:
Study Finds No Casual Link Between Marijuana Use And Depression

Marijuana use by adults is not a statistically significant predictor of depression, according to the results of an ongoing longitudinal study to be published in the October issue of the journal Addiction.

Investigators at John Hopkins University in Baltimore and at the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Santa Monica assessed the association between self-reported marijuana use and current depression in 8,759 adults (age range 29-37 years) over a 17-year period. Investigators concluded, "After adjusting carefully for baseline differences between adults who subsequently use marijuana and those who abstain, the significant associations that are initially present between ongoing marijuana use and depression are substantially reduced, if not eliminated."

They added, "The findings reported in this paper suggest that the associations observed between marijuana use and subsequent depression status may be attributable not to continued marijuana use, per se, but to third (common) factors associated with both the decision to use marijuana and to depression."

A separate study co-authored by NORML Advisory Board Member Dr. Mitch Earleywine and published last year in the journal Addictive Behaviors determined that adults who use cannabis report suffering from less severe incidents and/or symptoms of depression than non-users.

"Despite comparable ranges of scores on all depression subscales, those [respondents] who used cannabis once per week or less had less depressed mood, more positive affect, and fewer somatic (physical) complaints than non-users," authors wrote. "These data suggest that adults apparently do not increase their risk for depression by using marijuana."

Commenting on the most recent study, Earleywine said, "This new data is actually markedly stronger than my earlier work because the investigators utilized a large, representative sample and conducted long-term follow up research. If marijuana use caused depression, this design model would have revealed it by showing the development of symptoms in users. There's simply no support for the idea."

Oxford, United Kingdom:
Oral Pot Spray Aids Glaucoma Patients, Study Says

The oromucosal administration of natural THC extracts temporarily reduces ocular hypertension in glaucoma patients, according to the findings of a pilot study to be published in the October issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Six patients diagnosed with ocular hypertension or early primary open angle glaucoma participated in the randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Investigators measured the impact of THC, CBD (cannabidiol), or placebo on patients' intraocular pressure (IOP) following single dose administration. Elevated IOP can cause damage to the optic nerve and is considered to be a leading risk factor for glaucoma.

"Two hours after sublingual administration of 5 mg [of] delta-9-THC, [patients'] IOP was significantly lower than after placebo," investigators found. "[Patients'] IOP returned to baseline level after the 4-hour IOP measurement."

Investigators further reported that a single dosage of CBD had no impact on IOP in low doses (20 mg) while elevating patients' IOP at high doses (40 mg).

Clinical trials performed at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1971 first reported that inhaled cannabis temporarily reduces ocular tension.

An estimated three million Americans suffer from glaucoma, which leads to blindness if left untreated.

Ottawa, Ontario:
Canadian Parliament Cuts Medical Marijuana Research Funding

Federal funding that had been earmarked to pay for clinical research on the therapeutic use of cannabis will no longer be available to investigators, under budget cuts announced this week by Canadian government officials.

The $7.5 million dollar Medical Marijuana Research Program (MMRP) , initially established in 1999, was axed as part of a government proposal to eliminate $2 billion in federal programs. A separate Health Canada program that oversees the production and distribution of medical cannabis to federally authorized patients will remain in place, at least temporarily, despite the cuts. Fewer than 300 Canadian patients are estimated to use cannabis provided by Health Canada due to its reportedly poor quality.

Despite earmarking funding for cannabis research, only one clinical trial investigating marijuana's therapeutic potential was ever approved by Canadian health regulators. That study, which seeks to assess the safety and efficacy of smoked cannabis in chronic pain patients, remains ongoing.

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