Ireland’s Health Research Board (HRB) has published the findings from its review of evidence for the safety and efficacy of prescribed medicinal cannabis. The report, which was published on Tuesday 23 January, found evidence to support the use of prescribed medicinal cannabis for certain conditions for [...]

Via Business of Cannabis Australia and New Zealand are undergoing contrasting reforms in their medical cannabis regulations. New Zealand aims to lower product quality standards for domestic producers to facilitate exports, while Australia seeks to elevate standards for international producers to ease imports. According to Prohibition [...]

Researchers at LVR University Hospital Essen in Germany have announced the results of a new study on the efficacy of medical cannabis in treating chronic depression. According to the findings, patients showed significant improvement with the reported severity rate of their depression reduced significantly, with no [...]

New UK research is said to lay the foundations for further exploration of cannabis as a potential treatment for Long COVID. Researchers at Drug Science have published the findings from a world-first trial examining the potential of cannabis to manage the debilitating symptoms of Long Covid. [...]

It is a well-known fact that cannabis can cause the ‘munchies’ but now researchers have revealed why that is—potentially paving the way for new treatments for appetite disorders.  Scientists at Washington State University, have discovered a mechanism in the brain that promotes appetite in a set [...]

Via Business of Cannabis Last week the Czech government published a draft version of its highly anticipated cannabis regulation bill, sparking outrage due to the apparent omission of plans for a full commercial market. With much of the European cannabis industry still reeling from Germany’s decision [...]

Federal health officials in the US have acknowledged the ‘accepted medical use’ of cannabis for the first time, in documents confirming a recommendation that it be reclassified as a lower risk drug.  The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released documents which confirm [...]

The legalisation of adult-use cannabis in Canada is not linked to increased rates of psychosis in the short-term, new research shows, but longer studies are needed.  A new study has found that following the legalisation of adult-use cannabis in Canada, there was no short-term increase in [...]

German associations have called for wider reforms to medical cannabis regulations to ‘reduce bureaucracy’ and open up access for patients.  In July 2023, Germany’s federal government commissioned the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) – the body responsible for determining which medical treatments are covered by the country’s [...]

Consuming cannabis before a workout can boost motivation and make exercise more enjoyable, a new study has shown. The first ever study to examine how legal, commercially available cannabis shapes how exercise feels was published  in the journal Sports Medicine, in December 2023. The study, looking [...]

Via Business of Cannabis As Spain emerges from months of political deadlock, its newly formed government has at last made a meaningful commitment to break the country’s medical cannabis deadlock in turn. Though his newly formed government has been hard won, sparking both protests in the [...]

From major regulatory developments to new advances in cannabis healthcare and gradual shifts in opinion, there is plenty to be optimistic about in the year ahead.  With the help of some experts, we’ve pieced together our predictions and reasons to be hopeful for cannabis reform in [...]

A recent study highlights how medical cannabis has a broader and more ‘holistic effect’ on pain relief than opioid medications.  Previous research has suggested that medical cannabis works as a tool for pain relief by altering the patient’s experience of pain, instead of only targeting pain [...]

One of the UK’s major medical cannabis providers, Sapphire Clinics, is to rebrand as Curaleaf Clinic in the new year.  Sapphire was the first medical cannabis clinic to open in the UK in July 2019, and later joined the Curaleaf family in January 2022 as a [...]

New findings from the UK link medical cannabis treatment to improvements in quality of life among ADHD patients. A new study using data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry suggest that patients prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBPMs) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) showed improvements in sleep, anxiety [...]

Drug Science’s medical cannabis study, T21, will continue for a fifth year with three new industry partners on board. Launched in 2019 by the UK’s independent body on drugs, T21 (formerly Project Twenty21) aims to build the evidence base for the safety and efficacy of Cannabis [...]

Via Newsweed  Maltese officials have approved three new cannabis clubs as the country’s first harm reduction training sessions took place last month. Malta’s Responsible Cannabis Use Authority (CURA) has issued three new licences to Cannabis Harm Reduction Associations (CHRAs).  This brings the total to five clubs [...]

Greek MEP, Stelios Kouloglou, has appealed to the European Commission (EC) to address the lack of legislative framework for medicinal cannabis that has left patients relying on the illegal market.  Despite being one of the first European countries to legalise medicinal cannabis in 2017, the current [...]

More older Americans consume cannabis now than before the pandemic, according to a new study, prompting calls for more open communication with healthcare providers. Data from the National Poll on Healthy Aging, which is run by University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, shows [...]

A new study suggests that cannabis, when used as prescribed to manage a chronic health condition, does not negatively impact cognitive function. These new findings are said to contribute a vital piece to the puzzle in assessing the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis treatment, especially [...]

Via Business of Cannabis  Ukraine’s bid to legalise medical cannabis appeared to be on the cusp of a significant breakthrough this week, but defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory and the bill has now been effectively ‘blocked’. Despite widespread support throughout the country, including [...]

Cannabis is perceived to be more ‘advantageous’ than conventional sleep aids, with many consumers ditching them altogether, a new study has found.  Most people who reported using cannabis to get a good night’s rest in a recent study have quit using over the counter or prescription [...]

In a new extract from the Principles of Cannabinology Handbook, Viola Brugnatelli and Fabio Turco, explore the evidence for, and against, the use of medicinal cannabis in diabetes management. Diabetes is a complex and pervasive condition characterized by hyperglycemia, or elevated blood glucose levels. There are [...]

Via Business of Cannabis Japan, one of the world’s strictest and most hostile countries in regard to cannabis, recently took a major step towards reform, potentially providing a major boom for the country’s CBD industry and opening the door for the establishment of a medical cannabis [...]

A new study has found that regular cannabis consumers demonstrate a greater empathy towards others, highlighting a new pathway of therapeutic potential. In the study, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience Research, psychological assessments indicated that people who regularly use cannabis tend to have [...]

While the UK medicinal cannabis market shows evidence of a promising future for healthcare and the economy, it is still in its infancy when compared with other countries.  James Leavesley, chief operating officer and Brady Green, head grower at Midlands-based cultivator Dalgety, discuss how these other markets [...]

As the world of Medical Cannabis continues to unfold, shedding light on its diverse therapeutic applications, there’s one area that deserves a closer look – cardiovascular diseases. In this article, we explore the pages of The Handbook Principle of Cannabinology by Viola Brugnatelli and Fabio Turco, [...]

The first Jersey-grown, non-irradiated, medicinal cannabis product is to be available on prescription for UK patients this month. In what marks a new milestone for the European cannabis sector, medical cannabis company KHIRON Europe, will bring the first cannabis-based medicine produced on the island of Jersey [...]

Via Business of Cannabis  Following months of uncertainty and doubt, thousands of medical cannabis patients in France can now breathe a sigh of relief after the government finally confirmed that access to their treatment will continue. On Monday, October 23, the government tabled an amendment to [...]

CBD Calm explores why choosing a product that contains additional terpenes may offer a broad spectrum of potential benefits.  CBD Calm specialises in creating pure-strength CBD products that consumers can really benefit from. Each product is expertly crafted in-house by their pharmaceutical scientists to ensure purity, [...]

Europe’s first legal cannabis dispensaries are expected to be open by the end of the year as Switzerland launches a sixth adult-use pilot project. The Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health Research (ISGF) and Sanity Group have received the final approval from the Federal Office of [...]

Via Cannareporter  Malta’s chairman of the Authority for Responsible Use of Cannabis (ARUC), Leonid McKay, has announced that country’s the first two cannabis association licences have been granted.  The first operational authorisations to cultivate cannabis and act in the context of reducing harm related to adult-use [...]

The government has accepted recommendations for permitted levels of controlled cannabinoids in CBD products, in a step towards establishing the first legal framework for the industry.  The UK Home Office this week accepted recommendations from the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) regarding the [...]

The Australian state of Victoria has introduced new legislation to support a world-leading trial assessing the effects of medicinal cannabis on driving.  The Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 will enable the government to run a closed-circuit trial to investigate if there are conditions under which individuals [...]

The UK Home Office has backed proposals to allow cannabis-based medicines to be prescribed electronically.  The Minister for Crime and Policing, Chris Philp MP, has accepted advice from the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on NHS England’s proposals to allow the e-prescribing of [...]

In the second extract from the Principles of Cannabinology Handbook, Viola Brugnatelli and Fabio Turco, explore how medicinal cannabis may offer new hope for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The medical use of cannabis and its derivatives among the elderly has seen a remarkable 300% increase in [...]