Scientists from the University of Kentucky (UK) are set to embark on a ground-breaking study which will explore the benefits of administering cannabis-based medicines to patients living with late-stage dementia. Care providers are restricted by the small number of treatment options available for controlling the symptoms [...]

A study has found that the structural difference in the brains of people who use drugs may be present before experimentation with substances, casting doubt on the contested gateway theory that soft drug experimentation leads to harder drug use. Scientists studied the brains of nearly 10,000 [...]

Smoking a single cigarette can take around 20 minutes off a person’s life, according to research commissioned by the Department of Health. In a report, published in the journal Addiction, researchers at University College London found that the average loss of life per cigarette smoked was [...]

A single 800mg dose of orally administered CBD can significantly reduce a subject’s cravings for alcohol, according to the results of a new study. Researchers from the Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine at the University of Heidelberg in Germany analysed how CBD impacts alcohol [...]

A new study has revealed that deaths caused by opioid overdose in the USA go down directly after the legalisation of recreational cannabis. The study also showed that states which changed their cannabis legislation earlier experienced an even greater decrease in deaths than others that did [...]

Data taken from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry has shown a positive association between cannabis and improved health-related quality of life for people who have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is an umbrella term for conditions that affect the stomach. Symptoms can range [...]

Data from a federally funded survey has found that cannabis use amongst teens in the USA is at its lowest since the first states began to legalise adult access to the drug in 2012. The annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey, which is supported by the [...]

A survey by Health Canada, the government body responsible for regulating the Canadian cannabis market, has shown that the number of people buying cannabis from illegal sources has dropped to just 3%.  The annual Canadian Cannabis Survey aims to give researchers important information about the way [...]

The United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for world leaders to treat drug use as a health issue after declaring that the “war on drugs has failed, completely and utterly”. Türk made the statement at the Dealing with Drugs II [...]

Teens who believe their parents use cannabis are more likely to hold favourable attitudes toward the drug and to consider trying it themselves, according to new research. The study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Child and Family Studies, also showed that the closeness of the [...]

A poll carried out for a UK-based think-tank has found that 66% of police officers believe that the use of cannabis is either ignored or dealt with so lightly that it is in effect ‘decriminalised’. The anti-drug, Tory-linked think tank The Centre for Social Justice commissioned [...]

Adolescents who use cannabis and report symptoms of psychosis may be self-medicating to alleviate those symptoms and the associated distress, according to the results of a new study. In the study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, researchers analysed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development [...]

Men with a lifetime history of cannabis use experience “significantly less cognitive decline” over their lifetimes compared to non-users, according to new research. The study, published by a team of Danish researchers in the journal Brain and Behaviour, assessed the relationship between cannabis use and age-related [...]

The UK Government has announced a series of reforms to hemp licencing, making it easier for farmers to grow the crop. At present, anyone landowner or farmer wishing to grow hemp has to apply for a licence, outlining the specific fields they wish to use for [...]

A study led by Imperial College London will investigate if there is a role for psilocybin in the treatment of opioid addiction. It is reportedly the first time research involving psilocybin-assisted therapy to treat substance addiction will be financially backed by the UK Government.  Despite the [...]

The NHS is not prescribing cannabis flower medication to any patients, including those with conditions such as epilepsy, chronic pain, and cancer, according to new research from the Cannabis Industry Council (CIC). Through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, the CIC asked 152 NHS Foundation Trusts [...]

A study into the ‘next day’ performance of people given an oil containing THC and CBD has found that cannabis has no significant impact on safety-sensitive tasks such as driving a vehicle. Cannabis, specifically the THC contained within, is well known to produce an effect on [...]

A parliamentary committee has recommended that cannabis should be partially legalised and accessed through social clubs in Ireland. The committee, set up to guide Ireland’s future drug legislation, said that personal possession of all drugs should be decriminalised and the country’s approach to drug use should [...]

Increasing access to medical cannabis on the NHS for chronic pain could save the state healthcare provider almost £4 billion annually, according to a new research study published by the Cannabis Industry Council (CIC). The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & [...]

A study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center (BMC) has found that cannabis use among young adults in the country of Georgia did not increase following legalisation. The use of cannabis was legalised for adults over the [...]

The Cannabis Industry Council (CIC) has published a good practice guide for prescription cannabis clinics in the UK. The guidance includes 10 principles of good practice and five specific policies for clinics to implement. The good practice guide encourages ethical and responsible operations, builds industry collaboration, [...]

A study, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, has found that the legalisation of cannabis is linked with higher levels of physical activity. In the study, researchers from Brigham Young University used data from the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to evaluate the association between [...]

A first-of-its-kind study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, has shown that the cessation of cigarette smoking can increase life expectancy, regardless of age.  In the study, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health analysed average death rates by age and [...]

A group of researchers from the Toronto Metropolitan University have conducted a study investigating the effect cannabis can have on a person’s experience of music.  The preprint study involved participants 104 participants and used questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Researchers concluded that people do enjoy music more when [...]

States in the US where cannabis is available legally see fewer prescriptions issued for benzodiazepines, research has shown. A study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that when cannabis is legally accessible, either on a medical prescription or via recreational outlets, there is a [...]

Regulating and legalising cannabis for adult use could net the UK Treasury between £3.3 billion pa and £9.5 billion per annum, according to a plan published by CLEAR. The plan, titled How To Regulate Cannabis in Britain is the third iteration of research conducted by CLEAR [...]

New medical cannabis patients experience rapid and meaningful improvements in their health-related quality of life, according to a study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research. Researchers from the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, USA assessed  438 patients who were new to using medical cannabis [...]

Adults who consumed cannabis for a year did not show any reduction in working memory, reward, and inhibitory control brain function, a study has shown. The federally funded research, published by the American Medical Association in the journal JAMA Network Open, involved 57 patients who had been [...]

A pilot cannabis legalisation trial in Zurich, Switzerland is producing positive results, according to a press release from the city’s Health and Environment Department. Residents of Zurich participating in the trial have been able to legally purchase cannabis flower and extracts containing THC from approved sources [...]

People who consume more foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, tea, red wine and dark chocolate, could lower their risk of dementia by 28%, a new study has found. The study, led by researchers at the Queen’s University Belfast and published in the journal JAMA [...]

The Ministry of Health in Poland has expressed support for the decriminalisation of up to 25 grams of cannabis and the cultivation of up to four plants at home, according to the cannabis activist organisation Wolne Konopie. The Wolne Konopie (Free Hemp) Association is a social initiative [...]

Psychedelic fungi containing psilocybin may have played a role in the development of human consciousness a scientific review has suggested. The study, published in the journal LILLOA, analysed multiple studies involving psilocybin, psilocin and human consciousness. Taking a multidisciplinary approach spanning studies from the fields of [...]

Classic psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin and ayahuasca could be effective as a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to two recently published studies. In the first open-label study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the National Institute [...]

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued a warning to travellers arriving into the UK from Thailand, Canada and the United States, after reporting a huge increase in arrests of people smuggling cannabis.  So far in 2024, the NCA has seized around 15 tonnes of cannabis, [...]

A study published in the journal ACS Pharmacology & Translation Science has shown that giving mice long-term, low doses of a key cannabis component can reduce the effects of ageing on the brain. In the study, researchers treated elderly mice with small daily doses of tetrahydrocannabinol [...]

CBD applied to the skin can prevent and repair damage from ultraviolet-A radiation, a first of its kind study has found. The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, recruited twenty healthy volunteers aged between 23-64. Participants were then given either a [...]

A new study has found medicinal cannabis use can have a positive impact on a child’s development by increasing the amount of time parents spend with them. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Econometrics, also found that men who are prescribed cannabis increase the [...]

Synthetic cannabinoids, widely known as spice, have been found in a worrying number of vape devices confiscated from 11-16 year old pupils in English secondary schools. Researchers from the University of Bath visited 38 schools in London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and South Yorkshire. 100 [...]

A study, published in the journal Archives of Suicide Research, has found that medicinal cannabis can help lower suicidal thoughts by over 25% after three months and decrease self-reported levels of depression by 42% after 12 months.  Researchers studied the relationship between patients seeking medical cannabis [...]

The Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, has announced the country will now regulate cannabis through legislation rather than re-listing it as a narcotic, marking a swift U-turn from plans to re-criminalise the drug. Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 by removing it from a list [...]

The independent drug policy charity Transform has launched a £50,000 crowdfunder to campaign for the legalisation of cannabis in the UK. Founded in 1996, Transform promotes drug policy reform in the UK and across the world. The charity has published numerous reports and publications on how [...]

The Czech Government is pressing ahead with plans to launch Europe’s first fully legal commercial cannabis market, similar to those seen in Canada and many parts of the US. Czechia already has some of the most lenient cannabis laws in Europe. The use, possession and cultivation [...]

Catalonian authorities have taken further steps towards their goal of closing all the cannabis clubs in Barcelona last week, as thirty venues across the city received notices ordering them to shut their doors until further notice. Deputy mayor and councillor for security, Albert Batlle announced his [...]

In 2022 the Southeast Asian country of Thailand shocked the world by removing cannabis from its list of controlled narcotics. The ruling created a legal vacuum – dispensaries opened up on ‘every corner’ in Bangkok and tourists and locals alike were smoking joints in public and [...]

An increasing number of adults in the UK are reducing their alcohol consumption in favour of psychotropic drugs such as cannabis and psychedelics, a report by High & Dry and KAM Insight has found. The Future Of Socialising report surveyed 975 adults in the US and [...]

A study has shown that essential hemp oil can successfully shrink cancerous lung tumours in mice and reduce chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, highlighting the anti-tumour properties of the cannabis plant. Researchers at the China State Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry in Shanghai used an extraction technique to produce [...]