When Washington voters legalized marijuana in 2012, many parents found themselves with a new teachable moment. Though illegal for anyone under 21, the drug presented a dilemma similar to alcohol: Retailers sold it, people openly consumed it — sometimes to excess — and parents themselves struggled with how to talk to their kids about their...
Tag: <span>marijuana</span>
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New insights into the neural risks and benefits of marijuana use
Research released today underscores both the dangers and the therapeutic promise of marijuana, revealing different effects across the lifespan. Marijuana exposure in the womb or during adolescence may disrupt learning and memory, damage communication between brain regions, and disturbing levels of key neurotransmitters and metabolites in the brain. In Alzheimer’s disease, however, compounds found in...
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A sea change in CBD drug policy?
Katie Pearce And Saralyn Cruickshank, Johns Hopkins University The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced a shift Friday that clears the way for the first prescription drug derived from the marijuana plant to make its way to market where it will provide treatment for severe forms of childhood epilepsy. GW Pharmaceuticals, the company responsible for the...
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Nerve pain in the legs? Medical marijuana may alter brain connections, bring relief
When medical marijuana is taken for chronic nerve pain, it may provide pain relief by reducing connections between the areas of the brain that process emotions and sensory signals, according to a study published in the September 5, 2018, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study looked specifically...
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FDA approves country’s first medicine made from marijuana
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the country’s first drug derived from marijuana, a medication that treats two rare and devastating forms of epilepsy. The drug, GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex, is made of cannabidiol, or CBD, a component of marijuana that does not give users a high. It is given as an oil, and...
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First marijuana-derived drug is on the verge of approval
At 3 months old, Marissa Parsons began having frequent seizures, some lasting a half-hour. For almost two decades, her desperate parents tried drug after drug to treat her rare type of childhood epilepsy, but the medications mostly produced side effects – pancreatitis, hives and extreme drowsiness – and she was frequently hospitalized. Family outings became...
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Huge marijuana discovery stuns scientists
A potentially groundbreaking new study suggests that drug addicts could stay clean by taking marijuana instead. An extraordinary new report suggests that marijuana could be an important tool in the fight against drug addiction, despite being long vilified as a dangerous and addictive drug itself. Specifically, scientists found that a non-psychoactive component of marijuana known...
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Can marijuana help treat fibromyalgia?
Although best known as a recreational drug, marijuana has been used medicinally for thousands of years. In the United States, the use of marijuana (also known as cannabis) is illegal under federal law. However, many states have passed laws to decriminalize its use for the treatment of specific medical conditions. As a result, more and...
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Could marijuana chewing gum treat IBS? Scientists testing US-made product to ease colon spasms that cause crippling bowel condition
Dutch researchers are testing a US firm’s cannabis gum to treat IBS Irritable bowel syndrome affects 3.5 million Americans a year Scientists believe CBD – an ingredient in cannabis – could ease colon spasms that cause bloating, cramps, constipation and diarrhea Cannabis-laced chewing gum could cure irritable bowel syndrome, scientists believe. Until now, doctors...
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Massive marijuana report reveals drug’s many health effects
Cannabis and its many effects on users are described by a massive report that looks at 10,000 scientific studies There’s been no shortage of studies conducted over the years on the effects of marijuana use. But the focus of those studies can be as varied as their conclusions, making it a challenge to wade through the...