A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health has found that the legalisation of cannabis leads to lower use of alcohol, cigarettes, and pain medications by young adults. The study, conducted by researchers with the University of Washington assessed trends in alcohol, nicotine, and non-prescribed pain drug use among a group of over 12,500…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced the launch of an expert panel to examine the effectiveness of the UK’s drug laws, with a particular focus on the laws surrounding cannabis. Former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer QC will be the chair of the first London Drugs Commission, which was a key manifesto pledge of Khan’s…

The Loop, a UK based non-profit harm reduction organisation is set to open the first Home Office licensed drug checking service in the UK this month. Funded by Bristol City Council, the service is set to open on 28th May 2022, running once a month on payday weekends. The service will occur between the Bristol…

A large scale study into the effects of consuming cannabis flower as a treatment for fatigue has found positive results, according to data collected by researchers at the University of New Mexico. Researchers studied data taken from 3,922 self-administered cannabis sessions from 1,224 participants using an app called Releaf. The app is designed to help…

A retrospective study by Harvest Medicine in Canada has found that using medical cannabis can help patients treat the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Researchers wanted to understand the impact medical cannabis had on outcomes for patients experiencing anxiety or depression. By looking at data from 7,362 patients who received their medical cannabis documentation and…

Switzerland is to begin a pilot scheme that will allow adults to buy cannabis legally for recreational use. The pilot scheme, announced last year, will launch in the city of Basel this summer, with other cities such as Zurich, Geneva, and Bern to follow later in the year. Under the pilot scheme, 400 adults in…

Psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, can ‘open up’ the brains of people with depression, helping patients to overcome rigid thought patterns and negative fixations, new research suggests. A study led by the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research has shown that psilocybin therapy increases brain connectivity in people living with depression, even weeks after…

Industrial hemp was outlawed in the USA in 1937 under the Marihuana Tax Bill along with all other varieties of cannabis. Prior to this, it was widely grown for industrial and agricultural purposes across the world and was thought to have arrived in America via the British who grew the crop wherever they went to…

America is currently living through an opioid epidemic that has had deadly consequences for its communities for decades. 2020 was the deadliest on record with over 75,000 overdoses directly related to opioids. Many observers agree this crisis was born in the early 1990s and was exacerbated in 1995 by the licensing and the mass marketing…

Low-dose ketamine infusion appears to be effective at reducing levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Topline results from a Phase 2 study conducted by PharmaTher, a leading company in speciality ketamine pharmaceuticals, show that 100% of patients treated with ketamine experienced a reduction in dyskinesias, with no serious side effects.   The study aimed…