Research studies, summarized and reviewed by Dr. Benjamin Caplan, MD¹ (Page 7)

Older adults demonstrate diminished baseline levels of specific endocannabinoids and NAEs (AEA, DEA, LEA), reflecting age-related endocannabinoid system decline. However, acute cannabis administration effectively elevates circulating NAEs across all age groups, with older adults exhibiting even greater relative increases in AEA and DEA, highlighting potential therapeutic mechanisms for symptom management in aging populations.

Clinicians should be aware of the potential risks associated with adolescent cannabis use, particularly regarding the development of psychiatric disorders. Monitoring and counseling may be necessary for adolescents using cannabis.

While preclinical and early human studies suggest that oral and topical CBD may offer safe, adjunctive pain relief with minimal side effects, current clinical evidence remains inconclusive due to small sample sizes. Clinicians should counsel patients on the current paucity of robust data, potential significant costs, and the lack of product regulation when considering over-the-counter cannabinoid therapies.

This study involved patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who were given either a cannabidiol-enriched cannabis product or a placebo. The researchers aimed to see how effective the cannabis product was in improving symptoms of Parkinson's disease over an eight-week period. They measured various health outcomes to assess the impact of the treatment.

While adjunctive transdermal cannabidiol (ZYN002) at doses of 195 mg or 390 mg daily did not demonstrate statistically significant superiority over placebo in reducing focal seizure frequency over 12 weeks, it exhibited an excellent safety and tolerability profile with minimal gastrointestinal or hepatic adverse events. The favorable long-term tolerability and signals of seizure reduction in the open-label extension suggest that future clinical trials evaluating higher doses of transdermal cannabidiol in adult focal epilepsy are warranted.

Further research is needed to establish the efficacy and safety of cannabis-based medicinal products in treating PTSD, as current evidence is limited.

Low-dose oral synthetic cannabidiol (20-30 mg daily) failed to provide clinically meaningful pain relief or improve sleep and mood scores compared to placebo in patients with hand osteoarthritis or psoriatic arthritis. Integrative clinicians should recognize that conservative low-dose CBD monotherapy is unlikely to suffice for moderate-to-severe arthritic pain, and higher dosages or full-spectrum formulations should be formally evaluated in future adequately powered trials.

Currently, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of cannabinoids in treating Parkinson's Disease. Clinicians should consider larger randomized studies before recommending cannabinoid treatments to patients.

The co-administration of MDMA with LSD may prolong the subjective effects of LSD without altering their quality, which could be relevant in therapeutic settings. Caution is advised due to potential increases in blood pressure and heart rate.

A social media-delivered motivational interviewing intervention via secret Facebook groups is a feasible, highly acceptable, and engaging approach to reach non-treatment-seeking emerging adults who use cannabis frequently. While preliminary behavioral effects were modest, the significant reduction in cannabis vaping days warrants evaluation in a fully powered, definitive clinical trial.