Research studies, summarized and reviewed by Dr. Benjamin Caplan, MD¹ (Page 8)

This protocol outlines the first randomized controlled trial evaluating a mobile health intervention (iCanChange) integrating CBT and motivational interviewing for cannabis use disorder in young adults with first-episode psychosis. If proven feasible and effective, this digital tool could bypass traditional barriers to specialized psychosocial care in early intervention psychiatric settings.

Clinicians should be cautious when prescribing CBD-dominant cannabis products, as they may produce stronger adverse effects than expected. Understanding cannabinoid interactions is crucial for safe therapeutic use.

Cannabigerol (CBG) may be a promising option for reducing anxiety and stress in healthy adults without causing impairment or significant side effects.

Clinicians should be aware that while CBD may increase the psychoactive effects of THC, it does not enhance its analgesic properties. Careful consideration of dosing is essential when combining these cannabinoids.

Sublingual THC:CBD oil extracts administered at modest, individually titrated daily doses (around 20 mg each) provided statistically significant, modest long-term improvements in chronic pain and associated disease burden (sleep, anxiety, and quality of life) with a reasonable safety profile. However, nearly 40% of patients dropped out by 6 months, and clinician monitoring for CNS and GI side effects remains essential.

Combining a brief motivational interviewing session with 4 weeks of tailored health coaching via a familiar social media platform (Snapchat) is a highly acceptable, engaging approach for reaching cannabis-using emerging adults in emergency care settings. While pilot results show promising improvements in readiness to change, larger definitive trials are needed to confirm long-term behavioral efficacy on consumption.

While current systemic and oral cannabinoid formulations lack robust evidence for managing acute orofacial and post-operative dental pain, topical transdermal CBD demonstrates potential for localized myofascial temporomandibular disorder pain. Integrative clinicians should prioritize conventional first-line agents like NSAIDs for acute dental pain while awaiting higher-quality trials on localized topical cannabinoid therapies.

Administering 20 mg of isolated cannabinol (CBN) nightly can effectively reduce nighttime awakenings and overall sleep disturbance in patients with subjective sleep difficulties without causing daytime fatigue or severe adverse events. Interestingly, combining CBD with CBN did not enhance efficacy and may potentially attenuate its sleep-promoting benefits, suggesting clinicians should consider isolated CBN rather than complex CBD/CBN ratios for sleep support.

Consider recommending CBD-dominant cannabis for patients with anxiety symptoms, as it may provide greater relief compared to THC-dominant options.

It helped: The new powder form led to higher levels of cannabinoids in the blood and reached those peaks much faster than standard oil drops, while both versions were well tolerated.