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If cannabis becomes a problem: How to manage withdrawal*

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Proponents of cannabis generally dismiss the idea that there is a cannabis withdrawal syndrome. One routinely hears statements such as, “I smoked weed every day for 30 years and then just walked away from it without any problems. It’s not addictive.” Some cannabis researchers, on the other hand, describe serious withdrawal symptoms that can include aggression, anger, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, anorexia, depression, restlessness, headaches, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Given this long list of withdrawal symptoms, it’s a wonder that anyone tries to reduce or stop using cannabis. Why is there such a disconnect between researchers’ findings and the lived reality of cannabis users?*

New research highlights the problems of withdrawal, but provides an incomplete picture*

A recent meta-analysis published in JAMA cites the overall prevalence of cannabis withdrawal syndrome as 47% among “individuals with regular or dependent use of cannabinoids.” The authors of the study raise the alarm that “many professionals and members of the general public may not be aware of cannabis withdrawal, potentially leading to confusion about the benefits of cannabis to treat or self-medicate symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders.” In other words, many patients using medical cannabis to “treat” their symptoms are merely caught up in a cycle of self-treating their cannabis withdrawal. Is it possible that almost half of cannabis consumers are actually experiencing a severe cannabis withdrawal syndrome — to the point that it is successfully masquerading as medicinal use of marijuana — and they don’t know it?*

Unfortunately, the study in JAMA doesn’t seem particularly generalizable to actual cannabis users. This study is a meta-analysis — a study which includes many studies that are deemed similar enough to lump together, in order to increase the numerical power of the study and, ideally, the strength of the conclusions. The authors included studies that go all the way back to the mid-1990s — a time when cannabis was illegal in the US, different in potency, and when there was no choice or control over strains or cannabinoid compositions, as there is now. One of the studies in the meta-analysis included “cannabis dependent inpatients” in a German psychiatric hospital in which 118 patients were being detoxified from cannabis. Another was from 1998 and is titled, “Patterns and correlates of cannabis dependence among long-term users in an Australian rural area.” It is not a great leap to surmise that Australians in the countryside smoking whatever marijuana was available to them illegally in 1998, or patients in a psychiatric hospital, might be substantively different from current American cannabis users.*

Medical cannabis use is different from recreational use*

Moreover, the JAMA study doesn’t distinguish between medical and recreational cannabis, which are actually quite different in their physiological and cognitive effects — as Harvard researcher Dr. Staci Gruber’s work tells us. Medical cannabis patients, under the guidance of a medical cannabis specialist, are buying legal, regulated cannabis from a licensed dispensary; it might be lower in THC (the psychoactive component that gives you the high) and higher in CBD (a nonintoxicating, more medicinal component), and the cannabis they end up using often results in them ingesting a lower dose of THC.*

Cannabis withdrawal symptoms are real*

All of this is not to say that there is no such thing as a cannabis withdrawal syndrome. It isn’t life-threatening or medically dangerous, but it certainly does exist. It makes absolute sense that there would be a withdrawal syndrome because, as is the case with many other medicines, if you use cannabis every day, the natural receptors by which cannabis works on the body “down-regulate,” or thin out, in response to chronic external stimulation. When the external chemical is withdrawn after prolonged use, the body is left in the lurch, and forced to rely on natural stores of these chemicals — but it takes time for the natural receptors to grow back to their baseline levels. In the meantime, the brain and the body are hungry for these chemicals, and the result is withdrawal symptoms.*

Getting support for withdrawal symptoms*

Uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms can prevent people who are dependent or addicted to cannabis from remaining abstinent. The commonly used treatments for cannabis withdrawal are either cognitive behavioral therapy or medication therapy, neither of which has been shown to be particularly effective. Common medications that have been used are dronabinol (which is synthetic THC); nabiximols (which is cannabis in a mucosal spray, so you aren’t actually treating the withdrawal); gabapentin for anxiety (which has a host of side effects); and zolpidem for the sleep disturbance (which also has a list of side effects). Some researchers are looking at CBD, the nonintoxicating component of cannabis, as a treatment for cannabis withdrawal.*

Some people get into serious trouble with cannabis, and use it addictively to avoid reality. Others depend on it to an unhealthy degree. Again, the number of people who become addicted or dependent is somewhere between the 0% that cannabis advocates believe and the 100% that cannabis opponents cite. We don’t know the actual number, because the definitions and studies have been plagued with a lack of real-world relevance that many studies about cannabis suffer from, and because the nature of both cannabis use and cannabis itself have been changing rapidly.*

How do you know if your cannabis use is a problem?*

The standard definition of cannabis use disorder is based on having at least two of 11 criteria, such as: taking more than was intended, spending a lot of time using it, craving it, having problems because of it, using it in high-risk situations, getting into trouble because of it, and having tolerance or withdrawal from discontinuation. As cannabis becomes legalized and more widely accepted, and as we understand that you can be tolerant and have physical or psychological withdrawal from many medicines without necessarily being addicted to them (such as opiates, benzodiazepines, and some antidepressants), I think this definition seems obsolete and overly inclusive. For example, if one substituted “coffee” for “cannabis,” many of the 160 million Americans who guzzle coffee on a daily basis would have “caffeine use disorder,” as evidenced by the heartburn and insomnia that I see every day as a primary care doctor. Many of the patients that psychiatrists label as having cannabis use disorder believe that they are fruitfully using cannabis to treat their medical conditions — without problems — and recoil at being labeled as having a disorder in the first place. This is perhaps a good indication that the definition doesn’t fit the disease.*

Perhaps a simpler, more colloquial definition of cannabis addiction would be more helpful in assessing your use of cannabis: persistent use despite negative consequences. If your cannabis use is harming your health, disrupting your relationships, or interfering with your job performance, it is likely time to quit or cut down drastically, and consult your doctor. As part of this process, you may need to get support or treatment if you experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, which may make it significantly harder to stop using.*

* original article

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*** ndlr. : –.

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Albania, once haven of illicit cannabis, set to legalise crop for medical use*

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Albania plans to legalise the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes, six years after beginning a crackdown on an illegal trade that turned it, by some accounts, into Europe’s largest outdoor grower of cannabis., reports Reuters.*

Prime Minister Edi Rama said the time was ripe for one of Europe’s poorest countries to enter the lucrative market, emulating its neighbours North Macedonia, Greece and Italy – the latter a destination of tonnes of cannabis from Albania in 2015 and 2016.*

“Illegal cultivation is completely under control,” Rama told reporters in an online news conference. “This is the third or fourth year of consolidation. We plan to pass the bill in this session of parliament.”*

Before Rama led his Socialist Party to a landslide victory in 2013, the lawless enclave of Lazarat on the Greek border had been freely cultivating cannabis on an industrial scale for a decade and a half, untouched by state intervention.*

In a massive armed operation in June 2014, police ended the town’s illicit trade. But over the next two years, cannabis cultivation spread across most of Albania, casting doubt on its resolve to fight organised crime, as the European Union – which it hopes to join – had asked.*

On Saturday, after Rama answered a question on medical cannabis at a news conference with the head of the EU delegation in Tirana, the EU mission found itself obliged to tweet that neither it nor the European Commission had anything to do with the crop.*

Albania holds a parliamentary election next year, and the idea of regularising a potential source of jobs and money could be a vote-winner.*

Koco Kokedhima, a businessman who was the first to ask for the cultivation of medicinal cannabis to be legalised, and a former Rama ally turned bitter critic, said Rama “now appears to agree with our party’s project. We hail this turnaround”.*

But Agron Duka, head of the opposition Agrarian Environmentalist Party and a former agriculture minister, said: “Anything that helps economic growth is good. But as a state we have not applied the law correctly so it can be exploited negatively.”*

In Lazarat, the villagers were asking for a full criminal amnesty for those convicted on cannabis charges if the draft was approved – not merely the amnesty for dodging tax on illicit earnings that Rama is proposing in addition to the legalisation.*

Economic analyst Mentor Nazarko said that “the income might be limited but it would help the country to a degree”, before adding: “The European Union countries are sceptical.”*

More than two dozen countries permit the use of cannabis for medical purposes, although its precise benefits, notably in reducing nausea, pain or muscle spasms, are contentious.*

* original article

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*** ndlr. : –.

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Cannabis for the treatment of dementia

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Sometimes there is a glimmer of hope in a world obscured by a thick web of thoughts, forgetfulness, delusions, restlessness, hallucinations, and discouragement. This paper presents recent results of scientific research concerning the relationship between dementia (including Alzheimer’s) and the human endocannabinoic system, as well as the use of cannabis as a therapeutic substance.

#NightBreeze #ExaCan #TameDementia #alzheimer

*** editor’s note. : -.

 
Oils with a 1:2 THC:CBD ratio are now available.
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Lebanon legalizes cannabis for medical purposes amid crisis

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The Lebanese Parliament adopted a law on Tuesday legalizing the cultivation of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, in a country plagued by the worst economic crisis in decades, amplified by the new coronavirus, reports AFP.

During the meeting in Beirut, demonstrators in cars protested MPs and the political class in general, accused of corruption and incompetence. They also crisscrossed other cities, including Tripoli (north) and Saïda (south).*

Meeting outside the hemicycle, in an auditorium that can accommodate up to 1,000 people in Beirut to allow social distancing, the deputies adopted the bill on the legalization of cannabis.*

This measure should garner revenues from the state, over-indebted and in default since March, for the first time in its history. AFP.*

Lebanon has long banned the production and consumption of cannabis, but the industry, which remained underground for a long time, has become a multi-million dollar industry.*

Its legalization had been proposed to the Lebanese authorities in a report by the international consultancy firm McKinsey & Cie, commissioned by Lebanon to prepare an economic recovery plan.*

– “Recover the money” -*

Lebanon has been going through its worst economic crisis in 30 years since last year, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and draconian containment measures.*

Deputies scheduled to last three days also approved a $ 120 million loan from the World Bank to help the health sector, $ 40 million of which was reallocated to combat covid-19.*

In Lebanon, 677 cases of contamination, including 21 deaths, have been officially recorded.*

Parliamentarians also passed a law to fight corruption in the public sector, while this scourge was one of the triggers for the unprecedented popular uprising in Lebanon in October 2019.*

At the rate of the horns, slogans and revolutionary songs, the Lebanese in the car demonstrated against the power.*

“We want to recover the stolen money,” said Jad Assaileh, a young protester, referring to allegations of embezzlement and the transfer by Lebanese officials of billions of dollars abroad.*

“I left because the state has done nothing so far. We have not seen any reform,” said Lina al-Adawi, 54, standing on the step of his 4×4.*

“The coronavirus has further aggravated the economic situation: unemployment, soaring exchange rate, poverty and hunger,” added the 50-year-old, wearing a mask and a red scarf.*

Lebanon is crumbling under a debt of 92 billion dollars, or 170% of the GDP, one of the highest rates in the world.*

The national currency has now reached its lowest level against the dollar in decades, while around 45% of the population now lives below the poverty line.*

– More dollars –

New sign of financial distress, banks no longer give dollars, the Central Bank published on Tuesday a circular asking these establishments to pay their customers wishing to withdraw green notes from their dollar accounts, the equivalent in Lebanese pounds at the rate exchange market.*

The Lebanese pound is now trading at over 3,200 pounds for a dollar on the parallel market, while the national currency has been pegged to the greenback since 1997 at a fixed rate of 1,507 pounds.*

Since October 2019, banks have imposed draconian restrictions on withdrawals, particularly in dollars – sometimes capping them at $ 100 per week.*

They are accused by the street of complicity with the political power and of having contributed to the unrestrained public debt and the bankruptcy of the State.*

The government is on the verge of announcing an economic rescue plan which will lead to the start of debt restructuring and possible external aid. The plan mentions financing needs of more than 80 billion dollars, including 10 to 15 billion in foreign aid over five years.*

* original article

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*** editor’s note: –.

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Charlotte Figi, Who Helped Popularize CBD for Medical Use, Dies at 13

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Her mother said members of the family had been sick with what they believed was Covid-19, reports New York Times.*

Charlotte Figi, whose use of cannabidiol, or CBD, to treat her epilepsy helped popularize its medicinal use, died on Tuesday April, 07. She was 13.*

Her death was confirmed by her parents, Paige and Steven Figi, who said the cause was most likely complications related to Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.*

Charlotte became the face of the medicinal CBD movement when she was 5 years old, after it appeared that taking CBD eased the symptoms of her epilepsy.*

She had her first seizure when she was 3 months old. Soon after, her parents were told that she had Dravet syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that starts in infancy.*

By age 5, Charlotte was having over 300 seizures a week, about one every 30 minutes, Ms. Figi said. Charlotte was in a wheelchair and used a feeding tube because she could not swallow, her mother said. On several occasions, she was resuscitated after her heart stopped.*

The family tried dozens of medications but they did not work. “We were told by the doctor there was nothing left to try pharmaceutically,” Ms. Figi said.*

Ms. Figi began to research CBD, a nonintoxicating, nonpsychotropic compound found in cannabis. The cannabinoid was being used overseas to treat epileptic patients. She found a grower who agreed to grow the hemp needed to extract CBD oil for Charlotte.*

“I didn’t think it was going to work,” Ms. Figi said.*

But it did. Charlotte did not have any seizures for seven days after starting the treatment, Ms. Figi said.*

“She started talking, making eye contact, walking, and we removed her feeding tube,” her mother said. The seizures were reduced to about one a month.*

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent on CNN, interviewed Charlotte for his 2013 documentary special “Weed,” and later advocated the use of CBD to treat epilepsy.*

Charlotte’s story made national headlines, and soon other epileptic patients followed her lead. Many saw similar results, Ms. Figi said.*

In 2011, Charlotte’s Web CBD was founded by Joel Stanley, the hemp grower who helped Charlotte. The company was named after her.*

“What began as her story, became the shared story of hundreds of thousands,” Mr. Stanley wrote on the company’s Facebook page. “Her story built communities, her need built hope, and her legacy will continue to build harmony.”*

In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration approved a cannabidiol medication, Epidiolex, to treat the seizures caused by Dravet syndrome. It was the first drug to be approved by the F.D.A. for the condition.*

Ms. Figi said the members of her family experienced an illness in early March that she believes was Covid-19, but they did not meet the requirements to be tested.*

“I’ve never been that sick in my entire life,” Ms. Figi said on Thursday. “We are a very healthy family.”*

While the rest of the family was recuperating, Charlotte’s condition worsened and she was taken to Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs on April 3, her mother said. Charlotte tested negative for the virus and was discharged two days later.*

On Monday, Ms. Figi said, Charlotte was feeling better. She painted Charlotte’s toenails and they sat in the sun for a while. But early Tuesday morning, Charlotte had a seizure and became nonresponsive, her mother said.*

“It was the last moment she was alive, I feel,” she said.*

Charlotte was resuscitated by paramedics and rushed to the hospital. She had a seizure that led to her going into cardiac arrest, her mother said.*

Ms. Figi said that Charlotte’s test for the coronavirus came a month too late. (False negatives are a known problem with the current coronavirus tests.)*

In addition to her parents, Charlotte is survived by her twin sister, Chase; her brother, Maxwell, 16; and her mother’s husband, Greg Iafeliece.*

For nine years, thanks to CBD, Charlotte had the opportunity to live a life with a close resemblance to that of any young girl, her mother said.*

Charlotte was adventurous. She liked to hike and ride on the front of a tandem bike with her mother, and she enjoyed riding horses with her sister. But what was most important, Ms. Figi said, is that Charlotte was oblivious to the movement she started.*

“She found incredible resolution from cannabis but she didn’t know,” Ms. Figi said. “She had a good life.”*

* article original

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*** editor’s note.: our condolences to the Figi family and their loved ones. A starlight has faded away.

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As customers hoard pot brownies, North American weed firms see lockdown boost*

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Cannabis sales are touching new highs as customers across the United States and Canada stockpile weed to prepare for long spells of isolation because of the coronavirus pandemic, reports Reuters.*

Between March 16 and March 22, sales of recreational cannabis across key U.S. markets, including California, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska, were up 50% and medical marijuana sales rose 41% from the same period last year, figures obtained from cannabis point of sale and data platform Flowhub show.*

Several U.S. states and Canadian provinces have taken steps to curb the fast-spreading coronavirus by issuing stay at home orders, restricting business operations, or closing down borders as death toll in both countries approaches 600.*

While many businesses have been ordered shut, cannabis stores have been listed as essential services and allowed to remain open.*

In Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, online sales on the government-run Ontario Cannabis Store’s (OCS) website have soared over the last two weeks, OCS director of communications Daffyd Roderick, said. For example, last weekend’s orders were more than twice as high as only two weeks ago.*

In Nova Scotia, which on Sunday became the latest province to declare coronavirus emergency, cannabis sales spiked 76% last week, according to the province’s liquor commission, which controls sales of cannabis there.*

Fears of months of supply disruptions were boosting Canadian sales, Stuart Titus, CEO of California-based Medical Marijuana Inc (MJNA.PK) told Reuters.*

“We have seen stockpiling in Canada by consumers who have snapped up products from LPs (licensed producers).”*

The surge in demand may offer pot producers a welcome respite after investors sold off cannabis stocks throughout much of last year as profits in the sector remained elusive.*

Jamie Pearson, CEO of California-based Bhang Inc BHNG.CD, which makes cannabis-infused beverages, chocolates and other products, said sales were booming and should boost revenue and profits this quarter.*

Pearson said edibles such as gummies, brownies, and chocolates, were most popular, probably because they were easier to store and eat, even with gloves on.*

Still, Titus and others recommended caution, saying the long-awaited reversal of fortune could prove not much more than a short-lived relief.*

“The cannabis industry is showing itself to be recession-proof but at times like this, it’s important to understand that the spike in consumer demand is probably not going to last long,” Avis Bulbulyan, CEO of cannabis consulting firm Siva Enterprises, said.*

* original article

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Long lines at San Francisco area cannabis stores exempt from coronavirus lockdown

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Millions of California’s Bay area residents can still legally light up as cannabis facilities are exempt from a cornonavirus lockdown that has shuttered most businesses in San Francisco and nearby cities, reports Reuters*.

Cannabis store managers say they have lines longer than local grocery shops and waiting room only. Most staff at a dozen stores reached Tuesday evening said they were too busy to talk to Reuters. *

“Oh man, we’re flooded. As soon as people heard we were still open, they started lining up,” said Anthony Barajas, the general manager of Cana Culture in San Jose. *

“Once all the toilet paper got sold out, they knew they needed some relief,” he said. *

Bars, clubs, gyms and other businesses all closed Monday under one of the strictest orders made so far in the United States aimed at stemming the coronavirus pandemic. Around 7 million people reside in the area affected by the orders. *

Cannabis stores and vendors join the short list of “essential” places that can stay open along with grocery stores, pharmacies and doctors offices, the San Jose Mercury News and other media reported, citing the state’s Bureau of Cannabis Control and local officials. *

California has more than 500 confirmed cases of coronavirus and at least 12 people have died. *

Cana Culture is following strict rules, such as no more than 10 people in the facility at a time, either shopping or relaxing in a smoking area. Outside, the store’s security officers enforce a store rule that everyone has to stand about an arm’s length away from each other. *

“We’re a necessary service,” said Barajas. “People need this for medical purposes and recreation. The public still needs access to lab-tested medicine.” *

“It’s been steady from the time we open right up until we close, with people still waiting outside,” Barajas said. “And we’re still allowed to do curb-side service.” *

He added: “I guess the state still needs some tax revenue while everything else is closed.” *

* original article

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Malawi legalises cannabis for medicine and industrial fibres*

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Malawi has become the latest country in southern African to relax laws against growing and selling cannabis, making it legal for use in the production of medicines and hemp fibres used in industry,

Malawi’s parliament passed a bill on Thursday that makes it legal to cultivate and process cannabis for those two uses, but stops short of decriminalising recreational use. Agriculture Minister Kondwani Nankhumwa tabled the bill. *

A growing number of countries around the world are either legalising or relaxing laws on cannabis, also known as marijuana, as attitudes towards the drug change. They include several in southern Africa, most recently Zambia, which in December legalised production for export. *

They follow Lesotho, which became the first country in the region to legalise cannabis, for medicinal purposes, in 2017, and Zimbabwe. South Africa meanwhile has decriminalised domestic personal use, and is in the process of lifting a ban on commercial cultivation of the plant. *

“We are very happy that finally we’re taking the right steps to move the country’s economy forwards,” Chauncy Jere, a director of Ikaros Africa, one of the two companies conducting industrial hemp trials in Central Malawi, told Reuters. *

“There’s no denying that cannabis would be a lucrative industry and its demand is huge,” said Jere, who is spokesman for the Hemp Association of Malawi. *

Tobacco, a drug scientists say is far more addictive and ruinous to health than cannabis, has been Malawi’s chief foreign currency earner since independence from Britain in 1964. *

* article original

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Increasing numbers of older Baby Boomers are using marijuana: study*

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In just four years, marijuana use grew by 75% among Americans aged 65 and older, according to a new study, and researchers expressed concern over a lack of information on the potential health implications, reports Reuters.*

The increase was most pronounced in women, those with higher incomes and more education, according to a report published on Monday Feb 24th, in JAMA Internal Medicine. *

The findings continue a trend seen over the last decade, said the study’s lead author, Benjamin Han, an assistant professor of geriatric medicine and palliative care at the New York University School of Medicine. *

“Consider that not even 10 years ago 0.4% of adults 65 and older said they had used marijuana in the past year, and now it’s 10 times that at 4%,” Han said. *

The trend is concerning, Han said, because of the lack of research on the effects of cannabis on older people. Some prescription and even over-the-counter medicines, such as Benadryl, affect older people differently, he said. *

It was not known whether the trend is tied to marijuana becoming legally available in a growing number of U.S. states, or if people had been using the drug for many years before turning 65. *

Although researchers initially suspected medical issues might have driven the rise in marijuana use among seniors, most appeared to be in relatively good health, Han said. *

Researchers looked at four recent years of data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Among 14,896 respondents to the nationally representative survey who were 65 or older, marijuana use increased from 2.4% to 4.2% from 2015 through 2018. *

In men, the percentage rose from 3.6% to 4.2%, while for women it jumped from 1.5% to 2.9%. Among college educated seniors, marijuana use over age 65 rose from 2.9% to 6.2%, and in those making $75,000 a year or more, from 2.4% to 5.5%. *

The findings underscore the importance of monitoring marijuana use in this growing population, said Ziva Cooper, research director at the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, who was not involved with the study. *

“Without these data, we wouldn’t know what was going on in this age group,” she said. “It’s the fastest growing one and it’s important to study.” *

It also points to the need for additional research. *

“You want to know about the frequency of use, what percentage are using daily, weekly, monthly, and what are the consequences of use in this age group,” Cooper said. “Another question is are these people newly initiating use or are they ones who were smoking marijuana in the ‘60s and ‘70s and are going back to it now.” *

* original article

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*** ed: Professor Han’s studies are frequently funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). NIDA-funded studies are known to be essentially negative or to create distrust of all kinds of substances, including cannabis.

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Access to medical marijuana tied to reduced workers’ comp claims*

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Legalizing access to medical marijuana may lead to fewer workers’ compensation claims, a U.S. study suggests, reports Reuters.*

In states with laws allowing medical marijuana, researchers tied the accessibility of cannabis to a nearly 7% decline in workers’ comp claims. When there were claims, they were for shorter periods of time, on average, after medical marijuana was legalized, according to the analysis in Health Economics

“We think there is a lot of overlap between conditions for which medical marijuana can be used in managing symptoms and the types of illnesses that lead people to file workers’ compensation claims,” said study coauthor, Catherine Maclean, an associate professor in the economics department at Temple University in Philadelphia.*

For instance, medical marijuana can be used to reduce chronic pain symptoms. While cannabis use isn’t going to cure the condition causing the pain, it can allow the individual to mitigate the symptoms, said Maclean, who is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a research affiliate at the Institute for Labor Economics.*

“When a state adopts medical marijuana legalization there is a modest decline in the propensity to file claims and a reduction in the (overall average) income people receive from workers’ compensation,” Maclean said.*

In some of her earlier research, Maclean found that after legalization of medical marijuana, older workers experienced a reduction in pain and an increase in the number of hours worked.*

To look at the potential impact of medical marijuana legalization on workers’ comp claims, Maclean and her coauthor turned to data from the Census Bureau’s Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey in 1990-2013. Each year between February and April, the survey interviews 150,000 U.S. residents aged 15 and older.*

When the data were analyzed, the researchers found a 6.7% decrease in claims when medical marijuana was legally available. In addition, the dollar amount of claims decreased by 0.8%.*

The new study provides a window on the possible impact of medical marijuana legalization on people’s ability to work even when in pain, said David Powell, a senior economist at the RAND Corporation in Arlington, Virginia.*

“The literature studying medical marijuana laws is constantly trying to understand whether these policies provide additional opportunities for pain management,” Powell said in an email. “This study takes a very clever look at whether medical marijuana policy affects workers’ compensation claiming behavior, an interesting proxy for the ability to work with reduced pain that this literature has not studied before.” *

Overall, the study is very carefully done and provides convincing evidence, he said. “The estimates are relatively small in terms of workers’ compensation claiming behavior but possibly hint at bigger effects on other labor-supply margins.”*

SOURCE: bit.ly/374dNw9 Health Economics, online February 4, 2020.*

* article original

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