Apopka reconsiders ban on medical marijuana shops

Apopka City Council members, who banned medical marijuana dispensaries in September, have had a change of heart and now plan to allow them. City commissioners last week discussed the prohibition and then voted unanimously to revisit the city ban on state-approved shops that dispense physician-prescribed, medical cannabis to qualified patients. The second thoughts were driven…

Eight Pennsylvania cultivators approved to begin growing medical cannabis

Pennsylvania regulators have given the go-ahead to eight cultivators to begin growing medical marijuana, putting sales on track to begin in 2018. Once the product is ready, dispensaries should have plenty of customers to buy it, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The governor’s office said that more than 10,000 patients have signed up for the program,…

A systematic review of the effect of cannabidiol on cognitive function: Relevance to schizophrenia

CBD improves cognition in multiple preclinical models of cognitive impairment, including models of neuropsychiatric (schizophrenia), neurodegenerative (Alzheimer’s disease), neuro-inflammatory (meningitis, sepsis and cerebral malaria) and neurological disorders (hepatic encephalopathy and brain ischemia). The efficacy of CBD to improve cognition in schizophrenia cannot be elucidated due to lack of clinical evidence; however, given the ability of CBD to restore cognition in multiple studies of impairment, further investigation into its efficacy in schizophrenia is warranted. Potential mechanisms underlying the efficacy of CBD to improve cognition are discussed.

The endocannabinoid system as a target for addiction treatment: Trials and tribulations

Addiction remains a major public health concern, and while pharmacotherapies can be effective, clinicians are limited by the paucity of existing interventions. Endocannabinoid signaling is involved in reward and addiction, which raises the possibility that drugs targeting this system could be used to treat substance use disorders. This review discusses findings from randomized controlled trials evaluating cannabinergic medications for addiction. Current evidence suggests that pharmacotherapies containing delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, such as dronabinol and nabiximols, are effective for cannabis withdrawal. Dronabinol may also reduce symptoms of opioid withdrawal. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled “A New Dawn in Cannabinoid Neurobiology”.

Cannabinoids in Pediatrics

Despite its controversial nature, the use of medical marijuana and cannabis-derived medicinal products grows more popular with each passing year. As of November 2016, over 40 states have passed legislation regarding the use of either medical marijuana or cannabidiol products. This review will deliver the history of marijuana use and legislation in the United States in addition to the currently available medical literature to equip pediatric health care providers with resources to provide patients and their parents the best recommendation for safe and appropriate use of cannabis-containing compounds.