Top Cannabis Science Headlines: June Roundup

Medical students and medical cannabis
 

A recent US study explored medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding medical cannabis. Collecting qualitative data from 526 medical students via anonymous questionnaire, the researchers investigated whether perceived knowledge, concerns over side-effects, and certain beliefs would contribute to their attitudes toward cannabis. Results demonstrated that positive perceptions of medical cannabis were associated with higher levels of perceived knowledge, fewer concerns of negative effects, and greater belief in federal legalization of both medical and recreational cannabis. Additionally, most of the students had positive perceptions of cannabis legalization, but were more likely to endorse it for medical usage over recreational use. The authors highlighted the importance of supplying physicians in training with the best available evidence regarding treatment decisions, and noted that these findings may guide medical educators to enhance students’ openness to medical cannabis as a viable treatment.

Cannabis combating colorectal cancer
 

According to researchers of a recent study, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of mortality in the US. As such, they decided to examine the impact of CBD on human colorectal cancer cells. Results showed that CBD represses the viability of human colorectal cancer cells, inducing ER stress, G1 phase cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis via a CB2 dependent mechanism. Interestingly, other non-psychoactive cannabinoid derivatives including cannabidivarin, cannabigerol, cannabicyclol, and cannabigerovarin also demonstrated anti-proliferative activity. Due to the limitations of in vitro studies, the authors called for future research to be performed in colon cancer animal models to improve our comprehension of CBD’s mechanism of action and its effects. Nevertheless, they concluded that “CBD and its derivatives could be promising agents for the prevention of human colorectal cancer.”

Countering cancer with cannabidiol 
 

Numerous studies have reported the anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic effects of CBD, but a recent study explores the impact of CBD in malignant melanoma cells in combination with mitoxantrone (MTX) or cisplatin (CDDP), as well as alone. Results showed that CBD reduces the viability and proliferation of melanoma-malignant cells and exerts additive interactions with MTX, showing promise as a multi-drug therapy. On the down side, the authors urged caution when using CDDP, as CBD–CDDP drug interactions result in antagonistic effects. Given the polar nature of the findings, the researchers also called for the interaction between CBD and other current anti-cancer drugs to be explored.

Out in the cold
 

With our climate changing rapidly, research into the impact of temperatures on certain economically valuable crops – like cannabis – is of vital importance. In a paper published this week, researchers studied the effects of cold stress on cannabis cultivars. They found that hemp appears to be somewhat resistant to short bursts of freezing temperatures (like the periods of frost that might be experienced by a harvest), but that extended periods caused significant damage to the plant. Chiefly, these plants produced significantly less CBD, CBG, and THC and yielded less biomass. A lot more research is needed to understand the intricacies of how temperatures may affect plant health and cannabinoid profiles, and the authors urge those who “face the immediate realities of unpredictable climate patterns of the 21st century,” like breeders, to prioritize “understanding the impact of a fluctuating global climate on the health and secondary metabolite synthesis of hemp.”

Trouble in paradise?
 

With very few studies examining the role of cannabis in couple functioning, a recent study examined the link between cannabis use, relationship perceptions, and objective observed conflict behavior in a community-based sample of cannabis users and their partners. Results showed that more frequent cannabis use was associated with more negative engagement and avoidance behavior during conflict and less effective behavioral recovery after conflict (according to objective outside coders). More frequent cannabis use was also linked to more satisfaction with conflict resolution, but not with overall relationship satisfaction. These discrepancies between perceived and objective measures of couple functioning prompted the authors to highlight the need for a “nuanced understanding of the associations between cannabis and relationship functioning” and “the need to go beyond simplistic conclusions about cannabis use being either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for relationships.”

Weathering the (Cytokine) Storm
 

How do cannabinoids impact cytokine storms – the out-of-control inflammation that tends to worsen the severity of inflammatory diseases and infections, such as COVID-19? Researchers from Israel explored both high-THC and high-CBD (CBD-X) extracts on cytokine production in immune cells. CBD-X extract showed the most promising results – provoking significant reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines in human-derived PBMCs, neutrophils, and T cells, as well as reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1β in mouse studies. According to the researchers, CBD-X extract has high potential in the management of pathological conditions in which cytokine secretion is dysregulated.