November 8th Highlights

• Is there a link between medical cannabis and a decrease in alcohol use? - A recent study of 2,102 patients showed that patients who began using cannabis to help reduce drinking reported experiencing a reduction or even discontinuation of alcohol use. Of the participants who reported using alcohol on at least 10 occasions in the 12 months prior to starting medical cannabis, 43.5 percent said the frequency of their drinking fell. In 2019, Researchers in France and Belgium reviewed 26 previous studies published between 1974 and June 2018 that explored the effects of CBD on animal subjects dosed with ethanol. They found several studies that showed CBD can reduce alcohol consumption. Alcohol is the most prevalent recreational substance in the world, and its use results in significant rates of criminality, morbidity and mortality. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the United States each year, or 261 deaths per day. These deaths shorten the lives of those who die by an average of almost 29 years, for a total of 2.8 million years of potential life lost - study link
• Cannabis and fibromyalgia - Researchers in Brazil have found that cannabis oil can be an effective treatment for patients with fibromyalgia, according to the results of a clinical trial completed recently. An abstract of the study, “Ingestion of THC-rich cannabis oil in people with fibromyalgia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial,” was published in the journal Pain Medicine. Study Link

FW Ecosystem Series Mapping the cannabis industry

Pandemic sees cannabis use increase, as other drugs become harder to find

Canadian study finds a link between starting medical cannabis and stopping drinking

Tasmania produces 80 percent of Australia's hemp

Referendum results: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern explains why she voted for cannabis reform