In recent months, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration approved new growers of research marijuana for the first time in more than 50 years. It’s welcome news to both scientists and cannabis advocates who’ve waited decades for this decision. A single farm at the University of Mississippi has been the only legal source of cannabis for federal research since 1968.

Despite the slow federal research, scientific research into cannabis has been showing lots of new discoveries, with numerous important study findings being reported. A few newly published ones:

Cannabis Smoke Vs. Tobacco Smoke

A team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota  assessed differences in toxicant exposure among cannabis-only smokers, tobacco-only smokers, and subjects who routinely smoked both substances.

The participants who only smoked cannabis “demonstrated lower levels of toxicant exposure for most biomarkers” as compared to those subjects who smoked tobacco-only and/or cannabis and tobacco. Co-users of cannabis and tobacco did not possess greater exposure to harmful constituents as compared to those who only smoked tobacco.

The study’s findings are consistent with prior research. Cannabis smoke and tobacco smoke are likely not equally carcinogenic and marijuana smoke exposure is typically not associated with the same effects to health as is tobacco smoke. The use of vaporizers has been associated with reduced exposure to toxic gasses and has been identified as a “safe and effective” cannabis delivery device in clinical trial settings.

Cannabis Study Involving Gynecological Cancer Patients 

A small cohort study of 45 patients was published last week in Gynecologic Oncology Reports. Researchers at New York University’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University, and the New York University Grossman School of Medicine conducted the study, which found 71% of gynecologic cancer patient enrollees reported self-improvement while using medical cannabis with at least one symptom with 15% of patients discontinuing its use due to the side effects.

The median age of women in the study was 60 years old. Overall, 56% of the patients used medical cannabis for pain, 47% for nausea and vomiting, 33% for anorexia, and 2% for insomnia. More than 70% of the patients reported improvement in nausea and vomiting, with 36% finding medical cannabis relieved their pain.

Testing Cannabinoids on Parkinson’s 

Brazilian scientists last year conducted a double-blinded placebo-controlled trial of CBD with Parkinson’s disease patients to test whether it might help with their tremors. The researchers found that a single dose of 300mg CBD reduced both anxiety and tremor compared to the placebo in the study participants. These results suggest that CBD may be helpful in controlling tremor in Parkinson’s disease patients during stressful situations.

Want to learn more? 

If you have an interest in learning more about the science of cannabis, Cleveland School of Cannabis can help! Our program in Medical Applications of Cannabis was designed to equip students with the scientific facts about cannabis medicine. The program goes into detail about how cannabis medicines affect the human body and how cannabis medicines are being introduced to the medical community. Sign up today!