Weedsy weekly: Illinois' illogical smell laws, CBD for rat gums + psychosis from withdrawal?

Hannah Harris Green

06 Dec 2024 — 2 min read

Science

There's been a lot of discussion recently about the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis. But a new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry shows that cannabis withdrawal could lead to psychosis as well. Researchers looked at electronic medical records, as well as every study they could find that described cases of mania or psychosis triggered by cannabis withdrawal—including clinical trials and conference abstracts and posters. The authors found 44 cases of cannabis withdrawal related psychosis in 21 studies, as well as 68 cases in the electronic medical records. Most of the cases involved men who used cannabis daily and experienced psychosis within a week of stopping. The authors theorized that men might be more likely to experience psychosis during withdrawal for the same reason they're more likely to experience vivid dreams. But they also admitted that little is known about the relationship between cannabis withdrawal and psychosis, including whether or not the relationship is causal. For example, some people may have decided to quit because they were already noticing a decline in their mental health, and then experienced psychosis during the withdrawal period. The authors recommended that people taper off their cannabis use rather than stopping abruptly in order to ease the symptoms of withdrawal.
A systematic review of studies investigating the effects of combined alcohol and cannabis found that mixing the two doesn't always lead to greater harms. So my college orientation session on the dangers of getting cross-faded may have been misleading.
A combination of CBD and taurine helped rats suffering from gum disease.
Older adults aren't talking to their doctors about their cannabis use, because they're shy about it, or because their doctors have made them feel ashamed when they do bring it up.

News

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the smell of raw cannabis could be grounds for police to search a vehicle. Earlier this year, the same high court ruled that the smell of burnt cannabis is not grounds for a search on its own. This difference stems from an Illinois law requiring people to transport their weed in odor proof containers. Seems pretty silly, given that the burnt smell means people are more likely to actually be driving high?
In Minnesota, some jurisdictions are banning skunky smells from any kind of business, not just cannabis related businesses.
Meanwhile, you might be allowed to smoke weed at the movies in Massachusetts soon.
Medical cannabis sales will begin in Kentucky in the new year.

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