Weedsy weekly: FDA finally authorizes cannabis PTSD trial, robust research on neuropathic pain + all the poor dogs that got high by accident

Science

• Psychedelics may be less likely to cause psychosis and related disorders than previously suspected, according to new research from the Cambridge University Press. Researchers looked for reports of psychedelic induced psychosis since 1950, and only found 17 case reports of psychosis in individuals using psychedelic drugs. The authors wrote that their findings contrast "with a relatively entrenched view in psychiatry and society as a whole that such drugs are strongly associated with this form of psychiatric disorder. For example, several well-known rock musicians who developed schizophrenia are widely considered to be ‘acid casualties’. It also contrasts with a previous study: Smart and Bateman (1957) reported that they had been able to trace reports of 225 adverse reactions to LSD, of which 142 took the form of prolonged psychotic reactions."
• An analysis of blood plasma in 38 dogs with suspected cannabis intoxication confirmed that all but one had cannabinoids in their blood, mostly THC. The most common symptom was ataxia, or loss of muscle control.
• Research is mixed on whether cannabis is an effective treatment for many conditions. However, a recent review paper from the University of Virginia found that cannabis was consistently an effective treatment for neuropathic pain. The authors looked at 14 randomized, controlled trials investigating cannabis and neuropathic pain—13 out of the 14 studies showed it alleviated pain to a statistically significant degree. The NIH estimates that 16 million Americans suffer from neuropathic pain. And it’s difficult to treat, because pain arises not from the body, but from damaged nerves sending incorrect signals.

News

• The FDA has authorized a clinical trial that will investigate cannabis as a treatment for PTSD, after declining to allow this trial in 2021 over concerns about the effects of high potency cannabis. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) will conduct the trial. MAPS has been embroiled in controversy over a separate clinical trial that they conducted with the psychedelic company Lykos Therapeutics: It looked into MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. That trial was plagued with ethical issues, including sexual misconduct. The FDA ultimately rejected the treatment, partly because the published results hid adverse events, including suicide attempts. MAPS has since distanced itself from Lykos. Researchers will use high potency cannabis from Canada for the trial, which will be funded by a $13 million grant from Michigan's cannabis regulatory agency.
• We might see cannabis cafés in California soon. Sacramento's city council approved a plan to license 40 cannabis lunges.
• New Hampshire will introduce new legislation to potentially legalize cannabis next year

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