Twitter Bots Tout Cannabis as a Cure-all Despite Few Approved Medical Uses Lisa Rapaport Medscape - Dec 27, 2019. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/923184?nlid=133282_2052&src=WNL_mdplsnews_200103_mscpedit_psyc&uac=292598PZ&spon=12&impID=2232271&faf=1 (Reuters Health) - Social media bots are promoting cannabis as a remedy for everything from cancer to insomnia and foot pain, according to an analysis of posts on Twitter. "Social bots regularly perpetuate unsubstantiated health claims on the platform, providing one example of how false statements may drown out solid science on social media," said lead study author Jon-Patrick Allem of the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "I want the public to be aware of the difference between a demonstrated, scientifically backed [...]
Lire la suiteThe Philosophy of Psychedelic Transformation Chris Letheby Journal of Consciousness Studies. Introduction and Methodological Preliminaries Psychedelic drugs are remarkable substances which have been hailed as indispensable epistemic instruments for the sciences of mind, as unparalleled psychotherapeutic interventions, as unique sources of insight into the nature and genesis of psychosis and religion, and as keys to the survival and flourishing of the human species (Osmond 1957, Sessa 2012). After a politically driven decades long hiatus, scientific study of these drugs in humans has resumed with impressive results. Given the magnitude and variety of significance ascribed to the substances, it is surprising that philosophers have not [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis : saurez-vous bien faire la distinction entre le «bien-être» et la «récréation» ? Jean-Yves NAU Blog Le Monde, 23 décembre 2019 Bonjour Est-ce une nouvelle tentative pour dépénaliser/légaliser une substance illicite mais très largement consommée ? L’Assemblée nationale vient de créér une « Mission d’information commune sur la réglementation et l’impact des différents usages du cannabis ». Une mission composée de trente-trois députés et issue des réflexions de … six commissions (affaires économiques, affaires sociales, lois, finances, affaires culturelles et éducatives, développement durable). Pourquoi développer une telle énergie législative ? Parce qu’ « en France la réglementation des usages du cannabis a particulièrement évolué ces dix dernières années » [il s’agit de [...]
Lire la suiteAustralia should be initiating a psychedelic research program : What are the barriers ? Nigel Strauss, Stephen J Bright and Martin L Williams Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2016, Vol. 50, (11), 1036–1037 DOI: 10.1177/0004867416670520 A recent review in Pharmacological Reviews highlights that over the last decade, a renaissance has occurred in psychedelic drug research in North America and Europe as investigators at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), New York University and Imperial College London have embarked on studies that could be paradigm-changing for psychiatry (Nichols, 2016). These developments overturn a 30-year embargo on psychedelic research [...]
Lire la suiteCannabinoids Identification in Lung Tissues of Young Cannabis Smokers Operated for Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax and Correlation with Pathologic Findings Mario Bisconti, Giuseppe Marulli, Roberta Pacifici, Francesco Sollitto, Giulia Nex, Xenia Trabucco, Nicoletta Pia Ardò, Maria Concetta Rotolo, Giulia De Iaco, Teodora Panza, Debora Brascia, Marcella Schiavone, Francesca Signore, Francesco Pistelli, Angela De Palma Respiration, 2019. Doi : 10.1159/000503456 Abstract Background : Several studies suggested the association between tobacco and cannabis smoking and the risk of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), but none demonstrated cannabinoids in human lung tissues. Objectives : The aim of this study was to identify cannabinoids in lung specimens of young cannabis smokers, operated [...]
Lire la suiteDrug-drug interactions as a result of coadministering Δ9-THC and CBD with other psychotropic agents Carola Rong, Nicole E. Carmona, Yena L. Lee, Renee-Marie Ragguett, Zihang Pan, Joshua D. Rosenblat, Mehala Subramaniapillai, Margarita Shekotikhina, Fahad Almatham, Asem Alageel, Rodrigo Mansur, Roger C. Ho & Roger S. McIntyre Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 2018, 17:1, 51-54. Doi : 10.1080/14740338.2017.1397128 ABSTRACT Introduction : To determine, via narrative, non-systematic review of pre-clinical and clinical studies, whether the effect of cannabis on hepatic biotransformation pathways would be predicted to result in clinically significant drug-drug interactions (DDIs) with commonly prescribed psychotropic agents. Areas covered: A non-systematic literature search was conducted using the following [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin-Induced Decrease in Amygdala Reactivity Correlates with Enhanced Positive Mood in Healthy Volunteers Rainer Kraehenmann, Katrin H. Preller, Milan Scheidegger, Thomas Pokorny, Oliver G. Bosch, Erich Seifritz, and Franz X. Vollenweider Biological Psychiatry, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.04.010 Background : The amygdala is a key structure in serotonergic emotion-processing circuits. In healthy volunteers, acute administration of the serotonin 1A/2A/2C receptor agonist psilocybin reduces neural responses to negative stimuli and induces mood changes toward positive states. However, it is little known whether psilocybin reduces amygdala reactivity to negative stimuli and whether any change in amygdala reactivity is related to mood change. Methods : This study assessed the effects of [...]
Lire la suitePatient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy : An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Alexander B. Belser, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, T. Cody Swift, Sara Terrana, Neşe Devenot, Harris L. Friedman, Jeffrey Guss, Anthony Bossis and Stephen Ross Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2017, 1 –35 Doi : 10.1177/0022167817706884 journals.sagepub.com/home/jhp Abstract The psychological mechanisms of action involved in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy are not yet well understood. Despite a resurgence of quantitative research regarding psilocybin, the current study is the first qualitative study of participant experiences in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Semistructured interviews were carried out with 13 adult participants aged 22 to 69 years (M = 50 years) with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer [...]
Lire la suiteThe association between regular cannabis use, with and without tobacco co-use, and adverse cardiovascular outcomes : cannabis may have a greater impact in non-tobacco smokers Theresa Winhusen, Jeff Theobald, David C. Kaelber, and Daniel Lewis The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2019.1676433 ABSTRACT Background : Understanding the potential impact of cannabis use on cardiovascular health is increasingly important as cannabis use rises in the U.S. Objectives : This study evaluated the associations between regular cannabis use, with and without tobacco co-use, and cardiovascular outcomes. Methods : Analysis of a limited dataset obtained through IBM Watson Health Explorys, a platform integrating electronic health record data. [...]
Lire la suitePatient-reported use of medical cannabis for pain, anxiety, and depression symptoms : Systematic review and meta-analysis Jesse D. Kosiba, Stephen A. Maisto, Joseph W. Ditre Social Science & Medicine, 2019, 181-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.06.005 This study is the first to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of empirical studies that assess patient-reported reasons for using medical cannabis to alleviate pain, anxiety, and depression. The present review further assessed the quality of studies and identified several methodological flaws in extant research. Highlights •Systematically reviewed studies why patients use medical cannabis. •Pain was a common reason for medical cannabis use (64%). •Anxiety (50%) and depression (34%) were [...]
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