scholarly journals Informed Cannabis Policies on Canadian Campuses: Toward the Protection of Youth and Young Adults

Spectrum ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tristan Rebecca Kaitlyn Sinnatamby ◽  
Emad Saad ◽  
Joel Agarwal

Introduction: The legalization of cannabis across Canada in October 2018 introduced issues including regulation at different levels, public and individual education, and discussions about cannabis product safety. We aimed to discuss ineffective and effective cannabis use policy on campuses and associated public areas, given the known short-term and long-term effects pertaining to its neurologic, pulmonary, and purported medicinal effects. Cannabis interferes with many of the body’s basic and executive (higher-level) functions. It is also associated with long-term harmful effects when chronically used. The purpose of this paper is to review and further discuss the responsibility local governments and educational institutions have for creating policies and regulations around cannabis use, particularly within post-secondary institutions, and for implementing educational strategies to promote public knowledge of cannabis. Methods: Peer-reviewed articles published in the last 10 years were searched for through the MEDLINE database. In addition, national and local health-related websites discussing cannabis policies were reviewed and collated. Expert opinions were also sought out to provide further information and resources. Results: 31 peer-reviewed articles and 12 professional websites were retrieved and reviewed. Correspondences with individual experts aware of and involved with campus cannabis policies also provided relevant resources and data used in this document. Conclusion: Smoke-free campus policies create the best health outcomes for the campus population. As well, creating effective and properly regulated policies and prioritizing public education is pertinent especially on universities where the population demographic is relatively young.

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farrah Mushtaq ◽  
Valeria Mondelli ◽  
Carmine M. Pariante

SummaryAimsThe aim of this paper is to summarise the effects of cannabis use on appetite and energy balance, and to subsequently investigate the possible implications this may have in patients with psychosis, in whom a high prevalence of cannabis use has been reported.Methods– A narrative review based on the recent literature regarding cannabis use in the gen-eral population and patients with psychosis.Results– The short-term abilities of cannabis to increase appetite and body weight, through actions on the endogenous endocannabinoid system, have been well characterised throughout the literature. The long term effects of cannabis use are however unclear and only a minority of studies have been conducted in the general population with overall conflicting results. In terms of the effects of cannabis in patients with psychosis, there has only been one study to date that has investigated this and interestingly found cannabis use to be associated with increased body weight and blood glucose levels, thus providing evidence that cannabis use may be an important contributing factor to the reduced life expectancy, as is currently observed in this vulnerable patient group.Conclusions– It is clear from the literature that patients with psychosis are at a high risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease in comparison to the general population. However the contribution of cannabis use to this risk is as of yet undetermined and further long term studies are need to confirm current findings and evaluate hypothesised mechanisms.Declaration of Interest: None.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devesh Kapur

The Indian state’s performance spans the spectrum from woefully inadequate, especially in core public goods provision, to surprisingly impressive in successfully managing complex tasks and on a massive scale. It has delivered better on macroeconomic rather than microeconomic outcomes, where delivery is episodic with inbuilt exit than where delivery and accountability are quotidian and more reliant on state capacity at local levels, and on those goods and services where societal norms on hierarchy and status matter less than where they are resilient. The paper highlights three reasons for these outcomes: under-resourced local governments, the long-term effects of India’s “precocious” democracy, and the persistence of social cleavage. However, claims that India’s state is bloated in size and submerged in patronage have weak basis. The paper concludes by highlighting a reversal of past trends in that state capacity is improving at the micro level even as India’s macro performance has become more worrisome.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (25) ◽  
pp. 4112-4118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Karila ◽  
Perrine Roux ◽  
Benjamin Rolland ◽  
Amine Benyamina ◽  
Michel Reynaud ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Satoshi Tsuboi ◽  
Tomosa Mine ◽  
Satoshi Kanke ◽  
Tetsuya Ohira

ABSTRACT Objectives: On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake (the Great East Japan Earthquake) occurred off the east coast of Japan. After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accidents, as of 2016, people were not allowed to live in the 6 districts (Tomioka, Okuma, Futaba, Namie, Katsurao, Iidate) in Fukushima Prefecture. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of displacement on all-cause mortality in Fukushima Prefecture. Methods: Data regarding population and deaths from 2009 to 2016 in Fukushima Prefecture were obtained from the governmental statistics. The age-adjusted all-cause mortality were compared among the 4 areas in Fukushima Prefecture; the Eastern, Middle, Western, and Displacement areas. Results: The age-adjusted all-cause mortality rates in the Eastern and Displacement areas were higher than in the other 2 areas from 2009 to 2011. During the period from 2012 to 2016, all-cause mortality in the Displacement area decreased to the lowest, while the morality in the Eastern area remained the highest. Conclusions: Against all expectations, after the earthquake, all-cause mortality in the Displacement area was continuously lower than in the rest of the Fukushima Prefecture. Following disasters, long-term monitoring should be organized to meet local health-care needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina G. Nashed ◽  
Daniel B. Hardy ◽  
Steven R. Laviolette

Clinical reports of cannabis use prevalence during pregnancy vary widely from 3% to upwards of 35% in North America; this disparity likely owing to underestimates from self-reporting in many cases. The rise in cannabis use is mirrored by increasing global legalization and the overall perceptions of safety, even during pregnancy. These trends are further compounded by a lack of evidence-based policy and guidelines for prenatal cannabis use, which has led to inconsistent messaging by healthcare providers and medically licensed cannabis dispensaries regarding prenatal cannabis use for treatment of symptoms, such as nausea. Additionally, the use of cannabis to self-medicate depression and anxiety during pregnancy is a growing medical concern. This review aims to summarize recent findings of clinical and preclinical data on neonatal outcomes, as well as long-term physiological and neurodevelopmental outcomes of prenatal cannabis exposure. Although many of the outcomes under investigation have produced mixed results, we consider these data in light of the unique challenges facing cannabis research. In particular, the limited longitudinal clinical studies available have not previously accounted for the exponential increase in (-)-Δ9– tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9–THC; the psychoactive compound in cannabis) concentrations found in cannabis over the past two decades. Polydrug use and the long-term effects of individual cannabis constituents [Δ9–THC vs. cannabidiol (CBD)] are also understudied, along with sex-dependent outcomes. Despite these limitations, prenatal cannabis exposure has been linked to low birth weight, and emerging evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to Δ9–THC, which crosses the placenta and impacts placental development, may have wide-ranging physiological and neurodevelopmental consequences. The long-term effects of these changes require more rigorous investigation, though early reports suggest Δ9–THC increases the risk of cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric disease, including psychosis, depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. In light of the current trends in the perception and use of cannabis during pregnancy, we emphasize the social and medical imperative for more rigorous investigation of the long-term effects of prenatal cannabis exposure.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Alejandro Yanes ◽  
Meredith A. Reid ◽  
Lauren Yvette Atlas ◽  
Jarred W. Younger ◽  
Raul Gonzalez ◽  
...  

Substantial effort has been directed toward understanding complex associations between cannabis and pain, yet we have many, and sometimes conflicting, theories regarding cannabinoid analgesia. Although acute effects of cannabis on pain have received considerable attention, long-term effects remain understudied. Two studies were conducted. First, during the laboratory study, we measured pain ratings and pain tolerance in response to pressure-based mechanical pain among recreational cannabis users (n = 33) and cannabis non-users (n = 31). Linear mixed-effects models demonstrated that: (i) pain ratings (0-100 VAS) were not different between groups (B = 1.57 (95% CI: -10.84, 13.99), p = 0.801), (ii) pain tolerance (0-240 mmHg) was associated with anxiety (B = -5.33 (95% CI: -8.29, -2.33) p < 0.001), and (iii) users had lower tolerance after controlling for anxiety (B = -24.62 (95% CI: -49.32, 0.43), p = 0.046). Second, during the internet study, we retested these associations using more ecologically relevant endpoints in a separate sample. Participants completed the Graded Chronic Pain Scale, and pain-related daily interference was compared between users (n = 185) and non-users (n = 586). Linear models showed that interference (0-10 points) was associated with anxiety (B = 0.07 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.09), p < 0.001) and users reported greater interference after controlling for anxiety (B = 0.27 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.46), p = 0.003). Together, these outcomes suggest that regular cannabis use is associated with differences in pain processing, although additional studies are needed to provide enhanced mechanistic understanding.


2006 ◽  
Vol 185 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerry Jager ◽  
Rene S. Kahn ◽  
Wim Van Den Brink ◽  
Jan M. Van Ree ◽  
Nick F. Ramsey

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Metrik ◽  
Angela K. Stevens ◽  
Rachel L. Gunn ◽  
Brian Borsari ◽  
Kristina M. Jackson

Abstract Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most highly co-occurring psychiatric disorder among veterans with cannabis use disorder (CUD). Despite some evidence that cannabis use prospectively exacerbates the course of PTSD, which in turn increases the risk for CUD, the causal nature of the relationship between cannabis and psychiatric comorbidity is debated. The longitudinal relationship between PTSD diagnosis and traumatic intrusion symptoms with cannabis use and CUD was examined using cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) analysis. Methods Prospective data from a longitudinal observational study of 361 veterans deployed post-9/11/2001 included PTSD and CUD diagnoses, cannabis use, and PTSD-related traumatic intrusion symptoms from the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms. Results A random intercept CLPM analysis that leveraged three waves (baseline, 6 months and 12 months) of cannabis use and PTSD-related intrusion symptoms to account for between-person differences found that baseline cannabis use was significantly positively associated with 6-month intrusion symptoms; the converse association was significant but reduced in magnitude (baseline use to 6-month intrusions: β = 0.46, 95% CI 0.155–0.765; baseline intrusions to 6-month use: β = 0.22, 95% CI −0.003 to 0.444). Results from the two-wave CLPM reveal a significant effect from baseline PTSD to 12-month CUD (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.028–0.272) but not from baseline CUD to 12-month PTSD (β = 0.12, 95% CI −0.022 to 0.262). Conclusions Strong prospective associations capturing within-person changes suggest that cannabis use is linked with greater severity of trauma-related intrusion symptoms over time. A strong person-level directional association between PTSD and CUD was evident. Findings have significant clinical implications for the long-term effects of cannabis use among individuals with PTSD.


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