News – Society of Cannabis Clinicians

Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Effect of Cannabidiol Against Enveloped and Nonenveloped Viruses

Michelle Smith — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:17:55 +0000

Cannabidiol (CBD), the main non-psychoactive cannabinoid of the Cannabis sativa plant, is a powerful antioxidant compound that in recent years has increased interest due to causes effects in a wide range of biological functions. Zika virus (ZIKV) is a virus transmitted mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which causes neurological diseases, such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome. Although the frequency of viral outbreaks has increased recently, no vaccinations or particular chemotherapeutic treatments are available for ZIKV infection. The major aim of this study was to explore the in vitro antiviral activity of CBD against ZIKV, expanding also to other dissimilar viruses.

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The highs and the lows: Recreational marijuana laws and mental health treatment

Michelle Smith — Sun, 09 Jul 2023 20:03:48 +0000

Recreational marijuana laws (RMLs) continue to grow in popularity, but the effects on mental health treatment are unclear. This paper uses an event-study within a difference-in-differences framework to study the short-run impact of state RMLs on admissions into mental health treatment facilities. The results indicate that shortly after a state adopts an RML, they experience a decrease in the average number of mental health treatment admissions. The findings are driven by white, Black, and Medicaid-funded admissions and are consistent for both male and female admissions. The results are robust to alternative specifications and sensitivity analysis.

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Middle School Cannabis Curriculum

Nikhil Jain — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 17:56:44 +0000

SCC Member, Dave Gordon MD, was recently invited to review a middle school cannabis curriculum. Read below to see how education for this population has evolved since the DARE Program days.

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Medical Cannabis Science & Therapeutics Masters Program Commencement Ceremony

Nikhil Jain — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 08:25:29 +0000

It is with great honor and pride that we share that our SCC Board Member, Dr. Patricia Frye, on the 17th of May 2023, gave the Commencement Ceremony to the...

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Antiviral activities of hemp cannabinoids

Michelle Smith — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 02:42:17 +0000

Hemp is an understudied source of pharmacologically active compounds and many unique plant secondary metabolites including more than 100 cannabinoids. After years of legal restriction, research on hemp has recently demonstrated antiviral activities in silico, in vitro, and in vivo for cannabidiol (CBD), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), and several other cannabinoids against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and γ-herpes viruses. Mechanisms of action include inhibition of viral cell entry, inhibition of viral proteases, and stimulation of cellular innate immune responses. The anti-inflammatory properties of cannabinoids are also under investigation for mitigating the cytokine storm of COVID-19 and controlling chronic inflammation in people living with HIV. Retrospective clinical studies support antiviral activities of CBD, Δ9-THC, and cannabinoid mixtures as do some prospective clinical trials, but appropriately designed clinical trials of safety and efficacy of antiviral cannabinoids are urgently needed.

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Pathogenesis Underlying Neurological Manifestations of Long COVID Syndrome and Potential Therapeutics

Michelle Smith — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 13:53:18 +0000

The development of long-term symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) more than four weeks after primary infection, termed “long COVID” or post-acute sequela of COVID-19 (PASC), can implicate persistent neurological complications in up to one third of patients and present as fatigue, “brain fog”, headaches, cognitive impairment, dysautonomia, neuropsychiatric symptoms, anosmia, hypogeusia, and peripheral neuropathy. Pathogenic mechanisms of these symptoms of long COVID remain largely unclear; however, several hypotheses implicate both nervous system and systemic pathogenic mechanisms such as SARS-CoV2 viral persistence and neuroinvasion, abnormal immunological response, autoimmunity, coagulopathies, and endotheliopathy. Outside of the CNS, SARS-CoV-2 can invade the support and stem cells of the olfactory epithelium leading to persistent alterations to olfactory function. SARS-CoV-2 infection may induce abnormalities in innate and adaptive immunity including monocyte expansion, T-cell exhaustion, and prolonged cytokine release, which may cause neuroinflammatory responses and microglia activation, white matter abnormalities, and microvascular changes. Additionally, microvascular clot formation can occlude capillaries and endotheliopathy, due to SARS-CoV-2 protease activity and complement activation, can contribute to hypoxic neuronal injury and blood–brain barrier dysfunction, respectively. Current therapeutics target pathological mechanisms by employing antivirals, decreasing inflammation, and promoting olfactory epithelium regeneration. Thus, from laboratory evidence and clinical trials in the literature, we sought to synthesize the pathophysiological pathways underlying neurological symptoms of long COVID and potential therapeutics.

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Therapeutic Effects of Cannabinoids and Their Applications in COVID-19 Treatment

Michelle Smith — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 16:59:40 +0000

Cannabidiol is showing promising results for the treatment of COVID-19, due to its capa- bility of acting on the unleashed cytokine storm, on the proteins necessary for both virus entry and replication and on the neurological consequences of patients who have been infected by the virus. Here, we summarize the latest knowledge regarding the advantages of using cannabinoids in the treatment of COVID-19.

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Cannabis consumption is associated with lower COVID-19 severity among hospitalized patients: a retrospective cohort analysis

Nikhil Jain — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 07:43:56 +0000

While cannabis is known to have immunomodulatory properties, the clinical consequences of its use on outcomes in COVID-19 have not been extensively evaluated. We aimed to assess whether cannabis users hospitalized for COVID-19 had improved outcomes compared to non-users.

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Cannabinoids as Emergent Therapy Against COVID-19

Michelle Smith — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 22:32:38 +0000

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-Cov-2), was identified for the first time in late 2019 in China, resulting in a global pandemic of massiveimpact. Despite a fast development and implementation of vaccination strategies, and the scouting of severalpharmacological treatments, alternative effective treatments are still needed. In this regard, cannabinoids repre-sent a promising approach because they have been proven to exhibit several immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties in COVID-19 disease models and related pathological conditions. Thismini-review aims at providing a practical brief overview of the potential applications of cannabinoids so far iden-tified for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, finally considering key aspects related to their technologicaland clinical implementation.

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Synergy with Cannabis and Other Herbs: Thinking Beyond Plant Constituents

Sarah Russo — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 09:09:01 +0000

Explore the different types of plant synergy, herbs that may combine well with cannabis, and the healing properties of botanicals that science will never be able to fully explain.

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