Marijuana/Cannabis News and Research

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Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Cannabis is a term that refers to marijuana and other drugs made from the same plant. Other forms of cannabis include sinsemilla, hashish, and hash oil. All forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs.

Search for new uses for heroin and marijuana

The world's leading expert on the opium poppy has joined forces with researchers working on another infamous drug-producing plant – cannabis – in hopes of finding new uses for the much-maligned sources of heroin and marijuana.

1 Nov 2007

Teenage smokers at risk of depression, alcohol abuse and drug use

According to American researchers smoking cigarettes may make teens more prone to depression, alcohol abuse and illegal drug use.

28 Oct 2007

Cannabis reduces pain only within a narrow dose range

Although smoking "moderate" doses of cannabis helps reduce pain in healthy research volunteers, pain is actually increased at high doses.

24 Oct 2007

Most parents ignorant to teenager's substance use

New research results from the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) suggest that most parents are aware of and accurately evaluate the extent of their teenager's cigarette smoking, marijuana use, drinking and overall substance use.

24 Oct 2007

Synthetic form of THC is an effective anti-depressant at low doses

A new neurobiological study has found that a synthetic form of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, is an effective anti-depressant at low doses.

24 Oct 2007

Study looks at connections between athletic skill and social acceptance among school children

In the Peanuts comic strip, Charlie Brown was never able to kick the football, fly a kite properly or lead a baseball team.

19 Oct 2007

The importance of the endocannabinoid-system

Cannabis (marijuana) is the most widely produced plant-based illicit drug worldwide and the illegal drug most frequently used in Europe.

15 Oct 2007

Connection between substance abuse and violence examined

Approximately 50 percent of Americans over the age of 12 currently drink alcohol, according to a 2003 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

10 Oct 2007

How does THC work?

Marijuana and its main psychoactive component, THC, exert a plethora of behavioral and autonomic effects on humans and animals.

9 Oct 2007

Peer influence can help young adults avoid drug use

High-risk teenagers who participate in peer-led substance abuse prevention programs reduce their drug use by approximately 15 percent versus traditional curricula, suggests a study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC).

9 Oct 2007

Stealth learning fosters science education

Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom, a Duke University pharmacology professor who left the lab bench to focus on science education, has developed a tactic for keeping students hands in the air at the end of class.

27 Sep 2007

Sewage reveals community-wide illegal drug use

Public health officials may soon be able to flush out more accurate estimates on illegal drug use in communities across the country thanks to screening test described at the 234 th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

22 Aug 2007

Cannabis for allergic contact dermatitis

Administering a substance found in the cannabis plant can help the body's natural protective system alleviate an allergic skin disease (allergic contact dermatitis), an international group of researchers from Germany, Israel, Italy, Switzerland and the U.S. has found.

17 Aug 2007

Caution urged on use of drugs to raise "good" cholesterol

With 40 percent of all heart attacks and related cardiovascular problems occurring in people who have low levels of so-called "good" cholesterol, researchers have long sought medications to increase the amount of this type of cholesterol in the body's circulation.

16 Aug 2007

Cannabis mouth spray eases pain of cancer patients

Canadian health authorities have given approval for a new cannabis-based painkiller for use with cancer patients.

8 Aug 2007

Ddiscovery of a novel molecular switch offers potential for epilepsy

The discovery of a novel molecular switch that powerfully modulates nerve cell activity offers the potential for new mood disorder and epilepsy treatments, University of California, Irvine researchers report.

6 Aug 2007

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol opens door for virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma

The major active component of marijuana could enhance the ability of the virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma to infect cells and multiply, according to a team of researchers at Harvard Medical School.

2 Aug 2007

One joint as bad as five cigarettes

The latest research says the effects of a single cannabis 'joint' could damage the lungs as much as smoking up to five tobacco cigarettes one after another.

31 Jul 2007

Malt liquor linked to marijuana use

The cheap, high-alcohol beverage often marketed to teens -- may put young adults at increased risk for alcohol problems and use of illicit drugs, particularly marijuana, according to a new study of malt liquor drinkers and marijuana use by scientists at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions (RIA).

27 Jul 2007

Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes

Further evidence that using cannabis could increase the risk of developing a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia, later in life, is revealed today in a study published in The Lancet.

27 Jul 2007