The state has experienced a significant drop in ‘marijuana-related’ ER visits, as well as a decrease in marijuana-related poison center calls and unintentional exposures in children

The rate of teen use has not changed since legalization and is nearly identical to the national average, according to ‘the most comprehensive data available’

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment highlighted several “encouraging trends” in its latest annual report on marijuana-related health concerns.

According to the report:

James Feeney, a surgeon in Connecticut, heard it from his patients. A few actually turned down his prescription for oxycodone, the popular opioid painkiller that has also gained notoriety with the opioid epidemic. His patients, Feeney recalls, would say, “Listen, don’t give me any of that oxycodone garbage. … I’m just going to smoke weed.”

“And you know what?” says Feeney. “Every single one of those patients doesn’t have a lot of pain, and they do pretty well.”

Misleadingly marketed as a legal and safe alternative to marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids have a variety of adverse health effects. A new review summarizes the clinical cases that have so far been linked to the use of the synthetic substances.

Nova Scotia’s human-rights board has ruled that a man suffering from chronic pain must have his marijuana prescription paid for by his employee-insurance plan, with advocates saying the decision opens the door for patients across Canada to push for similar cannabis coverage.

Gordon Skinner, from a community just outside Halifax, had argued that he faced discrimination when he was denied coverage by the Canadian Elevator Industry Welfare Trust Plan. He has been using medical cannabis to treat pain from an on-the-job car accident that forced him from work as an elevator mechanic more than six years ago.

A new undergraduate course on “Physiology of Cannabis” (HPH 115) will be offered at UC Davis this spring to raise awareness and understanding of how cannabis and cannabinoids affect the body.

Designed for students in the biological sciences, the three-unit course will cover the biology of cannabis and cannabinoids as well as their physiological effects in multiple systems, underlying mechanisms and therapeutic values. It also will survey the history of cannabis use, cover the endocannabinoid system and discuss potential medical targets for cannabis and their relative effectiveness.

Microdosing—ingesting tiny amounts of LSD or other psychedelics to experience almost subliminal effects—has been a thing for a while now. It's been getting a modicum of renewed attention thanks to the recent publication of Ayelet Waldman's memoir, A Really Good Day , which extols the benefits of the practice.

As desperate parents of children with severe epilepsy turn to alternative therapies, researchers are launching a study examining the efficacy and safety of treating seizures with medical marijuana products.

“Parents are becoming more aware of the use of cannabis to treat epilepsy from social media and parent support groups,” said Richard Tang-Wai, a pediatric epileptologist at the University of Alberta.

“Because there is little scientific evidence regarding the use of cannabis products in children, most physicians are reluctant to prescribe them, resulting in parents trying to make their own preparations at home or turning to suppliers who cannot verify the quality of their product. This adds to the urgency of doing studies like this.”

Georgia parents and advocates are continuing to push for legislation that would expand access to medical marijuana even as they butt up against opposition from conservative lawmakers and law enforcement.

Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, sponsored a bill that would allow patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, AIDS, HIV, chronic pain, or autism to qualify for medical marijuana. It would also remove some restrictions on patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease.

The bill removes some residency restrictions and eases reporting requirements on prescribing physicians.

Supporters of medical marijuana are using the Super Bowl as a platform to urge the NFL and the federal government to lift prohibitions against the use of cannabis.

They contend marijuana should have a place in sports medicine as a natural alternative to opiates for treatment of injuries.

Currently, if an NFL player tests positive for cannabis, he can be fined, suspended or banished from the league.

Among those on the panel were former New Olreans Saints player Kyle Turley, who said he became addicted to opiods prescribed to him for injuries sustained as a college and professional player.