FDA re-ups funding to Waterloo University for cannabis study.
The U.S. FDA is again contracting with Waterloo University to conduct a data analysis for its annual International Cannabis Policy Study (ICPS), according to a notice spotted by Cannabis Wire.
Since 2018, the ICPS has surveyed tens of thousands of people in the U.S. and Canada to assess, as the FDA puts it, “cannabis use trends and the impact of cannabis policies at the national and state levels.
The survey collects data on, for example:
• “patterns and prevalence of cannabis use
• motivations for cannabis use
• adverse events associated with cannabis use
• therapeutic outcomes of cannabis use
• motivations for use and purchase of specific cannabis products
• how cannabis users source or obtain cannabis products
• cannabis users’ participation in state regulated medical marijuana programs or adult use markets
• cannabis users’ exposure to cannabis advertising
• the effectiveness of cannabis product labels and warnings
• the frequency of cannabis users’ operation of motor vehicles in proximity to their cannabis use
• the impact of cannabis use on workplace outcomes
• and trends in cannabis product content and form”
The survey, according to the FDA, is “the largest survey of its kind” and is used by governments of Canada, Australia, and several US states.
NIDA follow up: five entities applied to supply cannabis to researchers.
As Cannabis Wire reported earlier this week in our newsletter, the University of Mississippi yet again won a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse to supply cannabis to researchers.
However, as we noted, for the first time multiple entities were eligible, because the Drug Enforcement Administration has, since 2021, started approving additional research-grade cannabis cultivators. (For decades, only Ole Miss has had such approval.)
Cannabis Wire reached out to NIDA to learn how many entities bid for the $25 million contract, and we just got a response: five.
Johns Hopkins survey: Delta-8 is “less intense,” and “perceived as legal.”
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine conducted a survey of just over 250 adults about their experiences with delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC.
When compared to delta-9 THC, the self-reported ratings for categories like “Drug effect,” “Bad effect,” “Sick,” “Anxiety,” “Paranoia,” “Irritability,” “Restlessness,” “Memory Problems,” and “Trouble Performing Routine Tasks” were lower for delta-8-THC, researchers noted.
“Qualitative responses indicated that participants used delta-8-THC because it is perceived as legal, a substitute or similar to delta-9-THC, and/or less intense than delta-9-THC,” researchers concluded, calling for more research.
Canopy Growth supported this research through a grant.
This research was published in the peer-reviewed journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.