PURPOSE The pharmacology, therapeutic uses, safety, drug-drug interactions, and drug-disease interactions of medical marijuana are reviewed, and the legal issues related to its use and the implications of medical marijuana for the pharmacist are presented. SUMMARY Marijuana contains more than 460 active chemicals and over 60 unique cannabinoids. The legal landscape surrounding marijuana is su...

OBJECTIVE This study examined mean level differences in marijuana expectancies and the differential associations between expectancies and marijuana use for individuals with and without a history of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). BACKGROUND Substance-use expectancies are a widely studied risk factor for alcohol and other drug use. The relations between marijuana-use expectanc...

Early conduct problems have been linked to early marijuana use in adolescence. The present study examines this association in a sample of 1,076 college students that was divided into three groups: 1) early marijuana users (began marijuana use prior to age 15; n=126), 2) late marijuana users (began marijuana use at or after age 15; n=607), and 3) non-users (never used marijuana; n=343). A conduc...

BACKGROUND Marijuana smoking is prevalent among hepatitis C virus-infected patients. The literature assessing the influence of marijuana on liver disease progression and hepatitis C virus antiviral treatment outcomes is conflicting. METHODS The authors evaluated hepatitis C virus RNA-positive patients followed at The Ottawa Hospital Viral Hepatitis Clinic (Ottawa, Ontario) from 2000 to 2009. ...

With the legalization of recreational marijuana in many states, we anticipate more women will be using and self-reporting marijuana use in pregnancy. Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used in pregnancy, with a prevalence of use ranging from 3% to 30% in various populations. Marijuana freely crosses the placenta and is found in breast milk. It may have adverse effects on both perinatal o...

The effect of marijuana and tobacco leaves on male albino rats haematological and liver functional indices were investigated. Twenty (20) male albino rats were randomly grouped into four (4) A, B, C and D. Rats in B, C and D were administered with marijuana, tobacco and mixture of marijuana and tobacco respectively in the ratio 3:1 after an acclimatization period of 7 days. Rats in group A serv...

BACKGROUND Marijuana potency has risen dramatically over the past two decades. In the United States, it is unclear whether state medical marijuana policies have contributed to this increase. METHODS Employing a differences-in-differences model within a mediation framework, we analyzed data on n=39,157 marijuana samples seized by law enforcement in 51 U.S. jurisdictions between 1990 and 2010, ...

In 2000, voters in Colorado approved an amendment to the state constitution to legalize medical marijuana. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that patients complying with medical marijuana laws would not be a priority for prosecution. The state subsequently experienced widespread growth in in the number of individuals with a medical marijuana card and in marijuana dispensaries. I...

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that allow individuals to use marijuana for medical purposes. In this paper, I use marijuana possession arrests and treatment referrals by medical professionals to estimate the impact of medical marijuana laws on marijuana usage among non-patients. I find that these laws increase marijuana arrests among adult males by about 20%. The...

OBJECTIVE To determine the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and marijuana use. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-1994) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PARTICIPANTS The study included participants of the NHANES III, a natio...