Controlled Drugs

Medical cannabis should not face usual regulatory checks, says former health minister

Medical cannabis products should not be subject to the usual regulatory checks before patients can use them, as cannabis is “the oldest medicine of all”, Sir Norman Lamb has said.…

Cannabis composition alters effects of drug on the brain

Researchers have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to show how cannabidiol counteracts some of the harmful effects of cannabis on the brain.…

Pharmacists lack knowledge and confidence around cannabis, study finds

Pharmacists support the use of medical cannabis in practice but have concerns about the potential harms it may cause to patients, the results of a systematic review show…

Advisory body on drug misuse to provide framework on medical cannabis by end of 2019

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has been asked to provide an outline framework on medical cannabis by the end of 2019, with the aim of having an initial view by the end of 2020.…

Patterns of medical cannabis use differ between cancer and non-cancer patients

Patients with cancer who use medical cannabis to treat symptoms, such as pain and neuropathy, tend to favour formulations with a higher ratio of the psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol, compared with non-cancer patients.…

Purified CBD reduces seizures in rare form of childhood epilepsy by almost 50%, study finds

Highly purified cannabidiol at a dose of 10mg/kg/day can reduce convulsive seizures in children with Dravet syndrome by almost 50%.…

Give pharmacy the resources needed to tackle stubbornly high drug abuse rates

A street drug-testing pilot scheme in Somerset suggests that pharmacists could have a massive impact on reducing illicit drug use, but this work will go no further if funding is not found.…

DHSC commissions ‘rapid’ evaluation of medical cannabis prescribing

The health and social care secretary has asked NHS England to launch an evaluation of medical cannabis prescribing to “address barriers”.…

Cannabis use in adolescence linked to depression in young adulthood

Adolescent cannabis users are over three times more likely to attempt suicide in young adulthood, according to the authors of a review published in JAMA Psychiatry.…

Government investigation finds crack cocaine use increases by 8.5% in five years

The number of people using crack cocaine has increased by 8.5% in the past five years, according to the latest data from a Home Office and Public Health England investigation.…