Clearing The Smokescreen The Current Evidence On Cannabis Use

Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit substance world-wide, with international estimates indicating that 2.8%-4.5% of the global population use cannabis each year. This prevalence rate has not changed substantially in the past decade and there is no indication that it will do so in the next decade. In line with this, many prominent organizations and individuals have acknowledged that the “war on drugs” has failed and are now calling for a rethink on drug-related policy and legal frameworks. With a growing number of jurisdictions across the world heeding this call and introducing legislation to decriminalize or legalize cannabis use, it is essential that any changes to legal frameworks and public health policies are based on the best available scientific evidence. To facilitate the adoption of an evidence-based approach to cannabis policy, the aim of this Research Topic was to gather a comprehensive body of research to clarify the current state of evidence relating to cannabis use. Of interest were articles addressing the following questions: • How do we study cannabis use? (e.g., recruitment; measuring dose/use; assessing dependence/problematic use; confounding; translation of findings from animal studies) • What do we know about cannabis use? (e.g., patterns, contexts, methods of use) • What do we know about people who use cannabis? (e.g., who uses cannabis and why) • What are the social settings, norms and cultural values that go along with cannabis use? • How is problematic cannabis use, as opposed to mere use, defined, judged and constructed in different societies? • What do we know about the effects/outcomes of cannabis use? (e.g., acute, short- and long-term; harms/ benefits) • What do we know about the factors associated with the initiation, continuance and cessation of cannabis use? • What do we know about the medicinal use of cannabis? (e.g., who uses medicinally and why; efficacy/effectiveness in different clinical populations; comparison with other medications) • What do we know about treatment for people who engage in problematic cannabis use? (e.g., who seeks/is referred to treatment and why; efficacy and effectiveness) • What do we know about cannabis? (e.g., pharmacodynamics/pharmacokinetics of different strains, cultivation, preparation and consumption methods) • How do policy and legal frameworks impact on the people who use cannabis? • What is the future for cannabis research? (e.g., potential avenues for future research; aspects needing more attention; innovative approaches; political/funding issues affecting cannabis research)

In this book, Murphy brings together a team of international experts to review cutting-edge scientific literature from the field of psychobiology and related disciplines which addresses important questions and broadens our understanding of substance use behaviours. The reader is introduced to the multi-faceted nature of substance use and misuse, and its growing need to be discussed across diverse disciplines and perspectives. The book also addresses important questions regarding public policy and professional practice in the context of different social and cultural environments, and comments on the methodological and ethical issues in substance use and misuse. Chapters explore a spectrum of substances, which include: cocaine, alcohol, ecstasy (MDMA), methamphetamine, synthetic cannabinoids, tobacco, ketamine, novel psychoactive substances, and vaping products. The use of these substances poses important questions for science and for society. This book is written to help academics, practitioners, and students in a variety of academic and professional disciplines answer those questions while staying up to date with the psychobiological literature. This is a vital resource for professionals and upper-level undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking research in areas related to biological psychology, biology, health studies, and medicine.

What is the connection between autism and addiction? Why are individuals with autism more likely to develop a substance use disorder than the general population? Until recently, substance use disorder (SUD) was considered rare among those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This book brings together current research and personal accounts from individuals with autism and their supports. It explores why addiction is more common among individuals with ASD and investigates how addiction and autism affect one another. The authors also provide strategies for supporting people with both ASD and SUD.

From the leading authority on marijuana—a man who has served as White House advisor on drugs to three different administrations and who NBC News once called “the prodigy of drug politics"—comes the remarkable and shocking exposé about how 21st century pot, today’s new and highly potent form of the drug, is on the rise, spreading rapidly across America by an industry intent on putting rising profits over public health. Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know examines the inside story behind the headlines, containing accounts from Sabet’s time in the Obama administration to stunning revelations from whistleblowers speaking out for the first time. What it finds is how the marijuana industry is running rampant without proper oversight, leaving Americans’ health seriously at risk. Included are interviews with industry insiders who reveal the hidden dangers of a product they had once worshipped. Also contained in these pages are insights from a major underground-market dealer who admits that legalization is hastening the growth of the illicit drug trade. And more to the heart of the issue are the tragic stories of those who have suffered and died as a result of marijuana use, and in many cases, as a result of its mischaracterization. Readers will learn how power brokers worked behind the scenes to market marijuana as a miracle plant in order to help it gain widespread acceptance and to set the stage for the lucrative expansion of recreational pot. The author of this compelling first-person narrative leading the national fight against the legalization of cannabis through his nonprofit, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (aka SAM) is Kevin Sabet. As a policy advisor to everyone from county health commissioners to Pope Francis, and a frequent public speaker on television, radio and through other media outlets, his analysis is consistently relied upon by those who recognize what’s at stake as marijuana lobbyists downplay the risks of massive commercialization. A book several years in the making, filled with vivid characters and informed by hundreds of interviews and scores of confidential documents, Sabet's Smokescreen lays bare the unvarnished truth about marijuana in America.

Legalization of marijuana is becoming increasingly prominent in the United States and around the world. While there is some discussion of the relationship between marijuana and overall health, a comprehensive resource that outlines the medical literature for several organ systems, as well as non-medical societal effects, has yet to be seen. While all physicians strive to practice evidence-based medicine, many clinicians aren't aware of the facts surrounding cannabis and are guided by public opinion. This first of its kind book is a comprehensive compilation of multiple facets of cannabis recommendation, use and effects from a variety of different perspectives. Comprised of chapters dedicated to separate fields of medicine, this evidence-based guide outlines the current data, or lack thereof, as well as the need for further study. The book begins with a general overview of the neurobiology and pharmacology of THC and hemp. It then delves into various medical concerns that plague specific disciplines of medicine such as psychiatry, cardiology, gastrointestinal and neurology, among others. The end of the book focuses on non-medical concerns such as public health and safety, driving impairment and legal implications. Comprised of case studies and meta-analyses, Cannabis in Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach provides clinicians with with a concise, evidence-based guide to various health concerns related to the use of marijuana. By addressing non-medical concerns, this book is also a useful resource for professionals working in the public health and legal fields.

The Science of Marijuana, 3rd Edition is directed at a public interested in knowing more about cannabis, how it works, and what the hazards associated with its use may be. In terms of cannabis as a medicine, it is now sanctioned by a majority of US States, with approved medical indications that often go beyond what is really known scientifically about the effectiveness of cannabis treatment. Some countries and US States have approved full legalization of cannabis for adults; the regulations needed to control such legal use are still being worked out. The pros and cons of cannabis legalization are reviewed. There have been big changes in the public perception of cannabis, and increased support for legalization. The book comes at a timely moment in this debate.

Smokescreen cuts through years of misunderstanding and misdirection to make an impassioned, evidence-based argument for a new era of forest management for the sake of the planet and the human race. Natural fires are as essential as sun and rain in fire-adapted forests, but as humans encroach on wild spaces, fear, arrogance, and greed have shaped the way that people view these regenerative events and given rise to misinformation that threatens whole ecosystems as well as humanity's chances of overcoming the climate crisis. Scientist and activist Chad T. Hanson explains how natural alarm over wildfire has been marshaled to advance corporate and political agendas, notably those of the logging industry. He also shows that, in stark contrast to the fear-driven narrative around these events, contemporary research has demonstrated that forests in the United States, North America, and around the world have a significant deficit of fire. Forest fires, including the largest ones, can create extraordinarily important and rich wildlife habitats as long as they are not subjected to postfire logging. Smokescreen confronts the devastating cost of current policies and practices head-on and ultimately offers a hopeful vision and practical suggestions for the future—one in which both communities and the climate are protected and fires are understood as a natural and necessary force.