California is the most populous state with the longest history of medical marijuana legalization in the US

Notably, as commonly seen with other CM studies, patients ultimately earned approximately 50-60% of the maximum amount available in prizes in the $560 condition but only approximately 25-30% of the maximum amount available in prizes in the $250 condition = 14.52, p <.001. This and other studies examining the effect of the magnitude of rewards on outcomes suggest that…

Alcohol misuse is one of the leading contributors to preventable mortality and morbidity worldwide

Prior studies from this laboratory found that vapor inhalation of THC using an e-cigarette based system decreases body temperature, with an observed nadir similar to the effects of 10-20 mg/kg THC, i.p. but with a duration of action that was much shorter . These studies also found anti-nociceptive effects of inhaled THC that were comparable in…

All behavioral responses were automatically recorded by Med Associates software

Most of the imputation strategies resulted in a significant improvement in estimates of substance use data when compared to estimates relying on complete case data, which was especially true in the case of a ‘rare’ outcome such as heroin use. However, MI performed the most favorably regardless of the prevalence of the outcome or the level…

Previous animal studies have reported that alcohol enhances the absorption and delivery of MA in the brain

The recommendations for DSM-5 substance use disorders represent the results of a lengthy and intensive process aimed at identifying problems in DSMIV and resolving these through changes in DSM-5. At the same time, the variable amount of evidence on some of the issues points the way toward studies aimed at further clarifications and improvements in…

There are several possible explanations for the link between major depressive disorders and chronic marijuana use

Depressive disorders have been associated with morphological brain abnormalities, although the majority of studies have been conducted in adults. Reduced hippocampal volumes have been found among depressed adults , although this may be associated with age of onset and one found no hippocampal differences . White matter abnormalities have also been associated with increased depressive symptoms and…

Initiating marijuana use in early adolescence is an important prognosticator for subsequent drug dependence

Data collection on state medical marijuana laws included gathering all state statutes and subsequent regulations, and validating information against publicly available data sources and through telephone calls with state officials. Throughout the study, we conducted regular updates to monitor changes in regulations and amendments to state laws . Analyses incorporated a dichotomous measure reflecting whether…

A significant portion of MAUCRSA is comprised of testing rules that aim to certify cannabis safety

Variables believed to be con-founders for this study encompassed population level and individual level variables that may affect the exposure and the outcome.These variables included state’s cannabis regulatory status, state’s COVID-19 infection prevalence, state’s percent urbanicity, age, sex, and education.State’s cannabis regulatory status is hypothesized as a con-founder as state’s legalization may be associated with state’s…