K2, Spice, and other similar terms refer to synthetic designer drugs that mimic the effects of THC, the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis. These substances, however, are far from natural. Synthetic cannabinoids are lab-created chemicals sprayed onto plant material, often marketed as “herbal incense” or “potpourri” and labelled “not for human consumption” to dodge legal scrutiny. Despite these warnings, they are widely abused for their psychoactive properties.
These substances are often deceptively packaged with alluring designs and sold in convenience stores, petrol stations, and online. The origins of these products are usually unknown, with the chemicals they contain being produced in unregulated laboratories, primarily in Asia, without any quality control or safety standards. For complete article The Dangers of K2/Spice - WRD News (also see DEA on K2)
Background: The association between cannabis and psychosis is established, but the role of underlying genetics is unclear. We used data from the EU-GEI case-control study and UK Biobank to examine the independent and combined effect of heavy cannabis use and schizophrenia polygenic risk score (PRS) on risk for psychosis.
Methods: Genome-wide association study summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and the Genomic Psychiatry Cohort were used to calculate schizophrenia and cannabis use disorder (CUD) PRS for 1098 participants from the EU-GEI study and 143600 from the UK Biobank. Both datasets had information on cannabis use.
Results: In both samples, schizophrenia PRS and cannabis use independently increased risk of psychosis. Schizophrenia PRS was not associated with patterns of cannabis use in the EU-GEI cases or controls or UK Biobank cases. It was associated with lifetime and daily cannabis use among UK Biobank participants without psychosis, but the effect was substantially reduced when CUD PRS was included in the model. In the EU-GEI sample, regular users of high-potency cannabis had the highest odds of being a case independently of schizophrenia PRS (OR daily use high-potency cannabis adjusted for PRS = 5.09, 95% CI 3.08–8.43, p = 3.21 × 10−10). We found no evidence of interaction between schizophrenia PRS and patterns of cannabis use.
Conclusions: Regular use of high-potency cannabis remains a strong predictor of psychotic disorder independently of schizophrenia PRS, which does not seem to be associated with heavy cannabis use. These are important findings at a time of increasing use and potency of cannabis worldwide. (Source: Psychological Medicine December 2024, Cambridge University Press)
The Vote 4 Medicine Debacle is a ‘gift’ that just keeps on giving!
The use of cannabinoids in medical treatments for children and adolescents is rising, often to manage conditions like epilepsy or chemotherapy-induced nausea. While this approach may seem promising, comprehensive research sheds light on the serious risks associated with these substances for young individuals.
Increased Risk of Adverse Events: A detailed review of 23 clinical trials involving over 3,600 children and adolescents revealed significant risks linked to cannabinoid use. Compared to other treatments or placebos, these substances were associated with a higher likelihood of unpleasant side effects. Many participants experienced such severe adverse events that they withdrew from the studies altogether.
For developing bodies, these risks are especially troubling. Symptoms like diarrhoea, extreme drowsiness, and signs of liver stress or damage were frequently reported, raising serious concerns about the impact on children’s health.
Concerns in Key Treatment Areas: Cannabinoids are often used as treatments for epilepsy and to manage chemotherapy-related nausea in children. However, the findings from the review call into question whether the potential benefits justify the heightened risks. Both conditions require effective relief, but exposing young, developing bodies to substances with such serious side effects demands caution and careful consideration.
Long-Term Risks and Unanswered Questions: One of the major concerns highlighted by this research is the lack of information on the long-term effects of cannabinoids in younger individuals. Most trials only tracked participants for short periods, meaning the potential for chronic health impacts, dependency, or other developmental issues remains largely unknown.
The impact of cannabis on human fertility has emerged as a critical public health concern, particularly as global cannabis consumption has surged by 23% since 2010. With 209 million users worldwide and growing, most being males of reproductive age, understanding cannabis’s effects on fertility has never been more urgent. This increase coincides with a troubling trend – global sperm counts declined by 51.6% from 1973 to 2018, and continue to fall at an accelerating rate.
The convergence of rising cannabis use and declining sperm counts has spurred renewed scientific interest in how cannabis, particularly its primary psychoactive compound THC, affects male fertility. Two landmark studies – Morishima’s groundbreaking 1984 research and Kuzma-Hunt’s comprehensive 2024 analysis – provide crucial insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which cannabis influences reproductive outcomes.
THC and sperm: Impact on fertilization capability, pre-implantation in vitro development and epigenetic modifications
Global cannabis use has risen 23% since 2010, with 209 million reported users, most of whom are males of reproductive age. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive phytocannabinoid in cannabis, disrupts pro-homeostatic functions of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) within the male reproductive system. The ECS is highly involved in regulating morpho-functional and intrinsic sperm features that are required for fertilization and pre-implantation embryo development…findings suggest that THC may alter key morpho-functional and epigenetic sperm factors involved in fertilization and embryo development. This is the first study [since 1984 when Morishima noted the lower quality of zygote production and zygote division] to demonstrate that sperm exposed to THC in vitro negatively affects embryo quality following IVF
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