Opioid addiction has reached an all-time high in America, partially because there is no federally approved, affordable, available alternative for chronic pain. This paper examines the role of medical cannabis in the opioid crisis by exploring the effect of medical cannabis laws on opioid prescription rates in an OLS regression. I found that medical cannabis laws produce a statistically significant decrease in opioid prescription rates. I discuss the specific policy components that would allow medical cannabis policy to be most effective nationwide.

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) is the number one transmission method of HIV among adolescents. Reducing the rates of HIV among adolescents is of dire importance considering the rises in rates during the last several years. Minority adolescents are disproportionately affected by HIV, and a majority of the individuals living in Miami-Dade County (location of the proposed project) are minorities. RSB, externalizing disorders and cannabis use commonly occur together, such that both greater externalizing disorder symptoms and greater amounts of cannabis use have predicted engagement in more RSB. In addition, decision-making (a neurocognitive function) has found to be associated with cannabis use, externalizing disorders, and RSB. Little research has been conducted on these factors among adolescents. No study has evaluated externalizing disorders, cannabis use and decision-making together to determine the unique contribution of each factor to RSB among a sample of adolescents. The current study used the infrastructure and participants of an existing project examining how decision-making abilities and memory performance are impacted by cannabis use during adolescence. Structural equation modeling and multiple linear regression were used to analyze how externalizing disorders, cannabis use, and decision-making predict RSB. Results suggest that externalizing symptoms, cannabis use and some decision-making tasks predict RSB. Several interactions effects emerged between externalizing symptoms and decision-making tasks, cannabis use and decision-making tasks as well as externalizing symptoms and cannabis use to predict RSB. The results of the study will help future prevention and intervention efforts such that interventions can be tailored to address the areas that contribute the most to RSB among adolescents. Furthermore, cognitive skill building is one possible intervention that may be beneficial to adolescents with poorer decision-making performance.

Illegal drug use is perceived as immoral, criminogenic, and an unhealthy practice for decades under the discourse sustaining drug prohibition. Those who apply prohibition laws on the front lines are narcotic police officers, particularly the ones who work in narcotic squads. Based on the specific context in which these individuals work in, perceptions and meanings on drug prohibition and illegal drug use will emerge. This project will explore drug enforcement officer’s perceptions on Canadian drug legislation and illegal drug use through the mobilization of Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s interpretation of phenomenology and social problems theory.

Background: Alcohol, marijuana and tobacco are the most common recreationally used substances in United States (US). However, unlike alcohol and tobacco, marijuana is an illicit substance. The increasing support for reclassification of marijuana as legal substance necessitates investigating its effect on health. These studies seek to examine the relationship of marijuana and tobacco with metabolic syndrome (a precursor of cardiovascular diseases - the primary cause of morbidities and mortalities). Method: Data from 2011 public-use linked mortality file of the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 2005-2006 & 2011-2012 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used to estimate the effect of marijuana and tobacco on metabolic syndrome. Odds ratios from logistic regression analyses were determined using four main diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome. Odds ratios were compared using: National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III, World Health Organization, European Group for the study of Insulin Resistance and International Diabetes Federation definitions of metabolic syndrome. Hazard ratios (HRs) for cardiovascular mortality were estimated using cox proportional hazard regression. Results: Each year of marijuana use was associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome [OR=1.05 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.09)] and hypertension [OR=1.04 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.07)]. Each additional year of cigarette smoking was associated with increased odds of hypertension [OR=1.03 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.06)] and hyperglycemia [OR=1.03 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.05)]. Adjusted HR for hypertension mortality for marijuana users compared to non-marijuana users was 3.42 (95% CI: 1.20, 9.79) and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.07) for each year of marijuana use. Conclusion: Prolonged years of marijuana use was associated with increased odds of metabolic syndrome and hypertension irrespective of the criteria used to define metabolic syndrome. Our results also indicate that marijuana use is associated with increased risk for hypertension mortality. The association between prolonged use of marijuana and risk of cardiovascular morbidities and mortalities requires further investigation whilst developing global public health policies regarding legalization of marijuana use.

The main aim of the thesis is to verify the correlation between cannabis use and the crime rate in accordance with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado 1. 1. 2014. Method difference in differences is used to analyze this problem by comparing Denver with Philadelphia. Philadelphia is the control group because legalization did not occur there. Panel data in monthly intervals for the period from 2006 to 2014 are used. The hypothesis in this thesis is a positive correlation between cannabis use and crime rates. The results of the regression analysis show that differences in number of all offenses per 100 000 inhabitants decreased by 11.83 units and differences in number of violent crimes per 100 000 inhabitants increased by 0.67 units after legalization of cannabis. Increase of violent crimes verified the hypothesis. However the hypothesis was not verified in case of all offenses. The Czech Republic is supposed to be similarly affected by eventual legalization of cannabis, which follows from an applying the results to the Czech Republic. In addition, the discussion shows that the Czech Republic could set a higher tax rate for cannabis than Colorado. If the funds gained from eventual legalization of cannabis in Czech Republic had been allocated properly in society, an increase of violent crimes could be lower.

Denna litteraturstudie syftar till att undersöka och problematisera ökningen av cannabisbruket huvudsakligen ur en nordisk kontext i relation till såväl normaliseringstendenser som normaliserings- och acceptanspåståenden inom det vetenskapliga fältet. Bakgrunden till studien grundar sig i det faktum att i Sverige återfinns en trend där alkoholkonsumtionen minskar samtidigt som bruket av narkotika, och då främst cannabis, ökat sedan 70-talet. Även fast Sverige ligger lågt i jämförelse med andra europeiska länder när det gäller droganvändning har vi den näst högsta drogrelaterade dödligheten i Europa. Trots detta tycks allt fler svenska ungdomar få en allt mer neutral - liberal syn på narkotika och då främst cannabis vilket skapar en orolig utveckling. Studien grundar sig i en litteraturgenomgång av nio vetenskapliga artiklar som utformat våra tre huvudsakliga teman Cannabis och normalisering, Acceptans & Enbart normaliseringsteorin räcker inte till. Studiens huvudsakliga resultat och slutsatser visar på att det inte går att definitivt säga om cannabis blivit normaliserat eller inte utifrån normaliseringsteorin då det råder oenigheter inom empirin. Det ska dock sägas att cannabis inte är stigmatiserande i samma utsträckning som tidigare samtidigt som drogen tas upp allt mer i den vardagliga samhällsdebatten. Främst bland ungdomar blir cannabis mer accepterat och allt fler får en neutral - liberal syn på drogen.

Criminological Aspects of Drug-Related Crime The thesis deals with the topic of criminological aspects of drug-related crime. Due to the breadth of the issue, the work is focused only on the so-called primary drug crime, which is understood as a criminal activity consisting in violating the regulations governing the handling of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Specifically, it deals with crime associated with the unauthorized handling of cannabis. The main goal of this work is to answer the question whether the criminal law regulation of unauthorized handling of cannabis chosen by the legislator is appropriate and respects in a reasonable way the specific criminological aspects related to cannabis. The first part focuses on explaining some basic terms that are used in the work. The second part deals with the interpretation of terms that are specifically related to the issue of illicit handling of cannabis. Also it includes the issue of the harmfulness of cannabis use and describes the state and trends of crime associated with cannabis use. The third part deals with the international treaties by which the Czech Republic is bound in terms of regulation of cannabis handling. For legislators, key international agreements are a starting point and at the same time a limit in the creation of...

abstract: Background: Hash oil, a cannabis preparation that contains ultra-high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is quickly gaining popularity in the United States. Some evidence suggests that hash oil might produce greater intoxication and more severe negative effects than marijuana. This study examined whether the subjective effects of hash oil are more extreme than the subjective effects of marijuana and whether frequency of hash oil use is associated with the subjective effects of marijuana and hash oil. Method: Past-year cannabis users (n = 1,268) were recruited online to complete a questionnaire about the subjective effects of cannabis. Participants who reported past-year use of both hash oil and marijuana (n = 574) rated subjective effects of each type of cannabis in the following positive and negative domains: positive affect, cognitive enhancement, negative affect, cognitive impairment, physiological effects, reduced consciousness, and psychotic-like experiences. Results: Results of within-person comparisons showed that hash oil was rated as producing lesser positive effects (Hash oil: M = 4.53, Marijuana: M = 5.55, t = 14.67, p < .001) than marijuana. Negative effects of hash oil were minimal for the full sample (n = 574) and for both frequent and infrequent hash oil users. In general, the frequency of hash oil use was not associated with the subjective effects of marijuana but more frequent hash oil use was associated with rating hash oil as producing greater positive effects ( = 0.28, t = 6.86, p < .001) and lesser negative effects ( = -0.16, t = -3.83, p < .001). Findings were unchanged after controlling for sex, medical cannabis use, and frequency of marijuana use. Conclusions: Hash oil produced lesser positive effects than marijuana. Negative effects of hash oil were minimal, suggesting that extreme negative effects may be unlikely for experienced cannabis users. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2019

The theoretical part of diploma thesis briefly focuses on botanical characteristics of cannabis, legislation of cannabis cultivation in Czech republic, agrotechnics and harvest of hemp. The cultivation technologies used in production and harvest of cannabis for pharmaceutical purposes are described in more details. In the practical part was established an experiment with cannabis plants. This experiment was carried in laboratory at department of plant biology at Mendel university in Brno. The experiment was carried out in two variants of light spectrum (white LED lights emitting complete visible spectrum and combination of blue and red LED in ratio 1:1), which were dividen into three groups with different trim method. In plants were observed parameters of quantum yield of electron transport of photosystem II, chlorophyll fluorescence, yield of dried flowers and selected secondary metabolites. In each of lighting and trim variants have been recorded various results. As results shown, white LED lights emitting a full visible spectrum appear to be more effective than the blue and red spectrum in ratio of 1:1. Effect of trimming in this experiment was not statistically conclusive.

This thesis is focused on analysis of genetic variability of Cannabis sativa L. and sequencing of the candidate genome sequences in selected varieties of Cannabis. In total there were 28 genotypes of hemp were analyzed with 23 microsatellite markers.107 alleles were found whose size ranged from 100 to 360 bp. Uniform marker was detected (CAN1660). The diversity index (DI), the polymorphic information content (PIC) and the probability of identity (PI) were calculated for every microsatellite marker. Similarity dendrogram was constructed on base of statistical evaluation. The specific primer for the patrial sequences of cannabidiolic acid synthase (CBDA) gene and the specific complete for the sequences of tethrahydrocannabinolic acid synthase (THCA) gene were used for the sequences study. Gained sequences were compared by BLAST. Most sequences had 100% match with sequences in the available databases. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were found in the sequences of CBDA synthase. One sequences that did not belong to the genus Cannabis was detected. All obtained sequences will be inserted into the NCBI database and access number will be assigned.