The aim of this study was to explore the students’ use of and attitudes towards cannabis at Linnaeus University. Social psychology and gender perspective was used as theories to explain the use and attitudes among the students’ and how the use and attitudes could change through social influence. The study operates from a quantitative approach and is based on an online survey which includes answers from 126 respondents. The empirical result was coded in the computer program SPSS and has been analyzed through social psychology, gender perspective and against prior studies. The result shows that the majority of the respondents never had used cannabis and that the main reason for that is that the respondents are not interested to use cannabis. Among the respondents who used cannabis the last twelve months we found that the majority came in contact with cannabis through their friends the first time and that they most usually did consume cannabis together with friends. Finally we found that almost nine out of ten respondents experienced that they never got the information about Linnaeus University’s alcohol and drug policy at the introduction to their studies at the university.

Background. Various studies show that cannabis use alters attention and cognitive functioning in healthy humans and may contribute to development of schizophrenia or worsening of pre-existing psychosis. However, the impact of cannabis use on brain function in humans is not well understood. Schizophrenia is associated with a deficit in prepulse inhibition (PPI), the normal inhibition of the startle reflex by a non-startling stimulus (prepulse), presented before the startle stimulus at short time intervals (lead-time intervals). Such PPI deficit is thought to reflect a sensorimotor gating dysfunction in schizophrenia. PPI is also modulated by attention and PPI reduction in schizophrenia is observed when patients are asked to attend to, not ignore, the stimuli producing PPI. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between self-reported chronic cannabis use and attentional modulation of PPI in healthy controls and in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the association between cannabis use and other startle reflex modulators, including prepulse facilitation (PPF) of the startle reflex magnitude at long lead-time intervals, prepulse facilitation of the startle reflex onset latency and habituation of the startle reflex magnitude, were examined. Method. Auditory-evoked electromyographic signals were recorded from orbicularis oculi muscles in chronic cannabis users (29 healthy controls and 5 schizophrenia patients) and non-users (22 controls and 14 patients). The data for 36 participants (12 non-user controls, 16 healthy cannabis users, and eight non-user patients) were used in the final analyses and the patient data were used as a pilot study, because relatively few participants met the rigorous exclusionary criteria. Participants were instructed to attend to or to ignore either the startle stimuli alone (70 100 dB) or prepulse (70 dB) and startle stimuli (100 dB) separated by short lead-time intervals (20 200 ms) and long lead-time intervals (1600 ms). In order to ignore the auditory stimuli the participants played a visually guided hand-held computer game. A pilot study showed that the response component of playing the game had no effects on attentional modulation of the startle reflex magnitude and onset latency. Results. Relative to controls, cannabis use in healthy humans was associated with a reduction in PPI similar to that observed in schizophrenia while attending to stimuli, and with an attention-dependent dysfunction in the startle reflex magnitude habituation. While ignoring the stimuli there were no statistical differences in PPI between cannabis users and controls, although PPI in cannabis users tended to differ from that of the patients. The reduction in PPI in cannabis users was correlated with the increased duration of cannabis use, in years, but not with the concentration of cannabinoid metabolites in urine or with the recency of cannabis use in the preceding 24 hours. Furthermore, cannabis use was not associated with any differences in PPF, onset latency facilitation, and startle reflex magnitude in the absence of prepulses. The accuracy of self-reports of substance use was also investigated in this study and was found to be excellent. In addition, the study examined the validity of the substance use module of the diagnostic interview, CIDI-Auto 2.1, which was found to be acceptable for cannabis misuse diagnoses (abuse and/or dependence). Finally, cannabis dependence was found to be associated with more diagnoses of mental illness other than schizophrenia (mainly depression). Conclusions. The results of the current study suggest that chronic cannabis use is associated with schizophrenia-like deficit in PPI in otherwise healthy humans. This PPI reduction is associated with attentional impairment rather than a global sensorimotor gating deficit in healthy cannabis users.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of marijuana use has become a national topic with the increase in state’s legalizing or decriminalizing the use of the drug. To understand the impact this new trend may have on the population, it is necessary to characterize the interaction between marijuana use and health outcomes. Previous research has focused on the acute effects of marijuana on mental health and longitudinal impacts of marijuana use in the adolescent population. However there are no previously published studies on the impact of early onset marijuana use on adult mental health. AIM: This study aims to determine the prevalence of early onset marijuana use and if there is a statically significant association between early onset marijuana use (<14 years old) and increased prevalence of adverse mental health outcomes in adult life. METHODS: This study was conducted using data from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study population included 41, 285 participants 18 or older at the time of the cross-sectional survey. Adult mental health outcomes were modeled for both early onset marijuana users and non-early onset marijuana users using a multiple logistic regression model to calculate both adjusted and unadjusted odds ratios (AOR’s, OR’s) with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical analysis was performed to examine the association between early onset marijuana use and negative adult mental health outcomes including serious mental illness, any mental illness and lifetime depressive episodes. RESULTS: This study found that in adults aged 18 and older the prevalence of early onset marijuana use was 8.3%. The prevalence of early onset marijuana use varies by gender, with a prevalence of 5.1(95% CI 4.7-5.2) for males and 3.3(95% CI 3.1-3.5) for females. Early onset marijuana use had a statistically significant association with all three indicators of poor adult mental health. The AOR for early onset marijuana use and serious mental illness was 2.3(95% CI 1.972-2.758). The association between early onset marijuana use and adult depressive episode had an AOR of 2.1(95% CI1.906-2.389). DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that early onset marijuana use is a risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes in adulthood. Consistent with findings from other nationally representative surveys, the prevalence of early onset marijuana use is higher in males than females. Early onset marijuana use is associated with increased odds of past year serious mental illness and past year any mental illness. This suggests that legislature considering marijuana legalization must also consider policies addressing under age use of the drug. Further longitudinal research is needed to father assess the association between early onset marijuana use and adult mental health.

1.1 Background: Despite Cannabis being the most widely used recreational drug in the western world (Earlywine, 2002) little is known about its potential association with anxiety and panic pathology. 1.2 Literature Review: A systematic literature review was conducted with twenty-nine studies critically reviewed. Papers suggested contradictory and equivocal results across all research designs and anxiety disorders. Whilst a significant number of studies have observed an association between cannabis and anxiety/anxiety disorders, the nature and direction of that association is still a point of contention. 1.3 Research Report: No known British empirical research has focused on exploring relationships between cannabis and panic attacks. Also no known research has investigated the differential effects of consuming different types of cannabis on panic pathology. Inspired somewhat on established research (e.g. Zolvensky et al., 2006a) a cross-sectional study was undertaken to explore the potential relationship between cannabis and anxiety. A self-selecting opportunity sample of 306 students drawn from both of Leicester’s universities completed a battery of questionnaires concerning cannabis use, tobacco use, panic attack history, alcohol use, poly-substance use and various psychometrics. Significant levels of both cannabis use and panic attack history were reported among the sample. Survival analysis revealed cannabis users were of significant increased risk (OR 2.01) of experiencing a panic attack compared to non-users. Mann-Whitney analysis found cannabis users who use mainly high potency ‘sensimillia’ experienced significantly more lifetime panic attacks than those who used other types. Limitations are explored. 1.4 Implications: The research report concludes that cannabis use is a risk factor in experiencing panic attacks and experiencing more lifetime attacks. High potency cannabis further increases this risk. Education for substance misuse and mental health professionals is recommended along with cannabis use forming part of assessment for panic attacks/disorder. 1.5 Critical Appraisal: Reflective appraisal of the research process is presented alongside key learning points.

TESIS PARA OPTAR AL GRADO DE MAGÍSTER EN ADMINISTRACIÓN Carlos Vargas [Parte I], Sandra Miranda [Parte II] / En respuesta a la necesidad detectada y no atendida de una parte de la población que se encuentra entre los 20 y 45 años de edad, que trabajan en la comuna de Providencia, en la Región Metropolitana, es que nace Cannabis Coffee Shop (CCS) con el fin de satisfacer la compra de productos cannabicos de colección, en los tiempos libres que se dan en los horarios de trabajo de estas personas, dentro de un lugar moderno, vanguardista y amigable con el medio ambiente, donde además tuvieran la posibilidad de probar productos de cafetería gourmet. Según éste estudio a marzo del 2016, solo hay un competidor, que se encuentra posicionado en la comuna de Santiago, lo que hace de la ubicación de CCS una ventaja competitiva. Debido al proyecto que hoy se encuentra en la Cámara de Diputados sobre el cambio a la ley 20.0001, es que la industria de las cafeterías y growshop2 se ha visto en un constante crecimiento y renovación. Dada la experiencia del equipo gestor de éste estudio, las buenas relaciones con mayoristas claves, las consignaciones con Sweet Fusión con un margen asegurado y pagos a 30 días y el reciente auspicio de Nirvana (marca internacional de semillas de Holanda), preceden el éxito y consolidación al primer año de iniciado CCS. La inversión iniciales es de 983 UF y se espera obtener utilidades por 2000 UF al quinto año, con un valor actual neto (VAN) de 1145 UF y una tasa interna de retorno (TIR) de 47%.

Bakgrund: I dagens samhälle lever var femte person mellan åldrarna 18 år och 75 år med långvarig smärta. I vissa delar av världen används cannabis som en del av behandlingen av långvarig smärta. Det vetenskapliga underlaget anses vara skralt och därför är det ännu inte en godkänd behandlingsmetod i Sverige Syfte: Att undersöka om det finns någon vetenskaplig evidens om att cannabis kan lindra långvarig smärta. Dessutom att undersöka hur användandet av cannabis kan påverka livskvaliteten hos personer med långvarig smärta. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på 10 kvantitativa artiklar med hjälp av databaserna PubMed, PMC och Cochrane Library.  Resultat: Cannabis visade sig ha en god smärtlindrande effekt på långvarig smärta. Patienterna upplevde att smärtintensiteten minskade och flertalet av patienterna kunde minska sina opioid och antidepressions/ångestdämpande läkemedelsdoser. Behandlingen medförde vissa biverkningar men en förbättring gällande patienternas livskvalitet kunde ändå ses. Patienterna ansåg även att deras sömn, trötthet, fysiska aktivitet och humör förbättrades i samband med cannabisbehandlingen. Slutsats: Sammanfattningsvis kan resoneras att cannabis kan vara ett lämpligt behandlingsalternativ vid långvarig smärta. Behandling med cannabis kan ha en god analgetisk effekt utan att orsaka allvarliga biverkningar samtidigt som livskvaliteten förbättrades. Cannabis skulle även kunna verka som en tilläggsmedicin till dagens smärtbehandling. Dock behövs ytterligare forskning för att avgöra huruvida cannabis verkar, både kortsiktigt och långsiktigt.

Thesis advisor: Martin A. Summers / This dissertation charts the medicalization and criminalization of the drug now widely known as marijuana. Almost no one in the United States used that word, however, until it was introduced from Mexico in the early twentieth century. Prior to that, Americans often called it hemp or hashish, and generally knew it as Cannabis - the scientific name given to a genus of plants by Carl Linnaeus. That transition in terminology from cannabis to marijuana serves as the crux of this project: It begins in 1840 with the formal introduction of cannabis into American medicine and ends in 1937 with the federal prohibition of marijuana. In between, it charts nearly a century of medical discourse, social concern, and legislative restrictions surrounding the drug – demonstrating that the origins of our nation’s war on weed are much older and more complicated than previous studies have suggested. In short, marijuana prohibition in the United States was not a swift or sudden byproduct of racism and xenophobia toward Mexican immigrants, but instead, the culmination of broad evolutions in public health and drug regulation coupled with a sustained concern about the potential dangers of cannabis use dating to the mid-nineteenth century. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: History.

<p>Agronomic management decisions are made to maximize plant growth and crop yields but can also be used as tools to manage insect pests. Different management practices, such as nitrogen fertilization, cultivar selection, and planting date choice can influence the foliar traits of a crop. Plant foliar traits play important roles in mediating plant-herbivore interactions. Herbivores balance consumption of plant tissue for nutritional gains while contending with plant traits that may deter herbivory or are toxic. Agronomic management practices have been widely studied in many crops, however, for a new or re-emerging crop, there is less information on the influence management has on insect herbivory. Industrial hemp (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) is a re-emerging crop in the United States that is gaining interest, but the current literature has not clearly defined the influence different management practices can have on hemp foliar traits and the role foliar traits play on hemp-insect interactions. The goal of this study was to understand the influence management strategies and temporal changes have on hemp morphological and chemical foliar traits and how these differences alter herbivore performance. </p> <p>To understand the influence of management practices on hemp foliar traits and insect performance, I conducted both greenhouse and field herbivory studies using field grown hemp in both cases. In 2017 leaves from three different field-grown hemp cultivars, were planted on two different dates, and received two different rates of nitrogenous fertilizer and were then used for a no-choice feeding bioassay using fall armyworm (<i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i>). Foliar nitrogen, C:N, LMA, THC, and CBD were determined and insect performance was measured as growth, consumption, and frass production. Management practices influenced the foliar traits of hemp, specifically fertilization rate, cultivar, and the interaction of fertilization rate with cultivar and with planting date altered foliar traits. Fertilization rate had the greatest influence on herbivore performance, driven by higher foliar nitrogen. Foliar nitrogen had a strong positive influence on insect performance and the ratios of carbon to nitrogen and total cannabinoids to nitrogen had strong negative influences on insect performance. </p> <p>To measure foliar trait changes over the course of a growing season in different cultivars and to determine herbivore damage, three hemp cultivars were planted in 2018, and leaves were collected at five time points to measure changes in foliar traits. To measure herbivory, leaves were collected at the end of the 2018 growing season and percentage of tissue removed by herbivores was calculated. Foliar traits changed across the growing season, with a decrease in foliar nitrogen and an increase in the ratio of carbon to nitrogen, leaf thickness, THC, and CBD. The foliar trait that had the strongest positive influence on herbivore damage was foliar nitrogen, and higher nitrogen was associated with more herbivore damage. C:N, LMA, and ratio of total cannabinoids to nitrogen had strong negative influences on herbivore damage. Both studies can give us insight into the foliar traits that are driving hemp-insect interactions. Because foliar nitrogen had the greatest positive influence, while the ratios of carbon to nitrogen and total cannabinoid to nitrogen had the greatest negative influence on both performance and field herbivory, focusing on management that affects these three foliar traits is important for pest control. Since foliar nitrogen, C:N and total cannabinoids:N were all affected by nitrogen fertilization, reducing the amount of nitrogenous fertilizer applied while still considering yield could be and important management tool to reduce insect pests. </p>

This dissertation is divided into three parts. The first part aimed to investigate the cannabidiol anxiolytic effect in treatment-naïve individuals with social anxiety disorder through simulation of public speaking. Twenty-four never-treated social anxiety disorder subjects were allocated to receive 0 or 600 mg cannabidiol (CBD; n=12) in a double-blind randomized design. The same number of controls performed the simulation of a public speaking test without receiving any medication. Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort in speech performance and significantly decreased alertness in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group displayed higher anxiety, cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alertness when compared with controls as assessed with the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS). The SSPS-N scores showed significant increases during testing of the placebo group that was almost abolished in the cannabidiol group. No significant differences were observed between the cannabidiol and control groups in SSPS-N scores or in cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alertness factors of the VAMS. The second part evaluated healthy subjects\' x y during a public speaking test following a high rimonabant oral dose, to understand better the possible pharmacological approaches for anxiety disorder treatment. Twenty four participants were randomly allocated to receive 0 or 90 mg rimonabant (n=12) in a double-blind design. No significant adverse effects were reported in either group. Participants who received rimonabant showed increased anxiety levels compared to placebo during anticipatory speech and performance measurements. Rimonabant treatment did not affect sedation, cognitive impairment, discomfort, blood pressure, heart rate, self-statements during public speaking, or bodily symptoms scales. Increased anxiety may reflect lower endocannabinoid activity in CB1 receptors and CB1 p \' possible role in modulation of anxiety and anxiety disorders. The third part aimed to monitor cannabinoid blood concentrations during sustained abstinence from chronic daily cannabis smoking. Thirty male chronic daily cannabis smokers resided on a secure clinical research unit for up to 33 days, with blood collected once daily. ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 11-hydroxy-THC (11-OH-THC), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-THC (THCCOOH) whole blood concentrations were quantified by two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twenty-seven of 30 participants were THC-positive on admission, with a median (range) concentration 1.4 ng/mL (0.3-6.3). THC decreased gradually with only 1 of 11 participants negative at 26 days; 2 of 5 participants remained THC-positive (0.3 ng/mL) for 30 days. 5.0% f p p h TH >=1 0 g/ L f 12 y M 11-OH-THC w 1 1 g/ L w h >=1 0 g/ L 24h THCCOOH detection rates were 96.7 on admission, decreasing slowly to 95.7 and 85.7% on days 8 and 22, respectively; four of 5 participants remained THCCOOH positive (0.6-2.7 ng/mL) after 30 days and one remained positive on discharge at 33 days. THC was quantified in some participants for 30 days, albeit in low concentrations, due to the large cannabinoid body burden from extended exposure / Esta tese é dividida em três partes. A primeira parte consiste em investigar o efeito ansiolítico do canabidiol na ansiedade social através do teste de simulação de falar em público. Vinte e quatro sujeitos com ansiedade social, nunca tratados, receberam placebo ou canabidiol (CBD) 600 mg (n=12) em um estudo randomizado e duplo-cego. O mesmo número de indivíduos saudáveis realizaram o teste de simulação de falar em público sem receber medicação. A administração do CBD reduziu significativamente a ansiedade, sedação física e outros sentimentos e atitudes durante a fase de estresse, e diminui o nível de alerta na fase pré-estresse. O grupo placebo apresentou níveis elevado de ansiedade, sedação física, outros sentimentos e atitudes, e alerta comparado com o grupo controle. A pontuação do SSPS-N evidenciou aumento significativo durante o teste no grupo placebo, enquanto que o CBD reduziu estes níveis. Não houve diferenças significativas entre os grupos CBD e controle na SSPS-N e nos fatores sedação física, outros sentimentos e atitudes e alerta, da Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS). A segunda parte do estudo avaliou a ansiedade em indivíduos saudáveis que receberam alta dose oral de rimonabanto e submetidos ao teste de simulação de falar em público, para melhor entendimento do possível mecanismo farmacológico para tratamento de transtornos de ansiedade. Vinte e quatro sujeitos saudáveis receberam placebo ou rimonabanto 90 mg (n=12) em um randomizado e duplo-cego. Não foi observado efeitos adversos significativo em ambos grupos. O grupo rimonabanto apresentou maiores níveis de ansiedade na fase pré-estresse e durante o estresse. Não houve diferença significativa quanto aos demais fatores avaliados entre os grupos. O aumento na ansiedade após administração do rimonabanto pode-se ao fato de haver diminuição no sistema endocanabinóide nos receptores CB1 e a possível modulação na ansiedade clínica e patológica. A terceira parte objetivou quantificar canabinóides no sangue total em usuários crônicos de cannabis durante abstinência supervisionada. Trinta usuários crônicos de cannabis, do sexo masculino, permaneceram no centro de pesquisa por até 33 dias, com coleta de sangue uma vez ao dia. ?9-tetrahidrocanabinol (THC), 11-hidróxi-THC (11-OH-THC) e 11-nor-9-carbóxi-THC (THCCOOH) foram quantificados no sangue por meio da cromatografia gasosa-espectrometria de massa bidimensional. Vinte e sete de 30 usuários foram positivos para THC no ingresso do estudo, com concentração mediana (variação) de 1.4 ng/mL (0.3-6.3). Níveis de THC diminuíram gradativamente com somente 1 de 11 participantes negativo no dia 26; 2 de 5 indivíduos permaneceram positivos para THC (0.3 g/ L p 30 5 0% j TH >=1 0 g/ L p 12 ç mediana de 11-OH-TH f 1 1 g/ L g >=1 0 g/ L pó 24h. A taxa de detecção de THCCOOH foi 96.7% no ingresso, diminuindo gradativamente para 95.7 e 85.7% nos dias 8 e 22, respectivamente; 4 de 5 sujeitos permaneceram positivo para THCCOOH (0.6-2.7 ng/mL) após 30 dias e um permaneceu positivo no 33º dia. Foi detectado THC em alguns indivíduos por 30 dias, porém em baixas concentrações, devido a extensa eliminação do canabinóide em decorrência da exposição crônica

The purpose of this online cross-sectional study was to identify cannabis user profiles by administration method and examine how differential cannabis policies influence intentions among young adults. Participants were assigned randomly to one of three hypothetical cannabis policy conditions (recreationally legal; medically legal; illegal). Within conditions, participants completed measures regarding cannabis use, including administration methods, cannabis attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, and intentions. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to determine sub-groups of past 30-day cannabis users by administration method followed by sub-group comparisons. Condition effects on intentions and associated variables were examined using ANCOVA. Four classes (Low-Blunt, Low-Bong, Mod-Poly, High-Poly) differing in demographics and tobacco use were identified. Recreationally and medically legal policy conditions resulted in more favorable cannabis attitudes, higher selfefficacy, and higher intentions to use compared to the illegal policy condition. Results inform cannabis intervention efforts and longitudinal research on the effects of cannabis policy changes.