Commentary of the week
Cannabis
Stigma eventually dies - you might be surprised to learn that cannabis use is on the rise among baby boomers in the United States, especially men, according to a study published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The use of cannabis increased in older adults in both the states where cannabis has been legalised for use. The survey itself didn’t offer any insights into why more boomers are using cannabis. I suspect cannabis acceptance is growing due to word of mouth, proliferated by those who have experienced the plant's medicinal benefits. Furthermore, mainstream media, coupled with cannabis stores appearing across the country could naturally lead to an ease in stigma. The findings appear to reflect changing attitudes toward cannabis. To learn more about study you can read here
Migrating from the Black Market - I read an interesting article this week, it raised a valid point around how one of the biggest challenges the legal market is facing is a functional cannabis infrastructure (akin to the alcohol industry). An adult-use cannabis framework (like the alcohol industry) means high-quality products are produced, distribution is made simple, products are affordable, and for businesses, interstate and international commerce is established to lower prices. All these items need to be harmonize managed in order to migrate consumers from the black market. Thank you for the content inspiration MMJ team
CBD in the land of Pharma - CBD has substantial therapeutic potential, but its development as an effective drug by the pharmaceutical industry is hindered by intrinsic characteristics such as low bio-availability, low water solubility, and variable pharmacokinetic profiles. Importantly, lack of patentability of the drug substance also limits the likelihood of an expensive, full development programme in anything other than orphan indications. Potential avenues to overcome these issues with CBD include self-emulsifying drug delivery systems, improved crystal formulations and other solid-state delivery formulations, which are mostly in the pre-clinical or early clinical stages of development. I find this area fascinating as this is how the cannabis pharma space will evolve. To read more about study
Genomic medicine in the field of cannabis - Genomic medicine could have a huge influence on the cannabis industry in the coming years. Genomic medicine - I explored this topic briefly on my talk with Prof. Hinanit Koltai, PhD. Genomic medicine is fundamentally altering the way scientists and clinicians understand disease. Incorporating genomic data into disease research is not a new concept. However, advances in automated sample processing, sequencing, and data analysis now accelerate new insights into the causal drivers of disease. Increasingly, researchers are identifying genomic variants in populations which are low-frequency but high-impact with respect to disease. By coupling these findings to clinical information on disease severity and progression, program leads are then empowered to discover and validate new drug targets. To read more about this topic
Psychedelics
The Momentum of Psychedelic Research - In recent years, psychedelic substances, including MDMA, LSD, and the psilocybin found in magic mushrooms have received greater attention for their therapeutic potential. Since 2010, studies have examined psychedelics as a potential treatment for depression, anxiety, addiction, and more. Some have called the wave of research a “medical renaissance.” Recently a group of high-net-worth Silicon Valley and Wall Street have donated $US30 million to fund research exploring the therapeutic use of the psychedelic drug MDMA. I’d be interested to understand who within this group of investors have used psychedelics and understand the therapeutic potential for these drugs, vs the group who understand the market potential for the use of these drugs. Regardless, the adoption of psychedelics in mainstream use for mental health treatment has begun and a large wave will be facilitated by Silicon Valley and Wall Street executives as well as fantastic groups such as MAPS. Thank you Forbes for the inspiration of this content.
Canadians using psilocybin - 4 patients mark the first publicly-known individuals to receive a legal exemption from the Canadian Drugs and Substances Act to access psychedelic therapy, and the first known patients to legally use psilocybin since the compound became illegal in Canada in 1974. The decision comes after over 100 days of waiting for a response. This is a wonderful breakthrough in the dying process - currently, there are only a small number of modalities that support people through the dying process - perhaps psychedelics will offer a more effective alternative to those suffering due to end of life anxiety/pain than current treatments which sedate patients VS help patients work through their anxiety/pain. I'm truly excited to see the developments in the coming years within this space.
Natural OR Synthetic - the established drug development model used in the life science space is predicated on precision and efficacy thanks to manufactured products capable of offering repeatable results. However, psychedelic drugs offer users wildly different experiences, and ingesting them is not always as simple as taking a pill. Interest in synthetic psychedelics is picking up for that reason — but it remains to be seen how much of a role fully plant-based medicines will have in comparison to synthetic psychedelics. To understand the debate between synthetic and natural psychedelics, it’s important to have a concept of what makes them different. Put simply, synthetic psychedelics are man-made, while natural psychedelics are plants that are grown and consumed as they are. There may be a riff between these two areas and the birth of a new pharma category - the natural pharma product. Having the option between the two gives doctors and patients the choice of a synthetic or natural product - both will have utility, and it will be up to the doctor and patient to decide. Great reference material can be found here.
Psychedelics and improve mental health - New research provides preliminary evidence that psychedelic drugs can improve mental health by making individuals more accepting of distressing experiences. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, adds to a growing body of literature that indicates using substances like psilocybin can result in sustained improvements in depressive symptoms. Great reference material can be found here.
