Use of cannabis to manage symptoms of mental and physical health conditions during pregnancy: analysis of a pro-cannabis pregnancy forum.

Introduction: Rates of prenatal cannabis use (PCU) have increased in recent years. Despite evidence of developmental health consequences to offspring and birthing person, there has been a reduction in the perception of PCU-related harms. Due to the stigma and risk of legal consequences associated with disclosing PCU, individuals are often cautious to seek information from their healthcare providers.

Small molecule protein assembly modulators with pan-cancer therapeutic efficacy.

Two structurally unrelated small molecule chemotypes, represented by compounds PAV-617 and PAV-951, with antiviral activity in cell culture against Mpox virus (formerly known as monkeypox virus) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) respectively, were studied for anti-cancer efficacy. Each exhibited apparent pan-cancer cytotoxicity with reasonable pharmacokinetics. Non-toxicity is demonstrated in a non-cancer cell line and in mice at doses achieving drug exposure at active concentrations.

Applying a behavioral economic approach to understanding smoking processes: The indirect effect of past quit experiences.

Background: The Cigarette Purchase Tasks (CPT) measures the relative reinforcing value of cigarettes (i.e., cigarette demand).

Nicotine and cannabis routes of administration and dual use among U.S. young adults who identify as Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White.

Background: Use of cannabis and nicotine is at record levels among young adults, and health consequences vary by route of administration. However, there is a paucity of research characterizing use of both substances, especially among individuals of racial/ethnic minoritized identities.

Method: Participants (N = 1,032; age 18-25 years) completed a cross-sectional survey administered through an online panel in 2021 in eight U.

Exploring the suitability of cannabis use with next-day responsibilities: A behavioral-economic and qualitative study.

Cannabis demand is sensitive to next-day responsibilities, such as job interviews; however, it is unclear how demand is affected by non-work-related responsibilities and how reported compatibility of cannabis use (i.e., how suitable one perceives cannabis use to be in a situation) influences demand.

The Role of Alcohol Expectancies in the Association Between Behavioral Economic Alcohol Demand, Relative Reinforcement, and Alcohol Problems.

Alcohol consumption and related problems are common among college students. Prior research links behavioral economic (BE) constructs of alcohol demand and relative reinforcement (RR), and alcohol expectancies, with alcohol consumption/problems. However, research has yet to examine the associations between BE, expectancy theory, and alcohol use outcomes.

Utility of a brief measure of cannabis demand: Day-level associations with cannabis use.

Background: Cannabis demand (i.e., relative value) is usually assessed as a trait-level risk-factor for cannabis use and consequences.

Efficiently Quantifying Egocentric Social Network Cannabis Use: Initial Psychometric Validation of the Brief Cannabis Social Density Assessment.

Objective: Social environment is a key determinant of substance use, but cannabis-related social network analysis is not common, in part because of the assessment burden of comprehensive egocentric social network analysis.

Method: The current pre-registered secondary analysis assessed the psychometric properties (i.e.

Planning and implementing community-based drug checking services in Scotland: a qualitative exploration using the consolidated framework for implementation research.

Background: Drug checking services (DCS) provide harm reduction support and advice to individuals based on chemical analysis of submitted substances of concern. Whilst there are currently no DCS in Scotland, community-based services are being planned in three cities.

Methods: In this paper, we report qualitative findings based on interviews with 43 participants, focused on perceptions of DCS and their implementation.

Examining the effect of cannabis cues on cannabis demand in sleep, driving, and typical drug-use contexts.

Purpose: Given the expanding legal cannabis market in the U.S., it is vital to understand how context impacts cannabis use.

"It would really support the wider harm reduction agenda across the board": A qualitative study of the potential impacts of drug checking service delivery in Scotland.

Drug checking services (DCS) enable individuals to voluntarily submit a small amount of a substance for analysis, providing information about the content of the substance along with tailored harm reduction support and advice. There is some evidence suggesting that DCS may lead to behaviour and system change, with impacts for people who use drugs, staff and services, and public health structures. The evidence base is still relatively nascent, however, and several evidence gaps persist.

A Descriptive Analysis of a Popular Pregnancy Forum: Comments on the Developmental Consequences of Cannabis Use on Offspring.

Objective: Pregnant and postpartum people want more and higher quality information about the effects of perinatal cannabis use (PCU) on child health, and they turn to anonymous sources of information, such as online pregnancy forums, to make decisions about its use. This study characterized perceptions of the developmental impact of PCU on children via a narrative evaluation of a public forum on which people discuss a range of issues around cannabis use.

Method: A random sample of 10 threads per month from June 2020 to May 2021 were scraped from the "Ganja Mamas" forum on Whattoexpect.

Executive functions and behavioral economic demand for cannabis among young adults: Indirect associations with cannabis consumption and cannabis use disorder.

Behavioral economic demand for cannabis is robustly associated with cannabis consumption and cannabis use disorder (CUD). However, few studies have examined the processes underlying individual differences in the relative valuation of cannabis (i.e.

A preliminary characterization of cannabis oil use and vaporization among individuals who use for medical purposes: A pilot study.

Little is known about the naturalistic use of cannabis oil vaporization, a high-potency product with the ability to be administered discreetly. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of utilizing a "smart" vaporizer and application to assess the timing, frequency, socioenvironmental factors, and substance use involved in cannabis oil vaporization. Adults with a medical cannabis registration card were recruited from a dispensary in Rhode Island and completed a 2-week study monitoring period using the Gram1 vaporizer, followed by a poststudy qualitative interview.

'It's not going to be a one size fits all': a qualitative exploration of the potential utility of three drug checking service models in Scotland.

Background: Scotland currently has the highest rates of drug-related deaths in Europe, so drug checking services are being explored due to their potential role in reducing these deaths and related harms. Drug checking services allow individuals to submit presumed psychoactive drug samples for analysis, and then receive individualised feedback and counselling. This paper explores participants' views on the advantages and challenges of three hypothetical service models, to inform future service delivery in Scotland.

Pain is associated with exclusive use and co-use of tobacco and cannabis: Findings from Wave 5 (2018-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Introduction: Rates of tobacco and cannabis use are disproportionately high among individuals with pain, and evidence suggests that pain may engender greater likelihood of substance co-use, yielding additive risk. This study examined national associations of pain with past-month tobacco use, cannabis use, and co-use of tobacco and cannabis.

Methods: Data came from a nationally representative US sample of adults in Wave 5 (2018-2019) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study (N = 32,014).

"That's Pot Culture Right There": Purchasing Behaviors of People Who Use Cannabis Without a Medical Cannabis Card.

Introduction: The legal landscape surrounding purchasing cannabis without a medical cannabis card (i.e., without MCC) is changing rapidly, affecting consumer access and purchasing behaviors.

Validation of MYC and BCL6 rapid break apart digital fluorescence in situ hybridization assays for clinical use.

Objective: Detection of gene rearrangements in (a family of regulator genes and proto-oncogenes) and human B-cell lymphoma 6 () using fluorescence hybridization (FISH) are important in the evaluation of lymphomas, in particular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Burkitt lymphoma. Our current clinical MYC and BCL6 FISH workflow involves an overnight hybridization of probes with digital analysis using the GenASIs Scan and Analysis instrument (Applied Spectral Imaging). In order to improve assay turnaround time SureFISH probes were validated to reduce the hybridization time from 16 hours down to 1.

Cannabis demand and use among veterans: A prospective examination.

Objective: Cannabis demand (i.e., relative value), assessed cross-sectionally via a hypothetical marijuana purchase task (MPT), has been associated with use, problems, and dependence symptoms, among others.

'I'm not going to leave someone to die': carriage of naloxone by police in Scotland within a public health framework: a qualitative study of acceptability and experiences.

Background: Scotland has one of the highest rates of drug-related deaths (DRDs) per capita in Europe, the majority of which involve opioids. Naloxone is a medication used to reverse opioid-related overdoses. In efforts to tackle escalating DRDs in many countries, naloxone is increasingly being provided to people who are likely first responders in overdose situations.

COVID-19-Related Stressors and Clinical Mental Health Symptoms in a Northeast US Sample.

Unlabelled: Research has linked specific COVID-19-related stressors to the mental health burden, yet most previous studies have examined only a limited number of stressors and have paid little attention to their clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that individuals who reported greater COVID-19-related stressors would be more likely to have elevated levels of anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and serious psychological distress.

Methods: An online survey was administered to a convenience sample from 18 June to 19 July 2020, in US states that were most affected by COVID-19 infections and deaths at the time.

The effects of social context and opportunity cost on the behavioral economic value of cannabis.

Objective: Behavioral economics suggest that cannabis reinforcing value (cannabis demand) may be influenced by external, contextual factors such as the social reward that might accompany cannabis use and the presence of opportunity costs (e.g., a next-day responsibility that cannabis use might adversely impact).

Alcohol demand assessed daily as a predictor of same day drinking.

Objective: In this investigation, baseline (trait) and daily (brief) alcohol purchase task (APT) indices (intensity: consumption at zero cost; : maximum expenditure; breakpoint: cost suppressing consumption to zero) were used to investigate the influence of morning demand on subsequent alcohol consumption.

Method: Heavy drinking college students ( = 92, age 18-20, 50% female) completed 28 daily morning reports including demand and prior day drinking. Hierarchical linear modeling, with days (Level 1) nested within-person (Level 2) were used to test the effect of morning demand on number of drinks consumed on planned drinking days, with Level 1 (study day, survey time, weekend/weekday) and Level 2 (spending money, typical drinks) covariates.

Concurrent validity of the marijuana purchase task: a meta-analysis of trait-level cannabis demand and cannabis involvement.

Background And Aims: The Marijuana Purchase Task (MPT) is increasingly used to measure cannabis reinforcing value and has potential use for cannabis etiological and regulatory research. This meta-analysis sought to evaluate for the first time the MPT's concurrent validity in relation to cannabis involvement.

Methods: Electronic databases and pre-print repositories were searched for MPT studies that examined the cross-sectional relationship between frequency and quantity of cannabis use, problems, dependence, and five MPT indicators: intensity (i.

Cannabinoids and synthetic cannabinoids as a cause of death: Trends and their healthcare implications.

Introduction: Cannabis remains one of the most widely used illicit substances globally, with 188 million users in 2017. In the United States, nearly 50 million people are reported to have used cannabis in 2020. More research is needed because of the dramatic increase in cannabis use and the perception that its use has minimal risk.