Cannabis Research

At Bedrocan we consider scientific cannabis research vital to progress medicinal cannabis to approved medicine status. To complement our cannabis plant and analytical research, we support clinical trials and offer our resources and experience to medicinal cannabis research projects worldwide. Below is a table of published research projects using Bedrocan cannabis products.

Clinical and psychopharmacological cannabis research

with Bedrocan products

Topic Results Author Year
Cannabis and oxycodone Although it was hypothesized that respiratory depression caused by cannabis would be amplified when cannabis and oxycodone were combined, cannabis had no effect on ventilatory control after placebo or oxycodone pretreatment. Van Dam et al. 2023
Adolescents vs adults Compared with placebo, cannabis increased ‘feel drug effect’, impaired verbal episodic memory and increased hallucinogenic effects. Adolescents did not differed from adults in their responses to cannabis and CBD did not modulate the acute effects of THC. Lawn et al. 2023
Reward anticipation THC reduced anticipation activity compared with placebo in bilateral ventral striatum and right insula. THC+CBD reduced activity compared with placebo in right ventral striatum and right insula. There were no differences between THC and THC+CBD conditions. Skumlien et al. 2023
Attentional bias and explicit liking Cannabis induced attentional bias toward cannabis in users with no previous history of substance use disorder. CBD did not attenuate this effect. However, cannabis intoxication did not increase ratings of explicit liking of cannabis. Oliver et al. 2023
Functional connectivity Cannabis strongly disrupted functional connectivity in the striatal associative and sensorimotor networks. Cannabis with THC only reduced functional connectivity in the limbic striatum network, which was not present in the THC+CBD condition. Wall et al. 2022
Anxiety THC and THC+CBD increased state anxiety. State anxiety after THC+CBD was lower than after THC. THC-induced anxiety was independent of anxiety at baseline. When baseline anxiety was low, CBD completely counteracted THC-induced anxiety; however, when baseline anxiety was high, CBD did not counteract THC-induced anxiety. Hutten et al. 2022
CBD impact on THC effects No evidence has been found that CBD reduces the acute adverse effects of THC on cognition and mental health. Also, there was no evidence that it changed the subjective or pleasurable effects of THC. Englund et al. 2022
Chronic pain A significant reduction in opioid use after a long-term cannabis extract therapy was observed. Conversely, this effect was not visible for anticonvulsant, antidepressant, and benzodiazepine medications. Nunnari et al. 2022
SyqeAir Treatment with the Syqe Inhaler resulted in general long-term pain reduction and quality of life improvement. In addition, the adverse effects profile is suggested to be better than with standard vaporizer devices. Aviram et al. 2022
Functional brain connectomes Networks in the brain can distinguish between occasional and chronic cannabis users and identify acute cannabis intoxication. Ramaekers et al. 2022
Sex differences There were no systematic sex differences in the acute effects of vaporized cannabis. It is still possible that sex differences will appear with higher THC doses or with other administration methods. Arkell et al. 2022
Epilepsy Seizure frequency decreased by 86% with no significant adverse events. The study supports the effectiveness of whole-plant medical cannabis extracts in severe childhood-onset epilepsies. Zafar et al. 2021
Chronic migraine Cannabinoid extracts may have an impact on pain intensity in patients with chronic migraine, but the magnitude of the effect seems limited. Baraldi et al. 2021
Fibromyalgia chronic pain Cannabis may represent an alternative treatment for patients with fibromyalgia who are unresponsive to conventional therapy. However, its application may be limited by the incidence of nonserious adverse events. Mazza 2021
Driving performance Lane weaving, swerving, and overcorrecting with Bedrocan and Bediol was significantly greater at 40 to 100 minutes but not 240 to 300 minutes after consumption; there were no significant differences between Bedrolite and placebo. Arkell et al. 2020
Epilepsy Of the ten patients enrolled in the study there was an 97% mean reduction in monthly seizure frequency post initiation of CBMPs (cannabis based products). Zafar et al. 2020
SyqeAir The Syqe inhaler delivered precise and low THC doses to produce a dose-dependent analgesic effect in patients with neuropathic pain/complex-regional pain syndrome. Almog et al. 2020
SyqeAir Pain intensity, 30–60 minutes following inhalations, was reported to be significantly lower than pre-inhalation. The use of the Syqe inhaler during hospitalisation yielded high levels of patients and staff satisfaction with no complications. Vulfons et al. 2020
Fibromyalgia Adjunctive cannabis therapy offers a possible clinical advantage in fibromyalgia patients, especially in those with sleep dysfunctions. The clinical improvement inversely correlated with patient BMI. Giorgi et al 2020
Drug-resistant epilepsy All patients reported a reduction in seizure frequency and severity, and some reported improved mood, sleep quality, and general well-being without major side effects. Only one patient experienced one adverse event of mild intensity. Pane et al. 2020
False memory Cannabis consistently increases susceptibility to false memories. The results have implications for police, legal professionals, and policymakers with regard to the treatment of cannabis-intoxicated witnesses and suspects and the validity of their statements. Kloft et al. 2020
Fibromyalgia  Cannabis varieties containing THC caused a significant increase in pressure pain threshold relative to placebo. CBD inhalation increased THC plasma concentrations but diminished THC-induced analgesic effects, indicative of synergistic pharmacokinetic, but antagonistic pharmacodynamic interactions of THC and CBD. Van de Donk et al. 2019
Brain function THC disrupts the brain region involved in the subjective experience of THC intoxication. CBD restores the disruption caused by THC, which may explain the potential of CBD to treat disorders such as psychosis and addiction. Wall et al. 2019
Chronic diseases  Cannabis oil extract may be therapeutically effective and safe for the symptomatic treatment of some chronic diseases – in particular pain. Palmieri et al. 2019
Neurotransmitter function THC elicits subjective and cognitive alterations via increased striatal dopaminergic activity and loss of corticostriatal connectivity, which is associated with an increase in striatal glutamate. Mason et al. 2019
Traffic safety The point in time after cannabis consumption seems to play an important role concerning driving safety: significantly more driving faults were committed directly after consumption. Three hours after consumption, no significant increase of driving faults was seen. Tank et al. 2019
Chronic pain Cannabis therapy, as an addition to traditional analgesic therapy, can be an efficacious tool to make more effective the management of chronic pain and its consequences on the functional and psychological dimensions. Poli et al. 2018
Cannabis use data Cannabis use among Dutch patients was analyzed based on prescription data obtained from the Dutch Foundation for Pharmaceutical Statistics. The results showed that an increasing number of Dutch patients are using medicinal cannabis on prescription, while the average daily consumption has remained stable over many years. This suggests the absence of tolerance or cannabis abuse in this population. De Hoop et al. 2018
Brain’s reward circuit Public advertising of alcohol or cannabis use elicits striatal activation in the brain’s reward circuit. Reduction of marketing would reduce brain exposure to reward cues that motivate substance use. de Sousa et al. 2017
Gilles de la Tourette Cannabis may be effective in treatment-resistant TS patients with vocal blocking tics. Jakubovski et al. 2017
Taste perception Administration of cannabis preparations at the low doses tested does not affect sweet taste intensity perception and liking, nor does it influence food preferences in humans. De Bruijn et al. 2017
Non-responders to Nabiximols Bedrocan was well tolerated and patients reported no psychoactive effects. Alternative treatment with Bedrocan accounts for a promising response rate in Nabiximols (Sativex) non-responders. Sacca et al. 2016
Adolescents vs adults Adolescents felt less ‘stoned’ and reported fewer psychotomimetic symptoms than adults. Adults, but not adolescents, were more anxious and less alert during the cannabis use session. Mokrysz et al. 2016
Decision-making and reward learning Cannabis acutely induced a transient amotivational state and CBD influenced the effects of THC on expected value. Lawn et al. 2016
Cannabis and alcohol Alcohol facilitated feelings of aggression whereas cannabis diminished aggressive feelings in heavy alcohol and regular cannabis users. De Sousa et al. 2016
Cannabis and cocaine Interference of cannabis and cocaine with cognitive impulse control and functional corticostriatal connectivity depends on a specific genotype. Ramaekers et al. 2016
Neurocognitive function Executive function, impulse control, attention, psychomotor function and subjective intoxication were significantly worse after cannabis administration relative to placebo. Ramaekers et al. 2016
Cannabis and cocaine Cannabis and cocaine demonstrated opposing effects on the early and late phases of error monitoring. Spronk et al.  2016
Human cognition The research aimed at exploring how cannabis affects creative thinking, awareness of errors, and the neurotransmitter dopamine among regular cannabis users. It was discovered that cannabis does not improve creativity and that it can decrease error awareness and impair dopaminergic functioning. Kowal et al. 2016
Verbal memory Acetylcholine plays an important role in cannabis-induced memory impairment, whereas similar results for glutamate were not observed. Theunissen et al.  2015
Psychedelic symptoms Cannabis increased dissociation and psychedelic state, as well as fatigue, confusion, depression and anxiety, and decreased arousal, positive mood, vigor, friendliness, and elation. A broad association between trait impulsivity and psychedelic subjective drug experience appears to be absent. Van Wel et al. 2015
Reversal learning Acute effects of cocaine and cannabis on reversal learning as a function of COMTand DRD2 genotype. Spronk et al. 2015
Subjective effects Cannabis containing high percentages of THC had a strong effect on the rating of subjective effects. Hunault et al. 2014
Syqe inhaler This trial suggests the potential use of the Syqe Inhaler device as a smokeless delivery system of medicinal cannabis, producing a THC pharmacokinetic profile with low inter-individual variation, and achieving pharmaceutical standards for inhaled drugs. Eisenberg et al. 2014
Driving skills Cannabis smoking, even at low THC blood concentrations, decreases psychomotor skills and alters the activity of the brain networks involved in cognition. Battistella et al. 2013
Cannabinoid concentrations THC, and also THC-A, shows a sharp, high concentration peak just after smoking, with a rapid decrease in these levels within 3 hours. Fabritius et al. 2013
Psychomotor function Single doses of cannabis impaired psychomotor function and increased response errors during impulsivity tasks in heavy cannabis users. Van Wel et al. 2013
Heavy vs occasional users Heavy cannabis users develop tolerance to some of the impairing behavioral effects of cannabis. Theunissen et al. 2012
THC and alcohol  Heavy cannabis users develop tolerance to the impairing effects of THC on neurocognitive task performance. Yet, heavy cannabis users did not develop cross-tolerance to the impairing effects of alcohol, and the presence of the latter even selectively potentiated THC effects on measures of divided attention. Ramaekers et al. 2011
Doping by athletes In addition to THC-COOH, the pharmacologically active THC and THC-OH should be used as target analytes for doping urine analysis. In the case of light cannabis use, this may allow the estimation of more recent consumption, probably influencing performance during competitions. Brenneisen et al. 2010
Heavy vs occasional users THC significantly impaired performance of occasional cannabis users on critical tracking, divided attention and the stop signal task. THC did not affect the performance of heavy cannabis users except in the stop signal task, i.e. stop reaction time increased, particularly at high THC concentrations. Ramaekers et al. 2009
Pharmacokinetics of THC The linear association between THC dose and THC serum concentration also applies for high THC doses. Hunault et al. 2008
Pharmacokinetics of irinotecan and docetaxel Coadministration of medicinal cannabis, as herbal tea, in cancer patients treated with irinotecan or docetaxel does not significantly influence the plasma pharmacokinetics of these drugs. Engels et al. & De Jong et al. 2007
Pharmacokinetics of THC Smoking cannabis with higher THC contents was associated with a dose-related increase of the serum concentrations of THC, physical effects, and psychomotor effects. Mensinga et al. 2006
Motor control High potency marijuana consistently impaired executive function and motor control. Ramaekers et al. 2006
Driving skills Serum THC concentrations between 2 and 5 ng/ml establish the lower and upper range of a THC limit for impairment. Ramaekers et al. 2006

Analytical chemistry and methods development

undertaken with Bedrocan products

Topic Results Author Year
Oil preparations The cannabinoid stability profile is better maintained with medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil  (an excipient/carrier substance) than olive oil (OOPh) in magistral cannabis extracts (pharmacy preparation). Ramella et al. 2020
Oil preparations Variability in cannabinoid concentrations of magistral preparations impacts on product efficacy and safety. Bettiol et al. 2019
Oil preparations A novel analytical procedure was designed, validated and used to fully profile and fingerprint cannabinoids and terpenes in two pharmaceutical grade cannabis varieties and their macerated oils. Calvi et al. 2018
Oil preperations Variability of cannabinoid content in multiple galenic extract (olive oil) preparations suggest titration is required to optimise dosing. The findings question the validity of unregulated magistral preparation methods. Carcieri et al. 2018
Separation of phytocannabinoids The chromatographic system used proved useful in the chemo- and enantio-selective  separation (individual and paired molecules) of all the tested cannabinoid samples. Mazzoccanti et al. 2017
Gamma-Irradiation Gamma-irradiation is effective in eliminating an microbial content in cannabis. Reduction of some terpenes is observed, keeping the terpene profile qualitatively the same. Hazekamp 2016
Oil preperations Compared to other carrier substances studied, olive oil is the optimal choice for cannabis oil preparations for oral self-medication. Romano et al. 2012
Chemical content Statistical analysis of cannabis constituents identified that cannabis samples may be categorised into distinct chemovar groups. Hazekamp et al. 2012
CB1 receptor binding Cannabinoids, terpenoids, and pyrolytic by-products were identified and quantified in cannabis smoke and vapor samples. Compared to pure THC, there no significant difference between receptor binding in cannabis smoke or vapor. Fischedick et al. 2010
Metabolic fingerprinting Using principal component analysis each cannabis variety could be chemically distinguished, allowing for improved quality control in cannabis cultivation. Fischedick et al. 2010
HPTLC densitometry method The HPTLC method used is reproducible and accurate for quantifying THC content in cannabis samples. The method is also useful for the identifying (qualitative screening) of the main neutral cannabinoids found in cannabis cultivars. Fischedick et al. 2009
Optimal temperature Compared with smoking, vaporizing cannabis produces significantly less harmful by-products. The optimal temperature for vaporization is 230°C. Pomahacova et al. 2009
Tobacco and THC Tobacco increased the vaporization efficiency of THC by as much as 45% under the tested conditions. Van der Kooy et al. 2008
Smoking and THC The method of smoke production influences the amount of THC produced (e.g., longer puff length yielding a higher amount of THC). Van der Kooy et al. 2008
Cannabis tea Moderate changes in the standard preparation protocol for cannabis tea do not result in dramatic changes in the cannabinoid composition of the tea. Hazekamp et al. 2007
Quality Dutch cannabis Medicinal cannabis offered through Dutch pharmacies is more reliable and safer, than coffeeshop cannabis, which has variable cannabinoid concentrations. Hazekamp 2006
 Volcano The Volcano vaporizer is a safe and effective cannabinoid delivery system. The final pulmonal (lung) uptake of THC is comparable to the smoking of cannabis, while avoiding the respiratory disadvantages of smoking. Hazekamp et al. 2006
Chromatographic and spectroscopic data Results make it possible to positively identify the major cannabinoids found in cannabis. Hazekamp et al. 2005
Quantitative analysis of cannabinoids (1H-NMR method) The analysis method allows rapid and simple quantitation of cannabinoids. Hazekamp et al. 2004
Contact Us

We're not around right now. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Not readable? Change text.

Start typing and press Enter to search

quality of life
clinical research unit