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Medical Marijuana: A Challenge to Traditional Pain Relief?

This article has been updated to include Part II of this webinar coverage. 

On August 13, 2025, Dustin Sulak, an osteopathic general practitioner, founder of Healer, a cannabis education and product resource, presented the latest installment of the monthly webinar series that began in 2018. This month’s webinar focused on cannabinoids for sleep, sleep apnea, and the potential effect of inflammation. Here we present a summary of the first three out of seven studies presented in this webinar.

Acute Effects of Oral Cannabinoids on Sleep and High-Density EEG in Insomnia: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial

 in July 2025. This study involved 20 patients with a diagnosed insomnia disorder, given an oral dose of 10 mg THC and 200 mg CBD, with effects on sleep and next-day alertness measured using an EEG. Overall, the results showed the dose significantly decreased total sleep time compared to placebo, decreased time spent in REM sleep, and there was no change in next day alertness, subjective sleep quality, cognitive performance, or simulated driving performance. Dr. Sulak noted that the participants were not current cannabis users, only a single dose was used, and the dose was possibly too high. “I suspect that the CBD 200 on its own created its own sleep disruption,” he explained. “Don't just assume that any type of any dose of cannabis is going to be safe for your sleep architecture.”

Effectiveness of a Cannabinoids Supplement on Sleep and Mood in Adults With Subthreshold Insomnia: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Pilot Trial,

 in February 2025. This trial involved 20 adult participants, given an oral soft gel containing 3 mg THC, 6 mg CBN, 10 mg CBD, and 90 mg of a proprietary food-grade terpene blend, or placebo for 10 days. This was followed by a two-week washout and completion of the alternate condition. Validated questionnaires were used to measure results, which included significantly improved sleep quality/efficiency, insomnia symptoms, anxiety, and health-related quality of life, for the cannabis supplement. Improvements in esteem improved significantly with the placebo. Dr. Sulak noted that the terpene blend was strong, but also never specified. He also questioned the choice to add CBN, noting it is similar to yet weaker than THC.

Expanding the Therapeutic Profile of Topical Cannabidiol in Temporomandibular Disorders: Effects on Sleep Quality and Migraine Disability in Patients with Bruxism-Associated Muscle Pain

 in July 2025. In this study, 60 participants were placed in three groups: placebo, a 5% CBD gel (25 mg total), and 10% CBD (50 mg total) gel. Participants applied a gel orally to inner cheeks each night for 30 days. Both CBD groups demonstrated significant improvements in sleep and migraine scores compared to placebo. Reductions in muscle tension and pain were also seen. “Maybe the best way to use CBD is going to be intraoral on the masseter muscles,” Dr. Sulak concluded. “I'm not impressed with just taking it and swallowing it first for the purpose of sleeping, but combined with other strategies for sleep, this could be something, and maybe CBD is less likely to disturb sleep than its metabolites.” He also noted that systemic absorption of the CBD was not quantified, which could have been useful to measure.

Read August 2025 Healer Webinar: Research on Cannabis and Sleep, Part II for the final four studies discussed in this webinar

Dustin Sulak, an osteopathic general practitioner, presented a webinar on cannabinoids for sleep, highlighting three studies. The first study found that a high dose of THC and CBD reduced total sleep time and REM sleep without affecting next-day alertness. The second study showed that a cannabinoid supplement improved sleep quality and mood in adults with subthreshold insomnia. The third study demonstrated that topical CBD improved sleep and reduced migraine disability in patients with bruxism-associated muscle pain. Sulak emphasized the importance of dosage and administration methods for effective sleep outcomes.

In this month’s webinar, Dustin Sulak, DO, explains recent research and studies on cannabinoids and their effect on sleep and conditions affecting sleep.

Topic

August 2025 Healer Webinar: Research on Cannabis and Sleep, Part I

 for the cannabis community. The  cannabidiol-themed (CBD) holiday was founded in 2018 by cbdMD to help bring recognition to the cannabinoid (1). 

 is putting the spotlight on CBD by compiling CBD-related content, new and old. From medical studies to science, CBD is a fascinating topic that 

 is dedicated to covering closely. Enjoy National CBD Day 2025!

UConn Study Uncovers Gaps in CBD Beverage Labeling and Actual Content

Content of the cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) in brewed coffee may not be as high as stated on packaging, a new experiment has found. An August 5, 2025, news release from the University of Connecticut explained the results from this experiment, conducted by student Colby LeGault in the laboratory of Gerald Berkowitz, professor of horticulture in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. LeGault tested two commercially available brands of CBD coffee, analyzing the cannabinoid content of each using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Randomized Clinical Trial Tests Effects of CBD on Behavior in Boys with Severe Autism

A recently published study examined the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in boys. As noted by the study, previous studies have suggested that CBD could have a therapeutic effect on symptoms, though controlled clinical trials have yet to be conducted on the safety and tolerability. The study, “Cannabidiol (CBD) Treatment for Severe Problem Behaviors in Autistic Boys: A Randomized Clinical Trial,” was published in May 2025 in 

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

. The CBD used in the study was Epidiolex, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for seizures in children, the study noted. The study was limited to males due to autism being more commonly recognized in boys, it added.

In this roundup article to honor of National CBD Day, 

 compiled a roundup of articles related to medical CBD research.

In this roundup article, we are excited to share with you our CBD-themed roundup of CBD research studies.

CBD Insomnia Clinical Trial Researchers Seeking to Recruit 500 Patients in Australia

Avecho Biotechnology Limited (Avecho) announced in a recent press release that the company is looking to recruit Australians for a clinical trial exploring the use of a pharmaceutical cannabidiol (CBD) product for insomnia.

In this month’s webinar, Dustin Sulak, DO, explains recent research and studies on cannabinoids and their effect on sleep and conditions affecting sleep. In particular, read more about a recent study on the effects of a CBD oral gel for sleep and migraine.

What is National CBD Day and why is it important? 

https://www.cbdmd.com/blogs/posts/what-is-national-cbd-day-why-is-it-important?srsltid=AfmBOoo7mRa65iFwmLyI462ErBL5BmiKFdWi4L44QfjJ-Z8CHFcswk9n

National CBD Day, celebrated on August 8, highlights the significance of cannabidiol (CBD) in the cannabis community. Recent studies have focused on CBD's applications, including a University of Connecticut study revealing discrepancies between labeled and actual CBD content in beverages. Additionally, a randomized clinical trial explored CBD's effects on severe autism symptoms in boys, using Epidiolex, an FDA-approved medication for seizures. These studies underscore the ongoing research and interest in CBD's potential therapeutic benefits, as well as the need for accurate product labeling in the market.

Check out our exciting 2025 National CBD Day coverage!

CST Celebrates National CBD Day 2025

On July 10, 2025 United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided state-licensed cannabis nurseries in Southern California 

(1). Upon arriving, ICE federal agents and accompanying National Guard troops were met by protestors.

 (1) reported that other news organizations, such as the 

 were mentioning that news of the raids were sparking migrant-rights activists to “faceoffs with federal agents in the middle of rural roadways.”

ICE federal agents showed up at two locations, one in Carpinteria, California and Camarillo, California, both locations are operated by Glass House Farms (1,2). The cannabis nurseries were reportedly visited by ICE in June 2025, according to an attorney that is representing individuals working at Glass House Farms.

“DHS law enforcement is executing a warrant at a marijuana facility. Our brave officers will continue to enforce the law,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, replied by email to 

 reported that the agents had “deployed smoke grenades near the crowd, estimated at 100 to 200 people,” (2). US Representative Salud Carbajal was in attendance of the protests. Protesters were shouting “Let him through!” (2). ICE federal agents did not let Carbajal get through. “This is ridiculous. This is military theater,” Carbajal said to 

 (2). “Look at this, militarized agents on domestic soil acting like military.”

The US representative felt that the situation was “overkill and ridiculous,” (2).

“Look, If they want to deport criminals that’s one thing. This is not deporting criminals,” Carbajal expressed (2). “This is going after every day, hardworking immigrants.”

As a member of congress, Carbajal was attempting to “exercise his oversight authority as a member of Congress, and that company officials later told him 10 workers were taken into custody at that location,” (1).

On June 14, 2025, President Donald Trump stopped ICE from enforcing on farms, but that policy didn’t stay in effect for long. Recently, Trump mentioned that (1) “He was willing to let migrant workers stay in the country if farmers can ‘vouch’ for them.” Not long after though, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins commented that there’d be “no amnesty” from deportation for farmworkers (1).

The US government anticipates that around half of farmworkers are illegally in the country and it has been expressed within the farm sector that enforcing these mass deportations could “cripple the nation’s food supply chain,” (1).

Glass House Brands Inc. announced it was partnering with the University of California, Berkely

 to collaborate on hemp research and regulation.

The partnership has been working to facilitate hemp genetics research, market analysis, and new medicinal product development targeting coronaviruses, pain, sleep, inflammation, and cirrhosis (3). It is interested in providing more information on supply chain sustainability and AI automation in hemp cultivation and production. The regulation research is hoping to reduce uncertainty for hemp growers in California, using data-driven approaches.

 reported that from the cannabis nursery raids, a Camarillo cannabis farmworker named Jaime Alanís Garcia, had fallen from a greenhouse roof and was critically injured, has passed away from being taken off life support (4). 

Gorman, S.; Douglas, L. Immigration raids on California cannabis nurseries spark protests 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/immigration-raids-california-cannabis-nurseries-spark-protests-2025-07-11/

Magnoli, G.; Caraway, R. Crowd confronts federal agents in raid at Central Coast cannabis farm 

https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article310421215.html

McEvoy, E. Glass House Brands and UC Berkeley announce Hemp Research Partnership 

https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/glass-house-brands-and-uc-berkeley-announce-hemp-research-partnership

Smith, D.; Goffard, C.; Marantos, J. Details emerge about pot-farm immigration raid as worker dies 

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-12/ice-agents-raid-farm-mans-death

ICE federal agents raided cannabis nurseries in Southern California, sparking protests from migrant-rights activists.

Southern California ICE Raids Targeting Cannabis Nurseries Trigger Protests

In our Women in Grow: Leadership in Cannabis Genetics and Cultivation supplement, 

 interviewed researcher and educator Anna Schwabe, PhD, Associate Lecture Professor at the University of Colorado and Chief Operating Officer of CannaGen, an online cannabis genetic marketplace for licensed breeders, nurseries, and cultivators.

In this video clip, Dr. Schwabe discusses her educational background and what led her to in-depth research on cannabis genetics and more.

 to read the full expert interviews, including an interview with hemp specialist 

Anna Schwabe, PhD shares her educational background in plant genetics

Road to Cannabis Research: Interview with Anna Schwabe, PhD

 Hello everyone, I'm Sebastian Krawiec, Managing Editor of 

, and we are joined today by Dr. Anna Schwabe, a leading expert in cannabis genetics and biology. Dr Schwabe holds her bachelor's, master's and doctorate's degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, where she received the Graduate Dean Citation for Excellence and the Dean's Award for Outstanding Dissertation for her research on cannabis variation. She has been published extensively on topics that include THC potency, cannabis strains, genetics, and olfactory discrimination, and is an accomplished botanical illustrator and educator. Dr. Schwabe is currently Associate Lecture Professor at the University of Colorado, where she co-developed and teaches multiple cannabis science courses and is Principal Research Director for the Agricultural Genomics Foundation. Most recently, she became Chief Operating Officer of CannaGen, an online cannabis genetic marketplace for licensed breeders, nurseries, and cultivators. Thank you so much for joining us today.

: It's a pleasure. To start off, could you to tell us a little bit about your background and how you became interested in cannabis?

: Like many people, I was introduced to cannabis in high school and again in college. My first stint was at Colorado State University and I took a lot of Drugs in the Human Body courses, my major was anatomy and physiology, so I really interested in that sort of stuff. So, there was a lot of cannabis dabbling, not necessarily partaking in, but learning about it, researching it, that kind of thing, reading books like the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test and those kind of hippie movement literature books. So that was where it started. I did not graduate from Colorado State, but I did take a lot of courses there. I took some time off and worked in the pizza industry for a while, and then after about 10, 15 years doing that, I wanted to go back to college. I finished my bachelor's degree and my emphasis was in cellular and molecular biology. 

During that time, we had a new faculty member who joined UNC, and he was teaching plant systematics and all the boring plant classes that I totally didn't want to take, but the Animal Behavior class was full, so I needed an upper level biology course, and the only one that had seats left was this plant taxonomy class, Plant Systematics. I took it because otherwise I would have had to go another semester to get all the credits that I needed. So I took it and didn't particularly enjoy it – it was interesting, it was new, the professor was super young, very excited about teaching about plants. I learned a lot about all kinds of stuff, but it still wasn't my bag of things that I was super interested in, but we got to do some drawing of plants, which I really enjoyed, and that pushed me towards getting that botanical illustration certification. I also ended up having to take some capstone credits, which, if you haven't been in academia, you have to do bench work where you learn lab skills, or you do a project where you turn in a big paper or something to get you ready for the job world where you have to do more than just read books and take quizzes. So, I ended up working in Mitt’s lab – he was the professor for the systematics class. I had to do six credits of capstone work, which was quite a lot. It was like 100 hours or so in the course of a semester to graduate on that timeline that I had given myself. The project that he tasked me with was extracting DNA from cacti, and this was a project that was in collaboration with the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Bureau of Land Management, which was great. I graduated with that degree, went and got my botanical illustration certification, and then I was like, I kind of want to keep doing this. I asked Mitt if I could do my master’s and carry on that same project. So that's my background in population genetics, that started with this cactus project. So I got my master’s in that, which was looking at the hybridization of these two closely related cacti that grow in the same area. The Bureau of Land Management wanted to know, are they hybridizing? Because if they're hybridizing, then they don't really warrant protection. And I promise the story is going somewhere, it does land on cannabis.

After I graduated with my master’s, I went and worked at the Denver Botanic Gardens, working on multiple projects, looking at population and genetic relationships within and among closely related species. I started working there in 2012. In 2012 is when Colorado voted on adult use cannabis, so it was during that time that cannabis was really starting to take off in Colorado, people were getting interested. Colorado was the first state to legalize recreational use for adults, so there was a lot of conversations going on. I had a volunteer in my lab who was getting into the industry, and I thought it was really interesting. There were conversations that were popping up, there were questions that were popping up in the community among consumers, like, how come when I buy Blue Dream from this dispensary, it's not the same as when I buy it from this other dispensary? So I thought, with my background in population genetics and specifically looking at genetic relationships within and among species or groups, I had the perfect background to be able to answer some of those questions. I approached Mitt again and said, “Hey, I've got this idea.” Cannabis is newly legal. We don't know anything about it. There's really not a lot of research that has been done on it, because it's been illegal for the better part of a century, and certainly in terms of, since we've had genetic tools, and especially in terms of a marketplace and the retail arena, there really wasn't any research that had been done to answer some of these questions. Yeah, there was research on THC and what THC does to the brain, but that's not really what I was interested in, right? Mitt said, “No, we're not doing weed. This is a conservation population genetics lab.” But he did change his tune, and he was like, “You know what? This really is an interesting question, and we can build on this, and someone's going to do it. So, yeah, let's go ahead and do this.” He went to the school lawyer, the dean, the provost, and the president, and they all said, “yeah, she can totally work on cannabis, as long as she's not bringing smokeable material onto campus. Yeah, we can do that.” I just needed the DNA. Getting the DNA out of the plant and into the lab was really what I needed to do. So that's where it all started.

Updated on May 15, 2025 at 7:30PM EST to include video transcription.

In this interview clip from our Women in Grow: Leadership in Cannabis Genetics and Cultivation supplement, Anna Schwabe, PhD shares her educational background in plant genetics.


Videos

The Road to Cannabis Research: Interview with Anna Schwabe, PhD

On April 1, 2024, the Cannabis Act (CanG) passed in Germany and reclassified cannabis as a non-narcotic. These legislative actions eased administrative barriers for patients and prescribing doctors, sparking significant growth in the market. Since then, the medical cannabis industry has seen a substantial increase in both patient numbers and supply.

As of April 2024, there are an estimated 300,000 patients who use medical cannabis with 17 tons of supply. Yet the passage of CanG has only started to ignite momentum in the market. According to calculations based on findings in Bloomwell Group’s recent report titled “

The Cannabis Barometer: Motives, Concerns and Preferences of Cannabis Consumers in Germany

,” the German medical cannabis company found that the market has the potential to reach more than 20 million patients and a supply of 60,000 tons. With this in mind, Germany is poised to become one of the largest and most promising medical cannabis markets in the world, offering a bright future for investors, policymakers, and healthcare professionals (1).

Majority of German Consumers Cite Health Reasons for Cannabis Use

Bloomwell Group’s 2024 report revealed that 94% of respondents who consumed cannabis did so for at least one medical or health reason. The most common reason cited by respondents for consuming cannabis was for stress relief (about 60%), followed by sleeping disorders (50.4%) and pain relief (35%) (1).

The report also revealed that while the majority of cannabis users in Germany use the plant for medical or health reasons, within the past year, only 10% of the survey participants obtained cannabis exclusively from licensed pharmacies. Almost 60% of consumers continue to obtain their cannabis illegally, often despite their concerns about poor quality and associated health damage. Over a quarter of respondents (26%) said they had already purchased contaminated cannabis, while around 31% had obtained poor quality on the illegal market in the past (1).

Improving Patient Access Through Medical Training and Guidance from Experts

One of the key barriers to consumers being able to access medical cannabis through a pharmacy is the lack of doctors who are willing and experienced in prescribing cannabis as a medical treatment. Despite the improved legal framework, over 90% of those surveyed struggle to find a doctor who is open to cannabis therapy and has the necessary expertise. This highlights the urgent need for more doctors to be trained and open to prescribing medical cannabis, a crucial step in improving patient access and care.

Physicians who specialize in medical cannabis should lead conversations, spread awareness, and help educate other doctors in the field about cannabis as a medical treatment and its health potential. In addition, it’s important for medical professionals to provide evidence-based factual information to the public that can help ease outdated stigmas and myths surrounding cannabis. They should also take a firm hand in helping to guide regulatory leaders and professionals within the scientific and medical communities as they seek to ease regulations surrounding the research of cannabis for patients.

Technology to Drive Patient Access and Ease of Use

Within the last few years, telemedicine has increased worldwide, partly due to the travel and social distancing limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to McKinsey & Company, by the second quarter of 2022, 96 percent of outpatient practitioners in Germany were linked to the telematics infrastructure, up from 90 percent in 2020. As of the second quarter of 2022, 99 percent of pharmacies in Germany were connected to the telematics infrastructure, a significant increase from 75 percent in 2021, according to McKinsey & Company (2).

Telemedicine allows patients to access medical care consultations without having to travel to a physician's physical office. Using video chat, patients can speak with healthcare providers about their medical conditions, and doctors can prescribe medical cannabis based on the patient’s symptoms. Not only does this provide convenience and accessibility for patients, but it also helps reduce healthcare costs associated with in-person visits and cuts waiting times. This is especially useful to medical cannabis patients who are in remote parts of Germany and may not be in an area that has a doctor who specializes in cannabis therapy. Such advancements also allow pharmacies to receive digital prescriptions from prescribing physicians and fulfill them on-site.

Cannabis patients have reported to prefer to receive prescribed cannabis products through a digital application and have them delivered directly to them from the pharmacy. According to the Bloomwell report, 92% of those surveyed would like cannabis treatment through an app with delivery from the pharmacy (1).

Stakeholders have opportunities to build upon the areas of the industry that are already fueling growth, like telemedicine, and also provide strategies to help transition German consumers from the illicit market to the legal medical market.

To do this, it is important for key players within the industry to help fuel conversations about medical cannabis therapy and the patient process. Providing clear and accurate information about the benefits and regulations of the legalized medical cannabis market can help patients understand the benefits of securing cannabis through licensed pharmacies rather than risk contaminated products from the illicit market.

In addition, industry leaders and regulators alike should work together to ensure that legalized medical cannabis stays accessible and affordable for patients. The cost of medical cannabis must be competitive with that of the illicit market. To provide a steady supply, international imports of medical cannabis are needed and must continue to grow to meet consumer demand. Investors will need to continue fueling the German import market to ensure patients receive uninterrupted access to their prescribed treatment.

The Cannabis Barometer: Motives, Concerns and Preferences of Cannabis Consumers in Germany.

https://25378200.fs1.hubspotusercontent-eu1.net/hubfs/25378200/Report%20Motives%20Cannabis%202024%20E.pdf

Messal, H.; Niedermann, F.; Padmanabhan, P.; Müller, T.; Lösch, M.; Silberzahn, T.; Richter, L.

 Telemedicine in Germany: A Rapid Evolution Amid COVID-19. 

McKinsey & Company, Stuttgart, DE, 2022. 

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/german-e-health-offerings-expand-but-adoption-remains-uneven

Niklas Kouparanis is the CEO and Co-Founder of Bloomwell Group.

Kouparanis, N. Regulatory German Medical Cannabis Market Has Yet to Reach Its Full Potential. 

Germany’s Cannabis Act (CanG) is beginning to transform the country's medical cannabis market, with potential opportunities to expand telemedicine, improve physician training, and enhancing accessibility in this rapidly growing industry.

German Medical Cannabis Market Has Yet to Reach Its Full Potential

 first began in 1911 (1) and reminds us to soak in all the amazing achievements women have made to the nutraceutical space.

 is putting the spotlight on women by compiling women-related content, new and old. From research to interviews, women are such an important part of the cannabis science space that 

is dedicated to covering closely. Enjoy International Women’s Day 2025!

In this roundup article to honor of International Women's Day, 

Check out our exciting 2025 International Women's Day coverage!

Harriet Kozak

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