Can certain strains of cannabis help treat epilepsy?

Would tackling Nevada’s illegal cannabis market reduce youth drug usage?

Is there a way to predict susceptibility to overuse of cannabis?

These were some of the questions that college students attempted to answer during a Sept. 5 showcase hosted by the UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute, highlighting student work on evidence-based recommendations to address cannabis industry challenges. 

Research into cannabis remains limited. Even though it is legal in Nevada, it’s still classified as a Schedule I controlled substance at the federal level, which restricts research access and funding.

“There's just such a range of sociological, economic, psychological and biological impacts that cannabis can have and that we are missing the boat on if we are not studying it,” Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) said at the event.

Treating epilepsy using synthetic cannabis

Student Adriana Carrillo examined potential medical uses for cannabis sativa, one of the main strains of marijuana.

Her work looked at sativa’s classification as a controlled substance, limiting research on the strain despite its therapeutic potential in the areas of nausea, vomiting, anxiety, chronic pain, inflammation and especially epilepsy, the focus of her research.

While epilepsy often comes with other health issues, it is mainly characterized by seizures. Benzodiazepines, a class of nervous system depressants, effectively treat the causes of the disorder, but can also cause unintended side effects. 

Her research found that cannabidiol (CBD) can help with seizures without side effects.

Because federal restrictions limit cannabis-based research, a major source of CBD, she found another source: the caraway plant, which is part of the carrot family. 

By extracting carbon molecules from the caraway seeds, Carrillo was able to build a synthetic scaffolding structure to mirror CBD.

In tests on mice, she found that the synthetic CBD from caraway holds promise as an anticonvulsant, a medication to prevent or control seizures — showing a potential safe and effective future treatment for epilepsy.

Youth and Nevada’s illicit cannabis market 

A presentation by sophomore student Mia Tschan highlighted Nevada’s lucrative illicit cannabis market, which reportedly brings in up to $370 million in untaxed revenue.

Tschan pointed out that taxes on cannabis sales — a portion of which go to K-12 education —  have dropped since 2021 while illicit sales continued to climb, according to the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research center.

Tschan also noted that Nevada as of 2022 had the nation’s second highest youth usage rate of marijuana — nearly 16 percent of Nevada youth ages 12 to 17 reported using the drug during the past month.

Despite these issues, the state lacks dedicated health campaigns to warn the public about the illicit market and synthetic cannabinoids such as the drugs SPICE or K2, Tschan said. 

Tschan says that informational campaigns could encourage buyers to spend money on safe, quality products rather than sustaining the illicit market. Then as that market dies down, young Nevadans would have less access to cannabis and Nevada schools would get more funding.

Cannabis use in nationally representative sample of U.S. adults

Graduate student Frankie Nieblas focused his research on cannabis users, especially those who suffer from Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD), also known as marijuana addiction.

According to Nieblas, studies estimate about 15 percent of adults in America have used cannabis in the past 30 days, and about 2.5 percent of adults meet the criteria for CUD. The worrisome part, he said, is that the disorder is often a result of other underlying mental health concerns.

In the survey Nieblas conducted of 2,806 adults, only 3.5 percent of respondents said they used marijuana daily, while 71.1 percent reported having never used it before. 

Because the survey had a large sample size, he was able to create a model to show the demographic likelihood of using cannabis in the past year and the likelihood of being at high risk for CUD. Some of the data collected shows:

• Those with higher income are less likely to use cannabis.
• Those who are religious tend to use less, but are at higher risk for the disorder.
• Most minorities in the study use it more and are at higher risk for CUD, with Black users being three times as likely and Hispanic users being two times as likely for the disorder.

Nieblas ended his presentation by arguing that special attention should be given to vulnerable communities, and more research is needed on the topic and harm reduction strategies.