Cannabis users, particularly people with cannabis use disorder, had higher 18-kDa translocator protein levels than non-cannabis users, researchers reported in JAMA Psychiatry.

“Cannabinoids may act as an immunosuppressant by inhibiting microglial activation, inhibiting the release of free radicals and reactive oxygen species from microglia, decreasing proinflammatory cytokine secretion from microglia, and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokine release,” Romina Mizrahi, MD, PhD, from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, and colleagues wrote. “Although preclinical studies have investigated the association between neuroimmune function and cannabis use, clinical evidence remains sparse.”