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| New research shows that the "gateway effect" of marijuana -- that teenagers who use marijuana are more likely to move on to harder illicit drugs as young adults -- may be overblown. |
| Health professionals have a responsibility to respect and support patients who use cannabis for medicinal purposes, but must stay within the law and follow professional guidance at all times. UK ... |
| Hispanic middle school students may be more likely to smoke, drink or use marijuana than their peers of other races and ethnicities, whereas Asian students seem to have the lowest risk, according to ... |
| The medicinal use of cannabis has been debated by clinicians, researchers, legislators and the public at large for many years as an alternative to standard pharmaceutical treatments for pain, which ... |
| Repeatedly boosting brain levels of one natural painkiller soon shuts down the brain cell receptors that respond to it, so that the painkilling effect is lost, according to a surprising new study ... |
| A newly discovered molecular mechanism helps control the amount and effectiveness of a substance that mimics an active ingredient in marijuana, but that is produced by the body's own nerve cells. ... |
| An experimental compound appears to improve metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity, according to a preliminary study. |
| A new compound similar to the active component of marijuana (cannabis) might provide effective pain relief without the mental and physical side effects of cannabis, according to a new study. |
| In findings that should finally put to rest a decade of controversy in the field of neurobiology, researchers have found decisive evidence that a specific neurotransmitter system -- the ... |
| Teens with a history of crack or cocaine use are significantly more likely to engage in unprotected sex than youth who have never used these drugs, putting themselves at increased risk for HIV, ... |
| Recent studies have shown that behaviors such as happiness, obesity, smoking and altruism are "contagious" within adult social networks. In other words, your behavior not only influences your ... |
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Last Updated: 14 July 2010 |
Medical Marijuana
Medicinal and Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis Sativa |
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This page presents current news and information on the medical use of marijuana, legislation governing its use, the psychophysical effects of
the medication, and resources for further reading.
We firmly believe that the decision to work with this medicine rests with the individual, notwithstanding legislation to the contrary.
This research page has been prepared in an effort to consolidate authoritative sources of information for current and prospective users.
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Medical Marijuana Application Forms & Info, CANADA
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Emerging Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids:
A Review of the Recent Scientific Literature, 2000 – 2010
[...] As clinical research into the therapeutic value of cannabinoids has proliferated – there are now more than 17,000 published papers in the scientific literature analyzing marijuana and its constituents — so too has investigators' understanding of cannabis' remarkable
capability to combat disease. Whereas researchers in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s primarily assessed cannabis' ability to temporarily alleviate various disease
symptoms — such as the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy — scientists today
are exploring the potential role of cannabinoids to modify disease.
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Of particular interest, scientists are investigating cannabinoids' capacity to moderate autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid
arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as their role in the treatment of neurological disorders
such as Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease.)
Investigators are also studying the anti-cancer activities of cannabis, as a growing body of preclinical and clinical
data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of
new blood vessels). Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could
have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago. [...]
HOW TO USE THIS REPORT
As states continue to approve legislation enabling the physician-supervised use of medicinal marijuana, more patients with varying disease types are exploring the use
of therapeutic cannabis. Many of these patients and their physicians are now discussing this issue for the first time, and are seeking guidance on whether the therapeutic
use of cannabis may or may not be advisable. This report seeks to provide this guidance by summarizing the most recently published scientific research (2000-2009) on the
therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabinoids for 19 clinical indications  |
Potential Therapeutic Uses of Medical Marijuana
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Find Clinical Studies and Case Reports |
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In the News; Recent Studies...
London, United Kingdom: British health regulators on Friday approved the sale and marketing of Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts (primarily the
plant cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol aka CBD) as a treatment for symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).
The spray, which has been legally available to patients in Canada since 2005, went on sale in Britain on Monday. The drug will be marketed in the United Kingdom by the
Bayer Corporation which estimates that Sativex will cost the country's state-run National Health Service roughly £11, or about $16, a day for each patient.
Commenting on the drug's regulatory approval, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: "The approval of Sativex in the UK is newsworthy though hardly surprising,
as the scientific evidence in support of marijuana's medical safety and utility has been available for decades. However, the bigger question still remains. That is:
'How can the US government continue to promote a policy that calls for the arrest and prosecution of patients who use a substance that fourteen states and much of
the rest of the western world now acknowledges as a safe and legitimate medicine?'"
In clinical trials, Sativex has been demonstrated to reduce MS-associated spasticity, pain, and incontinence. Long-term investigational trials indicate that consistent
use of the cannabis-based medicine may also slow the progression of the disease.
Surveys from the UK and elsewhere indicate that MS patients often report using cannabis therapeutically, with one study reporting that some four out of ten patients with
the disease find relief from marijuana.
GW Pharmaceuticals, makers of the Sativex, is expected later this year to seek separate regulatory approval for the spray in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy.
In 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration authorized recruitment for the first-ever North American clinical trial of Sativex for cancer pain treatment. A Phase III
trial is anticipated to begin in the US later this year.
The authors report that Although cannabis use precedes the onset of illness in most patients, there was no significant association between onset of illness and CUD [Cannabis Use Disorder]
that was not accounted for by demographic and clinical variables. Previous studies implicating CUD in the onset of schizophrenia may need to more comprehensively assess the relationship
between CUD and schizophrenia, and take into account additional variables that we found associated with CUD.
The authors report that Age at onset of psychosis was not different in patients with lifetime cannabis use compared to non-users. By contrast, the first psychotic episode
occurred 2.6 yr earlier in CS [Cannabis Sensitive] compared to Non-cannabis-sensitive (NCS) patients (p=0.006). Moreover, a specific excess of family history of psychotic disorder was found
in CS patients, but not of any other psychiatric disorder, as well as an earlier age at exposure to cannabis (16.7+/-2.5 yr, p=0.03). Sensitivity to psychotogenic effects of cannabis in
schizophrenia patients could be related to both genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia and the influence of cannabis on brain maturation and could modulate the influence of cannabis on the onset of schizophrenia.
Washington, DC: The findings of a study published earlier this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry alleging that smoking marijuana
can 'double' one's risk of psychosis or schizophrenia are in
conflict with those previous reviews and ought to be interpreted with caution, says NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano.
"Despite claims that marijuana use may play a causal role in diagnosed incidences of schizophrenia, there exists no empirical evidence anywhere on Earth indicating
that populations which have experienced rising rates of cannabis use have also experienced a parallel increase in rates of mental illness," Armentano said.
Most recently, a 2009 systematic review published in the scientific journal
Schizophrenia Research compared trends in marijuana use and incidences of schizophrenia in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2005. Researchers reported
that the "incidence and prevalence of schizophrenia and psychoses were either stable or declining" during this period, even the use of cannabis among the
general population was rising.
Armentano said that a non-causal association likely exists between marijuana use and psychosis because the symptoms of mental illness often strike early in life — at a time
when young people are likely to be already experimenting with cannabis. He also speculated that some people diagnosed with psychotic disorders might be turning
to cannabis after the onset of symptoms as a form of self-medication.
Ultimately, however, Armentano said that even if the latest concerns about the potential adverse effect of marijuana use are to be taken at face value, then such
findings support a policy of cannabis legalization and regulation – not criminal prohibition.
"Health risks connected with pot use — when scientifically documented — should not be seen as legitimate reasons for criminal prohibition, but instead,
as reasons for the plant's legal regulation." he said. "For example, we as a society don't regulate the
production, use, and sale of alcohol because it is innocuous, but rather because we acknowledge that its consumption, in some situations, may pose a risk of
harm. Placed in this context, today's latest warnings do little to advance the government's position in favor of tightening
prohibition, and provide ample ammunition to wage for its repeal." [...]
Hurth, Germany: Researchers worldwide have performed 37 separate clinical trials assessing the therapeutic safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis and
marijuana-based medicines since 2005, according to a review published online last week in the journal Cannabinoids: The Journal of the International
Association for Cannabinoid Medicines (IACM).
Investigators from Leiden University in the Netherlands and the nova-Institut in Germany conducted a systematic review of recent clinical trial data pertaining to the medical use of whole smoked marijuana and cannabinoids.
Authors identified 37 controlled studies since 2005 evaluating the therapeutic effects of cannabinoids. The trials involved a total of 2,563 subjects.
Of the 37 clinical trials that have been recently conducted, eleven assessed the drug's impact on chronic neuropathic pain – a difficult to treat type of pain resulting from
nerve damage. Other studies assessed the efficacy of cannabinoids to treat multiple sclerosis-associated spasticity (nine separate studies); HIV/AIDS
(four); experimental pain (four); intestinal dysfunction (two); nausea/vomiting/appetite (two); schizophrenia (two); glaucoma (one); and 'other indications' (two).
Authors concluded, "Based on the clinical results, cannabinoids present an interesting therapeutic potential mainly as analgesics in chronic neuropathic pain, appetite stimulants
in debilitating diseases (cancer and AIDS), as well as in the treatment of multiple sclerosis."
Last Wednesday investigators from the California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research released the
results of a series of double blind, placebo-controlled trials that determined that cannabinoids could be "a
first-line treatment" for patients suffering from neuropathy.
Commenting on the review, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: "The safety and efficacy of marijuana as a medicine has now been established by the 'gold standard' of
clinical study. Further, over 2,500 patients have used cannabinoids in controlled clinical trials over the past five years alone. This is a far greater
total than the number of subjects that would likely be administered any other new drug pending United States FDA approval, and is a large enough population to
once and for all establish marijuana's objective value as a medicine." [...]
Israel has been testing treating their soldiers who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with medical marijuana,
and having positive results. My wife and I have medical marijuana licences from Health Canada for PTSD.
Canadian soldiers would be eligible for such treatment under Health Canada's medical marijuana program, but it likely wouldn't
be compatible with the Canadian Forces' zero tolerance policy on drug use. [...] [Read more]
WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) — Good news for aging hippies: smoking pot may stave off Alzheimer's disease.
New research shows that the active ingredient in marijuana may prevent the progression of the disease by preserving levels
of an important neurotransmitter that allows the brain to function.
Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in California found that marijuana's active ingredient,
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, can prevent the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from breaking down more
effectively than commercially marketed drugs.
THC is also more effective at blocking clumps of protein that can inhibit memory and cognition in Alzheimer's
patients, the researchers reported in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.
The researchers said their discovery could lead to more effective drug treatment for Alzheimer's, the leading
cause of dementia among the elderly. [...] [Read more] |
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Selected Reports and Academic Presentations
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FINAL REPORT: CANNABIS: OUR POSITION FOR A CANADIAN PUBLIC POLICY
The Special [Senate] Committee on Illegal Drugs
- Summary — html | pdf
- Volume I:
General Orientation — html | pdf
- Volume II:
Policies and Practices in Canada — html | pdf
- Volume III:
Public Policy Options — html | pdf
- Volume IV:
Appendix — html | pdf
RxMarijuana
Lester Grinspoon, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and James Bakalar, J.D., Lecturer in Law in the Department of
Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School
Cannabis Studies
Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR), University of California
The therapeutic potential of cannabis
Baker, D., Pryce, G., Giovannoni, G., Thompson, A.J.
Lancet Neurology 2003; 2: pp.291-98
The classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, Home Office, UK (March 2002)
Medical Marijuana Briefing Paper
Marijuana Policy Project (Revised 01/08)
Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (1999)
Institute of Medicine
House of Lords (UK) Report on Cannabis for Medical Purposes
(4 Nov 1998)
Exposing Marijuana Myths: A review of the scientific evidence
Lynn Zimmer, Associate Professor of Sociology at Queens College, and John P. Morgan, Professor of Pharmacology at City University Medical School (1995/6/7)
REVIEW OF HUMAN STUDIES ON MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA
Dale H. Gieringer, Ph.D. (August 1996) California NORML |
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Medical Marijuana Briefing Paper - 2010
For thousands of years, marijuana has been used to treat a wide variety of ailments. Until 1937, marijuana (Cannabis sativa L.) was
legal in the United States for all purposes. Presently, federal law allows only four Americans to use marijuana as a medicine.
On March 17, 1999, the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that "there are some limited circumstances
in which we recommend smoking marijuana for medical uses. "The IOM report, the result of two years of research that was funded by the White House drug policy
office, analyzed all existing data on marijuana's therapeutic uses. Please see http://www.mpp.org/SCIENCE.
MEDICAL VALUE
Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically
active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a
wide variety of therapeutic applications, including:
- Relief from nausea and appetite loss;
- Reduction of intraocular (within the eye) pressure;
- Reduction of muscle spasms; and
- Relief from chronic pain.
Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:
AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS
medications. Observational research has found that by relieving these side effects, medical marijuana increases the ability of patients to stay on
life-extending treatment. (See also CHRONIC PAIN below.)
HEPATITIS C. As with AIDS, marijuana can relieve the nausea and vomiting caused by treatments for hepatitis C. In a study published
in the September 2006 European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, patients using marijuana were better able to complete their medication regimens,
leading to a 300% improvement in treatment success.
GLAUCOMA. Marijuana can reduce intraocular pressure,
alleviating the pain and slowing—and sometimes stopping — damage to the eyes.
(Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It damages
vision by increasing eye pressure over time.)
CANCER. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and
alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy
treatment.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. Marijuana can limit the muscle
pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and
unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological
disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.)
EPILEPSY. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients.
CHRONIC PAIN. Marijuana can alleviate chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries. Since 2007, three
published clinical trials have found that marijuana effectively relieves neuropathic pain (pain cause by nerve injury), a particularly hard to treat type
of pain that afflicts millions suffering from diabetes, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other illnesses.
Each of these applications has been deemed legitimate by at least one court, legislature, and/or government agency in the United States.
Many patients also report that marijuana is useful for treating arthritis, migraine, menstrual cramps, alcohol and opiate addiction, and depression and other debilitating mood disorders.
Marijuana could be helpful for millions of patients in the United States. Nevertheless, other than for the four people with special permission from the federal government, medical marijuana
remains illegal under federal law!
People currently suffering from any of the conditions mentioned above, for whom the legal medical options have proven unsafe or ineffective, have two options:
- Continue to suffer without effective treatment; or
- Illegally obtain marijuana — and risk suffering consequences directly related to its illegality, such as:
- an insufficient supply due to the prohibition-inflated price or scarcity; impure, contaminated, or chemically adulterated marijuana;
- arrests, fines, court costs, property forfeiture, incarceration, probation, and criminal records.
[Read More] |
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Warning:
This writer, responsible scientists and doctors advise:
There is no pharmacological free lunch in cannabis or any drug. Negative reactions can result. A small percentage of people
have negative or allergic reactions to marijuana. Heart patients could have problems, even though cannabis generally relieves
stress, dilates the arteries, and in general lowers the diastolic pressure. A small percentage of people get especially high
heart rates and anxieties with cannabis. These persons should not use it. Some bronchial asthma sufferers benefit from
cannabis; however, for others it may serve as an additional irritant.
For the overwhelming majority of people, cannabis has demonstrated literally hundreds of
therapeutic uses... [Read more]
Jack Herer, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, Chapter 7, Therapeutic Use of Cannabis | | |
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This Web site is an excellent resource on the medical use of marijuana, presenting, 'in an unbiased, primarily pro/con format, responses to the related and core question: "Should marijuana be a medical option now?"' Here you can find information on
the medical value and use of marijuana, the medical risks of use, diseases and conditions in which marijuana is used, U.S. government policies and medical marijuana, legal issues, and non-smoked marijuana. There's
also a fascinating section that provides a three-part overview of the history of marijuana as medicine, from 2737 B.C. to the present. |
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Cannabis Vaporization
Vaporization is a technique for avoiding irritating respiratory toxins in
marijuana smoke by heating cannabis to a temperature where the psychoactive
ingredients evaporate without causing combustion.
Laboratory studies by California NORML and MAPS have found that vaporizers can efficiently
deliver cannabinoids while eliminating or drastically reducing other smoke toxins.
Like tobacco, marijuana smoke contains toxins that are known to be hazardous to the respiratory system. Among them are the highly carcinogenic polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons, a prime suspect in cigarette-related cancers. These toxins are essentially a byproduct of combustion, separate from the
pharmaceutically active components of marijuana, known as cannabinoids, which include THC. Although there is no proof that marijuana smoking causes cancer,
chronic pot smokers have been shown to suffer an elevated risk of bronchitis and respiratory infections. Respiratory disease due to smoking may therefore rightly
be regarded as the primary physiological hazard of marijuana.
Cannabis vaporizers are designed to let users inhale active cannabinoids while avoiding harmful smoke toxins. They do so by heating cannabis to a
temperature of 180 - 200° C (356° - 392° F), just below the point of combustion where smoke is produced. At this point, THC and other medically active
cannabinoids are emitted with little or none of the carcinogenic tars and noxious gases found in smoke. Many medical marijuana patients who find smoked
marijuana highly irritating report effective relief inhaling through vaporizers. Users who are concerned about the respiratory hazards of smoking are strongly
advised to use vaporizers. Alternative devices, such as waterpipes, have been shown to be ineffective at reducing the tars in marijuana smoke
(Report).
Many models of vaporizer are currently on the market. A review of the various types can be found at www.vaporinfo.com. [...]
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