Motion to Bring Cannabis into Mainstream Medicine

A comprehensive overview of current evidence for the use of cannabis as a therapeutic in mainstream medicine.

Medicinal cannabis is safe and effective in pain relief, according to new study published in the journal European Journal of Internal Medicine. The study provides a comprehensive overview of current evidence for the use of cannabis and derived products in medicine, and calls for more research to improve the evidence base for its use.

"We feel it is absolutely imperative to not only present the current state of affairs, but also propose the development of the scientific research program within the paradigm of evidence-based medicine," said Prof. Victor Novack, guest editor of the special issue and a professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. "Our ultimate aim should be to scientifically establish the actual place of medical cannabis derived products in the modern medical arsenal."

Recovery from Cannabis Use Problems
Those resolving cannabis problems do so at younger ages, with less assistance than those resolving other substance-use problems.

‘Study claims that the therapeutic use of cannabis is safe and efficacious in the elderly population and could decrease the use of other prescription medicines, including opioids.’

Side Effects of Medical Cannabis can Outweigh Its Benefits
Medical cannabis used to treat severe specific medical conditions like chronic nerve and cancer pain can have harmful side effects than benefits.

The same team also analyzed the effectiveness of medical cannabis in elderly patients who were being treated in 2015-2017 for a variety of issues, including pain and cancer. The researchers conclude in their paper: "Our study finds that the therapeutic use of cannabis is safe and efficacious in the elderly population. Cannabis use may decrease the use of other prescription medicines, including opioids. Gathering more evidence-based data, including data from double-blind randomized-controlled trials, in this special population is imperative."

In a review in the special issue, Prof. Donald Abrams at University of California San Francisco Ward in the US covers the recent review conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, The Health Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids. The report, which considered 10,000 scientific abstracts, "concluded that there was conclusive or substantial evidence that Cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for the treatment of pain in adults; chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis."

Medical Cannabis: Safer than Opioids for Elderly to Treat Chronic Pain
Cannabis therapy found to be safe for elderly patients to treat cancer symptoms, Parkinson's disease and other pain related issues rather than opioids.

Yet the report also highlighted the barriers to research in the US, which may explain the lack of strong evidence for the therapeutic use of cannabis. This dearth of research has also led to numerous ethical issues in prescribing cannabis, not least because many doctors do not understand the treatment enough to advise dosage and use. An article by researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada and International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute, Prague, Czech Republic provides practical guidance for doctors, with data on cannabis pharmacology.

"This Medical Cannabis special issue covers everything you wanted to know about medical cannabis," said Prof. Novack. "We hope that it will provide physicians with a contemporary summary of different aspects related to the medical cannabis and guide the choice of an appropriate for the indications where the evidence is sufficient to initiate the treatment. We also hope the articles will facilitate the conversation on the future of medical cannabis research and its accommodation into mainstream medicine."

Teenage Cannabis Use can Lead to Bipolar Disorder Symptoms
The link between adolescent cannabis use and hypo-mania has been found. Periods of elated mood, excited behavior are some of the symptoms of hypo-mania.

Source-Eurekalert