From MedPageToday.com
Medical Marijuana: Studies Find No Benefit for RA
Published: Mar 3, 2014
Rheumatologists should not currently be recommending the use of medical marijuana to their patients for relief of chronic pain, researchers stated.
Among the reasons for this advice are acute and chronic risks, a lack of evidence for efficacy, and the absence of data on appropriate dosing, according to Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues.
"Advocacy for access to cannabinoid treatments has led to a societal groundswell with regulatory bodies around the globe considering the legalization of herbal cannabis for medicinal use," Fitzcharles and colleagues wrote online in Arthritis Care & Research.
And with 20 states now having legalized it, rheumatologists need to be prepared to answer patients' questions based on the best available information and evidence, the authors stated.
Surveys have suggested that arthritis pain is one of the most common reasons patients use medical marijuana, and has been the stated diagnosis for two-thirds of Canadians who are authorized users.
The plant has been used for centuries for pain relief, as well as for effects on sleep and mood that are largely mediated through the interaction of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with receptors of the endocannabinoid system.
One major obstacle to the acceptance of medical use is the wide variation of active compounds in the plant, with THC concentration ranging from 1% to 30% of the plant and blood levels among individuals who inhale it that range from an estimated 7 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL.
In addition, even in locales where legal, most users obtain marijuana illegally, the researchers reported.
Read more from MedPageToday.com >>
Medical Marijuana: Studies Find No Benefit for RA
Published: Mar 3, 2014
Rheumatologists should not currently be recommending the use of medical marijuana to their patients for relief of chronic pain, researchers stated.
Among the reasons for this advice are acute and chronic risks, a lack of evidence for efficacy, and the absence of data on appropriate dosing, according to Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, MD, of McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues.
"Advocacy for access to cannabinoid treatments has led to a societal groundswell with regulatory bodies around the globe considering the legalization of herbal cannabis for medicinal use," Fitzcharles and colleagues wrote online in Arthritis Care & Research.
And with 20 states now having legalized it, rheumatologists need to be prepared to answer patients' questions based on the best available information and evidence, the authors stated.
Surveys have suggested that arthritis pain is one of the most common reasons patients use medical marijuana, and has been the stated diagnosis for two-thirds of Canadians who are authorized users.
The plant has been used for centuries for pain relief, as well as for effects on sleep and mood that are largely mediated through the interaction of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with receptors of the endocannabinoid system.
One major obstacle to the acceptance of medical use is the wide variation of active compounds in the plant, with THC concentration ranging from 1% to 30% of the plant and blood levels among individuals who inhale it that range from an estimated 7 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL.
In addition, even in locales where legal, most users obtain marijuana illegally, the researchers reported.
Read more from MedPageToday.com >>
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