Cannabis as Medicine

Keith Ridge told the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee hearing on medical cannabis policy that he saw the primary purpose of rescheduling medical cannabis as supporting development of good evidence. Evidence for the prescribing of medical cannabis is lacking, Keith Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer for England, has told MPs. For complete story

Daily Mail April 2019 11:16  Using marijuana during pregnancy to treat morning sickness could damage an unborn baby’s brain, a new study says. Research conducted on rats found that expecting mothers who used cannabis affected the section of the brain involved in memory and learning. The rate of pregnant women using pot for severe nausea

Relations to Substance Misuse, Mental Health, and Pain Experience – Journal of Addiction Medicine:  doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000493 Results: Results suggest that, compared to opioid use alone, opioid and cannabis co-use was associated with elevated anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as tobacco, alcohol, cocaine, and sedative use problems, but not pain experience. Conclusions: These findings highlight a vulnerable population of polysubstance users with chronic pain, and

Although specialist doctors registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) have been allowed to prescribe cannabis-derived medicines since November 2018, a lack of research into their effects is leaving patients open to buying unlicensed products, sometimes containing over 400 times the legal limit of certain key ingredients. Leading scientists and clinicians from the University of

(USA Today, March 20) As opioid misuse continues to grip the nation, some states are allowing medical marijuana to be used as a treatment for opioid addiction. However, Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), says there is currently no scientific evidence for marijuana to be used in such a way. “If you

On March 27, 2019, the New Jersey Appellate Division in Wild v. Carriage Funeral Holdings Inc.  Background Facts: Justin Wild, a licensed funeral director, was employed by Carriage Funeral Holdings (Carriage). In 2015, Wild was diagnosed with cancer and was prescribed medical marijuana as part of his treatment. In May 2016, while working, Wild was

Marijuana is not recognized in the medical community as legitimate medicine. (Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics) Download PDF

JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes: February 20, 2019 – Volume Publish Ahead of Print – Issue – p doi: 10.1097/QAI.0000000000001998 Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) commonly report marijuana use for chronic pain, though there is limited empirical evidence to support its use. There is hope that marijuana may reduce prescription opioid use. Our objective was to investigate whether marijuana use among PLWH who have

The private Medical Cannabis Clinic (MCC) opened in Manchester last week  Further branches are scheduled for Birmingham and London’s Harley Street  Doctors now claim the drugs pain-relieving qualities have been exaggerated Britain’s first dedicated medical cannabis clinic has been accused by doctors of making unfounded claims for the drug’s pain-relieving qualities.  For complete article

JAMA. 2019;321(7):639-640. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.0077 The evidence that cannabis is an efficacious treatment for opioid use disorder is even weaker. To date, no prospective evidence, either from clinical trials or observational studies, has demonstrated any benefit of treating patients who have opioid addiction with cannabis. If Cannabis Is Recommended Medicine, It Should Be Held to Medical Standards Conclusions