Medical Marijuana
Marijuana, or cannabis, as it is more appropriately called, has been part of humanity's medicine chest for almost as long as history has been recorded.
Of all the negative consequences of marijuana prohibition, none is as tragic as the denial of medicinal cannabis to the tens of thousands of patients who could benefit from its therapeutic use.
Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications.
These include pain relief--particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage)--nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders.
Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant, specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia.
Emerging research suggests that marijuana's medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.
Currently, more than 60 U.S. and international health organizations support granting patients immediate legal access to medicinal marijuana under a physician's supervision.
Some states have medical marijuana laws enacted.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system that causes inflammation, muscular weakness and a loss of motor coordination.
Over time, MS patients typically become permanently disabled and, in some cases, the disease can be fatal.
According to the US National Multiple Sclerosis Society, about 200 people are diagnosed every week with the disease--often striking those 20 to 40 years of age.
Clinical and anecdotal reports of cannabinoids' ability to reduce MS-related symptoms such as pain, spasticity, depression, fatigue, and incontinence are plentiful.
Most recently, investigators at the University of California at San Diego reported in 2008 that inhaled cannabis significantly reduced objective measures of pain intensity and spasticity in patients with MS in a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial.
Investigators concluded that "smoked cannabis was superior to placebo in reducing spasticity and pain in patients with multiple sclerosis and provided some benefit beyond currently prescribed treatment."
Not surprisingly, patients with multiple sclerosis typically report engaging in cannabis therapy, with one survey indicating that nearly one in two MS patients use the drug therapeutically.
Other recent clinical and preclinical studies suggest that cannabinoids may also inhibit MS progression in addition to providing symptom management.
Writing in the July 2003 issue of the journal
Brain, investigators at the University College of London's Institute of Neurology reported that administration of a synthetic cannabinoid provided "significant neuroprotection" in an animal model of multiple sclerosis.
"The results of this study are important because they suggest that in addition to symptom management, cannabis may also slow the neurodegenerative processes that ultimately lead to chronic disability in multiple sclerosis and probably other diseases."
Spanish researchers in 2012 reported similar findings, documenting that "the treatment of mice with the cannabinoid
agonist* reduced their neurological disability and the progression of the disease."
*
I haven’t the foggiest.
Investigators have also reported that the administration of oral THC can boost immune function in patients with MS. "
These results suggest pro-inflammatory disease-modifying potential of cannabinoids for MS," they concluded.
Clinical data reported in 2006 from an extended study of 167 multiple sclerosis patients found that use of whole plant cannabinoid extracts relieved symptoms of pain, spasticity and bladder incontinence for an extended period of treatment.
Results from a separate two-year trial in 2007 also reported that the administration of cannabis extracts was associated with long-term reductions in neuropathic pain in select MS patients.
On average, patients in the study required fewer daily doses of the drug and reported lower median pain scores the longer they took it.
These results would be unlikely in patients suffering from a progressive disease like MS unless the cannabinoid therapy was halting its progression, investigators have suggested.
In recent years, health regulators in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom have approved the prescription use of plant cannabis extracts to treat symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
Regulatory approval in the European Union and in the United States remains pending.
Paul Armentano, Deputy Director
NORML | NORML Foundation
