Science proves medical efficacy of cannabis—finally!
By Lanny Swerdlow, RN
“The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research is currently conducting scientific studies to determine the efficacy of marijuana in treating various ailments. Until that research is concluded, however, most of what the public hears from marijuana activists is little more than a compilation of anecdotes.”
—John Walters, former director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2002
Mr. Walters doesn’t have to wait any longer as the “research is concluded.” Guess what? The “compilation of anecdotes” turns out to have been correct—very, very correct. The Report to the Legislature by the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) is nothing less than a ringing endorsement of the medical efficacy and safety of cannabis.
The UC San Diego-based Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research was created in 2000 by the California Legislature to conduct clinical and pre-clinical studies of cannabinoids, including smoked marijuana, to provide evidence one way or the other to answer the question “Does marijuana have therapeutic value?” To provide that evidence, the CMCR conducted peer-reviewed, evidentiary-based, gold standard, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials into the pain-relieving and anti-spasticity potential of cannabis.
What is so outlandish is that these studies were the first clinical trials of the medical efficacy of smoked cannabis in the United States in over 20 years, as our government has systematically and intentionally thwarted any research that might show any benefits from the use of cannabis. What incredible madness drives a country to suppress scientific research that could demonstrate the amazingly therapeutic potential of a common everyday plant?
Whatever doubt any rational human might have had about the medical efficacy of cannabis has been settled once and for all. These results are no surprise to patients who have first-hand experience of how effective cannabis is in treating pain, but these studies also provided answers to questions that patients have long been asking.
In the study of the “analgesic efficacy of smoked cannabis” it was shown that there are optimal doses for smoked cannabis in relation to pain relief. Although I would imagine the study had little trouble finding volunteers to smoke cannabis, it wasn’t all fun and games, as the study injected capsaicin (the “hot” ingredient in chili peppers) under the volunteers’ skin. The researchers then observed how variations in the percent weight by volume of THC relieved pain.
The study found that a low dose of 2 percent was ineffective in relieving pain, a medium dose of 4 percent significantly reduced pain and a high dose of 8 percent actually increased the pain sensation. With cannabis, pain relief appears to be dose specific. This could explain why certain strains of marijuana appear more effective in treating pain, as they may have the correct percent by weight of THC for effective pain relief.
What the study did not determine is how many doses, or the amount of cannabis a patient needs to consume to obtain pain relief. While the percent by weight of THC can be standardized, the amount needed to achieve therapeutic relief for one person may not be enough for someone else or way too much for another. That kind of subjective quantification is not the way medicine is normally dispensed, but for cannabis that’s the way it works—and it works very well, thank you very much. This is one of the main reasons why marijuana drives folks in white coats and blue uniforms absolutely up a wall.
Another study looked at whether it’s healthier to smoke or vaporize cannabis, and which makes the most efficient use of expensive cannabis. The CMCR study revealed that over a 6-hour period, the blood levels of vaporized cannabinoids, like THC, are pretty much the same whether smoked or vaporized. However, during the first 30 to 60 minutes, blood concentrations of THC were significantly higher in vaporized cannabis as compared to smoked cannabis. Vaporizing should produce a more intense effect over a relatively shorter period of time with less cannabis consumed. The study also noted that the level of carbon monoxide was significantly reduced with vaporized cannabis, as compared to smoked cannabis. Bottom line—use a vaporizer.
The Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research program has been extended indefinitely, so research projects are continuing. Studies that are about to be published on the effects of cannabis on the immune system and driving ability should be released soon. Early indications are that the results of these studies, like the ones on pain and multiple sclerosis, will not please the lunatic fringe of substance-abuse professionals and their anti-harm reduction allies.
You can see how happy John Waters must be, now that the question on the medical efficacy of marijuana has been answered. To see the results of all completed CMCR studies, visit www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/geninfo/research.htm.
Lanny Swerdlow, RN, is director of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, a medical-marijuana patient support group and law reform organization. Contact him at (760) 799-2055 or lanny@marijuananews.org.
