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» Scientific Review: “There Is Now Clear Evidence That Cannabinoids
Are Useful For The Treatment Of Various Medical Conditions”
Scientific Review: “There Is Now Clear Evidence That Cannabinoids Are Useful For The Treatment Of Various Medical Conditions”
by Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director August 9, 2012
the
second time in recent months, a scientific paper published in a peer-reviewed journal has thoroughly rebutted the present
Schedule I
status of cannabis under US federal law, which states that the plant
and its organic constituents possess a “high potential for abuse,” and
that they lack “accepted medical use” and “accepted safety … under
medical supervision.”
According to a just published
review in the German scientific journal
Deutsches Ă„rzteblatt International,
scientific findings from over 100 controlled clinical trials involving
either cannabis or its constituents provide “clear evidence that
cannabinoids are useful for the treatment of various medical
conditions.”
Investigators from the nova-Institute and the Hannover Medical School
in Germany reviewed over 100 controlled trials assessing the safety
and efficacy of cannabis and cannabinoids.
Researchers reported: “Knowledge about the therapeutic potential of
cannabis products has been greatly improved by a large number of
clinical trials in recent years. …
There is now clear evidence that cannabinoids are useful for the treatment of various medical conditions,”
including chronic neuropathy (nerve pain), multiple sclerosis,
HIV/AIDS, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, and other indications.
Regarding the safety profile of cannabis and cannabinoids,
investigators determined: “The most common side effects of cannabinoids
are tiredness and dizziness (in more than ten percent of patients),
psychological effects, and dry mouth. Tolerance to these side effects
nearly always develops within a short time. Withdrawal symptoms are
hardly ever a problem in the therapeutic setting.”
Authors did express concern that cannabis could pose additional
health risks for adolescents and/or pregnant or breast-feeding women, as
well as individuals diagnosed with Hepatitis C, severe cardiovascular
disease, addictive disorders, or those vulnerable to certain
psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia.
Investigators acknowledged that cannabis dosing may adversely impact
psychomotor skills. However, they noted, “Patients who take
cannabinoids at a constant dosage over an extensive period of time
often develop tolerance to the impairment of psychomotor performance,
so that they can drive vehicles safely.”
They concluded, “No acute deaths have been described that could be
unequivocally attributed solely to cannabis consumption or treatment
with cannabinoids.”
This most recent paper follows the publication of a similar review, published in May in
The Open Neurology Journal. In that
paper, investigators with the University of California at San Diego and the University of California, Davis concluded: “
Evidence
is accumulating that cannabinoids may be useful medicine for certain
indications. Based on evidence currently available, the (federal)
Schedule I classification (of cannabis) is not tenable; it is not
accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on
safety is lacking.”
In 2011, the Obama administration — via the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) — formally
denied a nine-year-old
administrative petition filed by NORML and a
coalition
of public interest organizations calling on the agency to initiate
hearings to reassess the present classification of marijuana as a
schedule I controlled substance. In her denial of the petition, DEA
administrator Michele Leonhart
alleged:
“[T]here are no adequate and well-controlled studies proving
(marijuana’s) efficacy; the drug is not accepted by qualified experts. …
At this time, the known risks of marijuana use have not been shown to
be outweighed by specific benefits in well-controlled clinical trials
that scientifically evaluate safety and efficacy.”
In June, Ms. Leonhart
testified before Congress that she believed that heroin and marijuana posed similar threats to the public’s health
because, in her opinion, “all illegal drugs are bad.”
Coalition advocates are presently
appealing the DEA’s denial of their petition in federal court.
Full text of the most recent study, “The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids,” is available online here.
www.legalherbalshop.com