German Study: Cannabis-Based Medications Relieve Pain

German Study: Cannabis-Based Medications Relieve Pain


By Steve Elliott ~alapoet~ in Medical, News

Wednesday, August 8, 2012 at 6:57 pm

io9

Many Cannabis Patients Can Drive Motor Vehicles Safely While Medicated, According To Study

Cannabis-based
medications have been demonstrated to relieve pain, and can be useful
for patients whose symptoms aren't adequately alleviated by conventional
treatment, according to a paper in a peer-reviewed German medical
journal.

The symptoms shown to have
been alleviated by marijuana-based medicines include muscle spasms,
nausea and vomiting resulting from chemotherapy, loss of appetite in
HIV/AIDS patients, and neuropathic pain, according to the paper,
published in Issue 29-30 of Deutsches Arzteblatt International, the German Medical Association's official international peer-reviewed science journal, reports Science Daily.

"Medications
based on cannabis have been used for therapeutic purposes in many
cultures for centuries," the paper notes. "In Europe, they were used at
the end of the 19th century to treat pain, spasms, asthma, sleep
disorders, depression, and loss of appetite."



"In the first half of the 20th century cannabinoid medications fell
into almost complete disuse, partly because scientists were unable to
establish the chemical structure of the ingredients of the cannabis
plant," the paper notes. (Don't forget that the legal strictures on
marijuana research in the United States were also a major factor.)

Wikipedia

The molecular structure of delta-9 THC

That
all changed in 1964 with the discovery of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, followed by
the discovery of the body's own cannabinoid system with specific
receptors. This sparked the beginning of intensive research into the
function of the endocannabinoid system and the the clinical usefulness
of marijuana-based medications.


The medicinal
effects of various cannabis-based medicines is due primarily top the
activation of the body's own cannabinoid receptors. Consumption of
therapeutic amounts of cannabis medications by adults does not lead to
irreversible cognitive impairment, according to the paper, but caution
should be exercised when administering to children and adolescents,
particularly before puberty.


Drug warriors will
often try to tell you that there "aren't any good studies" of
marijuana's medical effects, but more than 100 controlled scientific
trials of the effects of cannabinoids have been carried out since 1975.
The positive results of these trials have led to official licensing of
cannabis-based medicines in many nations.

Deutsches Arzteblatt

Germany
approved a cannabis extract last year for treatment of spasticity in
multiple sclerosis patients. The Federal Joint Committee -- the highest
decision-making body for the association of physicians, dentists,
hospitals and health insurance in Germany -- in June announced that the
cannabis extract showed a "slight additional benefit" for MS and granted
a temporary license until 2015, Science Daily reports.


Interestingly,
given the current controversy in Washington state of the marijuana DUI
provisions of limited "legalization" initiative I-502 -- which advocates
believe would unfairly impact unimpaired patients -- the paper notes
that many patients' ability to drive is unimpaired.


"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," the paper notes.


In fact, according to the paper, many patients can drive better while medicated.


"Because
of the alleviation of symptoms, treatment with cannabinoid medications
may actually distinctly improve the patient's ability to drive motor
vehicles (compared with no treatment)," the study notes.


Source:-
http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2012/08/german_study_cannabis-based_medications_relieve_pa.php