Importance: As of March 2015, 23 states and the District of Columbia had medical marijuana laws in place. Physicians should know both the scientific rationale and the practical implications for medical marijuana laws.
Objective: To review the pharmacology, indications, and laws related to medical marijuana use.
Evidence Review: The medical literature on medical marijuana was reviewed from 1948 to March 2015 via MEDLINE with an emphasis on 28 randomized clinical trials of cannabinoids as pharmacotherapy for indications other than those for which there are 2 US Food and Drug Administration-approved cannabinoids (dronabinol and nabilone), which include nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy and appetite stimulation in wasting illnesses.
Findings: Use of marijuana for chronic pain, neuropathic pain, and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis is supported by high-quality evidence. Six trials that included 325 patients examined chronic pain, 6 trials that included 396 patients investigated neuropathic pain, and 12 trials that included 1600 patients focused on multiple sclerosis. Several of these trials had positive results, suggesting that marijuana or cannabinoids may be efficacious for these indications.
Conclusions And Relevance: Medical marijuana is used to treat a host of indications, a few of which have evidence to support treatment with marijuana and many that do not. Physicians should educate patients about medical marijuana to ensure that it is used appropriately and that patients will benefit from its use.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.6199 | DOI Listing |
AIDS Behav
January 2025
Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) have high rates of substance use, which increases their risk for HIV. Digital Health Interventions (DHI) have the potential to address HIV risk overall and reduce harms in the context of substance use. However, there is limited research on how YMSM with different substance use patterns respond to HIV DHIs and how these programs impact participant outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Drug Form Technology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 211 A, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
Introduction: The official implementation of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis raw materials for medicinal use has permitted doctors to prescribe and pharmacists to prepare cannabis-based formulations. The objective of the pharmaceutical development and manufacturing process optimization work was to propose a suppository formulation containing doses of 25 mg and 50 mg of tetra-hydrocannabinol (∆-9-THC) as an alternative to existing inhalable or orally administered formulations. The formulation could be used for rectal or vaginal administration, thereby providing dosage control in the treatment of endometriosis and other conditions involving pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Bioanal Chem
January 2025
Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
An increasing number of cannabis-related products have become available and entered the market, particularly those containing cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC). Analytical methods for cannabinoids in urine have been described extensively in the literature. However, methods providing good resolution for distinguishing interferences from THC positional isomers are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
December 2024
Psychiatry, LifeStream Behavioral Center, Leesburg, USA.
Patients with schizophrenia often find themselves in vulnerable situations because their cognitive impairments can make them more susceptible to exploitation and crime. A prevalent misconception is that schizophrenia is synonymous with violence, possibly fueled by selective media coverage that highlights instances of violent crimes involving individuals with schizophrenia. In reality, a large percentage of people with schizophrenia do not display violent behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Plant Biol
January 2025
Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
Background: Future breeding and selection of Cannabis sativa L. for both drug production and industrial purposes require a source of germplasm with wide genetic variation, such as that found in wild relatives and progenitors of highly cultivated plants. Limited directional selection and breeding have occurred in this crop, especially informed by molecular markers.
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