Although CNN reported that a study found little evidence that marijuana helps treat chronic pain and PTSD, we beg to differ…
Two studies published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that there was little scientific evidence to support either the effectiveness or safety of medical marijuana.
If Marijuana is Dangerous, Opioids are Nuclear
If the researchers believe medical marijuana is not safe, we would love to know what they think about opiates since they kill more people in one day than marijuana has ever killed (no one has died from overdosing on marijuana).
No one has ever died from smoking marijuana but every year more than half a million people die from alcohol and tobacco.
The authors of the study said, “We found low to moderate-strength evidence that cannabis use is associated with an increased risk for psychotic symptoms, psychosis, mania, and — in active users — short-term cognitive dysfunction.”
Justice Department is Holding Back Key Marijuana Research
Although a lot of the information provided by these research groups said that there needs to be more research conducted in order to have conclusive evidence, the Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made that very difficult.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that the DOJ effectively blocked the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from acting on more than two dozen requests to grow marijuana for research purposes.
In 2016, the DEA began to accept applications to cultivate marijuana for research and as of this month, the agency has 25 proposals to consider; but DEA officials, however advised that they need approval from the DOJ to move forward and the DOJ has not been willing to provide it.
Numbers Don’t Lie…Politicians Do
Research data from a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association provides evidence that shows that in 2014, states with legal medical cannabis programs had an opioid overdose rate that was 25% lower than the national average.
Canadian Firm Helps Support the Need for Cannabis Research
From Israel to Canada, the amount of research and evidence in support of cannabis as a medicine continues to increase.
Canadian-based Canabo Medical (CMM.V: TSX Venture) (CAMDF: OTCQB) is a company leading this initiative. The company has been collecting data on how cannabis interacts with or lessens the need for pharmaceutical treatments. Canabo owns and operates CMClinics, Canada’s largest referral-only clinics for medical cannabis.
In April, Canabo Medical Executive Chairman Neil Smith presented the results from its benzodiazepine study which focused on more than 1,500 patients who started medical cannabinoids while on benzodiazepines. The study found that 40% of patients eliminated the use of benzodiazepines within 90 days. This number increased to 45% within a year of cannabis treatment.
Canabo is currently tracking over 3,500 patients who are taking opioids for a large variety of pain and other disorders. Canabo expects to publish peer-reviewed papers on the opioid-cannabinoid relationship later this year.
credit:420intel.com
