In January, a U.S. advisory committee concluded that the lack of scientific information about marijuana and its chemical cousins, called cannabinoids, poses a risk to public health.
A new marijuana study recently contributed to the limited scientific knowledge we have about the harms and benefits of pot.
In late May, The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of the first rigorous test of using marijuana to treat a certain form of severe epilepsy in children. It found that a component of pot — one that doesn’t give users a high — reduced the number of seizures.
That study joins the relative handful of evidence-based analyses of pot.
The experts called for a national effort to learn more.
This came in the wake of the 2016 U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency decision to leave marijuana on its Schedule I drug list — along with heroin and LSD.
Scientists have long complained that the federal process for approving research on Schedule I drugs make studying them too difficult.
Even in the relative absence of scientific inquiry, more than two dozen states now allow medical use of marijuana.
Federal drug regulators have not approved marijuana, but they have allowed man-made, chemically related medicines to treat loss of appetite in people living with AIDS, as well as nausea and vomiting caused by cancer therapy.
What we know — and don’t
A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine rounded up what is known about marijuana.
Here are some of its conclusions:
On the one hand, there’s strong evidence that marijuana or cannabinoids:
- Can treat chronic pain in adults.
- Can ease nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy.
- Can treat muscle stiffness and spasms in those with multiple sclerosis when measured by what patients say.
On the other hand, pot smoking may be linked to:
- Risk of developing schizophrenia and other causes of psychosis, with the highest risk among the most frequent users.
- Risk of a traffic accident.
- More frequent chronic bronchitis episodes from long-term use.
- Lower birthweight in offspring of female users.
- Improve sleep in people with some medical conditions.
- Boost appetite and ease weight loss in people with HIV or AIDS.
- Ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and improve outcomes after traumatic brain injury.
Similarly, some evidence suggests pot use may be linked to:
- Triggering a heart attack.
- An increased risk of developing a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Pregnancy complications when used by the mother.
- Impaired school achievement and outcomes.
- Increased suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts, especially among heavier users.
- Risk of developing bipolar disorder, especially among regular users.
There’s not enough evidence to know if marijuana or cannabinoids can:
- Treat cancer.
- Ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
- Help with movement problems associated with Parkinson’s disease.
- Improve mental-health outcomes in people with schizophrenia.
Similarly, there’s not enough evidence to know if marijuana is linked to:
- Increased risk of heart attacks over time from chronic use.
- Development of post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Changes in the course or symptoms of depression disorders.
- Development or worsening of asthma.
- Accidents or injuries on the job.
credit:wisconsingazette.com
