Medical marijuana benefits proven?

[Tacklewasher]

Pretty much what it says in the title. There is a lot of press out there on the benefits of medical MJ, but little in the way of actual evidence (besides anecdotal) as to it's effectiveness.

Where is the scientific evidence of the benefits of MJ?

Couple point I want to make. 1) I think MJ should be legalized completely. 2) I am questioning whether it should be prescribed by MD's given the lack of evidence to it's effectiveness. 3) I recognize that the current legal status is a big part of why there are no good studies on MJ and 4) that it may very well prove to be a cure for cancer etc. but that this has not yet been proven.

Guess we'll see how this goes.

[flamingfingers]

Hey! Great topic TW!

Couple point I want to make. 1) I think MJ should be legalized completely.

FREE THE WEED!

2) I am questioning whether it should be prescribed by MD's given the lack of evidence to it's effectiveness.

MJ should be treated exactly like other 'natural remedies' - you don't need a Dr.'s Rx for ginseng, ginkgo and echinacea.

3) I recognize that the current legal status is a big part of why there are no good studies on MJ

Some studies are slanted to 'show' the attitude of whoever is paying for the study.

and 4) that it may very well prove to be a cure for cancer etc. but that this has not yet been proven.

That would be exciting to follow up on. It has been quite clearly proven that it does relieve neuropathic pain and that needs more study to gain greater acceptance.

[Silverstarqueen]

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[flamingfingers]

^ The 'placebo effect' is well known and perhaps this is part of the cannabis cure, but really, Who Cares! If it works to relieve pain and suffering as perceived by the person is that not a success?

[Silverstarqueen]

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[mr.bandaid]

Pharma companies do not want to see any cures to any diseases that they are right now making a huge fortune with. AIDS is a prime example of this, these people live an almost normal live on a small fortune of meds every day. Got to say though that the research that has gone into aids has lead to a number of cures and control, Hep C comes to mind and the treatment of same with interferon.

[AwakeFromDreamland]

People like Joanne here sure know it's benefits are proven. Check out this clip from Rick Simpson's stop in Vancouver during his 2013 BC tour.


Did anyone see Rick Simpson (Phoenix Tears/Run from the cure) when he was in the Okanagan ?
http://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/96933/Cancer-curing-seminar-in-Penticton

[Tacklewasher]

MJ should be treated exactly like other 'natural remedies' - you don't need a Dr.'s Rx for ginseng, ginkgo and echinacea.

But that is exactly the point. Herbals don't need a prescription because they do sweet *bleep* all. If you want to discuss the effectiveness of herbals, that is a different topic, but my concern with herbals is that you never know what you are getting. The fact that ginseng has never been proven to help is irrelevant when a bottle of ginseng contains whatever was swept up from the floor that day.

Doctors are prescribing MJ. For that to be happening, there should be substantive evidence that it is effective. Like any pharmaceutical.

[Tacklewasher]

If you mean benefits proven for wide numbers of this or that condition, probably not yet.

And isn't this the important part?

IF you mean benefits proven in many individual cases, such as uncommon seizure disorders, maybe not proven, but there are parents using it that are convinced their kids have shown definite improvement. There are people with PTSD who know for them, it is working. People with pain who know it is reducing their need for opiods. People with Ms who will swear it is helping their condition, spasticity, pain etc. That doesn't mean it will work equally well for all people with these conditions.

All of which is anecdotal. Before being prescribed for these issues, shouldn't it be subject to the same testing as other medications?

There has been some studies where it appears cannabis is reducing tumor growth, which doesn't mean a complete cure proven yet, or for which cancers, but does mean a lot more research is worth doing to figure out doses, timing, types of cancers, with or without other treatments, or could it eventually be used as a first line of treatment.

And these are what I am interested in. But I can't seem to get more than "some studies". Which studies? Where were they published? Were they peer reviewed? Do they stand up to proper scrutiny?

it has been proven as a decent pain relief, perhaps better alone, or in conjunction with opioids used now.

Proven where? Peer reviewed?

I'd really like to see some trials where it is used for the elderly, where heavy doses of far more harmful drugs are used as behavior control for alzheimer's patients for example.

Agreed. Proper studies.

And I agree with the sentiment that marijuana use for whatever purpose, for adults, should be available for them to try , much as OTC pain relief or natural herbs or teas are used now.

No what I said at all. MJ should be legalized because it is stupid to keep it illegal, not for any medical reasons as those need to be proven. And see above on my thoughts on herbal remedies.

Different people have different lifestyles. So a retired person suffering from arthritis, might just need a bit of cannabis daily to help them live a more comfortable and enjoyable retirement. A younger adult might just want to use it occasionally to unwind and relieve stress.
A person with PTSD might be able to begin reclaiming a normal life along with help from family or counselling, if they find cannabis helps them.

But if it is being prescribed by a medical professional, shouldn't that be based on rigorous testing?

Do we need large scale definitive proof before that's even attempted? Or can patients use cannabis on a trial basis to see if it helps them?

My quick answer is yes, we need to see large scale definitive proof. Otherwise know as peer reviewed testing published in medical journals. The issue to me is that this has not happened for stupid, political reasons (not the Big-Pharma is evil reasons) where the governments have been unwilling to allow testing as they keep the damn stuff illegal. The result is an idiotic situation where MJ is being used as a medication with only anecdotal support. Now I think testing will prove some (not all) of the benefits and think it is a shame that it hasn't happened yet. But I also think curing cancer is someones pipe dream and before MJ is touted as a cancer cure, that really needs to be proven.

I guess the TL:DR version of my response is where are the studies showing it's effectiveness?

[Tacklewasher]

^ The 'placebo effect' is well known and perhaps this is part of the cannabis cure, but really, Who Cares! If it works to relieve pain and suffering as perceived by the person is that not a success?

Honestly, I care. If it is the placebo effect, then the medical folks need to look elsewhere to help. If it can be proven to work, then find out why and improve upon it.

The "cures cancer" piece is what is scaring me. If someone uses MJ to fight cancer, and it does nothing, then the cancer is just getting worse when other treatments could have been of benefit. I'd rather someone is cured with chemo (My mom went through it) then made to feel better while the cancer gets worse. I'd like to see it proven to help and be used properly instead of folks self-medicating. But I feel the same for folks with cancer who go the herbal route.

[AwakeFromDreamland]

[Silverstarqueen]

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[Silverstarqueen]

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[Donald G]

To Tacklewasher ...

This appears to be a bit of a longer winded comment from the American Cancer Society regarding many of the points that you have covered in brief;

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatme ... and-cancer

[Tacklewasher]

This gives me some hope that the proper steps are being taken.

And no, I don't have a good answer for the interim. It is an unfortunate situation where, as pointed out in the video, ideology has trumped science for too long. Hopefully that changes but, at the same time, I also hope science will trump what I see as snake oil salesmen promoting unproven cure-alls.