DAVIS, CALIFORNIA — A clinical trial conducted at the University of California at Davis and just published online by the Journal of Pain has demonstrated significant relief of neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to nerves) stemming from a variety of causes. This is the second study in just over a year to show that marijuana relieves neuropathic pain, which is notoriously resistant to treatment with conventional pain drugs, including opioid narcotics. A UC San Francisco study published last year showed relief of HIV/AIDS-related neuropathy.

In the new study, 38 patients experiencing neuropathic pain from diabetes, spinal injury, multiple sclerosis and other causes were given marijuana cigarettes of three different strengths: Zero percent THC (placebo), 3.5 percent THC or 7 percent THC. In each session, patients took the same number of puffs, following a standardized procedure to ensure uniformity of the dose received at each strength.

Both doses of marijuana reduced pain significantly, producing marked declines in pain intensity that lasted over five hours. Researchers Barth Wilsey and colleagues wrote that side effects “were relatively inconsequential,” and “psychoactive effects were minimal and well-tolerated.” Although the scientists did express caution about the neurocognitive effects of the higher dose — reflected in lower scores on some tests of memory and problem solving, the study was not designed to examine the potential for marijuana to allow reduced doses of narcotic painkillers that also cause cognitive impairment, a benefit widely reported by patients.

What? Didn’t these guys get the memo from the DEA that marijuana has no medicinal value? That it is “Cheech and Chong medicine”? That all the hundreds of thousands of medical marijuana patients in twelve US states are all faking it so they can get high legally? That the science just isn’t there to prove marijuana is a medicine? Gee, why do we keep letting scientists and doctors do research on cannabis and report the truthful results, when our politicians and law enforcement settled this debate already?

Tags: neuropathic pain

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 7:21 am and is filed under 4:20 NewsHour, Medical Marijuana. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a trackback from your own site.