Medical Marijuana: Study Finds It Can Help With Pain
A study by researchers at the University of California-San Francisco led by Dr. Donald Abrams has found that marijuana provides significant relief to people suffering from neuropathic pain. The study was the first of its kind in the United States for nearly 20 years, and provides new ammunition for proponents of medical marijuana as they seek action from Congress on the issue.
Up to four million US residents suffer from neuropathic pain, including many HIV/AIDS patients. According to the National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA), as many as 37% of HIV/AIDS patients already use marijuana to treat neuropathic pain and other symptoms of the disease.
"This study validates the experience people living with HIV/AIDS and their doctors have reported for years -- medical cannabis provides much-needed relief from pain and suffering." said NAPWA Executive Director Frank Oldham Jr. "That is why we are joining Americans for Safe Access to call on Congress to address cannabis for its medicinal value."
The study, conducted between 2003 and 2005 at a San Francisco hospital looked at 50 HIV/AIDS suffering from foot pain, or peripheral neuropathy. Half of the subjects received marijuana, while the other received placebos. More than half the subjects using marijuana reported reductions in pain.
"I have been living with HIV/AIDS for 21 years and owe my life to the benefits of medical cannabis," said UCSF study participant Diana Dodson. "It reduces the pain and side-effects such as nausea and stomach pains that are caused by the drugs I need to take in order to stay alive. But I need the government to grant me safe access to my medicine."
"This study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of medical cannabis to treat the chronic pain of people living with HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Barbara T. Roberts, Director of Medical and Scientific Affairs for Americans for Safe Access and former Senior Policy Analyst at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "In addition to people living with HIV/AIDS, there are thousands of vets returning from Iraq who will spend decades coping with neurological pain. By implementing the recommendations of the IOM report, the federal government would be exploring more options for their long-term treatment of neuropathic pain."
The groups are calling on Congress to hold hearings on the IOM report to adopt its recommendations to allow patients and researchers to have access to medical cannabis. "It's time for Washington to stop playing politics with patients' lives and advance this important scientific discovery," said Steph Sherer, Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access. "The study is a wake-up call for Congress to hold hearings to investigate therapeutic use and encourage research."
digg
redditMARIJUANA
Comment posted by Anonymous on Mon, 03/02/2009 - 7:05pmI think weed would help a sick person. Because it calms your body. and I would say FUCK the medicine the damn CIA people got on the market. Because did you ever notice that the shit thats on the market only kills u more or faster.
Marijuana helps me in several ways.
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sun, 10/14/2007 - 9:36pmI am bipolar. I have depression that hits me three to four times a week. I was injured during the Gulf War in 1991. I have serve pain in my back and neck, and sometimes all over my body. I suffered a C-2 fracture. I hate taking pills for any reason. But unfortunately until I can have marijuana prescribed to me I have to stick with pills that don't work for me as well as pot does. I did my own study in using marijuana. When I wake up in the morning and smoke pot. I have zero depression and 70% of my pain is gone. I become so motivated with lifting weights, writing my book, jogging, but most important I become very creative. See for example, www.votefornewideas.7p.com. I came up with this new invention while smoking pot. I don't give a shit how illegal it is when pot helps me from living in a painful state of hell.
P.S. Did you know that smoking pot before cutting an onion keeps your eyes from burning.
M. C. Maraia
weed
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 9:50ami think that weed should be legalize because i smoke everyday after school and i am still normal and perfectly fine i just like the buzz so leaglize weed please and thank you
droski
Comment posted by Anonymous on Tue, 09/09/2008 - 10:24amdroski is da best eeva me and my homie brad be smokin it all da time
this drugg.
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sat, 04/25/2009 - 7:47pmof course it'd help with the pain.
people smoke weed/marijuana to feel relaxed.
what else is it for other than a buzz?
some dumbasses dont understand that its a good&bad drug.
its good in the sense that it'll let you be happy&relax,eat,etc. people with pain,cancer,&those other things are smart tto use them in my opinion.
its bad because its addictive. duhh, its a drug.&may cause you to do some stupid things..but besides that it may impair speech or other things,but i have no place to speak about that.
the congress,whoever needs to wake the fuck up&understand what the people are going through to legalize this; its bigger than they think.
Marijuana is not at all addictive!
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sat, 05/02/2009 - 6:38pmI smoked pot for five years solid, then quit when the 911 attacks occurred so I could join the Navy and fight for my Country. I did not smoke for six years after that but started smoking pot again as soon as I got out of the Navy. I have been smoking ever since, but there are times even before I joined the Navy when our city dries up and I have gone as long as eight months without smoking weed. I have quit for a week before just to bring down my tolerance. Every time I have stopped smokeing I did not suffer any withdraws or anything. Please, Marijuana is not addictive at all. It might be psychologically addictive for some but it is not at all physically addictive!
ya what he said
Comment posted by Anonymous on Thu, 04/30/2009 - 3:17amweed can be good or bad but mostly gooooooooooooooooooooooooood!
PROBLEMS???
Comment posted by AnonymousTD on Tue, 07/21/2009 - 7:14amI have few friends who smoking marijuana... when I see them, I can tell... look at they eyes.. and they are like a kids, who doesn't really know what's going on (and they need some adoult around them)... when I talk to them... they answering just 'bullshits'... they are just NOT NORMAL!!! Like idiots... that's what I can tell about it...
I think all of these people having BIG PROBLEMS in they lives ... what they can't sort out.. (they missing something which would make meaning of they lifes) that's why they smoking this 'shit'.. :(
I am sorry them.. it's something like ALCOHOL... you can stop it for a while (or if you want).. but you will start it again and again (because you wanna kill your brain to think NORMAL, because it's sometimes pain.. the REAL world is not just good things... but the smoked word allways good.. :( sadly )...
Of course it's good pain killer.. if there's no other options... so it could be legal... as any other smokes...(cigarettes) or ALCOHOL... but this shouldn't be the answer for the people PROBLEMS!!! Which I think deaper...
agreed
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/16/2007 - 5:35pmI have had Aids since 91 HIV+ science 86, It Is much better to smoke a little pot than to take the morpjine they gave me for neuropathy! Morphine is a hell of a nasty thing to have to ingest and it DOES NOT WORK AS WELL AS POT.