|
Newsbrief:
Canadian
Study
to
Examine
Safety
of
Medical
Marijuana
12/24/04
https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/368/compass.shtml
Even as Canada moves toward
becoming the first country to approve a cannabis-based prescription medicine,
an extract known as Sativex (see newsbrief this issue), Canadian researchers
announced Tuesday that they are commencing a study of the safety of smoked
marijuana as medicine. The study known as COMPASS (Cannabis for the Management
of Pain: Assessment of Safety Study) will track 1,400 people with chronic
pain for one year. Canada already allows for the use of marijuana for medicinal
purposes under a program that is administered by Health Canada. Still,
no studies of the safety of medical marijuana have been done in that country.
"Other studies are looking
at whether cannabis relieves pain and other symptoms," said principal investigator
Dr. Mark Ware, a pain physician at McGill University Health Centre Pain
Centre, in a statement announcing the COMPASS study. "These studies are
important, but we also need to know how safe cannabis used for medical
purposes actually is. The experience of recreational users gives us some
information, but we must understand safety issues in patients who are taking
multiple medications and who may have diseases like high blood pressure
or diabetes, which complicate the picture," Ware said.
"Patients in COMPASS will
typically have pain resulting from spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis,
arthritis or other kinds of hard-to-treat injuries or muscle pain. We are
not recruiting cancer patients for this study," Ware added.
The COMPASS patients will
be smoking (or vaporizing) pot with about 12% THC provided under contract
to Health Canada. "COMPASS participants will be given access to research-grade
herbal cannabis and followed for one year. We'll be looking at a range
of safety issues, including adverse events, kidney, liver, heart and lung
function, and hormone levels," said Dr. Jean-Paul Collet, another principal
investigator and a professor of epidemiology at McGill. "Patients will
also do tests at the start and end of the study, to help determine whether
medical use of cannabis affects cognitive function," Collet added.
-- END --
|
Issue #368
-- 12/24/04
Editorial:
Jury
Manipulation
|
Conflict
Over
Pain
Management
Heats
Up
as
Mainstream
Medical
Groups
Wake
Up
|
In
Run-Up
to
New
European
Union
Drug
Strategy,
European
Parliament
Adopts
Report
Critical
of
Continued
Drug
War
|
Young
Reformers
Give
Drug
Czar
Hard
Time
at
Monitoring
the
Future
Press
Conference
|
DRCNet
Book
Review:
Under
The
Influence:
The
Disinformation
Guide
to
Drugs,
Edited
by
Preston
Peet
(The
Disinformation
Company
Ltd.,
2004,
312
pages,
$24.95)
|
Legalization
Talk
|
Newsbrief:
Senior
Citizens
Support
Medical
Marijuana,
AARP
Poll
Finds
|
Newsbrief:
This
Week's
Corrupt
Cops
Stories
|
Newsbrief:
From
Federal
Prison,
Martha
Stewart
Calls
for
Sentencing
Reform
|
Newsbrief:
Anachronistic
Law
Could
Hamper
Hemp
in
South
Africa
|
Newsbrief:
Dutch
Open
First
Retirement
Home
for
Junkies
|
Newsbrief:
Hungarian
High
Court
Overturns
Drug
Reforms
|
Newsbrief:
Intelligence
Bill
Yields
New
Federal
Drug
Fighter
Position
|
Newsbrief:
First
Cannabis-Based
Prescription
Drug
Wins
Preliminary
Approval
in
Canada
|
Newsbrief:
Canadian
Study
to
Examine
Safety
of
Medical
Marijuana
|
Newsbrief:
Illinois
Nurses
Join
Growing
List
of
Nursing
Groups
Supporting
Medical
Marijuana
|
Media
Scan:
Reason
on
Pain,
Cockburn
on
Webb,
Grits
for
Breakfast,
Faith
Under
Fire,
BJS
|
This
Week
in
History
|
Apply
Now
to
Intern
at
Drcnet!
|
Job
Opportunity
at
MAPS
|
DrugWarMarket.Com
Seeking
Information,
Affiliations,
Link
Exchanges
|
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Reformer's
Calendar
|
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