LA Weekly: “Cannabis is a top, ‘Schedule I’ outlaw, which means it has ‘no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.’ This, of course, is patently untrue, seeing that doctors right here in this part of the United States have found plenty of accepted medical uses: Is this a case of law enforcement trumping science? A new research paper out of Southern California says yes. The paper, ‘Medical Marijuana: Clearing Away the Smoke,’ published in the latest Open Neurology Journal, concludes that there are plenty of medical uses for pot”
Here is the abstract of the paper:
“Recent advances in understanding of the mode of action of tetrahydrocannabinol and related cannabinoid in-gredients of marijuana, plus the accumulating anecdotal reports on potential medical benefits have spurred increasing re-search into possible medicinal uses of cannabis. Recent clinical trials with smoked and vaporized marijuana, as well as other botanical extracts indicate the likelihood that the cannabinoids can be useful in the management of neuropathic pain, spasticity due to multiple sclerosis, and possibly other indications. As with all medications, benefits and risks need to be weighed in recommending cannabis to patients. We present an algorithm that may be useful to physicians in determining whether cannabis might be recommended as a treatment in jurisdictions where such use is permitted.”
