Posted on 03/23/2022 10:12:55 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Medical marijuana fails to improve symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression — while increasing the risk that patients will develop an addiction to cannabis, a new study warns. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital add that up to one in five users may develop cannabis use disorder (CUD).
The findings come from a review of medical marijuana card holders in the United States. A growing number of states now allow the use and sale of medical marijuana to help alleviate the symptoms of conditions including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and the side-effects from chemotherapy.
“There have been many claims about the benefits of medical marijuana for treating pain, insomnia, anxiety and depression, without sound scientific evidence to support them,” says Professor Jodi Gilman in a media release.
“In this first study of patients randomized to obtain medical marijuana cards, we learned there can be negative consequences to using cannabis for medical purposes. People with pain, anxiety or depression symptoms failed to report any improvements, though those with insomnia experienced improved sleep.”
Those with anxiety or depression were most vulnerable to CUD, a discovery Prof. Gilman describes is “particularly disturbing.” The team notes that these are also the most common conditions patients seek a medical cannabis prescription to treat.
Does the medical marijuana prescription system need an overhaul? The findings suggest the need for stronger safeguards over dispensing and tracking of patients, the MGH team says. In the U.S., medical cannabis cards require written approval of a licensed doctor who is typically not the patient’s primary care provider. They may provide authorization with only a cursory examination, no recommendations for alternative treatments, and no follow-up. In fact, the industry functions outside regulatory standards that apply to most fields of medicine.
In the trial, Prof. Gilman and colleagues recruited 269 adults from Boston interested in obtaining an MMC. Study authors split the participants into two groups, with one having access to marijuana immediately and the second having to wait — acting as a control. Over the next 12 weeks, the risk of developing CUD nearly doubled among the people getting immediate access to medical marijuana.
By the end of the trial, doctors diagnosed one in 10 with addiction. That number rose to 20 percent among participants seeking a card for anxiety or depression.
“Our study underscores the need for better decision-making about whether to begin to use cannabis for specific medical complaints, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, which are associated with an increased risk of cannabis use disorder,” Prof. Gilman says.
“There needs to be better guidance to patients around a system that currently allows them to choose their own products, decide their own dosing, and often receive no professional follow-up care.”
The study findings are published in JAMA Network Open.
Yes - that’s the point of all of this. Colorado was the first domino to fall.
[[“There have been many claims about the benefits of medical marijuana for treating pain, insomnia without sound scientific evidence to support them]]
I don’t need scientific evidence, I experience relief fro. Pain and sleep,issues taking cbd oil, or more specifically RSO oil, which is concentrated cbd oil- it has no the in it (or very little .o3% or something like that)
At first i didn’t think it was working, but then it began to kick in, and although I still wake up same time during the night, I am able to get,back to sleep instead of tossing and turning trying to fall asleep, and watching gthe hours tick by onmthe clock.
Lol big pharma “screw loose” 😆
I’ve know this for some time.
Doesn’t change my opinion that weed should be legal for recreational purposes. A nice byproduct is that chronic weedheads don’t tend to reproduce in my experience.
Rso oil Has no thc in it- autocorrect stikes again.
Didn’t the gov do a big push to stop smoking tobacco? But smoking weed where the smoke is forcefully inhaled does not cause any health issues?
Bob Marley was not available for comment.
This is the most asinine stupid and dumb study design ever imagined. We are all dumber for reading about this.
Living and growing up in Washington State I have known a lot of marijuana users. Everyone that I know who has claimed that they were using it for medical purposes were using it long before they came up with that reason. And most of the medical problems that they claim they are using it for are typically associated with their sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition, and obesity.
Yeah, why should anyone do a scientific study on a substance that now outsells both alcohol and cigarettes combined where we live?
You do realize that asinine, stupid and dumb and dumber all mean the same thing? But don't worry about it, I wouldn't want to mess up your buzz.
You are absolutely correct! The same case in our energy sector.
Exactly it. Marijuana works wonders for PTSD.
“Medical marijuana fails to improve symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression — while increasing the risk that patients will develop an addiction to cannabis, a new study warns. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital add that up to one in five users may develop cannabis use disorder (CUD).”
I think it works great for those symptoms.
Oh, the Free Republic drug dealers aren’t going to like this story.
Dunno about that - when my stepmother was suffering from cancer, marijuana was the only thing that relieved her pain with a minimum of side effects. Fortunately, she lived in CA at the time, where it was available.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with people using it though I don’t partake myself. I would point out that not everyone is the same; personally, I have a paradoxical response to most of the codeines or opiate types that are supposed to be sedatives or systemic depressants. Codeine acts as a stimulant for me - which I’ve had to demonstrate to a number of doctors over the years. Not everyone reacts the same to medications.
Interesting that the study was funded by the National Institute for Drug Abuse, a federal agency committed to keeping marijuana as a schedule one, illegal drug.
I have a question: who else would fund it? Most money out there have a vested interest in finding positive results from marijuana.
Only a fool would think that crap is not addictive. Only a fool would smoke or otherwise ingest that crap. Lotsa fools on FR these days.
Big pharma would easily fund such a study, it might even be tax deductible. From their perspective it would be better if you paid for a $200.00 Rx than a weed that grows in your backyard.
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