Posted on 12/07/2022 1:25:00 PM PST by nickcarraway
Marijuana appears to have the same pain-relieving effect as a placebo — or fake pill. However, researchers say media outlets continue to cover these medical trials about cannabis-based therapies positively, regardless of the outcomes.
The findings come from a review of 20 clinical studies which examined the pain-relieving benefits of using marijuana involving more than 1,500 participants. Although previous studies have claimed that cannabis may help patients manage chronic pain, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that those taking placebos experienced the same level of pain relief as those consuming active cannabinoid substances.
“We see that cannabis studies are often described in positive terms in the media regardless of their results,” says the study’s first author Filip Gedin, a postdoc researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, in a university release. “This is problematic and can influence expectations when it comes to the effects of cannabis therapy on pain. The greater the benefit a treatment is assumed to have, the more potential harms can be tolerated.”
Study authors note that all of these trials compared cannabis use with a placebo for the treatment of clinical pain. Scientists measured the change in pain intensity before and after treatment in each trial.
Specifically, researchers found that participants said their pain dropped significantly after taking a placebo. However, there was no difference in pain reduction between those using cannabis and those consuming the fake medication.
“There is a distinct and clinically relevant placebo response in studies of cannabis for pain,” Dr. Gedin reports.
The media keeps covering these marijuana trials positively — even if they fail
Study authors also looked at the connection between the pain-relieving effects discovered in these trials and the amount of media coverage they receive. Overall, the team discovered that medical trials involving marijuana generally receive more coverage and more positive reporting — regardless of how successful they really are.
The team used Altmetric to measure media presence — a system which evaluates mentions in the news, in blogs, or on social media. Researchers included 136 separate news items in their study, categorizing them as either positive, negative, or neutral. They determined each news report’s slant by examining how the results of the studies were presented based on the effectiveness of cannabis as a pain reliever.
Results show that cannabis studies received much greater media attention in comparison to other published reports. This coverage was significant even if the study found a minimal benefit from using marijuana to treat pain.
Study authors note that their review combined trials with varying designs and different levels of quality results. With that in mind, they say their findings should be interpreted with caution.
The study is published in JAMA Network Open.
The terpenes contained in each strain vary greatly...suggest you take the time to read a bit.
I suggest you stop getting stoned and learn some actual biochemistry and not just ape things you’ve read in crank literature and sound like a Bowery boy trying to be sophisticated.
All I suggested was a stark difference of 'high'..i.e. concentration/focus, happy, vs. relaxing of muscles and welcoming sleep.
Now run along...
I hit a nerve. I took you seriously at first.
You don’t understand your comments don’t make sense. You first cite THC acid, but also talk about indica vs sativia.
Then begin talking about terpenes.
Do you even know what a terpene is?
Damn Nick, another ‘Study Finds’. Studies generally find what the people who fund them want them to find.
Yep.
Yup the same folks that have a patent, the government. Prayers for you.
Were you aware the human body has an endocannabinoid system? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/endocannabinoid
Yes.
Are you trying to make a point?
Nevermind. ✌️
Name one endocannabinoid.
Why are they called endocannabinoids?
Are they cannabinoids?
you like to argue, I’m tired of bantering. Read the link, it explains it. Wife left me home alone to help daughter with nursery for next grandchild. I’m out for the night. Maybe I’ll have a hit for you 🤪
You post out of the blue then complain when I respond?
I’m a biochemist and remember very well when it was reported arachidonic acid was a neurotransmitter and I wondered what your point was.
Those foolfag degenerates and bleach breath subversives promote that “endcannabinoid system” bs all the time.. a word coined by none other than pot-promoting researchers intentionally naming brain chemicals under this broad azz “endocannabinoid” umbrella just to promote their sleaze drug as if its natural to the human brain. Of course this nasty drug has enough in common with brain chemicals to trick neurons, otherwise the trick wouldn’t happen. But :THC: is not natural to the brain, nor is it a “plant equivalent” because plants do not have brains. These subversive vermin should be sent to the gallows with choice of hemp rope as their last comfort. And the level of hyperbole there is ZERO. These scum have done enough damage to our society through the course of their decades old plot and if I had the chance my hand would be at the lever as the wind whistles through their ears beneath the gallows platform.
You know what you’re talking about.
Was common knowledge once, and needs to be again, my brutha.
Apologies, I did. Looking at our conversation, it seems random to me too. Perhaps it was meant in response to another post, it has happened before or since I was posting on multiple threads, got confused. I don’t know.
Either way the wife returns and my time here less which means less chance I’ll make a further @ss of myself 🤪
Being a biochemist would be fascinating work. Very cool.
Don’t worry about it. Best to you and your wife.
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