What research is going on to assess the medicinal use of Cannabis and CBD
The knowledge base of Cannabis and CBD is growing but very slowly. I still get countless questions about what research is being done to prove the efficacy of THC and Cannabis. So lets go back and then go forward.
GOING BACK
The Basics — Currently, the two main cannabinoids from the marijuana plant that are of medical interest are THC and CBD.
THC can increase appetite and reduce nausea. THC may also decrease pain, inflammation (swelling and redness), and muscle control problems. THC produces a psycho-active affect and is managed at the federal level still as a Class 1 drug. (my other white papers address the appropriateness of this).
CBD has no psycho-active affect and is what the passage of the recent farm bill has made legal to produce and transport to all 50 states.
This gets a little confusing. If a cannabis plant has less than .3% THC it is called hemp, and produces up to 100 cannabinoids of which CBD is the most heavily studied and is driving a lot of positive health outcomes. If the plant has more than .3% THC it is considered Cannabis and is put into the marijuana regulatory environment (yes, class 1).
Based on all the data I have reviewed I have concluded that Cannabis/CBD is very useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures, and possibly even treating mental illness and addictions. Many researchers, including those funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are continuing to explore the possible uses of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids for medical treatment.
For instance, recent animal studies have shown that marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. Evidence from one cell culture study with rodents suggests that purified extracts from whole-plant marijuana can slow the growth of cancer cells from one of the most serious types of brain tumors. Research in mice showed that treatment with purified extracts of THC and CBD, when used with radiation, increased the cancer-killing effects of the radiation.
Scientists are also conducting preclinical and clinical trials with marijuana and its extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions, such as:
- diseases that affect the immune system, including:
- HIV/AIDS
- multiple sclerosis (MS), which causes gradual loss of muscle control
- inflammation
- pain
- seizures
- substance use disorders
- mental disorder
What approved medications contain cannabinoids?
Two FDA-approved drugs, dronabinol and nabilone, contain THC. They treat nausea caused by chemotherapy and increase appetite in patients with extreme weight loss caused by AIDS. Continued research might lead to more medications.
The FDA approved a CBD-based liquid medication called Epidiolex® for the treatment of two forms of severe childhood epilepsy, Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
The United Kingdom, Canada, and several European countries have approved nabiximols (Sativex®), a mouth spray containing THC and CBD. It treats muscle control problems caused by MS, but it isn’t FDA-approved.
Below is a list of independently funded research projects cleared for research grade marijuana since 1999. For perspective, this list ends with studies up to 2016, since then 100’s of studies have been started/conducted all over the world. But this should make the point.
- A pilot study of the feasibility and safety of controlled trials of medical marijuana to relieve HIV-associated distal symmetric polyneuropathy
Investigator: San Mateo County Health Department - The acute effects of smoked cannabis in persons living with HIV/AIDS
Investigator: Health Canada - Cannabis for the treatment of HIV-related peripheral neuropathy
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Short-term effects of cannabis therapy on spasticity in multiple sclerosis
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Sleep and medicinal cannabis
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Placebo-controlled double blind trial of medicinal cannabis in painful HIV neuropathy
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Impact of repeated cannabis treatment on driving abilities
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Analgesic effects of smoked cannabis
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Efficacy of inhaled cannabis in diabetic peripheral neuropathy
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Trial of the anti-nociceptive effects of smoked marijuana
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Analgesic effects of vaporized cannabis on neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Analgesic efficacy of smoked cannabis in refractory cancer pain
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Treating chemotherapy induced delayed nausea with cannabis
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Cannabis for spasticity in multiple sclerosis
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Marijuana in combination with opioids for cancer pain
Investigator: Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, University of California at San Diego - Placebo-Controlled, Triple-Blind, Randomized Crossover Pilot Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Five Different Potencies of Smoked or Vaporized Marijuana in 50 Veterans with Chronic, Treatment-Resistant Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Investigator: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) - A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study Comparing the Analgesic Efficacy of Cannabis versus Oxycodone
Investigator: Department of Orthopedics, Division of Spine Surgery, University of Colorado
GOING FORWARD
So where are the politics in all of this. Could it be big Pharma is concerned about the disruption affect (lost volume and profitability on some of its most important drugs?)
New research found that states that legalized medical marijuana — which is often recommended for symptoms like chronic pain, anxiety or depression — saw declines in the number of Medicare prescriptions for drugs used to treat those conditions and a dip in spending by Medicare Part D, which covers the cost on prescription medications …
The researchers found that in states with medical marijuana laws on the books, the number of drug prescriptions dropped for treating anxiety, depression, nausea, pain, psychosis, seizures, sleep disorders and spasticity. Those are all conditions for which marijuana is sometimes recommended. Prescriptions for other drugs treating other conditions, meanwhile, did not decline. Said another way, on a national basis the introduction of medicinal cannabis could result in Billions of dollars of lost revenue for big Pharma.
So what do you think the Big Pharma strategy is? Could it be they are aggressively lobbying against lifting the Class 1 drug violation for Cannabis to slow down the Cannabis/CBD momentum and preserve profits for as long as possible. Don’t you think they are separately studying the space so when the inevitable happens, and the Class 1 violation is lifted, thye can bring product to the table. I would say that is a fair bet.
Bottom line, very extensive research is being done in the US. But it is fair to say we are far behind. Israel has been doing scientific analysis since 2000, and a tremendous amount of scientific study is taking place in Canada, especially since the country went medicinally and recreationally legal. So when your friends and associates say “nothing scientific” has come forward, tell them they need to do their homework!
