Featured Research
from universities, journals, and other organizations
Cannabis: A new frontier in therapeutics
Date:
February 15, 2015
Source:
McGill University Health Centre
Summary:
While debate about recreational marijuana use continues, researchers are investigating the effectiveness of cannabis for treating pain, spasticity, and a host of other medical problems. Experts share their perspectives on the therapeutic potential of medical cannabis and explore the emerging science behind it.
While debate about recreational marijuana use continues, researchers are investigating the effectiveness of cannabis for treating pain, spasticity, and a host of other medical problems. In a symposium organized by the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) as part of the 2015 American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting held this week in San Jose, California, experts from North America and the U.K. share their perspectives on the therapeutic potential of medical cannabis and explore the emerging science behind it.
Related Articles
"We need to advance our understanding of the role of cannabinoids in health and disease through research and education for patients, physicians and policy-makers," says Dr. Mark Ware, director of clinical research at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit at the MUHC, in Canada.
As a pain specialist Dr. Ware regularly sees patients with severe chronic pain at his clinic in Montreal, and for some of them, marijuana appears to be a credible option. "I don't think that every physician should prescribe medical cannabis, or that every patient can benefit but it's time to enhance our scientific knowledge base and have informed discussions with patients."
Increasing numbers of jurisdictions worldwide are allowing access to herbal cannabis, and a range of policy initiatives are emerging to regulate its production, distribution, and authorization. It is widely believed that there is little evidence to support the consideration of cannabis as a therapeutic agent. However, several medicines based on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient of cannabis, have been approved as pharmaceutical drugs.
Leading British cannabis researcher Professor Roger Pertwee, who co-discovered the presence of tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) in cannabis in the 70's, recently published with collaborators some findings of potential therapeutic relevance in the British Journal of Pharmacology. "We observed that THCV, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, produces anti-schizophrenic effects in a preclinical model of schizophrenia," says Pertwee, professor of Neuropharmacology at Aberdeen University. "This finding has revealed a new potential therapeutic use for this compound."
Neuropsychiatrist and Director of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR) at the University of California, San Diego Dr. Igor Grant is interested in the short and long-term neuropsychiatric effects of marijuana use. The CMCR has overseen some of the most extensive research on the therapeutic effects of medical marijuana in the U.S. "Despite a commonly held view that cannabis use results in brain damage, meta analyses of extensive neurocognitive studies fail to demonstrate meaningful cognitive declines among recreational users," says Dr. Grant. "Bain imaging has produced variable results, with the best designed studies showing null findings."
Dr. Grant adds that while it is plausible to hypothesize that cannabis exposure in children and adolescents could impair brain development or predispose to mental illness, data from properly designed prospective studies is lacking.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by McGill University Health Centre. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Cite This Page:
Share This
More From ScienceDaily
More Mind & Brain News
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Featured Research
from universities, journals, and other organizations
Facebook: Overseeing Your Online Afterlife
Feb. 15, 2015 — On Feb. 12, Facebook rolled out a new feature called Legacy Contact, which gives people a platform for remembering and celebrating the lives of loved ones when they ... full story
- Facebook: Overseeing Your Online Afterlife
- Cannabis: A New Frontier in Therapeutics
- Exploring the Teenage Brain
- Marijuana Use: Daytime Sleepiness in Teens
- Hearing for Kids Born Without Hearing Nerve
- Higher Opioid Doses: Depression
- Type 2 Diabetes: Lower Scores On Cognition
- Biological Nature of Gender Identity
- 7 Genes for X-Linked Intellectual Disability
- Patients at Higher Risk of Second Stroke IDed
newer top stories | older top stories
Breaking News:
Related Stories
What 20 Years of Research on Cannabis Use Has Taught Us
Oct. 7, 2014 — In the past 20 years, recreational cannabis use has grown tremendously, becoming almost as common as tobacco use among adolescents and young adults, and so has the research evidence. A major new ... full story
Strange & Offbeat Stories
Health & Medicine
- See Here Now: Telescopic Contact Lenses and Wink-Control Glasses
- Making Teeth Tough: Beavers Show Way to Improve Our Enamel
- Extreme Mechano-Sensitive Neurons of Tactile-Foraging Ducks Fit the Bill for Touch Research
- Molecular Gastronomy: Understanding Physical and Chemical Processes of Cooking and Eating
- Controlling Genes With Light: Light-Activated Genes Might Be Precisely Controlled and Targeted
Mind & Brain
- Curious Monkeys Share Our Thirst for Knowledge
- New Fluorescent Protein Permanently Marks Neurons That Fire
- People Value Resources More Consistently When They Are Scarce
- Neural Basis of 'Being in the Mood': Researchers Discover Neurons That Combine Social Information With Hormonal State in Female Mice
- Dogs Know That Smile on Your Face
Living & Well
- Will Your Partner Stay or Stray? Look at Finger Length
- F-Bombs Notwithstanding, All Languages Skew Toward Happiness: Universal Human Bias for Positive Words
- Settling for 'Mr. Right Now' Better Than Waiting for 'Mr. Right', Shows Model of Digital Organisms
- Drug-Resistant Bacteria Lurk in Subway Stations, High School Students Discover
- Add Nature, Art and Religion to Life's Best Anti-Inflammatories
In Other News
... from NewsDaily.com
Science News
- U.S. approves first biotech apple that resists browning
- Furry forerunners: Jurassic arboreal, burrowing mammals unearthed
- SpaceX rocket blasts off to put weather satellite into deep space
- Tests planned on mysterious 'milky rain' in U.S. Pacific Northwest
- Britain gives go-ahead to test driverless cars on roads
Health News
- Australian food company recalls berries after hep A outbreak linked to China
- AstraZeneca's patent on asthma drug invalidated by U.S. court
- China's 'blood famine' drives patients to the black market
- U.S. agency fixes problem hampering Obamacare applications
- Crowds attack Ebola facility, health workers in Guinea
Environment News
- Northeast hit by blizzards, cold, after record snow
- Land, finance key to India renewables drive: First Solar CEO
- U.S. companies pledge to build 20 GW of renewable energy in India
- Judge dismisses Louisiana wetlands suit against big oil firms
- British leaders pledge climate push, curb on coal plants
Technology News
- LG Electronics executive indicted over damaged Samsung washers
- Insurers prove laggards in technology race
- Cybercrime ring steals up to $1 billion from banks: Kaspersky
- CFO Yoshida's Sony revamp wins over investors, tough decisions loom
- While Obama talks cyber security, his hotel's computer system fails
0 comments:
Post a Comment