In the United States, marijuana is regulated as a Schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act. According to regulators, it is a drug with high potential for abuse that has no currently accepted medical uses in treatment in the United States.
However, many have questioned this designation. Medical marijuana has become a hot political topic, and many states have passed legislation allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana for individuals with chronic pain, despite the federal laws.
A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal provides further support for the claim that marijuana has legitimate medical purposes. According to researchers from McGill University, smoking pot can improve the mood and sleep habits of individuals suffering from chronic neuropathic pain.
To conduct the study researchers obtained marijuana with varying degrees of potency, as well as a placebo. Participants in the study used each test sample three times a day for a period of five days, with a "washout" period of nine days between each test. The participants did not know which sample they were using at any given time.
In this testing environment, the participants reported some pain relief, reduced anxiety and improvements in sleep quality. Participants rarely reported the euphoria commonly associated with smoking pot. Essentially, in limiting the amount of THC, researchers were generally able to provide medicinal benefits without causing the patients to get "high."
Researchers hope that this limited study will provide better information for policymakers and medical professionals who may still be reluctant to embrace medical marijuana as a legitimate medical treatment. Additionally, the positive results in this study may provide grounds for further research.
As the lead author of the study noted, researchers do not currently know what effects patients would experience if they were exposed to slightly higher THC levels, or if they could have used the medication more often, or if they were to use it for longer than five days at a time. Further research may reveal additional benefits with modified testing situations.
Ultimately, the research is promising, but the results will only be meaningful if policymakers take note.
