AMA: Helping Doctors Help Patients

[beachguy in thongs]

RECOMMENDATION 1: Research should continue into the physiological effects of synthetic and plant-derived cannabinoids and the natural function of cannabinoids found in the body. Because different cannabinoids appear to have different effects, cannabinoids research should include, but not be restricted to, effects attributable to THC alone.

Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation. This value would be enhanced by a rapid onset of drug effect.

RECOMMENDATION 2: Clinical trials of cannabinoid drugs for symptom management should be conducted with the goal of developing rapid-onset, reliable, and safe delivery systems.

The psychological effects of cannabinoids are probably important determinants of their potential therapeutic value. They can influence symptoms indirectly which could create false impressions of the drug effect or be beneficial as a form of adjunctive therapy.

RECOMMENDATION 3: Psychological effects of cannabinoids such as anxiety reduction and sedation, which can influence medical benefits, should be evaluated in clinical trials.

Numerous studies suggest that marijuana smoke is an important risk factor in the development of respiratory diseases, but the data that could conclusively establish or refute this suspected link have not been collected.

RECOMMENDATION 4: Studies to define the individual health risks of smoking marijuana should be conducted, particularly among populations in which marijuana use is prevalent.

Because marijuana is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances, smoked marijuana should generally not be recommended for medical use. Nonetheless, marijuana is widely used by certain patient groups, which raises both safety and efficacy issues.

RECOMMENDATION 5: Clinical trials of marijuana use for medical purposes should be conducted under the following limited circumstances: trials should involve only short-term marijuana use (less than six months), should be conducted in patients with conditions for which there is reasonable expectation of efficacy, should be approved by institutional review boards, and should collect data about efficacy.

If there is any future for marijuana as a medicine, it lies in its isolated components, the cannabinoids and their synthetic derivatives. Isolated cannabinoids will provide more reliable effects than crude plant mixtures. Therefore, the purpose of clinical trials of smoked marijuana would not be to develop marijuana as a licensed drug but rather to serve as a first step toward the development of nonsmoked rapid-onset cannabinoid delivery systems.

RECOMMENDATION 6: Short-term use of smoked marijuana (less than six months) for patients with debilitating symptoms (such as intractable pain or vomiting) must meet the following conditions:

* failure of all approved medications to provide relief has been documented,
* the symptoms can reasonably be expected to be relieved by rapid-onset cannabinoid drugs,
* such treatment is administered under medical supervision in a manner that allows for assessment of treatment effectiveness, and
* involves an oversight strategy comparable to an institutional review board process that could provide guidance within 24 house of a submission by a physician to provide marijuana to a patient for a specified use.


Featured Report:
Medical Marijuana (A-01) Full Text

Background

Methods

State Initiatives Concerning Medical Marijuana
Federal Litigation Against State Initiatives

Current Regulations and Efforts to Support Research on Medical Marijuana

Pharmacology of Marijuana
Constituents and Chemical Characteristics
Pharmacokinetics
Cannabinoid Receptors

Major Proposed Medical Uses of Marijuana
HIV Wasting
Cancer Cachexia
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
Studies Involving THC
Studies Involving Smoked Marijuana
Glaucoma
Multiple Sclerosis, Spasticity, and Extrapyramidal Movement Disorders

Analgesic Effects of THC and Smoked Marijuana
Animal Studies
Human Studies

Adverse Effects of Marijuana

Progress on Settling the Debate on Marijuana as Medicine

RECOMMENDATION (Adopted AMA Policy)

References

Appendix

beachguy in thongs Reviewed by beachguy in thongs on 06-21-2006. AMA: Helping Doctors Help Patients RECOMMENDATION 1: Research should continue into the physiological effects of synthetic and plant-derived cannabinoids and the natural function of cannabinoids found in the body. Because different cannabinoids appear to have different effects, cannabinoids research should include, but not be restricted to, effects attributable to THC alone. Scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation. Rating: 5

[baisez le monde.]

oh man.. im too tired to even read this

[beachguy in thongs]

Go to bed, Genie!

[baisez le monde.]

i really dont feel like it


genie?

[beachguy in thongs]

Jeanie? I don't know. Le monde on le monde.

[GratefulDead4ever]

You got some good points their beach guy

[beachguy in thongs]

You got some good points their beach guy

Thanks. It's the AMA's recommendations. I'm just passing the word along. :smokin: