Clinical Effects of Cannabis

            The article I chose this week discusses the clinical effects of cannabis.  For many years, cannabis has been used medically to treat a wide variety of ailments such as nausea, severe weight loss, and pain.  Studies have shown medical cannabis to be quite effective for each of these conditions, especially when rehabilitation through standard means had proven unsuccessful.  Despite the drug’s apparent beneficial properties, the use of medical cannabis encounters a number of challenges due to the potential health risks involved in consumption.  The problem is, due to the current legal system there have not been an adequate amount of controlled clinical trials to assess the effects of each method of delivery available for cannabis.  In recent studies evaluating the effects of cannabis on neuropathic and chronic pain show significant improvements in comparison to a placebo.  In fact, further research reveals that the higher the THC content within the cannabis, the more effective it is at relieving pain.  Unfortunately, there are other factors that must be considered when administering doses to patients such as tolerance, frequency of dosage, and form of dosage.  This makes defining the effective dose very difficult because it varies based on the individual consuming the drug.  Trials indicate however, that smoking cannabis is more effective at reducing pain than any other means of ingestion with minimal side effects that may include dry mouth, dizziness, and drowsiness.  Overall, based on the evidence provided in this article, I feel there should be more time spent studying the effects of cannabis.  It is clear to me that the positive effects of the drug heavily out way the negative and should be seriously considered for patients who undergo a great deal of pain.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/store/10.1002/phar.1187/asset/phar1187.pdf?v=1&t=hhcjqqf2&s=e3126a5662dc912dd6dd25ad8299ab7be524c593