What evidence is there for medicinal cannabis?
There is a wealth of evidence that supports the use of cannabis for the treatment of various medical issues. It is predominantly known for providing pain relief, but there is research that suggests it’s a useful tool in delaying Alzheimer’s Disease, treating Crohn’s Disease, and offering palliative treatment for MS. Providing benefits for so many medical conditions, it’s clear that medical cannabis is an essential treatment option. Let’s take a closer look at the evidence for medical cannabis in more detail below.
1. Chronic pain
Medical cannabis is widely recognised as a pain relief for chronic pain. A 2014 study (Light et al.) found that of all medical marijuana ID cardholders in Colorado, 94% cited ‘severe pain’ as a medical condition and the reason they needed medicinal cannabis (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425767/#). A similar result came from Ilgen et al. in 2013 who found that 87% of people in their study were using marijuana to relieve pain (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23683791/).
2. Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease is known to be largely escalated by inflammation, something which medicinal cannabis can help with. A 2006 study (https://patents.google.com/patent/US6630507B1/en) found that medicinal cannabis could be useful in ‘preventing, arresting, or treating neurological damage’ which would be applicable to helping with diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. This means that medicinal cannabis has the potential to help delay the effects of Alzheimer’s, among other diseases.
3. Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease can also be alleviated with the use of medicinal cannabis, and this has been fairly well tested. In a 2013 study which looked into the effect of the substance on Crohn’s disease, it was found that the use of cannabis was able to bring one in two patients into remission (https://www.cghjournal.org/article/S1542-3565%2813%2900604-6/pdf). This was a study including placebo control and the participants all had a history of Crohn’s disease. Furthermore, of these participants, 80% had been non-responsive or intolerant to anti–TNF-a. When these factors are considered, a 50% success rate is a big indication of the benefits of medicinal cannabis.
Where to access medicinal cannabis in the UK
If you’re suffering from chronic pain or one of the other health issues listed above, our medicinal cannabis clinic London-based can help you. Our consultants will try to help get to the root of your issues and work out a suitable treatment programme with you. We offer cannabis for pain, which can be caused by conditions such as arthritis and fibromyalgia, so make sure to contact us today and don’t wait to let us help ease your pain.