‘Gold Standard’ Studies Show That Inhaled Marijuana Is Medically Safe And Effective

The results of a series of randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials assessing the efficacy of inhaled marijuana consistently show that cannabis holds therapeutic value comparable to conventional medications, according to the findings of a 24-page report issued earlier today to the California state legislature by the California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR).

Four of the five placebo-controlled trials demonstrated that marijuana significantly alleviated neuropathy, a difficult to treat type of pain resulting from nerve damage.

“There is good evidence now that cannabinoids (the active compounds in the marijuana plant) may be either an adjunct or a first-line treatment for … neuropathy,” said Dr. Igor Grant, Director of the CMCR, at a news conference at the state Capitol.  He added that the efficacy of smoked marijuana was “very consistent,” and that its pain-relieving effects were “comparable to the better existing treatments” presently available by prescription.

A fifth study showed that smoked cannabis reduced the spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.  A separate study conducted by the CMCR established that the vaporization of cannabis – a process that heats the substance to a temperature where active cannabinoid vapors form, but below the point of combustion – is a “safe and effective” delivery mode for patients who desire the rapid onset of action associated with inhalation while avoiding the respiratory risks of smoking.

Two additional clinical trials remain ongoing.

The CMCR program was founded in 2000 following an $8.7 million appropriation from the California state legislature.  The studies are some of the first placebo-controlled clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of inhaled cannabis as a medicine to take place in over two decades.

Placebo-controlled clinical crossover trials are considered to be the ‘gold standard’ method for assessing the efficacy of drugs under the US FDA-approval process.

“These scientists created an unparalleled program of systematic research, focused on science-based answers rather than political or social beliefs,” said former California Senator John Vasconcellos, who sponsored the legislation in 1999 to launch the CMCR.  Vasconcellos called the studies’ design “state of art,” and suggested that the CMCR’s findings “ought to settle the issue” of whether or not medical marijuana is a safe and effective medical treatment for patients.

“This (report) confirms all of the anecdotal evidence – how lives have been saved and pain has been eased,” said California Democrat Senator Mark Leno at the press conference.  “Now we have the science to prove it.”

Full text of the CMCR’s report to the California legislature is available at online at: http://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/CMCR_REPORT_FEB17.pdf.

Last Chance To Register For NORML’s 2008 National Conference

NORML’s 37th annual national conference, “It’s Not Your Parents’ Prohibition,” takes place this week – on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18 – at the Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center in Berkeley, California. Join NORML’s staff and Board of Directors – and nearly 500 policy activists, medical patients, cultivators, doctors, politicians, and clinical investigators – as we congregate and celebrate in one of America’s most ‘pot friendly’ cities.

Detailed conference agenda, speakers list, and information on conference social events – including Saturday night’s ‘can’t miss’ 2008 Extravaganja party at the Oasis Nightclub (which will feature fire dancers, live performances by from Los Marijuanos and the Extra Action Marching Band, and a laser light show) – are available here.

Rooms at the Doubletree Hotel are sold out, but alternative hotel accommodations are still available here. On site registration will available throughout the conference. Discounted day passes will also be available for purchase at the registration desk.

Featured guests at this year’s conference include longtime Democrat Berkeley City Councilman Kriss Worthington, Doors keyboardist and author Ray Manzarek, and Saturday Keynote Luncheon Speaker, Assemblyman Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).

Plenary sessions at this year’s conference include:

• Getting the Story Wrong: How the Media Lie About Cannabis

• The Legal Marijuana Generation: Growing Up and Raising Children in the Age of Legal Pot

• The War on Pot Is a War on Young People

• What If We Arrested 20 Million Americans and Nobody Noticed?

• The Politics of Marijuana and Health

• Drug Testing and Cannabis: The Case Against Legally Sanctioned Discrimination Via Forensics

• Pot Culture: A Round Table Discussion of Cannabis in Society, Entertainment, Music and American Culture

In addition, on Sunday, October 19, NORML’s Legal Committee and the faculty of Oaksterdam University will co-sponsor a special, third-day session, entitled “Everything You Wanted To Know About Medical Cannabis, But Knew Better Than To Ask John Walters.”

This unique, one-day seminar will guide attendees through the maze of conflicting federal, state, and local medical cannabis laws and regulations, and will offer step-by-step instruction regarding how to establish a legal medical marijuana business in the state of California.

Learn from the nation’s top experts on cannabis and cannabis policy. Strategize with the country’s leading marijuana activists and reformers. See what cognitive freedom and tolerance looks like in Oaksterdam, the most cannabis-friendly neighborhood in North America.

Don’t delay; register today and join us this week for an unforgettable three days of pot, policy, and politics at the 37th annual national NORML Conference.