Medical Cannabis Risks and Benefits Questioned by CMAJ
Journal States There Isn’t Enough Research into Medical Cannabis Risks and Benefits – LPC
A new article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) calls for more research into medical cannabis risks and benefits.
“Governments and regulators worldwide have a moral obligation to support the scientific study of cannabis to protect the well-being of patients,” the article opens.
It also calls for Canada to continue to lead the way in researching medical cannabis risks and benefits. “Now that cannabis is legal in Canada more research should be forthcoming, but the evidence base remains weak.”
For the most part, the article deals with facts that are already established. Most doctors don’t know enough about medical cannabis risks and benefits to advise their patients. Self-medication is common. “Positive effects of cannabinoids have been reported for severe childhood epilepsy and chemotherapy-induced nausea… but data are limited.”
However, the article does an interesting dive into the placebo effect, at least when it comes to pain management. In the case of cannabis, the placebo effect is heightened by several factors. “Hype”, “pseudoscience”, media coverage, recent legalization, and the fact that people must pay out of pocket contribute to this. Further, the fact that patients are taking control of their own treatments can cause them to see results that aren’t there. In other words, when it comes to medical cannabis risks and benefits, the “benefits” part might all be in our mind.
“For other conditions commonly believed to improve with cannabis use, such as pain relief or mood disorder, the evidence is less convincing.”
Is CMAJ Pro-Cannabis or Anti? – LPC
It would be relatively easy to read this article and believe that the CMAJ is anti-cannabis when it comes to medical cannabis risks and benefits. However, that viewpoint is too simplistic. The purpose of any medical journal is to look solely at scientific data. It is important to get objective answers, as the placebo effect alone shows us. Scientists are human, too. Sometimes we want to believe something so badly that we don’t realize when it’s not working.
But is there value in the placebo effect anyway? The article, interestingly, mentions that much of the data in “pain relief” points to THC as the main source, not CBD. The high of the drug brings comfort to the patient rather than actually relieve the pain. That’s an important distinction for doctors – but perhaps not so much for patients.
At the same time, people who dedicate their lives to medicine and train 15 years to become experts in their fields should not be simply dismissed. What everyone can agree on is that more research is needed into medical cannabis risks and benefits, as well as cannabis addiction, opioid-replacement therapy, and other issues.
This editorial content from the LPC News Editor is meant to provide analysis, insight, and perspective on current news articles. To read the source article this commentary is based upon, please click on the link below.
