Cannabis and Multiple Sclerosis

(Cannabinoids and Multiple Sclerosis) "Using an objective measure, we saw a beneficial effect of inhaled cannabis on spasticity among patients receiving insufficient relief from traditional treatments. Although generally well-tolerated, smoking cannabis had acute cognitive effects. Larger, long-term studies are needed to confirm our findings and determine whether lower doses can result in beneficial effects with less cognitive impact."

(NIDA's Federal Medical Cannabis Program) "It is a judicial fluke that the National Institute on Drug Abuse has provided medical marijuana to a handful of patients (never more than 32, currently 4 surviving) as the outcome of the settlement in a lawsuit pressed in 1976 by a man with cannabis-responsive glaucoma. That settlement became the basis for the FDA’s Compassionate Investigational New Drug Study program for patients with marijuana responsive conditions. No patient has been enrolled since 1992, when the George H. W.

(Safety of Cannabis) "Generally, as analgesics, cannabinoids have minimal toxicity and present no risk of lethal overdose.⁴⁸ End-organ failure secondary to medication effect has not been described and no routine laboratory monitoring is required in patients taking these medications."

(Cannabinoids and the Chemical Composition of Cannabis) "Essentially a herbal cannabinoid drug, the resin-secreting flowers of select varietals of the female cannabis plant contain approximately 6 dozen of different phytocannabinoids or plant-derived cannabinoids; these compounds are generally classified structurally as terpenophenolics with a 21-carbon molecular scaffold.²⁴ Other compounds, such as terpenoids, flavonoids, and phytosterols, which are common to many other botanicals, are also produced by cannabis and have some demonstrated pharmacologic prop

(Ethics of Recommending Medical Cannabis to Patients) "Portions of the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics, Opinion 1.02 – The Relation of Law and Ethics reads, 'Ethical values and legal principles are usually closely related, but ethical obligations typically exceed legal duties.

(Estimated Prevalence of Cannabis Use Among Young Adults in the EU) "An estimated 16.6 million young Europeans (aged 15–34), or 13.3 % of this age group, used cannabis in the last year, with 9.6 million of these aged 15–24 (16.4 % of this age group). Among young people using cannabis in the last year, the ratio of males to females is two to one.

(Cannabis Offenses in the EU) "Cannabis continues to be the illicit drug most often mentioned in reported drug law offences in Europe ⁽³⁴⁾. In the majority of European countries, offences involving cannabis accounted for between 50% and 90% of reported drug law offences in 2010. Offences related to other drugs exceeded those related to cannabis in only four countries: the Czech Republic and Latvia with methamphetamine (54% and 34%); and Lithuania and Malta with heroin (34% and 30%).

(Odds of Arrest and Incarceration for Marijuana Offenses in California) "Compared to Non-blacks, California’s African-American population are 4 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana, 12 times more likely to be imprisoned for a marijuana felony arrest, and 3 times more likely to be imprisoned per marijuana possession arrest. Overall, as Figure 3 illustrates, these disparities accumulate to 10 times’ greater odds of an African-American being imprisoned for marijuana than other racial/ethnic groups."

(California Medical Association and Medical Cannabis) "CMA [California Medical Association] policy has acknowledged the criminalization of cannabis to be a failed public health policy (HOD 704a-09) and has recognized a public movement toward the legalization of cannabis (HOD 101a-10).