cannabisnews.com: Study To Look at Whether MMJ Really Helps Users

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  Study To Look at Whether MMJ Really Helps Users

Posted by CN Staff on May 27, 2013 at 10:59:32 PT
By Robin Erb, Free Press Medical Writer  
Source: Detroit Free Press 

Michigan -- A $2.2-million federally funded study soon will help answer the question: Does medicinal marijuana really help? The grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse funds a four-year project that began this month at the University of Michigan. Researchers will track the progress of 800 recipients of medicinal marijuana prescriptions.Michigan, where more than 135,000 patients are now in a 4-year-old statewide registry of approved medical marijuana users, is one of 20 states in which medical marijuana is used to ease pain and symptoms from cancer, seizures, glaucoma and other conditions, according to the researchers. Michigan voters approved a measure allowing medical marijuana in 2008.
Past research on medical marijuana’s effect has mostly focused on lab studies where participants are given different levels of marijuana or a placebo, then report whether their pain is lessened.But those studies tend to last hours or a few days, and they fall short of determining whether the marijuana has a long-term effects on their lives in more practical ways — at work, with family or in social settings, said the U-M study leader Mark Ilgen,whose past research includes substance use, abuse, suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder.Results show that pain was reduced, he said.Experts, however, disagree about the magnitude of the pain reduction and how it compares with other pain medications, he said.Still, he added, any pain reduction for the sufferer is welcome.Just as important as pain mitigation is whether that change helps the sufferer with everyday life. The longer term functioning of medical marijuana users is really unknown, he said.“Maybe they’re functioning better because of a better (pain) control, or maybe they’re ... withdrawing socially because of the marijuana use,” he said.Part of the study will be based on participants’ reports of how they’re faring; other data will include results of drug screens for other substances or arrest records, for example, Ilgen said.The goal is to determine who does better and who does worse with medical marijuana, and what factors make the difference, he said.The study eventually may be used by policy makers still struggling to understand the impact of the medical marijuana laws.Just as important, Ilgen noted, “I see this as a starting point for more research.”Participants cannot sign up. They must be approached by research staff at their first doctor’s appointment that is part of the process to become a registered medical marijuana user in Michigan.Source: Detroit Free Press (MI)Author: Robin Erb, Free Press Medical Writer Published: May 26, 2013Copyright: 2013 Detroit Free PressWebsite: http://www.freep.com/Contact: letters freepress.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/5u8rUurLCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml 

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Comment #9 posted by ekim on May 29, 2013 at 08:02:13 PT

sorry for spelling error Robert Randall
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/26/thread26729.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by Canis420 on May 28, 2013 at 12:24:15 PT:

NIDA
NIDA did fund Dr. Donald Tashkins research but when the results were contrary to their historical stance they did not puplicise the results...it will be interesting to see what they do here.
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Comment #7 posted by ekim on May 28, 2013 at 10:56:26 PT

Feds should call it the Robert Randell Study
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/9/thread9970.shtml
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Comment #6 posted by observer on May 27, 2013 at 20:42:18 PT

Another Pre-Decided Charade
re: "Does medicinal marijuana really help? The grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse funds a four-year project..."a) we already know cannabis is medicinal. In fact, if there is a plant with MORE medicinal uses than cannabis has documented, I'd like to hear about it. I doubt one exists.So already we know the NIDA study will be a charade and a pretense, just from that alone.b) re: "National Institute on Drug Abuse"Guess what? The National Institute on Drug Abuse will find that all use of marijuana is abuse; that's their job. That's what they do: NIDA exists to cook up reasons why pot (the most important drug to government) is bad ("abuse") and so must never, ever be legalized. That's NIDA's task, job, purpose, and whole reason for existence. Find bad sounding stuff about pot. That's NIDA. So of course the National Institute on Drug Abuse will "discover" that cannabis helps no one and is definitely "Abuse". That's what they do, NIDA.

http://drugnewsbot.org
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Comment #5 posted by The GCW on May 27, 2013 at 18:22:12 PT

By extension,
"Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to" -woman.Even 86 year old women."B.C. Seniors Are Using Medical Marijuana To Get A Good Night's Sleep"http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2013/05/27/BC-Seniors-Are-Using-Medical-Marijuana-Get-Good-Nights-Sleepw/ short video
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Comment #4 posted by The GCW on May 27, 2013 at 17:59:58 PT

I REPEAT.
"Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man."- DEA's Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on May 27, 2013 at 17:56:42 PT

Skeptical
Historically the federal government has demon-strated that their motives are not honest, unbiased, or in the interest of humans.The federal government has already conducted, and paid for, research which indicated cannabis is safe enough to quit caging sick U.S. citizens for using the God-given plant. -God-given as stated on the very 1st page of the Bible. The study didn't serve Nixon's interest so it was rejected and the U.S. has suffered for it.-0-"""In 1988, the DEA's Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young, concluded: "In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. For example, eating 10 raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care."Source: US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, "In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling Petition," [Docket #86-22], (September 6, 1988), p. 57.
http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/sourcefiles/Young1988.pdf
- See more at: http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/54#sthash.0KT0hgow.dpuf
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Comment #2 posted by Swazi-X on May 27, 2013 at 15:00:12 PT

The Good Old "More Studies Are Needed" Lie.
"The study eventually may be used by policy makers still struggling to understand the impact of the medical marijuana laws."The impact of MMJ laws is unrelated to the ability of MMJ to benefit humans. More of our $ tossed down a rathole to further stall any honest discussion or change at the federal level. These lying sacks of crap have been doing this for decades - starting with the Schaeffer Report published by scientists, sociologists, lawyers, laymen and such hand picked by Richard Nixon in the early '70s, who came to the conclusion that "nobody should be put in jail for using this plant". What happened after spending those millions and multi-years in honest study? Nixon didn't even read it before he tossed it into the trash, because his personal view differed.This is stonewalling in sheeps' clothing - with the added insult of being paid for with our tax dollars by whom? Oh yeah - the National Institute on Drug Abuse.This Drug War puppet's reason for existence is right in the $#%^ing name for crying out loud - they're looking for ways people abuse addictive substances. Why would anyone think these proven liars will produce honest science when they almost exclusively fund studies that are designed to find the harm in drugs?Millions of dollars for another charade designed to further obfuscate the truth - which has been known for thousands of years by humans, and decades by science through studies ALREADY DONE, and currently ignored.An obscenely expensive smoke screen aimed at answering the wrong questions and shoring up the federal power structure at the expense of the basic health, welfare and safety of the citizens of this and all the countries in the world.The real question: What are the benefit of using fresh, non-psychoactive cannabis on the human body? Cannabis, fresh and undried/unheated is non-psychoactive (doesn't get you "high" at all) but the cannabinoids are still active in your body. This is the real question - because once it's known raw cannabis not only won't get you high but will fight cancer, diabetes, arthritis, autism, etc. as well or better than the dried form...What will be left for the feds to condemn?

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Comment #1 posted by HempWorld on May 27, 2013 at 14:16:11 PT

My Thoughts:
Why on earth does the fed govt suddenly study benefits of mj, I find this suspect. 2. Yes it does benefit people, otherwise they wouldn't use it, duh. Now give me the 2.2 Mil. so I can actually do something good with it and help people get well! Grow hemp for christ sakes (and for our own sake)! To actually save ourselves, now there's a novel idea!Legalize Cannabis, Marijuana and Hemp in the other 48 states!
Cannabinoids Cure Cancers!
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