Pediatricians Urge the Government to Accept Cannabis Medication

In 2015 pediatricians started out with positive pressure to reclassify marijuana. The American Academy of Pediatrics urged the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for more research into the benefits of cannabis medication. They also called for compassion for their patients to use marijuana.

Doctors and parents have seen beneficial uses of cannabis for children. Cannabis rich in the cannabinoid CBD has shown to reduce epileptic seizures in children with dravet syndrome. Some cases have shown that CBD has also reduced brain tumors in children. Cannabis use has also shown to help with autism in verbal communication and reducing self injury.(Source)

Currently the government has taken steps to legitimize it as a beneficial drug. The government holds a patent for the beneficial use of cannabis. Prescribed cannabis medication like Dronabinol and Sativex are out on the mainstream market for treatment in nausea, neuropathic pain, spasticity and overactive bladder. The U.S. Governement owns a marijuana farm at the University of Mississippi for research.

The AAP wants to specifically change the way cannabis is classified as a schedule 1 drug. This current classification restricts marijuana from research and use as a medication to the public.

Source:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-270B-1364?utm_content=bufferdcc0e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

https://faceofcannabis.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/calvin/

Cannabis with AIDS | HIV-Positive Patients

Marijuana and AIDS | HIV Positive

Studies have shown great benefits for AIDS | HIV-Positive patients. Clinical studies have shown that cannabis helps with pain , anxiety, immunity, mood, sleep, appetite, fatigue, nausea and bone weight loss.

  Wasting syndrome is a main result of AIDS patients in where body mass is reduced. This is from symptoms of nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety. AIDS drugs on the market currently are used to treat these problems. Patients have demonstrated that these medications are not equally effective in all patients. Many AIDS sufferers describe marijuana as being a better choice than prescribed medication. The main reasons for choosing marijuana is the rapid-onset when smoked which helps in relief with less side effects.(Source)

  Pain management contributes to fatigue and mood for HIV patients. A study done published in the 2007 journal Neurology studied cannabis and pain of HIV-associated sensory neuropathy. Donald I. Abrams, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco concluded that cannabis was as effective as other oral drugs used for chronic neuropathic pain.(Source)

Ways of Administering Cannabis

  Some HIV patients are given Dronabinol which is a synthetic THC over the counter drug. Margaret Haney's research in “Dronabinol and Marijuana in HIV-Positive Marijuana Smokers: Caloric Intake, Mood, and Sleep” studied the effect of Dronabinol. Her findings concluded that both Dronabinol and Marijuana smoking increased appetite and body weight. She also found that only marijuana improved sleep and Dronabinol was effective only at 8 times the current recommendation.(Source)

Major Supporters of Cannabis Treatment for AIDS

  Cannabis being a benefit for treatment to HIV is backed by large supporters. The American Academy of HIV Medicine is the largest independent organization giving active treatment to 340,000 HIV patients. They Provide care for more than two-thirds of HIV patients of America. They were asked, “Should marijuana be a medical option?” by Reason Magazine in 2007. Their response was “ When appropriately prescribed and monitored, marijuana/cannabis can provide immeasurable benefits for the health and well-being of our patients.”(Source)

 Other supporters have weighed in on the support of marijuana for AIDS patients. Consumer Reports in May 1997 stated, “Consumer Reports believes that, for patients with advanced AIDS and terminal cancer, the apparent benefits some derive from smoking marijuana outweigh any substantiated or even suspected risks." Kate Scannell, MD and Co-Director of Kaiser-Permanente Northern California Ethics Department stated in the San Fransisco Chronicle in 2003, "From working with AIDS and cancer patients, I repeatedly saw how marijuana could ameliorate a patient's debilitating fatigue, restore appetite, diminish pain, remedy nausea, cure vomiting and curtail down-to-the-bone weight loss."

Source:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10839332

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=003433

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17589370

http://www.neurology.org/content/68/7/515.abstract

http://www.neurology.org/content/68/7/515.abstract

Edibles vs. Smoking

How cannabis is ingested to receive the medicine is subject to each patients preferably. Whether it is smoked or taken orally in an edible has some differences like the time it takes effect, the ability to dose effectively, the duration it lasts, the way it is metabolized, and the difficulty regulating the amount of THC in an edibles ingredients.(Source)

Smoking shows a faster effect than edibles for relief. A study in 2013 looked at the differences of marijuana that was smoked versus the THC pill dronabinol. Smoking showed a relief in symptoms and feeling of it working in 15 minutes, where donabinol showed effect after 60-90 minutes.(Source) Patients suffering from pain tend to prefer faster relief than a prolonged wait period.(Source)

For the extended length of time it takes edibles to take an effect, dosage could be administered too low or too high. A faster effect from smoking could allow patients to give the correct amount from feeling the effects quickly. Patients during a study reported that while smoking gave fast effects, the psycho-active high usually lasted longer than the relief of pain. The study also showed most patients felt more high when smoking rather than using the edible.(Source) On the flip side with a delayed effect on edibles, an overdose can occur and make patients uncomfortable. The effects of the overdose can be agitation, anxiety or hallucinations.(Source)

The duration of smoked cannabis can last a couple hours where edibles once they take effect can last 3-4 hours. With pain sufferers a faster effect is desired, however a longer duration is desired as well. For some patients finding a time and a place to smoke every couple of hours can be unfeasible, making it more convenient for a longer lasting effect to be preferable. (Source) 

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who is a neurosurgeon and CNN’s chief medical correspondent weighed in on the subject and said that he would argue that vaporizers are the best way to deliver marijuana by activating it without burning it. Edibles, Dr. Gupta went further to say, can lead to uneven absorption which can lead to undesired effects. (source)

The way edibles are metabolized can effect the way THC is absorbed unevenly. Kari Franson, PharmD, PhD, Clinical Pharmacologist and Associate Dean for Professional Education, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, at University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy studied the metabolism of THC. “The THC will compete for metabolism in the liver with other drugs. Things that are inhaled can go directly to the brain and not have these interactions. So even confident users can get surprised with an edible.”

Kari Franson also warns about the unregulated standardization of edibles. The package may say in contains a certain amount of THC, but not be correct. Laboratory tests of the products can register the THC higher or lower in concentration, not making for a consistent way to administer the medicine properly.(Source)

Source:

http://www.leafscience.com/2014/03/13/dr-sanjay-gupta-talks-marijuana-vaporizers-vs-edibles/

http://www.leafscience.com/2014/01/19/marijuana-pill-patients-might-better-smoking/

http://www.ppcswfl.com/articles/Dr.%20Auld%20-%20Medical%20Marijuana%2012-31-13.pdf

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20130422/using-marijuana-to-treat-pain-a-pill-may-outlast-a-puff?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/06/04/is-eating-marijuana-really-riskier-than-smoking-it/

http://www.cpr.org/news/story/denver-emergency-room-doctor-seeing-more-patients-marijuana-edibles

Marijuana and Nausea

Cannabis has been found to be an effective treatment to reduce nausea and vomiting while also stimulating appetites. Studies have shown that this effect can help with treatment for cancer and AIDS patients who suffer from weight loss and nausea due to treatment.

Patients describe smoking marijuana as a far better treatment for nausea than ingesting Cannabis orally. Most patients consume marijuana with an unfiltered joint or a vaporizer pen to receive the benefits. Marijuana has also been found effective to treat nausea where other antiemetic medications have shown not to work.(Source)

In 1999 an article titled Marijuana and Medicine by Joy, Watson and Benson studied the benefits in delivery systems of cannabis. The research was for showing the effectiveness of reduction in nausea, vomiting and AIDS wasting syndrome. Data was from 6 states using 748 that smoked marijuana and 345 that took oral THC capsules. The results were that smoking gave a 70-100% benefit in reducing nausea, vomiting and AIDS wasting syndrome, with 76-88% releif in patients who took the oral capsule.(Source)

A clinical year long study in 2003 showed that when THC, or dronabinol was taken in a long term treatment from 3 months to a year, it significantly improves appetite and reverses weight loss for patients with HIV/AIDS. 117 patients in the survey 63% maintained or gained weight, appetite increased 45% after one month and nausea decreased consistently. This study showed that cannabis shows a more conclusive effect when taken for three months or longer.(Source)

A study in 2001 with 1366 patients administered oral Dronibol (THC), oral nabilone(synthetic cannabinoid) and intramuscular levonantradol, no cannabis was smoked. The cannabinoids were more effective as anti-nausea (antiemetics) than prochlorperazine, metoclopramide, chlorpromazine, thiethylperazine, haloperidol, domperidone, or alizapride.(Source)

In 1988 published in the New York State Journal of Medicine a study of 56 patients of cancer chemotherapy showed a 78% improvement in smoking marijuana. This was based on the
degree of nausea, vomiting, food intake, physical state, and over-all mood.(Source)

A study in 2001 studied 13 patients with marijuana cigarettes, placebo and a anitemetic drug Ondansetron. Marijuana was shown to reduce queasiness and vomitting effectively with the drug Ondansetron.(Source)

In 2005 a study done with 252 patients from JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, studies the effectiveness of marijuana helping nausea with AIDS patients using antiretroviral therapy (ART). The findings found that other illicit impede ART drugs, but marijuana helps to facilitate ART drugs.(Source)

A study in 2007 compared the oral intake of cannabis Dronabinol, smoked marijuana and placebo showed substantial increases in food intake with both smoked and oral cannabis. Through the result many reported intoxication's, but it was a good drug effect with little discomfort.(Source)

In 2010 a study with 21 adult advanced cancer patients showed an improvement with THC in food intake, appetite, and enhanced perception of food tasting better.(Source)

Source:

http://www.medicalmarijuana.net/uses-and-treatments/nausea/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305701005330

http://journals.lww.com/jaids/Abstract/2005/01010/Marijuana_Use_and_Its_Association_With_Adherence.8.aspx

http://journals.lww.com/jaids/Fulltext/2007/08150/Dronabinol_and_Marijuana_in_HIV_Positive_Marijuana.9.aspx?desktopMode=true

http://www.bmj.com/content/323/7303/16?Ijkey

http://web.acsalaska.net/~warmgun/es016.html

http://www.cannabis-med.org/data/pdf/2001-01-2.pdf

http://www.cannabis-med.org/studies/ww_en_db_study_show.php?s_id=189

http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/9/2086.abstract

http://www.mpp.org/assets/pdfs/library/MedConditionsHandout.pdf