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Current Status and Future of Cannabis Research

Authors: Ethan B. Russo, Alice P. Mead, Dustin Sulak
Clinical Researcher, April 2015

Although cannabis is primarily viewed by the public as a recreational drug or agent of abuse, its medical application spans recorded history.1,2 Evolution has yielded a cannabis plant that produces a family of some 100 chemicals called phytocannabinoids (“plant cannabinoids”)…

The impact of marijuana policies on youth: clinical, research, and legal update.

Authors: COMMITTEE ON SUBSTANCE ABUSE, COMMITTEE ON ADOLESCENCE
Pediatrics, March 2015

This policy statement is an update of the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement “Legalization of Marijuana: Potential Impact on Youth,” published in 2004. Pediatricians have special expertise in the care of children and adolescents and may be called on to advise legi…

Medical marijuana laws and suicides by gender and age.

Authors: D. Mark Anderson, Daniel I. Rees, Joseph J. Sabia
American Journal of Public Health, December 2014

OBJECTIVES: We estimated the association between legalizing medical marijuana and suicides. METHODS:
We obtained state-level suicide data from the National Vital Statistics System’s Mortality Detail Files for 1990-2007. We used regression analysis to examine the association be…

Medicinal marijuana for epilepsy: a case series study.

Authors: Lady Diana Ladino, Lizbeth Hernández-Ronquillo, José Francisco Téllez-Zenteno
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, November 2014

OBJECTIVE: To describe the social, clinical and use-patterns characteristics of medicinal marijuana use among patients with epilepsy (PWEs). METHODS: Eighteen PWEs with prescriptions for medicinal marijuana from a Canadian adult-epilepsy clinic were included in this study. RES…

The case for medical marijuana in epilepsy.

Authors: Edward Maa, Paige Figi
Epilepsia, June 2014

Charlotte, a little girl with SCN1A-confirmed Dravet syndrome, was recently featured in a special that aired on CNN. Through exhaustive personal research and assistance from a Colorado-based medical marijuana group (Realm of Caring), Charlotte’s mother started adjunctive thera…

Systematic review: efficacy and safety of medical marijuana in selected neurologic disorders.

Authors: Barbara S. Koppel, John C.M. Brust, Terry Fife, Jeff Bronstein, Sarah Youssof, et al
Neurology, 29 April 2014

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of medical marijuana in several neurologic conditions. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of medical marijuana (1948-November 2013) to address treatment of symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, and movement disorders. We gra…

Cannabis (medical marijuana) treatment for motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson disease: an open-label observational study.

Authors: Itay Lotan, Therese Treves, Yaniv Roditi, Ruth Djaldetti
Clinical Neuropharmacology, March-April 2014

OBJECTIVE: The use of cannabis as a therapeutic agent for various medical conditions has been well documented. However, clinical trials in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) have yielded conflicting results. The aim of the present open-label observational study was to assess…

PTSD symptom reports of patients evaluated for the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program.

Authors: George R. Greer, Charles S. Grob, Adam L. Halberstadt
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, January-March 2014

BACKGROUND: New Mexico was the first state to list post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a condition for the use of medical cannabis. There are no published studies, other than case reports, of the effects of cannabis on PTSD symptoms. The purpose of the study was to report…

Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption

Authors: D. Mark Anderson, Benjamin Hansen, Daniel I. Rees
The Journal of Law and Economics, May 2013

To date, 19 states have passed medical marijuana laws, yet very little is known about their effects. The current study examines the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana and traffic fatalities, the leading cause of death among Americans ages 5–34. The firs…

Clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD): can this concept explain therapeutic benefits of cannabis in migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other treatment-resistant conditions?

Authors: Ethan Budd Russo
Neuroendocrinology Letters, April 2008

OBJECTIVES: This study examines the concept of clinical endocannabinoid deficiency (CECD), and the prospect that it could underlie the pathophysiology of migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, and other functional conditions alleviated by clinical cannabis. METHODS:…