Pubdate: Thu, 02 Jul 2015
Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA)
Copyright: 2015 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsreview.com/chico/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559

MEDICAL MARIJUANA REVIEWED

Researchers Say Medi-Pot Is Hit-And-Miss in Treating Conditions It's 
Commonly Prescribed For

There's evidence that marijuana is moderately effective in treating 
some conditions it's often prescribed for, and not as much for 
others, according to a review commissioned by the Swiss Federal 
Office of Public Health.

Researchers combed through previous research-about 80 randomized 
trials involving 6,500 people, according to WebMD.com. They concluded 
that there's moderate evidence to support the use of marijuana to 
treat chronic pain, muscle spasms and involuntary movements, but 
found it's not as effective against nausea and vomiting due to 
chemotherapy, weight loss due to HIV, sleep disorders or Tourette 
syndrome, a condition characterized by repetitive motions or sounds.

Pro-marijuana group NORML is critical of the authors' conclusions. 
Deputy Director Paul Armentano said that, while only two of the 
studies reviewed evaluated medical marijuana itself rather than a 
derivative or synthetic THC, many more clinical trials using real pot 
have been conducted but were not included.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom