This study from the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque) documents the effectiveness of medical cannabis in the treatment of a wide range of health problems, through two studies, presented in the journals Medicines and Frontiers in Pharmacology. Researchers here use a mobile app to identify and track patients' symptom relief and see in the field that medical cannabis immediately relieves dozens of symptoms with relatively minimal side effects.
The team of Jacob Miguel Vigil, Professor of Psychology and Sarah See Stith, Professor of Economics describes the significant therapeutic effects of cannabis both clinically and statistically. Their analysis of data collected with the Releaf application, released in 2016, for educational purposes for patients made it possible to assess in real time the levels of intensity of the symptoms and the side effects of patients consuming medical cannabis. And if the results were extrapolated to the general population, the authors comment, cannabis could replace many multi-billion dollar drugs around the world.
Releaf is an assessment app that allows patients to track and manage their cannabis use decisions under natural conditions, while avoiding disorders associated with excessive use (memory bias, desocialization). Here Releaf allowed researchers to collect massive volumes of patient-entered information around their use and the effects of real cannabis used in real circumstances. A scale impossible to reach with randomized controlled trials.
Main findings:
- The first study, covering 27 different medical conditions with symptoms ranging from seizures to depression, shows, with the use of medical cannabis, an average reduction in symptoms of almost 4 points on a scale of 1 to 10;
- The second study, conducted specifically on the use of natural cannabis buds and to treat insomnia, also shows a strong level of effectiveness which varies slightly depending on the characteristics of the plant and the method of preparation.
- The researchers obviously draw a parallel with prescription drugs with inevitable side effects, which also explains why medical cannabis is rapidly gaining popularity, including among older people and patients suffering from severe chronic diseases.
- Finally, their results confirm the numerous studies on the effectiveness of cannabis as a possible treatment for a wide range of medical conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy or "spasticity". While these studies have already suggested just how great the therapeutic potential of cannabis is, this new analysis is the first to assess the effects of cannabis used daily by millions of people in the United States.
Precisely,
- the current results underscore the magnitude of the reduction in symptoms after cannabis use: more than 94% of cannabis users report a reduction in their intensity after "self-administered" cannabis use and in the various medical conditions (disorders sleep, eating disorders including intestinal permeability and adipogenesis, libido and fertility, pain perception, motivation, happiness, anxiety, learning and memory, social functioning, autoimmune responses, cancer); these data suggest the ability of phytocannabinoids to influence the human endocannabinoid system, which regulates both mental and physical health and behavioral systems.
- Cannabis use is associated with frequent and numerous, but generally mild, side effects: positive side effects (relaxation, relaxation, well-being) are much more frequently reported than negative side effects (headaches in particular).
According to the authors, cannabis could find a permanent place in our therapeutic toolbox and treat health problems more effectively and safely than conventional pharmaceutical treatments. The most glaring example being the treatment of insomnia. Then there would also be a “significant economic impact”.
" If the benefit-risk ratio of cannabis as identified in the short term in our studies reflects its long-term therapeutic potential, the substitution of cannabis for traditional pharmaceuticals could reduce the risk of drug interactions and the costs associated with taking multiple drugs, allowing patients to treat multiple comorbidities with a single treatment .”