Hydrolife Magazine June/July 2016 (CAN Edition)

live
Working in the medical cannabis field
has given me an in-depth perspective
on the variety of conditions that can be
treated effectively with cannabis. By
far the most common use for cannabis
is pain management. I have witnessed
many of my patients and friends suffer
from both their daily pain and the side
effects of their prescribed medications.
Once they found cannabis, they reduced
their use of pain medications and
became more active and healthy people.
New research is showing just how safe
and effective cannabis use really is.
Chronic pain is an enormous problem
for our society. Reports have shown that
one in five adults suffer from chronic
pain, resulting in a poor quality of
life and decreased productivity in the
workplace. These types of numbers have
shed light on the use of cannabis in the
treatment of chronic pain. A study from
McGill University in 2015 shows that cannabis
is not only a safe alternative, it is
also a useful tool for patients and practitioners
to use when combating chronic
pain. Using cannabis has been shown to
be safe, effective and ultimately a better
tool than conventional treatments. This
study has shown decreased pain sensation
as well as increases in quality of life
by patients who use cannabis as part of
their pain management.
When treating patients who are in pain,
whether it’s post-operative, muscle-skeletal
or nerve pain, doctors most often use
opiates like oxycodone or NSAIDs such
as acetaminophen or naproxen. These
types of medications can be very effective
in reducing perceived pain, but they
come with their own side effects and
drawbacks. When used for long periods
of time, these powerful pharmaceuticals
can have negative impacts on liver,
kidney and stomach health as well as
brain function.
Opiates especially come with the risk
of physical dependence and addiction,
which has led, in many cases, to death.
In the United States in 2014, the Center
for Disease Control reported that more
than 19,000 fatal drug overdoses were
linked to opiate pain medication, which
was 40% of all overdoses that year.
Despite the known drawbacks of these
effective but risky treatments, the mainstream
healthcare industry has been
reluctant to embrace alternatives such
as cannabis as a tool in pain management,
citing a lack of evidence in safety
or efficacy.
Studies published by
the Center for Medicinal
Cannabis Research have
shown that cannabis works
in conjunction with opiate
pain medications, effectively
reducing the required dose.”
Opponents of cannabis as medicine
have long said that due to a lack of clinical
trials, cannabis could not be used in
clinical settings to treat pain. However,
those opponents will have to find another
argument as a study completed in
2015 has shown that not only is cannabis
a safe medicine, it has been shown to
be beneficial in several more ways than
once thought. In conjunction with McGill
University in Montreal, Canadian Dr.
Mark Ware has published his year-long
study findings that outline the safety
and efficacy of cannabis in treating
pain. The people who used cannabis
in his clinical study showed decreased
levels of perceived pain compared to
the people who did not use cannabis.
Cannabis also didn’t show any increased
risk of serious adverse effects
or negative impacts to memory or lung
function. Other findings of this study
include improvements in mood among
the cannabis-using population. Things
like anxiety, depression, anger, hostility
and fatigue were elevated compared to
the non-cannabis-using controls.
While there was an increase in
adverse effects such as headaches,
nausea and respiratory issues, there
was no increase in serious adverse effects.
This is clear proof that cannabis
is without the harms associated with
other pain treatments. Better evidence
yet is a study that tracked overdose
deaths in the United State. It found that
the states with medical marijuana laws
had reduced rates of opiate overdoses.
This study, funded by the RAND Corp.,
found specifically that the presence of
cannabis dispensaries made the largest
impact, as access is a fundamental
component to the use of cannabis. The
states that did not have reliable access
to cannabis, but had medical marijuana
laws on the books, did not see the same
reduction in opiate overdoses.
Furthermore, studies published by
the Center for Medicinal Cannabis
Research have shown that cannabis
works in conjunction with opiate pain
medications, effectively reducing the
required dose. This means that rather
than being a gateway, cannabis is more
likely to reduce the use of other drugs
for pain treatment.
As laws are relaxed and barriers to
access are eliminated, we have a clear
path forward in how to treat chronic
pain. Although it is not appropriate in
all circumstances, cannabis is a proven,
safe and effective alternative to harmful
pain treatments. The continued barriers
to access only perpetuate a failed system
of opiate abuse.
Alex Rea is the vice-president of
Homegrown Hydroponics in Toronto,
Ontario, and the co-founder of
Phytomedical, a cannabis consulting
clinic. As a patient, advocate and business
person in the cannabis industry, Alex has
a keen understanding of the political,
economic and social hurdles that underpin
cannabis as medicine in North America.
50
grow. heal. live. enjoy.
myhydrolife.ca