Researchers continue to find new medical conditions every day that medical marijuana may be able to treat. One study released at the end of April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) found that cannabis could potentially provide significant relief from symptoms of MS and other brain diseases. While more research needs to be done to confirm the benefits of cannabis on different conditions affecting the brain, early results point to the fact that the drug could make a major difference in people’s lives.
As more information comes to light about all of the advantages of medical marijuana, hopefully federal lawmakers will be persuaded to come around to supporting the use of cannabis for medical use. This could remove the risk that Californians face of having the federal government raid clinics and marijuana crops even when the Californians are operating within the bounds of state law. A Los Angeles medical marijuana lawyer can represent individuals who are the target of criminal actions.
Medical Marijuana and Brain Diseases
The recent research at the AAN meeting revealed that medical marijuana may be effective at relieving particular symptoms of multiple sclerosis. MS patients were administered marijuana in either an oral spray or in pill form and it was able to relieve many different kinds of symptoms. Marijuana had an impact on:
- Spasticity
- Pain related to muscle spasms
- Central pain caused by MS lesions
As CNN reports, the study did not indicate that medical marijuana helped patients who suffered from tremors. However, it still made a significant difference in the lives of many patients who suffer from the incurable condition.
Researchers looked at around 2,000 patients in Germany and England, where a cannabis spray called Sativex was approved for the treatment of MS spasticity in 2010. The researchers found that fewer than one percent of participants in the trial who were taking either cannabis pills or using cannabis spray experienced serious side effects such as seizures or hallucinations.
There were some concerns expressed prior to the study, especially related to the risk of depression. Patients with MS and other brain diseases may already have some depression or some cognitive impairment and researchers were concerned that medical marijuana could worsen these symptoms. However, the research did not indicate any link between the use of cannabis medications and depression.
The news was positive and suggests that cannabis could make a real difference for MS patients. Unfortunately, while Sativex is currently available in 25 countries worldwide for the treatment of MS, it is not available in the United States.
Patients within this country who suffer from the incurable condition deserve to get the effective treatments that so many others worldwide are able to access. A failure to approve this medication and a failure of widespread recognition of the benefits on medical cannabis on brain diseases costs patients in this country the opportunity to reduce their symptoms and feel as healthy as they can.
The Los Angeles CANNABIS LAW Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.
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