Norfolk, United Kingdom: Cannabis extracts alleviate pain, elevate mood, and improve sleep in patients with chronic neuropathic pain, according to clinical trial data published in the May issue of the journal Anaesthesia.
Thirty-four patients participated in the randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled crossover trial. Volunteers were administered randomized extracts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive compound in marijuana, cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound in marijuana, and a mixture of both compounds. Patients self-administered the extracts and/or placebo via a sublingual spray.
Authors wrote that 28 patients “obtained benefit” from the extracts, and that those containing THC proved most effective in symptom control, particularly pain relief and improved sleep. They further noted, “All eight patients with residual pain associated with the failure of spinal surgery obtained benefit and this is an exciting prospect for further study in this notoriously difficult group to treat.”
Side effects of the cannabis extracts were mild and “not substantially different to those seen with most other psychoactive drugs used in pain management,” authors concluded.
Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently reviewing a new drug application for the THC/CBD extract mixture, intended to be marketed by the GW Pharmaceutical company under the trade name Sativex.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at (202) 483-5500. Abstracts of the study, entitled “Initial experiences with medicinal extracts of cannabis for chronic pain: Results from 34 ‘N of 1’ studies,” are available online at:
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2004.03674.x/abs/