Cologne, Germany: Nearly four out of ten patients in the Netherlands with a prescription for “medical-grade cannabis” (cannabis provided by Dutch pharmacies with a standardized THC content of 10.2 percent) use it to treat neurologic disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and spinal cord injuries, according to survey data published in the current issue of the journal Neurology.
More than 100 patients with a physician’s prescription to use medicinal cannabis responded to the questionnaire. Overall, 39 percent of respondents said they used “medical-grade cannabis” to treat neurologic disorders. Twenty-one percent said they used cannabis to treat symptoms related to musculoskeletal/connective tissue disorders (such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, or migraine), and 14 percent said they used it to treat symptoms of cancer and/or HIV/AIDS.
Sixty-four percent of respondents reported “good or excellent” therapeutic effects from cannabis, with a greater percentage of patients experiencing perceived benefits the longer they used cannabis. Perceived efficacy was better among patients who inhaled cannabis versus those who took cannabis orally, authors found.
Since 2003, Dutch patients with a doctor’s prescription have been able to purchase government-grown cannabis at licensed pharmacies. An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 patients are believed to receive prescription cannabis from Dutch pharmacies.
For more information, please contact either Allen St. Pierre or Paul Armentano of NORML at (202) 483-5500. Full text of the study, “Medical use of cannabis in the Netherlands,” appears in the March issue of Neurology.