Marijuana For Pain Relief Without The Side Effects.

A new study demonstrates for the first time that the medically beneficial pain-relieving effects of THC can be separated from its undesirable cognitive side effects, argues

Experts and society are divided on the benefits and subsequent legalisation of medical marijuana.

In North America alone there is deep division with half the statesand Canada legalising medical marijuana while the other half refuses. In the UK it is not legal to use medical marijuana, but ironically the UK is home to the most successful cannabis extract company in GW Pharmaceuticals, who have a product on the market that includes a mixture of cannabis extracts. The success of the company and for the patients it treats strongly suggests the issue might need to be revisited, and at least more research performed on exploiting the possibilities.

Our own work in the area, including the most recent study, shows that there is a powerful argument for the potential of cannabis extracts. We conducted a study which involved the testing of one of these extracts for the use of pain relief. The impetus of our study was whether one compound contained in the marijuana plant could achieve therapeutic effects, while at the same time minimising or avoiding the undesirable side effects. Our results demonstrate for the first time that the medically beneficial pain-relieving effects of THC can be separated from its cognitive side effects.

There are multiple compounds contained within the marijuana plant that are of medical interest. The two major ones are cannabidiol and THC. Cannabidiol is in clinical trials to treat epilepsy and symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, while THC has been linked for numerous treatments including pain relief and cancer.