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Indybay Feature

Study Confirms Long-term Cannabis Use Is Safe

by via ASA
A study of patients using medical cannabis to control chronic pain has confirmed that prolonged use is safe. Researchers found that pain patients using medical cannabis were no more likely to suffer serious adverse events than non-cannabis patients.
medical-marijuana.jpg
The “Cannabis for the Management of Pain: Assessment of Safety Study (COMPASS)” was published online last month in the Journal of Pain. COMPASS included chronic pain patients using medical cannabis and a control group that was not, all selected from seven Canadian pain clinics.

The principal investigator for the study was Mark Ware, M.D., Director of Clinical Research of the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit at the McGill University Health Centre and Executive Director of the non-profit Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids.

“This is the first and largest study of the long-term safety of medical cannabis use by patients suffering from chronic pain, ever conducted,” said Dr. Ware. “We found that medical cannabis, when used by patients who are experienced users and as part of a monitored treatment program for chronic pain over one year, appears to have a reasonable safety profile.”

“Dr. Ware’s research clinically documents how safe medical cannabis can be for pain management,” said ASA Executive Director Steph Sherer. “This study is an example of the type of research we can expect in America once federal barriers are removed.”

U.S. research is hampered by the classification of cannabis listed as a Schedule I drug, the most highly restricted category. The National Institutes of Drug Abuse is still the only source for research cannabis in the U.S. despite a ruling from a DEA Administrative Law Judge that more federal cultivation licenses should be issued.

More Information:
Cannabis for the Management of Pain: Assessment of Safety Study (COMPASS)
http://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900%2815%2900837-8/abstract?cc=y=
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