Study: Too Much Marijuana Makes Pain Worse, Not Better

ISO2BWELL

Found this article on FOX News's site. Thought some might find this interesting, as this is the battle we have to fight.

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Study: Too Much Marijuana Makes Pain Worse, Not Better
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Although smoking "moderate" doses of cannabis helps reduce pain in healthy research volunteers, pain is actually increased at high doses, a new study shows.

The November issue of the journal Anesthesiology features a study showing that marijuana, or cannabis, reduces pain only within a smaller dose range.

"Our study suggests that there is a therapeutic window for analgesia, with low doses being ineffective, medium doses resulting in pain relief and high doses increasing pain," said lead author Dr. Mark S. Wallace of University of California, San Diego, in a news release.

Wallace and colleagues evaluated the effects of smoking marijuana on pain responses in 15 healthy volunteers. On different days, the research subjects smoked low, medium or high doses of cannabis (based on the content of 9-delta-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active chemical in marijuana), or an inactive placebo.

Pain was induced by injecting capsaicin, the "hot" chemical found in chili peppers, into the skin. Capsaicin injection is a standard technique used in pain studies, according to the authors.

Five minutes after smoking, none of the three doses of cannabis had any effect on pain responses to capsaicin.

However, 45 minutes after smoking the moderate dose of cannabis, pain was significantly reduced — approximately six points lower on a 100-point scale, compared with the inactive placebo.

In contrast, 45 minutes after smoking the high dose of cannabis, pain scores were increased — about eight points higher than with placebo.
The low dose of cannabis had no effect on pain scores. None of the three doses affected the spread of pain beyond the area injected with capsaicin.

Levels of THC measured in the blood were significantly related to reduced pain scores at the moderate dose of cannabis, but not to the increase in pain with high-dose cannabis. The volunteers' sense of feeling "high" increased with each dose of cannabis, even though the pain-relieving effects did not.

"With several states having passed laws legalizing the medical use of cannabis, there has been a call for more research on medicinal cannabis," said Wallace.

Wallace and colleagues call for further research, including studies of the clinical value of the pain-reducing effects. Based on this studies findings, Wallace said he would not recommend marijuana as a method of pain reduction at this time.

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ISO

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ISO2BWELL

P.S.: Some thoughts on the above article:

It only had 15 participants, and the use/application of "...capsaicin, the "hot" chemical found in chili peppers, into the skin".

I gotta wonder...who the HELL determined that such application is EQUAL to that felt by a person with severe arthritis, or my illness????

We (the MM community) need to be watchful for this kind of study...as it is the same kind of "ammo" the anti-MM politicians will call on when they get to debating the issue of MM in a state, or the USA.

Personally (and based on my experiences) I call "BS" on the study. Still, we need to be aware of what others (fence-sitters) are reading.

ISO

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!"

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Mogie

I don't consider that a scientific experiment. I agree ISO2BWELL red pepper under the skin is nothing like the pain from real diseases (I saw my mother live with RA and it deform her bones).

Large amounts don't effect pain. OMG. That is %@*#

ClosetDWC

.... hmmm .... . .. . ya i dought that very much ... plus the whole pain of pepper to bones deforming ... that is a big damn gap to fill there but i think it is interesting that this guy did this study ... can you imagine being pepper sprayed and then get high ... that probably were the ppl that reply to those POT SMOKERS NEEDED!!! ads actually end up maced and high as hell

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Regard,
Closet-DWC

And remember just try and act NORML

tokecrazy

In a study of anything you have ones that are given the {pain} and ones not given the {pain}.This so called study is BS.There's no control group and not contorl group.What I want to know is how much money was given to this Dotor by the drug companys?Studys of this kind can not be done in the short time that they did this in.it sounds like a group got together and was just smoken and said it was a study so they wouldnt get busted and get away with it.All BS. PEACE

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SHAMAN

I smoke way to much and my pain stays the same.. Numb!!!!!!!
And if they don't know chili peppers are for cooking not shooting up!!! Some one should really tell them!!!!!!

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ISO2BWELL

My guess is they needed a "standard", something they could use to gauge the peformance of the herb onb a level scale. Everyone should have had the same level of "burn" or pain at the beginning.

So, next time I scratch my arm while trimming the Jalepenos I'll only smoke a "Moderate" bowl!

For my illness (not pain) I do find better results with just a few hits or 5-6 breaths from the Vape bags. If I overdo it seems to make me feel worse the next AM, when I have to fight the battle all over again.

Friday and Sat. nights, it seems to take MUCH MORE than it does any other night. Odd ..

ISO

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Mogie

That is odd works out that way for me too.

pennylane

bullsugar!!!!


partnership for a drug free america can bite my ass!

legalise it!

pothead nation rise !!

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the.fatman.cometh

the flaw is in the tests themselves. they are not centered around real life scenarios, only a controlled test simulating pain via a "chili pepper" injection. that is rediculous, what do they expect to occur? i would like to see the same test done with tylenol and all other pain relievers. of course they are over looking the other benefits to cannabis. there is more than just pain relief!

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