Patients find Weed more effective than Cannabis medicines
For patients, it may be better to use cannabis than to use its medicinal derivatives, according to the largest study to date.
Researchers from Canada, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands surveyed 953 patients from 31 countries about their experiences with different forms of cannabis medicine. The results, published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, show that patients are generally more satisfied with natural Cannabis. The drugs appeared more effective in only 1 of 9 categories, which was "ease of preparation and administration of the drug".
"In general, herbal non-medicinal CBMs (cannabinoid-based medicines) received higher scores from participants than cannabinoid-containing medicinal products."
This study may be unwelcome news for companies that make cannabis-based medicines, such as Marinol and Sativex.
Although it is becoming increasingly accepted by health professionals, patients seem to find natural Cannabis superior when it comes to the required dose, starting and the duration of the effects and, perhaps most importantly, the profile of the side effects.
"Apart from the need to standardize such products and control the quality, our data show that overall there is satisfaction with whole plant preparations, which are affordable and can be administered by inhalation or tincture."
Of the various cannabis extraction methods, vaporization has been reported to have the fewest side effects, followed by beverage and smoking. Patients also report that it cost them more to buy Cannabis medicines than Cannabis itself. The researchers, who included only responses from patients who had tried at least two different forms of the drug Cannabis, warn that the results are limited.
For example, cannabis home remedies allow for more customization than standard medicines, which can improve the patient experience. The authors also believe that the latest data show "a broad picture" of patients' current experience with cannabis and may be useful in "further developing safe and effective cannabis and cannabinoid-based medications".
Comments
Post a Comment