Smoking marijuana helps reduce pain, trial shows

A group of Montreal researchers have found that a single inhalation of 25 milligrams of marijuana three times a day can significantly reduce the intensity of what is called neuropathic pain.

CTV News Channel: Jeannette Hay, consultant

An anti-drug consultant with the Drug Prevention Network of Canada says there are reactions and side effects that need to be looked at when considering the pain-relieving properties of marijuana.

CTV Montreal: Study on pot and chronic pain

The MUHC's Dr. Mark Ware speaks with Mutsumi Takahashi about a new study on marijuana and the treatment of chronic pain.

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Smoking marijuana helps reduce pain, trial shows. (AP / Robert F. Bukaty)

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CMAJ: Smoked cannabis for chronic neuropathic pain

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Mon. Aug. 30 2010 9:17 PM ET

Though many who suffer chronic pain will tell you that smoking pot can help dull the pain, there has been little hard medical research into whether it really is effective.

Now, a new randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, appearing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, shows that marijuana really can bring pain relief and improved sleep to those in chronic pain.

Dr. Mark Ware, director of research at the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit of the McGill University Health Centre, led a team who studied the pain-relieving effects of smoking cannabis in 21 people with "chronic neuropathic pain": those who had constant nerve pain, caused by trauma or surgery.

All had suffered the pain for at least three months, had failed to get effective relief from other medications, and reported an average weekly pain intensity score greater than 4 on a 10-point scale.

To ensure that the participants couldn't tell who was smoking real marijuana and who was smoking a placebo, the patients were given a special pipe and 25-milligram capsules of a substance to be lit and inhaled once. The capsules contained either 2.5 per cent, 6 per cent or 9.4 per cent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the active ingredient in marijuana. The placebo pill contained no THC.

They smoked the pipe three times daily for five days in each cycle, followed by a nine-day period without marijuana. They continued this over two months, rotating through all four strengths of THC.

The researchers found that those smoking the tabs with the highest potency, 9.4 per cent, saw their average pain "significantly reduced" compared with those smoking the placebo. The patients also reported improvements in sleep quality and anxiety.

Because the dosages were fairly small compared to what "recreational" pot smokers would receive, most participants said they didn't get "high" from the drug; "euphoria" was reported on only three occasions.

The researchers note that off the one puff, the blood levels of THC in the study participants reached only about 45 nanograms per milliliter, whereas most pot smokers would see levels reach 100 ng/mL and higher.

"We used a small dose for two reasons," Ware explained to CTV News Channel. "One was to reduce the likely effect on the lung; it was a smoked product after all, so we wanted minimize the possible effects on the lung and respiratory track.

"The second reason was to minimize the possible psychoactive effects. We were not using this as a way to get people high but to try to ameliorate a very devastating symptom of chronic neuropathic pain."

Some of the patients did report side effects, including dizziness, numbness and a burning sensation in areas of neuropathic pain.

The researchers note that while cannabis has been used to treat pain since the third millennium B.C., the pain-relieving effects of the drug remain controversial in the medical community. Further study on whether the drug really works is needed, the researchers said, given that at least 10 per cent of patients with chronic non-cancer pain and other conditions have tried using marijuana to relieve pain.

The researchers say they would like to see larger and longer studies on marijuana, using higher potencies and flexible dosing to see if pain levels can be reduced even further.

"What I hope this study will do is highlight for patients and physicians that cannibinoids -- the active ingredients in marijuana -- are a legitimate contribution to pain management and should be considered as one option when you are trying to treat chronic pain," Ware said.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Henry J. McQuay of Oxford University, notes that the results are important in light of the fact that patients interested in the pain relief offered by medical marijuana have seen only a "trickle" of evidence to prove the claims that the drug works.

Comments are now closed for this story

Yvonne
said
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When people are sick there are all sorts of new meds out on the market and patients are used as guinie pigs .... No one knows the long term affects of these drugs and the damage the cause ... Pot should be legalized and people should be given the choice .. deadly drugs or marijuana ....

Jordan
said
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I have chronic back pain; I was born with a spine irregularality. I don't believe in smoking anything, but this little cookie with a bit of plant from the Earth seems to help, when other things don't.

So what?

Jerry in Calgary
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As far as I am concerned, whether or not marijuana helps pain is irrelavant. I am not going to waste my time disputing one way or the other. What is relavant though is the fact that there are enough and sufficient drugs on the market (way too many in my opinion) to just about take care of any pain issues for most common folks. Lets leave illegal drugs where they belong.....in the garbage. We have enough addicts to contend with without opening the door to more drug abuse and thats where this matter would end up......with more durg abuse. OK....... now that I have said my peace....lets hear it from the the boo birds and the drug addicts.

Dr. Richard K.
said
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Recreational users smoke weed to get incapacitated. It is the incapacitating quality that is the source of its illegality. By contrast, people who are incapacitated by pain are finding relief and an increase in capacity to do things, by taking a small dose of weed. Their reason for using it is entirely consistent with the values behind the law that bans recreational use. Further, one puff a few times a day is much less carcinogenic than simply living in a city, which gives us the equivalent of two entire cigarettes a day.If you sit down and think through the issues, you'll see that much of the rhetoric against medical marijuana is nonsense. There is one important issue that remains: there is not yet enough evidence to place this treatment into the realm of evidence-based medicine. But, the same is true of many of the dubious herbal remedies that depend largely on anecdotes and can even make people extremely ill -- far more ill than weed can.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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Wow. Reading the comments in this forum is highly educational. What I've actually "learned" is that while I sit quietly at the back of the bus on the marijuana legalization front, as a rational libertarian supporter of the idea, the rest of the bus, unfortunately, is still filled with crazy cannabis-heads who, with their nutty, non-factual convictions and Googled "research," utterly refuse to come to grips with the fact that marijuana, though possessing medicinal-type qualities that can be beneficial, isn't some sort of magic gift from God that carries not a single downside when smoked (read: burned and inhaled into the lungs). Scary. Seemingly, sadly, you're so desperate to have cannabis widely accepted as a "miracle cure" for everything that you refuse to even listen to someone (such as yours truly) relay a story about someone they actually know, rather well, someone who never smoked tobacco, whose oncologist specifically indicated that regular, long-term smoking of pot caused his particular brand of throat cancer at age 45. "It's a lie! Off with his head! He's an evil liar! He doesn't know what he's talking about! The incompetent doctor is a liar!" Wake up, people. You're not helping your (our) cause with the denial, religious enthusiasm, and kooky plant worship. Sorry.

Dan
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It does not matter if marijuana is harmful or not, we already allow the sale of far more harmful products like cigarettes and alcohol. If a product is harmful then the industry should be taxed to pay for public education like we do with the tobacco and alcohol industries. Most of the problems with marijuana are a result of prohibition not a result of the plant itself.

This is supposed to be a free country and I don't need the nanny-state to look after me let alone imposing restrictions that put public safety at risk by funneling billions of dollars to organized crime.

I am a university educated professional and the government should stay out of my business and certainly not be imposing regulations that put my safety as a consumer and as a citizen at risk by pushing most of an enormous and very successful industry (that will never be destroyed regardless of ideological desires) into the hands of organized crime.

Daniel From Toronto
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So many good answers to this post, but i still can get over the fact that people dont wont Marijuana in there lives. Im sorry people but its proven that THC helps and this study just shows what people like me (not a hippy, actually work in a bank) that you people have shutdown your thinking capabilities in not accepting that in can actually help relieve pain. Smarten up

andre
said
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I knew a guy who was schizophrenic - he used to drink milk when he was a kid.

Logic dictates it was the milk that caused his schizophrenia.

D. Keyes
said
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Before everyone gets on the bandwagon, including doctors, would it be possible to give those living in apt. complexes some consideration.I don't care who smokes Marijuana, for whatever reason they can come up with, BUT I do object to having to breath it in affecting my health.Yes, my health. Someone now smoking for 'pain', has always smoked it and now flaunts the prescription , causes such pain for me that my doctor suggests I move....WHY, I have pain, serious pain, every day but don't impose my treatment on others.So someone else can smoke Marijuana 'legally', not only does it give me such head pain nothing I take can handle it but worse than that, my heart valves are in danger...simply by lighting up, one puff, and it hits me and often am so nauseous, I lose my meds ! I have not mentioned regular cigarette smoking, goodness that one only makes breathing with damaged lungs difficult! AND if you are prescribed with this debatable 'medicine', don't share it with your visitors...yes, that does happen.So, those of you who think it's not harmless, must already be smoking it and it's affecting your judgement. If doctors are studying this option, they might consider the rest of the people who cannot avoid the damage it causes those who also are in severe pain and don't take the easy way out.

Doug # BC
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Far out man.I am puzzled by the post by the difference between reducing the pain,and just not feeling the pain.Either way,relief is the objective.And,like all other pain killers I know,I think avoiding driving and risky behaviour is the right way to go. To much time and money has been spent making criminals out of midnight tokers.Harper should remove his ideas about pot from his bills on drung use,and trhe Firerals should agree to tougher times for people dealing hard drugs. And voters need to be careful.While all drugs are a health concern,if Liberals and NDPers succeed in moving the issue to the health care system,we,the taxpayers,will then find them using the flawed Charter to demand taxpayers buy all the druggies all the drugs they want,when they want them.All drugs would then become a "Charter Right",we;d be on the hook for all the costs,AND the country would be a nation of "stonies" that are to far out to lunch to hold down,never mind do a real job.

moi
said
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@Russell Barth:

Harper is the prime minister that allowed me to smoke beautiful, pure mj, grown in a lab in SK for my MS. because I can control my pain, I'm back to work. I work thankfully in a creative field that encourages my quirkiness ;)

Harper does not fill our jails with potheads. Please, get a clue.

the gangs that control the distribution of the beautiful plant are the problem. So is US policy!

we will decriminalize and eventually legalize mj. Studies like this only help the cause. there are THOUSANDS of Canucks smoking/growing/selling legally!

Do the responsible thing, stop using it
said
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Marijuana IS addictive Laboratory studies have shown that animals exhibit symptoms of drug withdrawal after cessation of prolonged marijuana administration. Some human studies have also demonstrated withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, stomach pain, aggression, and anxiety after cessation of oral administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana's principal psychoactive component. Now, NIDA-supported researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, and Columbia University in New York City have shown that individuals who regularly smoke marijuana experience withdrawal symptoms after they stop smoking the drug. Studies at Columbia University in New York City have demonstrated that, in addition to aggression, marijuana smokers experience other withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, stomach pain, and increased irritability during abstinence from the drug. "These results suggest that dependence may be an important consequence of repeated daily exposure to marijuana," says NIDA.

Dave
said
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"helps reduce pain" Ah! So that's why they use it. Is it psychological pain or physical pain? My money is on psychological, as in MENTAL.Wouldn't two aspirin work? At least that's not addictive.

eric strader
said
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i know people will find all kinds of negative things to say ,yes mental health issues are there again in moderate use very little prob,lets give it a chance as a dialysis client for more than ten years i know the value time for the rest of u to realize how much easier the drug is than man made drugs.i have pages and pages of side affects from mans creative wonders.

PAUL
said
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You will never see marijuana legal and its only CBD,thats good for all that brian stuff,Cannabidiol Medically,it has been shown to relieve convulsion, inflammation, anxiety, and nausea, and it inhibits cancer cell growth Recent studies have shown cannabidiol to be as effective as atypical antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia.Unlike Thc which does the opposite.

3Doves
said
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I was in a car accident 18 yrs ago and ended up with whiplash.I tried everything, massage/accupucher/meditation/prescription galore and I finally couldn't/wouldn't take any more pills.I tried a joint of pot, I don't have any idea of what the pot does to help me deal with the pain but honestly I don't give a dam " IT WORKS"My life was,exciting in my home/never leaving/No friends/popping prescriptions and feeling sorry for myself/ in pain 24-7. Headaches that would knock you down with pain/ back pain that refused to surrender to any prescription, with all of this came anxiety/panic attacks/paranoia. Yes I tried counselling and yes, they tried to get me to take more drugs.For almost 10 years that was my life.I smoke a joint ..Well, I smoke every day , I can enjoy the day rather then whine about the pain. I go out of the house now and have some friends, and i'm dealing with all my issues head on, rather then hide awayI'm no doctor but I would recommend anyone with chronic pain who can't find relief to "try" a joint.Why I should have to break the law to get medicine " for me" that works.They say you can get a license for growing it yourself but you need a doctors note, Well I have not found a doctor yet that is willing to give me that note, even though I tell them "for me" it works!"IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE THAT CAN HELP ME GET THE LICENSE"?I will not stop smoking , I'd rather be listed as a crimminal then go back to the way my life was.Again, I say, it works for me. You have to make up your own mind.

JM
said
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Time to license compassion clubs already!

USMC DISABLED
said
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i'm a disabled marine corp. vet all these people who has never had a serious physical medical problem would like everyone with a medical problem to live in pain or take some lab made proven addictive pain killer so the drug company's can get richer on the drugs that the doctors have there money invested in, can write you a scrip. so you can become dependent on an opium derivative drug.
until something happens to them.then you'll see how they're thinking changes. i can see you people rolling your eyes.i forgot nothing can happen to you, you're invincible.i thought that way once. do you think something made in a lab is better for you then a natural weed?

Always awake when the rest of the world is asleep
said
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I had a dream. Marihuana was decrminalized, and alcohol was outlawed. Then the alarm went off, I woke up and wished I hadnt.

Rebos
said
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To PVT:

I love how people have the perception that people who smoke are lazy no good bums who are on welfare.... that is liquor or crack my friends....

And to anyone who isn't suffering from an illness that might require this as a form of relief... stop talking. You have absolutely no idea what some of the people are going through on a daily basis.

Yes, the drug is harmful to your body, however if your in agonizing pain on a daily basis, you are probably going to 'risk' the chance of lung cancer or any side effect known to occur.

Glen
said
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I can't believe they say that they still need to do more studies...

This will go on and on. No amount of studies that will be done in the decades ahead will amount to anything. This is just a dangling fishing lure!

Follow the money, and you will find the reason why marijuana is illegal.

Long-Time Smoker
said
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For you narrow-minded people like James Bradford, who put all the "Potheads" in the same "bottle";
I have been smoking it for over 30 years on a regular basis, I have a good job with lots of responsibilities and you wouldn't even know I smoked (and no mental illness). I hate it when people make us feel like we are such bad people! There is more than likely a lot of people around you who smoke it, so I think you are the clueless ones! Non-smokers try to find any excuse to stop something that is natural.
Live and let live!

Damon
said
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People that are prone to mental illness should avoid ALL intoxicants and mind alternating substances PERIOD. Its truly unfortunate how many drugs / herbs that eliminates for pain relief but if you are bi-polar or possibly schizophrenic, that's the way it is. If you are not prone to mental illness or do not have a pre existing condition, you will not be affected this way by Cannabis.Ignorance is NOT bliss.Get informed.

Damon
said
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Smoking is bad news regardless but smoking cannabis does not cause cancer. The DEA would be the first to parade the poor dying pot user out in front of the media if that was the case. There "drug war" would be so much easier if pot wasn't so beneficial with so few drawbacks.Also, smoking is OBSOLETE, vaporization gets you all the benefits with none of the nasty smoking by products. If you are concerned about your lungs, ditch the smoke and vaporize or eat it. BUT blaming cannabis for how people ingest it is silly, there are alternatives to smoking.

IRespectMostSoldiersJustNotYou
said
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@Canadian Soldier

Do you understand the dangers of most prescriptioon painkillers? They too are abused, and can actually kill you, just like alcohol. POT CANNOT KILL YOU. It has never killed anyone. Period. It's simply not possible, you would have to smoke 5 times your body weight in 20 minutes, which isnt even humanly possible. You say it should be policed like alcohol or prescription drugs? Which one is it? Cause you sure don't need a prescription to go to the liquor store and buy enough booze to kill you.

Erik
said
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Milk is the gateway drug. All drug users have drank milk but not all milk drinkers use drugs. Think about that.

Dave in Downtown Newington
said
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Used to smoke it in the sixties and seventies, but the stuff then was at least managable compared to the nuclear stuff the kids are smoking now!I remember it DID help me sleep better, but I got tired of always waking up face down in an empty Pizza box!

Jessica
said
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@mintie- just because you can look something up, doesn't mean its true. The problem with the studies done on relationship between mental illness and pot shows a relationship, but not neccessarily a causal one. Maybe people with mental illness are more likely to smoke pot, not the other way around. Also, you can't take random participants from America or Canada where because the drug is associated with the illegal underground, people will more likely do or be introduced to other drugs, smoke cigarrettes, drink alcohol, and various other hazardous activities. These people in the study won't neccessarily be so inclined to admit their other drug/alcohol/tobacco use to the researchers. And unless you get a population that is in perfect health otherwise, doesnt do other drugs/smoke/drink/consume caffeine to get a clear picture of the effects of Marijuana use. Look at the studies from Jamaica on Marijuana consumption during pregnancy, which proves beyond a doubt that expecting mothers who smoke marijuana daily give birth to babies who out perform those of non-pot smokers exponentially. Don't believe all the propaghanda you hear, and for a good documentary not touting the same bullsh*t propagandha the government has been making up for years, watch the Union.

PS- one of the first studies that showed Marijuana killed brain cells, was done on monkeys who where literrally suffocated on marijuana smoke for minutes at a time. The study was fixed this way so they could say conclusively that it killed brain cells, when they couldn't legitamitely prove it. Any half wit can tell the brain damage resulted from lack of oxygen, not pot smoke.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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@ Tom: Way to bolster the credibility of your constituency of pro-marijuana zealots. Take your superior "education" on the subject to the experienced and highly reputable oncologist who handled the diagnosis and treatment, and make your silly argument. (He, quite evidently, as I've stated, disagrees with you.) Where is the medical degree hanging behind your head from? Oh, that's right, you don't have one...your self-proclaimed "expert" status is based upon the gathering of, and acknowledgment of, only that information which suits your biased agenda. Spare me the ill-informed lecture. Even common sense dictates that burning an "organic" substance, and inhaling the smoke, on a regular/frequent basis, long term, poses a risk of damage and eventual disease to the gums, tongue, throat, and/or lungs. (No, the individual that I'm referring to didn't also smoke tobacco.) Thanks, Tom.

cabowabo
said
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Yes just because david Suzuki did a documentary then it must be true. LOL

Azaelea
said
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So for my nerve pain instead of marijuana I should gabapentine which leaves me half asleep, forgetful, dizzy, depressed, gaining weight and ultimately doesn't work at the presribed dosage so I need to take more and more.
Or should I take Lyrica which makes me lose my balance and my memory to the point I didn't remember what day it was and leave the stove till the pot cooked dry and caught fire as well as causing weight gain because I can't walk properly because I'm so dizzy or should I use the morphine which has been prescribed for me and when I've been taking it long enough I go onto methadone so I don't get totally addicted.

Curious how those of you who don't have a clue about chronic nerve pain can be so quick to judge!

Dawn
said
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To all the people that keep saying "lung cancer", do you realize that you can step outside and breathe in all the disgusting air from cars, buses etc and get lung cancer too???? You can basically get it from anything. Even someone who has never smoked in their life can get lung cancer. Pot helps to ease the pain and also helps incredibly with chronic migraines. The only reason I believe that it is illegal is because the government can't control it. They want to make money off of it and can't figure how too. It's funny that they will supply it to certain people that apply for it and even pay people to grow it for them.....Isn't it weird that alcohol can do more damage to your system but that is not illegal (28% tax for the government)and don't get me started on cigarettes (about $5.00 a pack goes to the government for so-called taxes)hmmmmmmm, strange.

Amanda
said
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I would like to say that my cousin was diagnosed with a form of cancer that required him to go through many rounds of vigorous chemotherapy and eventually doctors had no choice but to amputate his arm. While undergoing chemotherapy, my cousin, who did not smoke marijuana or support the use of marijuana, was so sick during his months of chemotherapy, was prescribed THC in a pill form. The THC settle the nausea in his stomach as well has gave him somewhat of an appetite. Now that his arm has been amputated he still smokes marijuana because the phantom pain he experiences is unbearable and marijuana seems to be the only thing to keep this under control. For those of you that think that the use of marijuana is unnecessary, think about whether shoving endless amounts of T4's, percacets and other prescriptions on a daily basis is better for your body than smoking a joint or two during the day---all i have to say is---undergo cancer and chemotherapy and the amputation of a limb...trust me...you would be desperate to find relief anywhere you can find it. A joint or two HAS GOT TO be better than getting yourself stoned 24/7 on prescription medications. They are most likely more addicting than marijuana and harder on your system.

Malcolm Chevrier
said
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Sorry, pot does not cause schizophrenia. Were that the case, twenty five percent of the population would aslo be afflicted. In the entire recoreded history of man no one has ever perished from pot use. There are studies which even point to the relative low impact smoking pot has on the occurance of lung cancer. So far, not one credible diagnosis of lung cancer from pot use. Wwe have been drinking the 1937 US government "kool-aid" for so long, these lies are now considered to be the truth.

Eric L
said
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Cigarettes/alcohol and pain pills, which are known to cause so many more problems- is completely legal... So come on folks...

Eric L
said
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And as for marijuana causing (mental) conditions! Is false! Thats only for the people who had underlying issues to begin with, its just that the marijuana makes there condition way more apparent, and at a younger age... So people should have there mental stability checked out first b4 trying marijuana... which most people dont or wont do...

CYL
said
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Oh Yes, Marijuana is great for temporary relief of pain, but so is tylenol, aspirin, a good massage etc, which does not eat away your brain cells like the grass.

RWR
said
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The pain relief you get from pot is, It slightly dulls the nerves and dulls down the pain so you can cope with everyday living the at nonpain sufferers enjoy everyday. You get tired of taking all the pills the medical proffesion offers, you just want some relief. If this causes mental illness, then how do you explain all the schizophrenics who have never done drugs of alchol?

Eric L
said
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I myself have O.C.D and dissasociation dissorder and mood swings... And i have been smoking Marijuana since 14 yrs old! And i am currently on meds for my conditions, and have tried many! And to this day, and have never found anything to releive my symptoms like Marijuana has!!! It calms down my racing thinking, and makes me more able to deal with society on a regular basis!!! The only darn problem is, that its still illegal... Come on Gov...

Ron from Georgetown
said
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Less pain, less short term memory and a huge need to order pizza.

PVT
said
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Smoking weed reduces pain? It also reduces the capacity for logic and work ethic. Give a bunch of hypochondriacs medically prescribed hippy lettuce and all you will get in return is more people on welfare.

Albertaboy111
said
0 0

works on my sciatica. And has the added benefit (when eaten or vaporized) of causing no harm to the body. The same cannot be said for the drugs I was given by the doctor that cause severe damage to the stomach, liver, and kidneys. But hey, what do I know, I ain't no fancy politician what knows whats best for all us dumb folk. Especially what we's should and shuldnt put in are own that there bodies. I'm just a dumb citizen, good thinkin not listening to my type.

Canadian Soldier
said
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If only the serious issues could get contested as hotly as a debate over the attributes of THC....... I, like many, live in chronic pain from years of physical overtasking, which has resulted in sleep loss, etc, yet I have never resorted to illegal drugs to ease my mind or temporarily make me forget about my troubles, however I do think that I possibly suffer from mental illness as I fight to protect the rights of you who want to whine about everything you can't have. What's next - "E" should be legalized as it's the next erectile dysfunction cure??? However, the fact that the Canadian government is allowing marijuana to be used as a prescription should already be a beacon of hope to you simpletons who think Mary Jane is the saviour of mankind. If marijuana is to be legalized it should be restricted to prescription medication not for general public consumption. And like alcohol or other prescription meds it should be policed the same - if you are caught operating a motor vehicle you will be charged with impaired driving, just like other medications that can cause impairment. Everyone benefits and you guys can move on to your next useless crusade.......

OXYCODENE ANYONE?
said
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I am 53 granny and have never smoked pot... but I truly wish that when I hurt my back , the doctor would have thought to offer me a joint instead of the Hill Billy Heroin he got me hooked on...... Oxycodene...... legally prescribe , doctor recommended ....and it will kill ya!

suffering in Idaho
said
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Good article. Opiates have a pain relieving action that is indirect, just like cannabis. They don't necessarily address the pain as much as distract you from it. Who cares anyway? Relief is welcome regardless.

And euphoria being portrayed as a negative side effect is ludicrous!

There is no link between cannabis and mental illness. Some people are obsessive by nature and that is a recognized fact in the mental health industry. Pot makes you feel good and feeling good is something people obsess over. I've been a toker for 40 years and have known thousands of users and none of then were psyco from their pot use. Now, when you throw booze into the mix, it it a completely different story. Pot with booze makes you a worse driver than booze alone, but pot alone makes you a safer driver. Pot with cigarettes causes more lung ailments than cigarettes alone, but pot alone is actually therapeutic for lung ailments. These are facts discovered in clinical studies. I'm not surprised about booze and pot, but it's a shocker that pot alone is actually beneficial to lung cancer patients.

JJ
said
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Long term pot use will give you emphasema, extreme laziness, and phsycosis. Recreational is less destructive however many people do turn chronic. Legalization will lead to more tax revenue, rehabilitation assistance for those who want it, and will deal a severe blow to organized crime.

TJ
said
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Actually legal narcotics such as hydromorphone, morphine are still the best option as they are not carcinogenic immunosuppressants . Pot smoking is five times more carcinogenic than tobacco. It also suppresses the effectiveness of killer B and C cells of your immune system to fight off infection and cancer . Like tobacco, it hardens your arteries and makes one more prone to heart attack and stroke and cancer of the oropharyngeal tract.

ts
said
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Oxycontin kills the pain right away......

Ken
said
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People are confused with marijuana for medical purposes (Chronic Pain) and marijuana for recreational purposes. There are people out there with Chronic Pain and who have tried most of the prescription pain meds and then had to stop using them because of the severe side effects/adverse reactions or they simply didn't work. When a person has Chronic Pain, they will try anything to dull/remove the pain. Real Chronic Pain not stubbed your toe or have a hang nail but a real medical condition of Chronic Pain. I hope they conduct a larger study soon maybe some doctors would then be more open to prescribing it then. However, the pharmaceutical companies have a major interest if it doesn't. The major drug companies would lose million$ if doctors & specialists started prescribing medical marijuana instead of Oxycontin (hillbilly heroin).Fact is, every drug can cause a side effect or adverse reaction but many don't work, so a patient has to become a guinea pig trying drug after drug and your doctor hoping one works and if not prescribe another. When he/she has had enough they turn to street drug marijuana and funny enough marijuana works far better than If this study shows marijuana is an effect drug for Chronic Pain ... doctors should start prescribing it and complete Health Canada's Medical Marijuana forms.And, as someone who has been prescribed just about every pain med for Chronic Pain and none were effective compared to Marijuana for pain relief. I like many other Canadians have been forced to use illegal sources of Marijuana for pain relief.The study shows it works for Chronic Pain. This is NOT about recreational use marijuana.

Peter
said
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"Marijuana is a hallucinogen and it alters the perception of the user. It has its sedative, mind-altering and euphoric effects."

No. MJ is neither a hallucinogen nor a mind-altering drug.

"Therefore, since it alters the perception of the user and makes the person euphoric, then the user thinks that the pain is relieved."

No, like codine and morphine MJ is psycho-active. That is to say it tells the mind to quit receiving pain signals. If you feel that's 'fake' pain relief then by all means feel free to refuse anesthetic before your next operation since it works essentially the same way.

"Marijuana is a depressant and is not a stimulant. Stimulants like alcohol, caffeine makes you active and aggressive."

Alcohol is not a stimulant, it's a depressant.

tij
said
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Marijuana is a hallucinogen and it alters the perception of the user. It has its sedative, mind-altering and euphoric effects. Therefore, since it alters the perception of the user and makes the person euphoric, then the user thinks that the pain is relieved.
Marijuana is a depressant and is not a stimulant. Stimulants like alcohol, caffeine makes you active and aggressive. Marijuana makes you sleepy and stoned to the point where the user stares blankly into whatever catches his/her attention.

I heard that cocaine, LSD, and meth will take away all your pain also and will make you happy. The pot thing is really BIG news. Duh!

JB in Ontario
said
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Too bad the substance is illegal.

Jennifer Wilson
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As a cancer survivor who has had my nerves damaged from chemotherapy, I'm telling you that there is no pain reliever out there for this kind of pain.The medical community didn't mind destroying my body from chemo drugs but they question me when I want to smoke a plant that grows in the wild to help ease the side effects from their man made drugs.

For those of you who think that pot makes people "crazy" take a look in the mirror after you have had a drink or two or three or four. I'd rather hand with the people on pot than alchohol. Pot doesn't change your mind set and doesn't make you feel invincible. Pot won't make you get into your car and kill someone, pot won't give you the courage to you beat on your mate or someone who looks at you the wrong way. Come on, seriously give your head a shake.

Robert Branning
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Pot can be put in food which is much safer and doesn't effect your lungs. These Scientists should at least do a study with health in mind not just smoking. There are many drugs produced today that have bad side effects such as destroying your kidneys and a person would expect studies not sponsored by drug companies or the drug industry.

Tom
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@Prof Pye Chart From reading your comment you know absolutely nothing about marijuana, it has been proven THC works in preventing throat & neck cancers. Was your friend a tobacco smoker? New studies show THC acts more as an anti cancer agent & was used in Spain last year to cure brain cancer. Please educate yourself on the topic before you comment, google medical marijuana, look outside of Canada health because European countries have done more research on positive effects than we have in Canada & the US.

Angel
said
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well duh!
of course it helps, and its not as addictive as the rest of the pharms made from opiates!
My mom at 75 is on more drugs than pot could shake a leaf at! Benzos plus t3s plus sleeping pills and gaba, and other sedatives plus the dr knows she is an alchy......tell me a joint would not be better than all that crap in her system and teh sides she gets omg.....pot has no sides and for many is NOT addictive. Yes there are some who should not and cannot smoke it but hey some of us cannot eat peppers or are allergic to pollen while otehrs not.....we are all different in our chemical balance and this can help some balance themselves adn not haev to be on oxy, perks....geez humans are sooo behind!

whatstheharm
said
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Why does everyone keep using the word "drug". Marijuana is just a plant that grows all around the world and if you so happen to light it on fire your stress and anxiety seem to disappear for a short period of time. I have smoked marijuana for years and I never smoke cigarettes, in fact when I tried to start smoking cigarettes my lungs hated me. There is a difference between smoking a pipe once a day and smoking a whole pack of cigarettes. As for the medical purposes, a pipe a day will keep the doctor away.. Keep that in mind when our health care system is so overwhelmed with our aging baby boomers. Grow your own fix.

dram2500
said
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ANYONE KNOW OF ANY CHRONIC PAIN RELIEF FORUMS OR GROUPS IN ONTARIO THAT PEOPLE CAN JOIN??????? IF NO, THEN THERE SHOULD BE A GROUP AND/OR FORUM STARTED IN EVERY PROVINCE/STATE. I would like to find others to talk to, I am on Methadone and Morphine and would welcome a study like this that I could join to see if it would help me, since I am only 40 and can barely walk anymore, since the useless Canadian Medical System sucks............

Wayne
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I got the solution.Simple, oh so simple. Have the show Myth Busters do a run on alcohol vs marijuana. Have them both consume a certain amount predetermined that would cause intoxication. Then attempt to perform a number of motor and cognitive tasks.They have gotten drunk on the show before... a little THC won't hurt.Should be a "hoot".

Wayne
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Having the experience of use before an injury causing for me severe pain, I believe I can attest to the effects of marijuana consumption.Initially I was prescribed percs, than oxycontin, which in my estimation is a very dangerous, highly addictive drug. I switched to morphine, which eliminated a host of undesireable sideeffects from the oxy. If it wasn't for marijuana, I would likely still be on oxy or dead. It helped make the switch to morphine, and then month by month cut my dose in half each time. Currently I am taking about 5% of what I did, when on Oxy.As for the mental illness, I would have to suggest that for some, it could very well set off problems when people who chronically smoke don't keep things into a rational perspective.As for lung cancer, though I have heard those claims previously, there exists no scientific proof. When tobacco is combusted, an additional 3600 new chemicals are created, a number of them highly carcinogenic in nature.There are many benefits to the consumption of marijuana, either by smoking, vapourizing, or eating. The seeds are rich in vitamins. The oil that can be derived from the seeds has many uses, such as a preferred replacement to linseed oil. Consumption has provided many with relief from terminal illness pains, and discomfort. Helps with glaucoma, asthma, etc. Cancer sufferers can alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy, which is very beneficial in combating the illness.It has a very long history of use from ancient Russian tribesman, to famous forefathers, of the US. Remeber Washington concerned about missing the sexing of his crop at the "Muddy Bog".In the end it is all about moderation.

Steve
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In response to what Drew in T.O said:

Marijuana does not cause lung cancer. I challenge you to find any evidence to back up your claim. No one has ever gotten lung cancer from marijuana use alone. Also, marijuana does not have to be smoked to recieve it's benefits. Marijuana can be vaporised which is much healthier for the lungs. It can also be cooked and put in various forms of food and that works too. I've even seen medical marijuana dispensaries that have it spray form were you just squirt it on your tounge and that works as well.

Nathalie
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I wish people would realize that cannabis is less bad then the prescription drug cause there's less addiction. I've know people who've taking oxy and other pain killer and got addicticted and I garantie you it's far worst to get off. Prescription drugs are the leading problem in society not pot. I'd rather see someone who's to lazy to get of the couch then see someone who's commiting crimes to get there fix. But I guess since Harper makes the rules (his words not mine) we'll be stuck fithing a endless battle.

Recovered Pot Smoker
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I haven�t smoked pot in 10 years but was addicted to it for 30 years prier. I can tell you that aside from the few mental illness triggers mentioned above there are no long term mental side effects. There are however some fairly severe short term side effects like reduced thinking power and short term memory problems even after sobering up. The worst part of smoking pot is the lung and heart diseases associated with it. Pot is nasty tar ridden stuff when smoked. I always wished there was a smokeless inhaler available. The one benefit I recall was a cold medicine. Smoking pot really dries you out. Overall I certainly don�t miss it and am much healthier and better off without it and will never take it up again. The withdrawal symptoms were fairly severe too especially sleeping at night. I recall severe body temperature fluctuations that lasted about two months. People and society are better off with out it but like I think this should be a personal choice as long as it�s regulated.

Nanner67
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The government(s) would LOSE, LOSE, LOSE alot of their income from the people. Pot can be used for many purposes other than smoking it to get high. It's an extremely useful plant. It has a bum rap because of the paranoids that listen to whatever the government(s) and TV has to say about it. Quit being such followers and start looking into these things yourselves. Duh! btw, I don't smoke it.

David
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Anyone with half a brain already knew the healing benefits of pot. I'm 61 years old and I have been a daily toker since 1968 and I never felt better in my life. I have absolutely no physical of any kind. McGuinty and Harper were a couple of tit sucking mamas boys who although smoked pot didn't have the guts when they were in office to legalize it. They didn't want to offend their bosses in the White House. Our country is a haven where terrorists get first class treatment and a worry free abode to stage their terror. The days of gutless weenies running the country must stop.

Prof. Pye Chartt
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Would you desperately ignorant armchair clods (who always jump into the marijuana "debate" like you're licensed medical practitioners) quit suggesting that smoking marijuana cannot cause cancer. It can. I know an individual (a successful 45-year-old businessperson) whose top-ranking oncologist in Toronto attributed his particular throat cancer to smoking cannabis regularly for years. (This individual seldom rolled his joints, so spare me the "paper" argument.) Smoking ANYTHING is a recipe for damaging your respiratory tract/system. Smoking marijuana is NOT entirely "safe." (Aside: Also spare me what I call the "brownie" argument, that the medicinal-type effects of marijuana can be equally experienced via any non-smoking method. Researchers conducting this study PURPOSELY chose to examine the smoking of cannabis, as it is believed to offer the greatest, most effective usage benefit relating to pain. Ultimately, this study confirms that which we already know...which includes the fact that other drugs, such as alcohol, also play a role in pain reduction and relief (albeit a lesser one). Contrary to the overenthusiastic assertions of potheads, marijuana isn't monumentally unique and magical. (As a libertarian, I support the legalization of cannabis, however.) Like many, I'm a tad tired of the fanatical supporters of marijuana use and legalization continually insisting that unless you partake daily, you're not "informed" and "experienced" enough to enter any surrounding debate. Give it up, folks. You don't need to be a regular adult "user" to grasp the societal issue. (We all indulged, from time to time, in highschool and/or university.)

Jillian Galloway
said
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$113 billion is spent on marijuana every year in the U.S., and because of the prohibition *every* dollar of it goes straight into the hands of criminals. Far from preventing people from using marijuana, the prohibition instead creates zero legal supply amid massive and unrelenting demand.

According to the ONDCP, two-thirds of the Mexican drug cartel's money comes from selling marijuana in the U.S., and they protect this cash flow by brutally torturing, murdering and dismembering thousands of innocent people.

If we can STOP people using marijuana then we need to do so now, but if we can't then we need to legalize the production and sale of marijuana to adults with after-tax prices set too low for the cartels to match. One way or the other, we have to force the cartels out of the marijuana market and eliminate their highly lucrative marijuana incomes - no business can withstand the loss of two-thirds of its revenue!

To date, the cartels have amassed more than 100,000 "foot soldiers" and operate in 230 U.S. cities, and the longer they're able to exploit the prohibition the more powerful they'll get and the more our own personal security is put in jeopardy.

Mark
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There is research linking marijuana and schizophrenia, but cause and effect has not been established. Schizophrenics seem to get some type of pain relief from the drug, perhaps more so than other people, but at the same time it seems to increase the mental disorganization that occurs in schizophrenia. Interestingly, the artificail cannabinoid receptor agonist, JWH-018, which is legal to possess in some states, seems to reduce the body pain of schizophrenia without nearly so much lingering confusion as compated to marijuana.

william30035@earthlink.net
said
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People with mental illness will have problems with most drugs including alcohol.

James
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I agree with legalize pot for pain management. For those in chronic pain, give them whatever is required to ease that pain, or kill them and be done with. Euthanasia should be preferable to government approved torture, which is what you are doing by denying those that need the pain management the drugs necessary to do so. I recall my mother many years ago having a...unique conversation with a doctor that was more concerned about too many pain killers for my aunt - dying of cancer - then he was the pain she was in. After the color returned the doc's face, he gave the order to use as many narcotics as were required to alievate the pain, and my aunt's last days were eased, and she could focus on saying "Good Bye", relaying what knowledge and wisdon she had left to give. For those that have never suffered from chronic pain, yet feel the need to deny it to those that do, you disgust me. May Fate show you the same consideration you show others.

Paul
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@ James Bradford: irresponsible pothead? Do I have to start listing all the accomplished, famous, and decorated people who have and still do smoke pot? Also, when you make a comment like that, you completely discount exactly what the point of the article is: pot relieves pain! So, it looks like you could care less if something provides relief to those who are feeling pain, if it makes them a "pothead". hater

chel in the Peg
said
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Pain relief is pain relief - whether it's real or imagined is irrelevent. Smoking pot for pain is preferable to the opiods/narcotics (oxycontin, anyone?) that are currently over-prescribed by far too many physicians for minor pain complaints and are costing our public and private drug plans a fortune. Pot has provided me with much relief for arthritic pain in my hands; prescription drugs gave me ulcers. Legalize, sell it liquor stores, and tax it to keep the government happy. One more thing: I'd rather be in a room full of potheads than a room full of drunks.

Tod
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It boobles my mind why marijuana is illegal when the most dangerous & destructive drug is legal. Of the adult US population, at least 75% are drinkers; and about 6% of the total group are alcoholics. In groups which are almost 100% drinkers, the alcoholism rate is about 8%. Many reports state that about 73% of felonies are alcohol-related. One survey shows that in about 67% of child-beating cases, 41% of forcible rape cases, 80% of wife-battering, 72% of stabbings, and 83% of homicides, either the attacker or the victim or both had been drinking. Most people locked up for violent crime were drinking booze. People that get locked up for drugs only because drugs are illegal, no other drugs steals the mind like alcohol does.

Peter
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"And the point of this is? Society doesn't need one more irresponsible pothead. We have enough dopes around as it is"(sigh) Why do people like this even bother to comment?This isn't about 'irresponsible potheads' any more than getting a local procaine (cocaine derivative) anethstetic when you go to the dentist or get put under when you go to surgery by opiate derivatives.It's about accurately and without bias, assessing the possible value of a plant to the medical world and people.Attitudes like yours, so blind to reality and hopelessly mired in stereotypes you don't really know anything about would've doomed us all to still using ether or biting down on bullets for pain relief and surgery to this day.

Ryley (SK)
said
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There will be a debate on this issue for several years Im sure. I do not smoke and never will, but I will never point my finger at those who do. I would like to make a point that the pharmaceutical industry is not the answer to a persons problems either, as the side effects can be equally destructive. Directed to the whiners, Live with cronic pain for a decade or two then reconsider your view point. Last point, like the alcohol and tobacco industry, a heavily taxed pot industry would sure help fund our hospitals and deficit.

Peter
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"Does it really reduce the pain or do you not feel the pain because you are stoned?"Um. There's no difference. Morphine does the exact same thing: Reduced or eliminates pain as part and parcel of the same process that makes one 'stoned'.

Peter
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Mintie: "the son of a co-worker has schizophrenia and because there is NO mental illness whatsoever in his family, his marijuana consumption is being blamed....Think about THAT!I know I'll get some angry replies, but look it up, it's true!"Since there's zero research here then there's zero evidence, merely a convoluted guess. Did he also have zits? Was marijuana blamed for the zits?Considering in the documentary you speak of no one anywhere calls a link between schizophrenia as 'true', they merely bring up the question, then one wonders why you would call it 'true' and hold it as the final word.Truth is no research can properly be trusted on this drug because of all the politics involved. Opiates and Coca all had the advantage of being studied before large numbers of Europeans started using them as a recreational drug. As a result research was done with much less interference by politics, and because of that the substances were properly studies and the result was an entire library of drugs and pain relievers that revolutionized medicine and surgery.Maybe, (maybe) MJ does have a link to schizophrenia but your willingness to accept that as fact based on a documentary that nowhere actually claims proper scientific research was done on the subject is exactly what I'm talking about. I don't mean that as a finger wag in your direction, just an example of how people continue to treat this as a 'drug' without realizing just how much we legitimately rely on substances and drugs world wide.

Craig in Calgary
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The government should never consider legalizing this drug because then in effect, they are saying that using drugs is okay.

Denny, Manchester
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W Gainer - Completely agree, all negative comments from people who have never experienced the crippling effects of chronic pain. My gf has lived with chronic pain for 10 years. Im talking pain in both legs tht she describes as constantly being submerged in boiling water while having electric shot spasms shooting up her legs. She has been on all sorts of different pain meds with varying side effects from becoming suicidal to nearly going blind. Most reduce her pain by 1-2 points on a scale out of 10. So without meds the pain is between 8-10. With meds its about a 7. Even with meds she is reduced to getting around with crutchs for small journeys (25 meters max) and a wheelchair for anything else.

About 6 years ago i persuaded her to give pot a go as nothing else was working (it was about 5 weeks after having her gall bladder removed because of the pain meds she was on). Guess what, immediate releif!! Were talking pain levels dropping to a 4-5. She was able to sleep properly for the first time in years. She got a job as an editor of a political health magazine and was able to reduce the benefits she was on by working and contributing to society again.

She still smokes it now, her doctors all agree that pot is the best thing for her by far and another guess what, she has not gone mad and she has not developed cancer, although she has said it wouldn't be such a bad thing as at least then there is an end to the pain.

We need to stop being so close minded and have proper research into this plant as it could hold the key to improving so many peoples quality of life!

penny
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Do you not think people get high off percocets, oxycontin, etc when used for pain relief? Why the big worry over they receive a head rush or not? Other than local anesthesia, everything gives a head buzz.Our gov and laws really need to move to the will of the people...think of the taxes we'd recoup and drop in crime due to less street dealers...I say we legalize pot and outlaw alcohol...;)

Spiltbongwater
said
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Pot is the answer, but does anybody remember the question?

James miramichi nb
said
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smoking marijuana does not cause cancer!. Tobacco causes cancer,period.Excessive alcohol consumption causes cancer especially in women.There has to be a preexisting condition for marijuana to trigger schizophrenia.If these people did not use marijuana the schizophrenia will be triggered by something else anyway.For the most part most citizens dont understand why weed is illegal . Very simple , pharmaceutical companys cant make as much money selling you harmful synthetic drugs when there is a naturally occuring beneficial medicine (marijuana) .This has been a benefit to all races of humans since its discovery (approximately 10,000 years ago) People, wake up .Your poisoning yourselves and the earth with uneccessary chemicals.Big government doesnt want you to know these things!

don
said
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Dear Government...please stop wasting my taxes on useless research like this...please

Jim in Ottawa
said
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So what? It doesn't change the fact that inhaling smoke of any kind is bad for your lungs, for the lungs are simply not designed to process smoke: they are equipped to transfer oxygen to the blood. I suspect this study has been tainted by "legalization propaganda" rather than addressing the full medical side-effects of marijunana smoking, such as lung cancer (which incidentally is quite painful as I understand it).

Dave
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@Mintie I have smoked marijuana daily for 38 years, I lived 25 years in hell battling alcohol addiction, after 25 years I gave up on the doctors & used marijuana to do what the doctors had been trying to do with antidepressants. Alcohol destroyed my sleep as it does in most alcoholics & the anxiety that I suffered was unbearable. 6 years ago I started using marijuana as an antidepressant, to help with sleep & anxiety. I haven't had a drink in 6 years. Alcohol was the gateway drug that led me to all the illegal drugs. I found the most dangerous & destructive drug was alcohol & Mintie, my brain works the same as it did before I started smoking pot.

Stu
said
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This is old news, but not recognized by many doctors. I'm prescribed marijuana for chronic insomnia, may doctor told me there is no other medication that is as safe. If you look in wikipedea, they used high doses of marijuana to cure brain cancer & it says marijuana works better for Alzheimer's than the currently approved drugs.

thetruth1028@yahoo.com
said
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....Right like alcohol is any better.... Drunk vs. Stoned off pot...I bet a strong case could be made for the negative effects of alcohol being worse.

Richard in New Brunswick
said
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These inane prohibitions in our society relating especially to drugs remind me of the old adage: The English didn't ban bear-bating because it did so much damage to the bears: they banned it because it gave so much pleasure to the onlookers!It all depends on whose ox is being gored, doesn't it? Those who have never experienced chronic, relentless pain seem to be the ones beaking off the loudest on the nay side. Clearly these people have no idea what they're talking about but that profound ignorance doesn't stop them from somehow having huge clout with the spineless politicians who actually get to vote on these things.I've never been able to understand why governments haven't jumped on the opportunity to tax (steal) even more of our money by legalizing/regulating (as they do alcohol & tobacco) not only marijuana but all the popular mind-altering substances (easily available in any city in Canada in spite of the billions blown on the completely ineffective War on Drugs.)Hell, the arrogant-in-Ottawa don't hesitate to make illegal all sorts of other pleasures, especially the ones they can successfully control and prosecute, thereby handing windfall profits to those employed in what we laughably call the "Justice System" so what's stopping them on this issue?My fundamental belief is that it's "all about the money." Usually you just have to follow the dollar to find the answer to "why?" But this one baffles me. Couldn't be that the hugely influential pharmaceutical companies, who make a killing on a whole slew of prescription (expensive) pain-killing concoctions can't get a patent (make a killing) on marijuana, could it? And that people might opt for a few dollars worth of pot instead of having to take out a mortgage to buy Dilaudid or other legal (read controlled) opiates?

Diane
said
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Schizophrenia induced by smoking cannabis? The research into cannabis induced mental disorders should be cause for alarm. However, irresponsible people ALWAYS choose denial over the evidence or known truth and believe only that which they want to believe in order to support their misguided beliefs which serves their chosen worldview...."and furthermore Martha, there is no God or a day of judgment because I decided it doesn't exist therefore it doesn't".

Ryan
said
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Most medical Dr's don't know much about the electrical nature of our bodies. For cells to heal and replicate they have to get to -50 mili hz. Cells operate and communicate at -20 to -25. Cancer = -35, not normal and not replicating. Get smart folks. PH and electrical conductivity are core to your healthy immune system. The burning sensation that some reported may have been healing in the cells. (-50) Check it out Doc.

pilgrimomega
said
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It says in the article that it's been used since the third millenium BC, but modern man still needs more MONEY to conduct more RESEARCH. Five thousand years isn't enough?

W gainer
said
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Wow--Many comments about mental illness if you smoke pot for pain. It's plain to see not many have experienced chronic pain. Lets see--You have pain from morning until night. Sometimes it is unbearable and sometimes it is a little less, but it never goes away. You have a hard time sleeping because of it and you only sleep in fits and snatches because the pain wakes you up. I know someone like this and I know just what she'd give for the pain just to go away for a little while.Worry about mental illness--I don't think so and if you were in that situation neither would you. It just doesn't fly. There is no proof that pot does cause mental illness in someone who uses it for pain. The only studies that have been done at all is with recreational users. This study said that the dosage was low and it did not cause a "high "in the patients, so the 2 scenarios are altogether different.

Sam
said
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In reply to Drew In T.O : Name one person who has ever gotten lung cancer from marijuana. I bet a months pay they smoked cigarettes. Watch the movie " The Union "

Paul ,Edmonton
said
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Smoking marijuana relieves pain whether or not it's just because your stoned. Pain relief is pain relief. Objective Achieved.The only people i've seen who develop mental illness from smoking it are the ones who use little moderation. Although I know more hardcore smokers who have stayed 'normal' than I've seen change.Smoking it supposedly puts up to 4 times more tar in your lungs than cigarettes ,smoking weed is only one of several ways of benefiting from this plant.Smoking anything at all I think we can all agree is not good for the lungs. I wish that we could all open our minds to the possibility that cannabis might be beneficial for many who need relief and put more effort into properly understanding it. Too many are afraid of it because it is classified as illegal. We should all remember that just because something is labelled illegal, it shouldn't automatically mean to our minds that is wrong or bad. There is a certain closed-mindedness to that school of thought.

Nala Eras
said
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With all due respect, if we're going to begin the discussion with 3rd subjective anecdotes that still don't prove marijuana actually caused the schizophrenia, I'll raise you with a first hand anecdote...I suppose if there's some truth to the marijuana/schizophrenia correlation I should be hearing voices and flagging down the mother ship by now. One schizophrenic parent, grandparent and began using pot at age 13, and never stopped up to now as I am a prescribed user for the treatment of neuropathic pain from tethered spinal cord.Of course there are people who react adversely to it, it's powerful medicine whether used pharmaceutically or recreationally. There is use and there is abuse, but to "throw out the baby with the dirty bathwater" and ignore cannabis as a legitimate treatment is foolish.Here we have the beginnings of clinical proof of what we have known for years in our hearts.An hour ago before my morning dose I couldn't have been sitting up here responding to your post. Of course I'm just one guy and there are billions of other factors in play that helped me dodge the schizo bullet, but Suzuki's documentary is chock full of sensationalism and subjectivity.Chicken or egg...does cannabis actually cause and intensify schizophrenia or do schizophrenics gravitate to cannabis because they find some relief from their horrors of the disease and/or the many side effects of the anti-psychotic drugs their doctors "warehouse" them on?And lastly, I'll bet you dollars for donuts your friends have a "secret" somewhere in the family to account for the schizophrenia gene.

Sam
said
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A lot of anti-pot advertising gets in the way of legitimate testing such as help with arthritis pain or muscle spasms for MS patients. As someone who has smoked pot for 16 years, I can say the real "gateway" is the dealer, & everyone who starts anything starts with cigarettes. Look how much pain & suffering is caused by alcohol. Drinking & driving, spouse abuse (mentally & physically) & violence. Marijuana has been smoked more than 2000 years & not one person in recorded history has ever died from it. The one true fact that nobody will ever dispute is it makes you lazy (just for the day). We should scrap this HST & Have The Government Sell Pot & convert the income to taxes. $10-$30 Turns Into $300-$600. Or we could allow 2 plants / household & keep it on private property. Then we could get rid of the Black-market Dealer issues. 80% Of Canadians Have Smoked it. 30% smoke it weekly & 15% daily. We don't live in the states, we are Canadian.

christine
said
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This is in response to the lung cancer comment. Marijuana can be ingested (ie-eaten) as well as smoked. It can also be vaporized and inhaled. It is generally the paper used in joints that produces the worst toxins that could have a link to lung cancer. Perhaps you should educate yourself before you get up on your high horse and declare these researchers to be idiots.

Eric Taargus
said
0 0

Lung Cancer? Surely you've done enough research on this topic before posting to know there are more ways than only smoking to benefit from THC.

Russell Barth
said
0 0

doesn't matter. Harper thinks pot is bad, so pot is bad. Pot users are bad, even ones who use it for medical reasons because they are just lying so they can get high. That is what Harper and 37% of the population of this idiocracy thinks.So instead of building greenhouses and research facilities, we will be building 20 new jails and filling them with pot users.Canada. Is. Stupid.

James Bradford
said
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And the point of this is? Society doesn't need one more irresponsible pothead. We have enough dopes around as it is. We also have enough problems dealing with second smoke causing cancers why would we introduce another problem? Those promoting this stuff are very irresponsible and self deluded.

Mark Smith (Montreal PQ)
said
0 0

Mintie, that documentary clearly stated that it was a catalyst for a pre existing albeit latent condition that only affects a few people. They probably would have discovered this condition after drinking their first beer. It was also showing how different chemicals in the marijuana plant have been genetically phased out, which acted as barriers to the catalyst affect. In other words, if marijuana was legalized, the government would be able to control the breeds of plants, ensuring that the chemical balance which has been destroyed through black market grow ops is restored, much the same way the government sets a limit on percentage by volume of alcohol. I fully support legalized marijuana, but when it happens, I expect government regulation. The same rules of where you can consume it should apply. The same oversight over potency and quality control should apply. And the laws against driving intoxicated should most definitely apply. I personally welcome the legalization of Canada's largest untaxed agricultural industry worth many billions of dollars across the country, while saving money and resources of the police so they can go after organized crime and terrorism, which would certainly feel a massive shock after losing billions of dollars per year.

Smith
said
0 0

The benefits are countless, the side effects are few. So why isn't this freely available to anyone who wants/needs it?

Dave
said
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I was chatting with a friend who works for the Senior Medical Advisor at CAMH in Toronto. She mentioned that they have often seen cannabis trigger mental illnesses in those who are already predisposed. Others, not so predisposed were entirely unaffected. That being said, not having mental illness run in the family does not make one immune.

Drew in T.O
said
0 0

Sure less pain more Lung Cancer! Hmmmm Good trade off I think! Idiots

Max
said
0 0

Does it really reduce the pain or do you not feel the pain because you are stoned?

Mintie
said
0 0

We've known that for a long time. BUT!, what about the many studies who now show a link between marijuana and serious mental illness? David Suzuki actually did a documentary about that subject because there is a growing concern....the son of a co-worker has schizophrenia and because there is NO mental illness whatsoever in his family, his marijuana consumption is being blamed....Think about THAT!I know I'll get some angry replies, but look it up, it's true!