Yet another use for medical marijuana: pain relief for those with Multiple sclerosis. A new study found that sufferers who took a marijuana pill or used a spray experienced a reduction in some symptoms, such as spasticity (stiff muscles), pain from spasms, and pain from MS lesions, CNN reported.
Treatment by marijuana did not, however, relieve all symptoms. For example, it was not effective for tremors, sometimes a symptom of MS.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body eats away at the myelin sheath of its nerve cells. Most common in women ages 20 to 40, symptoms are wide spread and inconsistent. They might disappear for months or longer and then return later in life. Sometimes, the patient loses basic motor functions and the ability to speak; other times, there is just a single attack and then a return to normal functioning, according to the Mayo Clinic. Currently, the disease is incurable.
Researchers also tested marijuana against other neurological conditions, such as epilepsy, Huntington's disease, and Tourette's, but didn't find any conclusive results.
Because both MS and marijuana can affect cognitive functioning, researchers wondered whether marijuana exacerbated such symptoms. They weren't, however, able to measure its effects in that area.
"If you have a brain disease like MS, for example, you may already have some depression or cognitive impairment, so we were careful to see if cannabis made this worse," Dr. Barbara Koppel, the primary study author, told CNN.
Experiments like the one conducted by Koppel are important not only for the advancement of MS treatments, but for the advancements of all treatments involving marijuana.
"The society supports the need for more research to better understand the benefits and potential risks of marijuana and its derivatives as a treatment for MS," said Dr. Timothy Coetzee, chief advocacy, services and research officer at the National MS Society. "We intend to work towards removing barriers impeding such research into the use of marijuana for medical purposes. As with any MS therapy, along with its potential benefits come potential side effects that also need to be evaluated."
