chronic pain Archives - TheJointBlog

Legislation Allowing Medical Cannabis for PTSD and Chronic Pain Approved by New Hampshire Legislature

May 11, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

A measure allowing medical cannabis for post traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain has been approved by New Hampshire’s Senate.

The legislation has already been approved by the state’s House of Representatives; it will soon be sent to Governor Chris Sununu for consideration.

The proposed law would allow those with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain to become legal medical cannabis patients by adding the conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program. Those with PTSD or chronic pain would first need to receive a recommendation from a physician, and register with the state, before they can legally purchase, possess and use cannabis for medical purposes; this is the case with all other qualifying medical conditions.

New Hampshire Committee Votes to Allow Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain and PTSD

February 23, 2017 by Anthony Martinelli

A legislative committee in New Hampshire has given approval to two bills that would expand the state’s medical marijuana law.

The House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee voted 12 to 6 to add chronic pain as a condition that qualifies someone to legally use marijuana for medical purposes. The committee also voted to add post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a qualifying condition, though the vote was considerably closer; 9 to 8.

The current list of qualifying medical cannabis conditions in New Hampshire includes:

New York to Add Chronic Pain as Qualifying Medical Cannabis Condition

December 2, 2016December 2, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

New York’s Health Department has announced that chronic pain will soon become a qualifying medical cannabis condition.

Once the change takes effect chronic pain will become the most far-reaching medical cannabis condition in the state in terms of the number of people it effects.

“After conducting a thorough review of the scientific literature it became clear that there may be certain benefits in the use of medical marijuana by patients suffering from chronic pain”; Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said in press release. “Medical marijuana is already helping thousands of patients across New York State, and adding chronic pain as a qualifying condition will help more patients and further strengthen the program.”

Vermont Governor Signs Legislation Adding Glaucoma, Chronic Pain as Medical Cannabis Conditions

June 8, 2016 by Anthony Martinelli

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin has signed Senate Bill 0014 into law, expanding the state’s medical cannabis program to include more qualifying conditions.

Under the new law, which goes into full effect on July 1st, those with glaucoma, chronic pain, and patients under hospice care will be allowed to become legal medical cannabis patients, which means they can purchase, possess and use cannabis and cannabis products for medical use if they receive a recommendation from a physician. This has already been the case for those with a variety of conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and severe nausea.

Illinois Panel Approves Medical Cannabis Use for Eight New Conditions

October 7, 2015 by Anthony Martinelli

By Associated Press

An advisory board voted Wednesday to add eight health conditions — including chronic pain syndrome, autism, osteoarthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder — to the list of illnesses that can be treated by medical marijuana in Illinois.

The state’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Board had expressed frustration last month when Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration rejected its first 11 suggestions for expanding the list of medical conditions. Osteoarthritis and PTSD were on that earlier list, so Wednesday’s votes reaffirmed the board’s viewpoint and put the matter back in Rauner’s hands.

Study: Daily Cannabis Use For Chronic Pain Is Safe and Effective

September 22, 2015September 21, 2015 by Anthony Martinelli

By Paul Armentano, NORML

Chronic pain patients who use herbal cannabis daily for one-year report reduced discomfort and increased quality of life compared to controls, and do not experience an increased risk of serious side effects, according to clinical data published online ahead of print in the Journal of Pain.

Researchers at McGill University in Montreal assessed the long-term health of 216 medicinal cannabis users with chronic non-cancer pain who consumed a daily standardized dose (12.5 percent THC) of herbal cannabis compared to 215 controls (chronic pain suffers who did not use cannabis). Subjects in study were approved by Health Canada to legally use medicinal cannabis and consumed, on average, 2.5 grams of herb per day, typically via inhalation or vaporization.

New Metastudy Finds Evidence that Cannabis is a Safe, Effective Treatment for Chronic Pain

March 23, 2015 by Anthony Martinelli

A new metastudy of numerous randomized controlled trials has found that cannabis is a safe, effective treatment for chronic pain. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, and was published online Monday by the National Institute of Health.

The study, conducted by researchers at Pharmacology Dalhousie University‘s Departments of Anesthesiology in Canada, was an “updated systematic review of randomized controlled trials examining cannabinoids in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews reporting on health care outcomes”, according to the study’s abstract.

Study: Cannabis Can Help Treat Chronic Pain, Does So Better Than Opioids Alone

January 29, 2015January 28, 2015 by Anthony Martinelli

A study published recently by the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, and published online by the National Institute of Health, has found that cannabis use for pain relief purposes is common among people living with chronic pain, and users report greater pain relieving effects when using cannabis than when using just opioids.

The study included 1514 people living in Australia who had been prescribed pharmaceutical opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. According to researchers; “Data on cannabis use, ICD-10 cannabis use disorder and cannabis use for pain were collected. We explored associations between demographic, pain and other patient characteristics and cannabis use for pain.”