Saturday June 21, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- The overwhelming majority of patients with terminal diseases like cancer and AIDS use medical cannabis or medical marijuana as an effective painkiller.  A survey recently published in Hawaii Journal of Medicine and Public Health confirms that 97% medical cannabis users use the drug to ease their pain.  

The survey finds medical cannabis can relieve chronic pain by 64% on average.  The survey involved 100 patients who were returning for annual recertification for medical cannabis use in Hawaii.

Additionally, 50% of all medical cannabis users surveyed reported relief from stress/anxiety and 45% reported relief from insomnia.

Most patients (71%) reported that smoking medical cannabis did not cause any adverse effects while 6% reported a cough or throat irritation.  No serious adverse effects were reported.

About 23 states allow use of medical cannabis while the U.S. federal government bans use of medical cannabis.  

About 5% patients surveyed said they feared arrest even though they used medical cannabis in a state where smoking medical cannabis is legal by state law.

The survey report concludes "These results suggest that Cannabis is an extremely safe and effective medication for many chronic pain patients. Cannabis appears to alleviate pain, insomnia, and may be helpful in relieving anxiety."

"Cannabis has shown extreme promise in the treatment of numerous medical problems and deserves to be released from the current Schedule I federal prohibition against research and prescription."

A number of medical associations endorse use of medical cannabis including The American Medical Association, The American College of Physicians and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

States that allow medical cannabis include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

Cannabis has been used to reduce nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy and treat people with AIDS, and to ease pain and muscle spasticity and multiple sclerosis.

Research is ongoing to examine the effect of medical cannabis or its active compounds cannabinoids against cancer, dementia, epilepsy, glaucoma and Tourette syndrome. (David Liu)

Reference:  Webb CW, Webb SM.  Therapeutic benefits of cannabis: a patient survey.  Hawaii J Med Public Health. 2014 Apr;73(4):109-11.