{"id":84075,"date":"2019-07-23T12:15:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T16:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=84075"},"modified":"2019-07-23T18:07:20","modified_gmt":"2019-07-23T22:07:20","slug":"usa-today-doctors-and-patients-are-flying-blind-as-medical-marijuana-use-rises-research-lags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kendallharmon.net\/?p=84075","title":{"rendered":"(USA Today) Seth Ginsburg–Doctors and patients are flying blind as medical marijuana use rises, research lags"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marijuana\u2019s role in the health care universe has grown exponentially over the past few years. Currently, 33 U.S. states have legalized<\/a> the use of medical marijuana, and more and more states are considering making it legal for recreational purposes as well. As cannabis becomes more accessible<\/a>, many people are turning to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) products to treat health issues like rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (the aches and pains of arthritis).<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, because cannabis remains illegal and classified as a Schedule 1 drug<\/a>under federal law (defined as being of no medical use), there has been a troublinglack of scientific and medical research<\/a> on the effectiveness of cannabis treatments. This dearth of evidence-based data has left many health care providers unable to counsel their patients<\/a> on everything from whether a cannabis treatment could be effective for their condition, to what dosages are appropriate, to how cannabis might interact with their other medications or health conditions.<\/p>\n

This lack of information hasn\u2019t stopped patients from exploring the use of cannabis treatments on their own, as marijuana becomes available, if not ubiquitous, in more states. The online arthritis patient community CreakyJoints<\/a>, which I co-founded, recently conducted a studyof its ArthritisPower registry and found that more than half of arthritis patients<\/a> have tried marijuana or cannabidiol products for medical purposes. However, the study also found that only two-thirds of these patients reported telling their health care provider about their use. So many patients are flying completely blind while trying cannabis related treatments without any awareness by, or input from, their doctor.<\/p>\n

Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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If Marijuana is the cure, where\u2019s the research? https:\/\/t.co\/iklBP5a2VY<\/a> via @SethSaidSo<\/a> #THC<\/a> #CBD<\/a> \u201cThe most valuable information is not publicly available to inform doctors about what might or might not work for patients\u201d #ClinicalResearch<\/a> #LetsBeBlunt<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ClinicalBid (@ClinicalBid) July 23, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n