Medicinal cannabis should not be buried before it has even had its chance. During a congress, three experts pleaded in favor of work on its therapeutic potential.
Give cannabis a chance. This is the watchword of a round table organized at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting (AAAS), which takes place from February 12 to 16 in San José (California, United States). Experts in pain and cannabis research have debated the benefits of medicinal use of this substance.
Build knowledge
Legally, there is no consensus on the use of cannabis in medicine. France only authorizes one drug, Sativex, in the treatment of muscle pain in multiple sclerosis (it should be marketed in the coming months). In contrast, Germany issues authorizations, on a case-by-case basis, allowing patients to grow their own cannabis.
In the medical community, the same vagueness reigns. Some – including members of the French Academy of Medicine – consider that there is no evidence to justify the therapeutic use of cannabis or its active ingredients. But not all share this opinion: “I do not believe that all doctors should prescribe medical cannabis, or that all patients can benefit from it, but it is time to strengthen our scientific knowledge base and discuss it. informed way with patients, ”said Dr. Mark Ware, Director of Clinical Research in the Pain Management Unit at the McGill University Health Center (Canada). This specialist pleads in favor of in-depth research in the field.
Effects that remain to be proven
Prof. Roger Pertwee, professor of neuropharmacology at the University of Aberdeen (United Kingdom), underlined the strong therapeutic potential of cannabis. “We observed that a non-psychoactive component of cannabis called tetrahydrocannabivarin, better known as THCV, produces anti-schizophrenic effects in a preclinical model of schizophrenia,” recalled the co-discoverer of THCV.
But the literature delivers rather disparate conclusions on therapeutic cannabis. The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has carried out a review of studies comparing the action of cannabis against a placebo, and it rules out any interest in Parkinson’s or Huntington’s diseases, but confirms its effectiveness in multiple sclerosis or overactive bladder.
De-demonize cannabis
A statement came out of this roundtable: the demonization of medical cannabis must end. MRI scans have suggested that, in recreational users, alterations occur in areas of the brain associated with emotions and motivation. “Meta-analyzes of in-depth neurocognitive studies fail to demonstrate significant cognitive decline for recreational users,” objected the director of the Medical Cannabis Research Center at the University of California at San Diego (USA ), Dr Igor Grant. “In addition, in brain imaging, the results are variable and the best-designed studies show no effects. “
On the French side, Prof. Amine Benyamina, addictologist at Paul-Brousse hospital (Villejuif, Val-de-Marne) adopted a similar posture in The world (subscribers edition). “It is a shame to condemn cannabis without having experienced it, or to draw conclusions from studies that do not meet quality standards, as is often the case,” laments this specialist. “In addition to THC, which is mainly responsible for psychotropic effects, cannabis contains around a hundred cannabinoids, the effects of which are exerted on several levels. “
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