Oncology Clinicians and the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program: A Survey on Medical Cannabis Practice Patterns, Barriers to Enrollment, and Educational Needs

Background: Medical cannabis has been available in the State of Minnesota since July 2015 through the Minnesota Medical CannabisProgram (MMCP). Objectives: Our study aimed to delineate oncology providers’ views on medical cannabis, identify barriers to patient enrollment, and assess clinicians’ interest in a clinical trial of medical cannabis in patients with stage IV cancer. This study illustrates a clear need to give clinicians both data and education to guide their discussions about the benefits, risks, and cost considerations of using medical cannabis for cancer-related symptoms.

Epilepsy and Cannabis: A Literature Review

Epilepsy is considered to be one of the most common non-communicable neurological diseases especially in low to middle-income countries. Approximately one-third of patients with epilepsy have seizures that are resistant to antiepileptic medications. Clinical trials for the treatment of medically refractory epilepsy have mostly focused on new drug treatments, and result in a significant portion of subjects whose seizures remain refractory to medication.

The level of evidence of medical marijuana use for treating disabilities: a scoping review

Forty-one peer reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. Articles focused on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, schizophrenia, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis/movement disorders, fibromyalgia, epilepsy, with some that focused on multiple disabilities. There is sufficient evidence that medical marijuana is effective in treating epileptic seizures and chronic pain. Medical marijuana may improve the level of functioning and quality of life for individuals with certain disabilities.

Trends in Publications on Medical Cannabis from the Year 2000

Widespread use of cannabis as a drug and passage of legislation on its use should lead to an increase in the number of scientific publications on cannabis. The aim of this study was to compare trends in scientific publication for papers on medical cannabis, papers on cannabis in general, and all papers between the years 2000 and 2017. The spike in the number of scientific publications on medical cannabis since 2013 is encouraging. In light of this trend the authors expect an even greater increase in the number of publications in this area in coming years.

Cannabis and intractable chronic pain: an explorative retrospective analysis of Italian cohort of 614 patients

Despite growing interest in the therapeutic use of cannabis to manage chronic pain, only limited data that address these issues are available. In recent years, a number of nations have introduced specific laws to allow patients to use cannabis preparations to treat a variety of medical conditions. We present the first analysis of Italian clinical practice of the use of cannabinoids for a large variety of chronic pain syndromes. From this initial snapshot, we determined that the treatment seems to be effective and safe, although more data and subsequent trials are needed to better investigate its ideal clinical indication.