Out of the darkness by PSY-23

For too many people the reality of an addiction can become a deeper and darker void than we feel able to escape from and, regardless of their best intentions, what begins as a search for peace can end up as a fight for survival. Recently, I was contacted by Rich who wanted to talk about his experiences with cannabis over the years. He had been an old-school smuggler with connections to Morocco (amongst other places) who seemed to have an endless array of anecdotes and tales of adventure which he thought might be of interest to our readers. After a couple of emails and phone calls, I set out to meet with him to find out more.

A HARVESTER’S NIGHTMARE

A complex motor disorder is a combination of various types of abnormal movements that are associated with impaired quality of life (QOL). Current therapeutic options are limited. We studied the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of medical cannabis in children with complex motor disorder. Significant improvement in spasticity and dystonia, sleep difficulties, pain severity, and QOL was observed in the total study cohort, regardless of treatment assignment.

Medicinal cannabis: the hype is strong, but the evidence is weak.

This week, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence declined to approve medicinal cannabis for use in children with severe epilepsy on the NHS, saying there was not enough evidence to support its use. In 2018, however, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a cannabidiol for use in children with two types of severe epilepsy. So what is the situation in Australia, and is there evidence to support all the hype?