Another Study Reveals Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana -Crohn's Remission

I have read dozens of articles, studies, reports, etc. that read similar to this article!  How many more studies are necessary for people to realize pot is not harmful and isn't going to kill anyone? It's actually almost funny that this herb is still looked at as a dangerous drug.  It's a plant... and it's shown to provide more benefits than harm.   The research always results in a significant benefit when studies are conducted.  I don't ever remember reading anything negative about marijuana, or it causing serious problems for the people that smoke it.  We would definitely know by now if weed were harmful.  Even if there were terrible outcomes from smoking pot, we do not hear these reports because of all the legality issues surrounding the word "marijuana".  It's ridiculous that the plant is still illegal and considered harmful here in the US!  Wake Up America!

Eventually, pot will be legal in all US states, but it's going to take a long time for all of them to adopt legislation (NY will probably be one of the last states to legalize it).  Turtle pace.... because that's how the US of A rolls.  Nice and s loooooooooooowwww. 

Medical Marijuana Causes 'Complete Remission' In Crohn's Disease Patients Without Side Effects, Study Finds : Latin Times:

Crohn's Disease has long been a fickle illness that requires meticulous attention to treat and live with. Researchers at the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Meir Medical Center in Israel, however, may have found relief for patients of the disease in medical marijuana. The study split 21 patients who received a high Crohn's disease activity index and were not responding to other treatments into two groups. One group was given a joint to smoke twice a day while the other group were given placebos lacking cannabinoids for the duration of eight weeks.

The study found complete remission for 45 percent of the group that smoked cannabis, or 5 out of 11 patients, as compared to the control group, which only experienced a 1 in 10 remission rate, the Huffington Post reported. It is speculated that cannabinoids with their anti-inflammatory properties are likely the cause of relief for the disease, which causes inflamation of the bowels. This inflammation can lead to extreme discomfort, diarhrea that may contain blood, weight loss, vomiting, rashes, inflammation of other parts of the body and tiredness among other symptoms, SF Gate reported. Others in the cannabis group reported lessened strength in their usual symptoms without the side effects caused by steroids often used to treat the illness.

"THC-rich cannabis produced significant clinical, steroid-free benefits to 11 patients with active Crohn's disease, compared with placebo, without side effects," the researchers wrote in the study. "Subjects receiving cannabis reported improved appetite and sleep, with no significant side effects."

The study, the authors conceded, was not a complete success as it was hypothesized that induced remission would occur for all or most of the patients. Still, researchers say that the relative success of this study is worth noting. The results have indeed produced a need for further investigation, the study says.

RELATED: Marijuana Diabetes: Pot Smokers Have Lower Diabetes Risk; Are Pot Smokers Skinnier? 

Crohn's disease is highly prevalent for whites, with 43.6 percent of every 100,000 being affected by the disease, one study by the Department of Family Medicine in San Bernardino, Calif. found. Latinos, by contrast, have the lowest rate of the disease with only 4.1 percent in every group of 100,000 being affected. Latinos, especially immigrants to the U.S., however, have notably higher rates of ulcerative colitis than most whites, VOXXI reported. A study in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, the urgency of treatment also contrasted non-Hispanics. Whites needed surgery at a much higher rate than Hispanics. Access to care may influence how often the disease is actually diagnosed, but researchers said that it does not explain the difference between U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics in terms of the prevalence of the disease.

"It is unclear what is responsible for this observation, but possibilities include changes in the environment with migration, diet and other factors related to acculturation," Daniel Sussman, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Jackson Memorial Hospital and University of Miami, said. "Our research did not measure the incidence or prevalence of IBD in Hispanics. Available population-based studies show that the incidence of IBD in some Latin American countries is higher than anticipated; this may be a result of the "westernization" of many Latin-American countries. As the Hispanic population continues to grow in the U.S., we expect that the number of Hispanic patients with IBD will also rise."

Medicinal Marijuana- Studies Show It Helps Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis (#IBD) - Pass the Pot Please!

I would certainly try this.  Pass the dutch NY!

Article Highlights

• "....cannabidiol (a non-psychoactive and healthful ingredient in marijuana), “is a very promising compound” because it does not have any psychotropic effects, and that it is a “potential candidate for the development of a new class of anti-IBD drugs.”

• "...people who had had IBD for a long time responded favorably to marijuana, experiencing an increase in appetite, weight gain, better social functioning, improved ability to work, and an improvement in depression and pain after three months of treatment..."

By Deborah Mitchell on December 26, 2012 - 5:33am

Marijuana Helps Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, the two main types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are a challenge to treat. Among the potential treatment options is marijuana, and several recent studies indicate that this unconventional option offers some significant benefits.

How we treat inflammatory bowel disease

The current treatment options for the more than 1.5 million Americans and millions more who suffer with inflammatory bowel disease include dietary measures (e.g., olive oil extract, vitamin D, probiotics) and a variety of drugs. These treatments attempt to alleviate the diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever, weight loss and abdominal pain and cramps associated with the disease.

The more common treatments for IBD include anti-inflammatory drugs, such as sulfasalazine, corticosteroids (which have significant side effects and are only suitable for short-term use), mesalamine (e.g., Apriso, Dipentum, Lialda), immune system suppressors (e.g., azathioprine, cyclosporine, infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab, methotrexate), which can have significant side effects, and antibiotics, which are of questionable benefit. Beyond these drugs are others that can address specific symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, or pain, or address nutritional deficiencies (e.g., iron, calcium, vitamin B12). Surgery is a last resort.

Inflammatory bowel disease can be life-threatening and thus deserves focused attention. Ulcerative colitis typically affects only the large intestine (colon) and rectum and usually develops gradually over time. Crohn’s disease can occur anywhere along the intestinal tract and can infiltrate the tissues.

Studies of marijuana and IBD
A review of investigations into the use of cannabis for inflammatory bowel disease reveals that its use “in the clinical therapy has been strongly limited by their psychotropic effects.” The authors of this recent Italian study, however, point out that cannabidiol (a non-psychoactive and healthful ingredient in marijuana), “is a very promising compound” because it does not have any psychotropic effects, and that it is a “potential candidate for the development of a new class of anti-IBD drugs.”

A 2012 study published in Digestion noted that people who had had IBD for a long time responded favorably to marijuana, experiencing an increase in appetite, weight gain, better social functioning, improved ability to work, and an improvement in depression and pain after three months of treatment with inhaled cannabis. Earlier studies have also indicated positive effects.

For example, an Israeli study was the first to show that use of marijuana in people with Crohn’s disease could provide a positive result. Twenty-one of the 30 patients in the study experienced significantly improvement after using marijuana, and the need for drugs was significantly reduced as well.

In yet another study, Canadian researchers evaluated 100 people with ulcerative colitis and 191 with Crohn’s disease and their use of marijuana. The investigators found a significant level of marijuana use among people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease (about 50% in each group). People who had a history of surgery for IBD were more likely to use marijuana (60%) than were those who had not undergone surgery (32%).

The bottom line appears to be that use of marijuana among people who have inflammatory bowel disease may be beneficial. If you have ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, you should ask your healthcare provider or another healthcare professional about the possibility of using marijuana for symptom relief.

SOURCES:
Esposito G et al. Cannabidiol in inflammatory bowel disease: a brief overview. Phytotherapy Research 2012 July; doi:10.1002/ptr.4781
Lahat A et al. Impact of cannabis treatment on the quality of life, weight and clinical disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease patients: a pilot prospective study. Digestion 2012; 85(1): 1-8
Lal S et al. Cannabis use amongst patients with inflammatory bowel disease. European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2011 Oct; 23(10): 891-96
Naftali T et al. Treatment of Crohn’s disease with cannabis: an observational study. Israel Medical Association Journal 2011 Aug; 1(8): 455-58

Marijuana Helps Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis:

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