Skip to content

Doctors and patients are flying blind as medical marijuana use rises, research lags

July 25, 2019 / Arfinn Med MD /

Doctors and patients are flying blind as medical marijuana use rises, research lags

Marijuana’s role in the health care universe has grown exponentially over the past few years. Currently, 33 U.S. states have legalized 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, 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).

Unfortunately, because cannabis remains illegal and classified as a Schedule 1 drugunder federal law (defined as being of no medical use), there has been a troubling lack of scientific and medical research on the effectiveness of cannabis treatments. This dearth of evidence-based data has left many health care providers unable to counsel their patients 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.

Read Full Article Here

Stories you may be interested in

Older adults and medical marijuana: Reduced stigma and increased use

As a primary care doctor who has incorporated medical cannabis into his practice, it is notable how many silver-haired patients are coming in to discuss the pros and cons of a trial of medical cannabis. These patients range from people in their 60s with kidney failure who can no longer take certain pain medications but…
Read More →

Data Migration During EMR Changes

One of the most challenging aspects when deciding to switch to a new EMR system is how to get existing data from the old system to the new system safely, securely and accurately.  Many times, the scope of this task is enough to force providers to remain with a subpar vendor even though there are…
Read More →

THC vs. CBD: What You Need to Know

With the rising demand of natural medicines, medical marijuana compounds THC and CBD are starting to make a name for themselves more than ever before. These two compounds have a wide range of health benefits, making it understandable why patients and physicians would be interested in this alternative treatment option. Although these two compounds are…
Read More →

Medical Cannabis and Breast Cancer

October is breast cancer awareness month and we at Arfinn Med would like to reiterate the importance of early screening and regular tests.  According to the American Cancer Society: “Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers. Currently, the average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast…
Read More →

Data Migration and Mapping Functions

Medical software does not have a good reputation for user experience and intuitive design. It can seem like a full-time job just learning how to use these software solutions.  In fact, according to a study from Stanford Medicine, 74% of doctors responded that their EMR increased the number of hours they work every day and…
Read More →

Cannabis improves symptoms of Crohn’s disease despite having no effect on gut inflammation

In the first study of its kind, cannabis oil has been shown to significantly improve the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and the quality of life of sufferers but, contrary to previous medical thinking, has no effect on gut inflammation. In a randomised, placebo-controlled study, researchers from Israel have shown that cannabis can produce clinical remission…
Read More →

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.