Survey of oncologists finds knowledge gap on medical marijuana
As more states legalize medical marijuana, two key groups — researchers whose job is it to understand its benefits and drawbacks, and physicians charged with advising potential users — are struggling to catch up with policymakers.
Ilana Braun, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and chief of the division of adult psychosocial oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, led a survey of cancer physicians around the country, exploring their attitudes and actions on medical marijuana.
The survey was sent to 400 oncologists, with a 63 percent response rate. We asked Braun to outline her findings, which were published last month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Stories you may be interested in
Medical marijuana advocates concerned over recreational cannabis proposals
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Some medical marijuana patients are concerned the proposed framework for legalizing recreational marijuana could have a potentially negative impact on the medical cannabis program. “It’s something that will devastate the medical program in doing so,” said Jason Barker, a medical cannabis advocate with Safe Access New Mexico. A special task force delivered a…
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 
Systematic review: Efficacy and safety of medical marijuana in selected neurologic disorders
Report of the Guideline Development Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology: We performed a systematic review of medical marijuana (1948–November 2013) to address treatment of symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), epilepsy, and movement disorders. We graded the studies according to the American Academy of Neurology classification scheme for therapeutic articles. Read the full…
Read More 
An Alternative Treatment for Parkinson’s Patients
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and an opportune time to highlight the disease and how medical marijuana may be a beneficial treatment option for those living with the condition. Many Parkinson’s patients find themselves desperate for alternative treatment options that provide sufficient relief of their symptoms and help avoid or postpone the need for surgery…
Read More 
New Features
As Arfinn Med has become the leading Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and practice management solution for medical cannabis clinics, we have continued to release new features to help improve clinical workflows and patient care. Our newest feature is a custom intake form builder to help gather pertinent patient information prior to appointments. INTAKE FORM BUILDER…
Read More 
Medical marijuana helped elderly with chronic pain and reduced their use of opioids, study found
Your grandparents’ chronic aches and pains might best be eased with a little weed, a new study suggests. Not only did folks over 75 who took medical marijuana report less pain, their use of pot-based capsules, tinctures and e-cigarettes allowed a third of these patients to reduce their use of opioid painkillers, researchers found. “Medical marijuana, in…
Read More