Working to Reform Marijuana Laws

Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology. The disease is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and multiple tender points in the neck, spine, shoulders and hips. An estimated 3 to 6 million Americans are afflicted by fibromyalgia, which is often poorly controlled by standard pain medications. Fibromyalgia patients frequently self‐report using cannabis therapeutically to treat symptoms of the disease,[1‐2] and physicians – in instances where it is legal for them do so – often recommend the use of cannabis to treat musculoskeletal disorders.[3‐4] To date however, there are few clinical trials assessing the use of cannabinoids to treat the disease. Writing in the July 2006 issue of the journal Current Medical Research and Opinion, investigators at Germanyʹs University of Heidelberg evaluated the analgesic effects of oral THC in nine patients with fibromyalgia over a 3‐month period. Subjects in the trial were administered daily doses of 2.5 to 15 mg of THC and received no other pain medication during the trial. Among those participants who completed the trial, all reported a significant reduction in daily recorded pain and electronically induced pain.[5] A 2008 study published in The Journal of Pain reported that the administration of the synthetic cannabinoid nabilone significantly decreased pain in 40 subjects with fibromylagia in a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial. ʺAs nabilone improved symptoms and was well‐tolerated, it may be a useful adjunct for pain management in fibromyalgia,ʺ investigators concluded.[6] A separate 2010 trial performed at McGill University in Montreal reported that low doses of nabilone significantly improved sleep quality in patients diagnosed with the disease.[7] Most recently, a 2011 observational, case‐control trial reported that the use of cannabis is associated with beneficial effects on various symptoms of fibromyalgia, including the relief of pain and muscle stiffness. Investigators at the Institut de Recerca Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, assessed the associated benefits of cannabis in patients with fibromyalgia compared with FM patients who did not use the substance. Twenty‐eight users and non‐ users participated in the study. Authors reported: ʺPatients used cannabis not only to alleviate pain but for almost all symptoms associated to FM, and no one reported worsening of symptoms following