The full results of this study appear in the February 13, 2007 issue of the journal Neurology . Below is a brief summary of these results. Dr. Abrams and the Community Consortium conducted a study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of smoked marijuana to treat pain caused by HIV-related peripheral neuropathy (injury to the nerves that supply feelings to your arms and feet). The study evaluated whether marijuana had an effect on pain relief. Marijuana was compared to a placebo; a cigarette that smells and tastes like marijuana but has no active ingredients (THC). The study evaluated both ongoing neuropathic pain (clinical pain) and temporary pain induced by applying heat and capsaicin (ingredient that makes red peppers hot) cream to a small area of the skin (experimental pain). Fifty-five patients were randomized and 50 completed the entire trial. Smoked marijuana reduced daily pain by 34% compared to 17% with placebo. The study concluded that 52% of patients who smoked m
The drug war shouldn't exist...