Dr. Donald Abrams and Dr. Ethan Russo report on their medical marijuana research at the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)/Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) conference in Anaheim, California.
View Dr. Abrams’ powerpoint presentation, "Clinical Trials of Cannabis in California." (IE4+ required to view this presentation)
View Dr. Russo’s powerpoint presentation, "Chronic Cannabis Use in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program: An Examination of the Benefits and Adverse Effects of Legal Clinical Cannabis" (IE4+ required to view this presentation)
In addition to supporting Dr. Abrams’ protocol investigating the effects of marijuana in HIV+ subjects, the first study in 15 years to investigate the therapeutic application of cannabis, MAPS has supported the efforts of Dr. Ethan Russo, University of Montana, for expenses involved in preparing NIH grant applications for the study of the use of marijuana in the treatment of people whose migraines fail to respond to conventional medications. This study continues to face difficulties in getting started. In 1997, MAPS submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Orphan Drug Products requesting that cannabis be designated an Orphan Drug for the treatment of AIDS wasting syndrome. This effort recently came to fruition. MAPS has also co-funded studies of medical marijuana potency and water pipes and vaporizers.
MAPS, MPP and Dr. Ethan Russo filed an updated version of this amicus curiae brief in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit case of Angel Raich et al. v. John Ashcroft as Attorney General and Asa Hutchinson, Administrator of the DEA. (PDF Format)
Dr. Russo has abandoned his struggle to conduct FDA-approved research. Instead, he has designed a basic safety study of the few patients remaining alive who legally receive marijuana from NIDA as part of the Compassionate IND program that was closed by HHS in 1992. MAPS donated $10,000 to this study, which started in May 2001. Preliminary results of the study show therapeutic benefits, with no significant adverse effects. The final paper about the study, reference below, reports on the study in detail.
[ Russo E, Mathre ML, Bryne A, Velin R, Bach P, Sanchez-Ramos J, Kirlin K. Chronic Cannabis Use in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program: An Examination of Benefits and Adverse Effects of Legal Clinical Cannabis. Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics Vol. 2 (1) (2002): 3-57. ]
View Dr. Russo’s powerpoint presentation, "Chronic Cannabis Use in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program: An Examination of the Benefits and Adverse Effects of Legal Clinical Cannabis" (IE4+ required to view this presentation)
Read about the struggle to begin medical marijuana research in the 90’s.
