Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
Medical marijuana users in Quebec can help to shed light on the drug's long-term safety and effectiveness, such as which types may work best for different medical conditions.
McGill University in Montreal announced the launch of province's registry for users of medical cannabis today, calling it the world's first such research database.
The registry meets a requirement of Quebec's college of physicians, which considers cannabis an experimental therapy. Under provincial regulation, cannabis can only be prescribed as part of a formal study.
Health Canada estimates over 40,000 Canadians legally consume cannabis to relieve symptoms from diseases including multiple sclerosis, HIV, cancer or epilepsy.
While cannabis has been studied for years as a recreational substance, little is known about its medical use, said Dr. Mark Ware, director of clinical research at McGill's pain management unit.
"I got frankly tired of giving talks and presentations about the potential medical use of cannabis and always having questions for which I did not have answers," said Ware. "I hope this study is a step in the direction of trying to fill some of these huge knowledge gaps."
The registry allows doctors and users of medical marijuana to help look for any potential safety signals and offers reassurance if none are found.
"You bring in all comers and you follow them over time and you look to see are there patterns of problems that emerge, who is using the drug. The fact is, it's many drugs because patients can use through the legal Health Canada framework cannabis from different licenced producers with different levels of THC and so on."
Combining information on the patients and the drugs could not only identify potential safety considerations but also start to answer questions about the effectiveness of cannabis under certain clinical conditions, Ware added.
Despite expanding access to medical marijuana globally, the university calls the project a world first. Ware said to his knowledge no country or region has set up such a prospective, formally approved clinical project.
The researchers hope to engage doctors on the front lines to participate in the research - an approach that could be adapted to study the safety and effectiveness of other drugs over the long term.
The data collected will not have any identifiable patient information to protect patient privacy.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana registry in Quebec called world's first - Health - CBC News
Author: Web Staff
Contact: CBC Help - CBC Connects
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV
McGill University in Montreal announced the launch of province's registry for users of medical cannabis today, calling it the world's first such research database.
The registry meets a requirement of Quebec's college of physicians, which considers cannabis an experimental therapy. Under provincial regulation, cannabis can only be prescribed as part of a formal study.
Health Canada estimates over 40,000 Canadians legally consume cannabis to relieve symptoms from diseases including multiple sclerosis, HIV, cancer or epilepsy.
While cannabis has been studied for years as a recreational substance, little is known about its medical use, said Dr. Mark Ware, director of clinical research at McGill's pain management unit.
"I got frankly tired of giving talks and presentations about the potential medical use of cannabis and always having questions for which I did not have answers," said Ware. "I hope this study is a step in the direction of trying to fill some of these huge knowledge gaps."
The registry allows doctors and users of medical marijuana to help look for any potential safety signals and offers reassurance if none are found.
"You bring in all comers and you follow them over time and you look to see are there patterns of problems that emerge, who is using the drug. The fact is, it's many drugs because patients can use through the legal Health Canada framework cannabis from different licenced producers with different levels of THC and so on."
Combining information on the patients and the drugs could not only identify potential safety considerations but also start to answer questions about the effectiveness of cannabis under certain clinical conditions, Ware added.
Despite expanding access to medical marijuana globally, the university calls the project a world first. Ware said to his knowledge no country or region has set up such a prospective, formally approved clinical project.
The researchers hope to engage doctors on the front lines to participate in the research - an approach that could be adapted to study the safety and effectiveness of other drugs over the long term.
The data collected will not have any identifiable patient information to protect patient privacy.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical marijuana registry in Quebec called world's first - Health - CBC News
Author: Web Staff
Contact: CBC Help - CBC Connects
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV
