Medical Marijuana's Pain Relief May Work Better for
Men
By Dr.Fourkan Ali
Smoking a joint
provides greater pain relief to men than to women, a new study indicates.
Researchers asked 42
recreational marijuana smokers to place one hand in extremely cold water until
they could no longer tolerate the pain. They did this twice: Once after smoking
marijuana and once after puffing on a placebo.
After smoking
marijuana, men reported they were significantly less sensitive to pain. They
were also more able tolerate pain.
While women reported
they were somewhat more able to tolerate pain after smoking marijuana, it
brought them no significant pain relief.
Despite the
differences in pain relief, men and women had similar levels of intoxication
after smoking marijuana.
The findings come at a
time when more people are turning to medical marijuana for pain relief.
"This study
underscores the importance of including both men and women in clinical trials
aimed at understanding the potential therapeutic and negative effects of
cannabis, particularly as more people use cannabinoid products for recreational
or medical purposes," said study author Ziva Cooper. She is an associate
professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center, in
New York City.
More research is
needed to understand the factors affecting marijuana's pain-relieving effects,
including its strength and whether it is smoked or taken by mouth.
The study, recently
published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was
funded by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Cooper has received
funding from INSYS Therapeutics Inc and is a consultant to KannaLife Sciences
and PharmaCann, LLC. Fellow study author Margaret Haney has received funding
from INSYS Therapeutics Inc. and from Aelis Farma. The companies are commercial
sellers of medical marijuana.
Source: website
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