Cannabinoids for pain and nausea

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7303.2

BMJ 2001;323:2-3 ( 7 July )

Editorials

Cannabinoids for pain and nausea

Some evidence but is there any need?

Papers pp 13, 16

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

This is an exciting time for cannabinoid research. The discovery of cannabinoid CB₁receptors (expressed by central and peripheralneurones)¹ and CB₂ receptors (expressed mainly by immune cells)²and endogenous agonists³ for these receptors has renewed thescientific community's interest. Independently of these developmentssociety at large has continued an aggressive debate about thetherapeutic use of cannabinoids, including demands for their moreliberal availability. ⁴ ⁵ Cannabinoids have been suggestedto have therapeutic value as analgesics and in various conditions,including migraine headaches, nausea and vomiting, wasting syndromeand appetite stimulation in HIV-infected patients, muscle spasticitydue to multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury, movement disorderssuch as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and glaucoma.⁶ Whennew therapeutic indications are suggested, two major factors shouldbe taken into account: what are the adverse effects of the treatmentand how does its effectiveness compare with that of existingalternatives?

In this week's issue two . . . [Full text of this article]

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