Washington Post (02.13.07) - Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Rick Weiss

Patients' baseline pain was subjectively rated from one to 100 and then scored by two standard tests, one using a small hot iron held to the skin and another involving a chili pepper cream. Patients smoked three marijuana cigarettes a day - at 8 a.m., 2 p.m., and 8 p.m. - in an enclosed room. They were asked to inhale for five seconds, exhale after 10 seconds, and inhale the marijuana cigarette again after 45 seconds. All remaining marijuana was collected and weighed after each session.

More than half of patients who smoked real marijuana cigarettes rated significant reductions in pain, compared with less than a quarter who received a placebo. The control group patients also smoked marijuana, but it had been altered to remove its chief psychoactive ingredients. Neither senior researchers nor subjects were aware which cigarettes contained unaltered marijuana. The marijuana was grown on a federal farm and had one-quarter the cannabinoid potency of commercial marijuana.

Among those who smoked marijuana, 13 of 25 achieved at least a 30 percent reduction in pain, for an average 34 percent reduction. The placebo group's average reduction in pain was 17 percent. Opioids and other pills can reduce pain by 20-30 percent but can cause drowsiness and confusion, said Donald L. Abrams, study leader and a physician at San Francisco General Hospital.

All subjects reported having previously smoked marijuana, and researchers cautioned that patients unfamiliar with the drug might not have the beneficial reactions reported in the study. The California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research funded the research. White House officials said the report did not seal the case for marijuana's efficacy or consider the adverse consequences of inhaling smoke.

The full report, "Cannabis in Painful HIV-Associated Sensory Neuropathy," was published in Neurology (2007;68(7)515-521).
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