What is the potential benefit of using marijuana as a medicine?
That was a hotly-debated topic during one panel at day-long conference in Lexington Monday.
An expert panel tackled the topic during the conference presented by the Foundation For A Healthy Kentucky had wide-ranging views on the issue.
They did agree on one thing – more scientific study is needed.
Dr. Scott Teitlbaum is the chief of addiction studies at University of Florida College of Medicine. He said while use of marijuana is growing across the country, talk of further deregulation or use of marijuana as medicine is getting ahead of the science.
“I know a lot of people would like to see it treated like alcohol. That’s a real conversation that’s a cultural, political conversation and I think that’s legitimate. To talk about smoking a plant for medical reasons and not study it like other medicines I say, you know, where are we at?,” he said.
Teitlbaum said marijuana is not a single compound. Instead, he said, it is made up of more 100 unique properties. Some of those properties may have value as medicine, he said, but that should be determined through clinical trials conducted by the Food & Drug Administration.
That process is preferred through a public vote or referendum. He said no other medicine is approved for use by the popular vote.
Panelist Ed Shemelya said people need to remember marijuana is much more potent today than in decades past. As National Coordinator for the National Marijuana Initiative, Shemelya said that is a concern because it opens up the possibility of more people becoming addicted. Especially, he said, the threat of children becoming addicted.
“If it was the same drug that my peers initiated on in the late 60s and early 70s, I wouldn’t waste your time. But it’s not and our youth are initiating, especially with vaping, at alarming rates,” he said.
Vaping is the use of electronic cigarette.
Rates of marijuana use are “going through the roof,” he said.
Jason Hockenberry is a researcher and an associate professor at Emory University. He said there have been increases but that’s because the rates of use have traditionally been extremely low.
Hockenberry agreed that more study is needed but, he said, too often people make assumptions on the use of medical marijuana based on a small number of studies that used mice or rats. Those findings, he said, are not easily transferred to humans.
David Bradford is a professor of public administration and policy at the University of Georgia.
Using data from Medicare and Medicaid his research showed that there was a significant improvement in pain management for opioid patients who were treated with marijuana. That shift, he said, could save Medicare over $1 billion.
But, he said, there are other considerations. The improvements were greatest when the patient received marijuana from a dispensary.
Also, the research showed an in improvement in urban areas but not a significant change in rural areas.
