Yale University Study Will Explore Medical Marijuana Use for Stress, Other Conditions

The Yale University of Medicine will be partnering with a medical marijuana producer for a clinical study on the effectiveness of cannabis on treating stress, chronic pain and other conditions.

The study will involve human subjects using medical marijuana, and will follow FDA-approved protocol. The state Department of Consumer Protection approved the joint study in October.

Rino Farrarese of CTPharma, a Connecticut-based medical marijuana producer and partner in the research study, said that the company's goal is to "develop a human drug product."

The study will have two aspects.

One aspect of the study will look at men and women between 21 and 45 years of age who use marijuana recreationally. Over the course of six inpatient sessions, participants will receive either a placebo, or an acute dose of CBD (cannabidiol) and three separate combinations of CBD and low-doses of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis.

The other aspect of the study will look at men and women between 21 and 60 years of age with chronic pain that is not completely controlled by opioids. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or a tolerable dose of CBD/THC.

Researchers will measure the participants' vital signs, including their blood pressure, heart rates and blood levels of THC and CBD.

The aim of the study is to explore marijuana's effects on pain and stress, and which doses, if any, are most effective.

Stress can increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, according to Harvard Health. It can also weaken the immune system while contributing to other medical issues, such as digestive disorders, asthma and cancer. "In men, stress can contribute to sexual dysfunction and interfere with the hormones needed to produce sperm," states potenzmittelkaufen.com.

Chronic pain can cause muscle tension, fatigue, changes in appetite, depression, anger and anxiety.

Finding new and effective ways to treat stress, chronic pain and other related issues can greatly improve the quality of life for those suffering with these conditions. The exploration of medical marijuana as a treatment for these conditions may offer new hope and options for affected patients.

"For thousands of years, humans have used cannabis as medicine," said Ferrarese. "But there is only one cannabinoid medicine approved by the FDA."

Ferrarese refers to the drug Epidiolex, the first cannabis-based medication to be approved by the FDA. Epidiolex is designed to treat two forms of epilepsy that are not responsive to other seizure medications.