A new study has found that most Americans use medical marijuana in order to ease chronic pain. The study was aimed at finding out the exact reasons why people in the U.S. use medical marijuana, and whether those stated reasons have any scientific basis.

Kevin Boehnke, a researcher at Michigan University’s Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, led the team of researchers who started by analyzing a report that was written in 2017 on the use of medical marijuana. This report was written by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

That 2017 report found either conclusive or substantial proof that cannabis eased nausea, muscle spasms, vomiting and chronic pain.

Boehnke and his team also found that in 2016, the number of people who were registered to use medical cannabis was 641,000. This number rose to 814,000 the following year (2017). However, the researchers believe that the actual number of medical cannabis users exceeds the statistics captured in the report they read.

The statistics show that 85.5 percent of medical cannabis card holders were convinced that there was science backing their desire to use medical cannabis for the different qualifying conditions they suffered from. Chronic pain topped the list of qualifying conditions taking up 62 percent of all applications for medical cannabis cards.

The team of researchers wasn’t surprised by their findings regarding chronic pain given that approximately 100 million Americans are estimated to suffer from chronic pain.

Many of those medical cannabis users, such as Brandian Smith from Illinois, say that they resorted to medical cannabis because it worked better than the prescription opiates that they had been using previously.

This anecdotal evidence from actual medical cannabis users, together with the scientific studies that prove that medical marijuana can combat chronic pain, may offer a ray of hope in the fight against the opioid crisis in the U.S.

Currently, 33 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. 10 states, as well as the District of Columbia, have decriminalized adult-use marijuana. These 33 states can potentially start a wave rolling back the opioid problem if this matter is given more attention.

For now, the federal government remains adamant that marijuana hasn’t been proved to have any medical use, so it remains a Schedule 1 substance. Boehnke and his team of researchers feel strongly that their findings make a case for changing the federal government’s position so that cannabis can be integrated in the medical system of the country. Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF) and Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) couldn’t agree more with Kevin Boehnke’s conclusions.

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The University of California at Berkley has announced that it has opened a cannabis research center that will study the effects of cannabis production upon society and the environment. This announcement was made on Tuesday this week (January 29).

UC officials also revealed that the research center will primarily focus on three major areas.

The first is cannabis regulation and policy. Cannabis regulations and policies have been evolving rapidly and they merit research in order to ascertain whether those policies and regulations have made the industry better, whether the policymakers had sufficient information upon which they based when drafting the regulations and policies, etc.

The research center will also study how cannabis production affects the environment. For example, what effects do cannabis plants have on groundwater? Is it better (for the environment) to grow cannabis in indoor facilities or outdoor grows are better? How can the adverse environmental impacts (if any) of cannabis production be mitigated? Such, and other issues will occupy the researchers who will devote their time and resources to looking into the environmental effects of cannabis production.

The third major area of research will be the impact of cannabis production on society. Already, some lawsuits have been filed against cannabis grow facilities in some neighborhoods while some local authorities have enacted ordinances that ban any marijuana-related activities in their jurisdictions. At the same time, many communities are clamoring to have cannabis production facilities in their areas in order to reap the economic benefits that such developments bring. So, the responses to cannabis production span the entire gamut of what anyone can imagine as a potential reaction to this controversial plant. The researchers will look into all these societal effects and provide scientific data to inform the decision-making process.

Ted Grantham and Van Butsic, both faculty members in UC Berkley’s Department of Policy and Management, and Environmental Sciences will head the interdisciplinary team at the research center.

The direction taken by the research center at UC Berkley is unique because so far, other researchers have devoted their resources to studying how cannabis affects people (the positive and negative) at the level of an individual. Grantham and his team want to broaden the lens and look at the bigger picture. This approach is a welcome development for the cannabis industry, including Plus Products Inc. (CSE: PLUS) (OTCQB: PLPRF) and Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE: VIDA) (OTCQX: PHVAF), because it will provide deeper insights into the broader aspects of the industry.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

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