Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1466168
cannabis patient care | vol. 3 no. 1 cannapatientcare.com 6 Megan L'Heureux Group Editorial Director from the editor c a n n a b i s patient c a r e ® | m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 2 2 | v o l 3 • n o 1 Chronic Pain Still Top Qualifying Condition for Medical Cannabis WELCOME TO THE LATEST EDITION of Cannabis Patient Care®! The focus of this issue is chronic pain. We con- ducted a small survey with Maryland Marketing Source Inc., at the 2021 Cannabis Science Conference East in Baltimore, Maryland and through our email database for our sister publication, Cannabis Science and Tech- nology® (1). The goal of this survey was to get a pulse on the industry in three areas: medical, cultivation, and an- alytical science. On the medical side, we had a small co- hort of respondents that included a mix of medical pro- fessionals and patients. Our results showed that 83% of medical providers/professionals reported chronic pain as the diagnosis for which they most often recommend- ed medical cannabis as a treatment. While this was just a small group of respondents, I think it does reflect the current medical cannabis space and the fact that chron- ic pain is a wide-spread condition in this country. This issue is full of the latest developments around medical cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain. First, we take a brief look at some interesting real-world pa- tient data from Tetragram related to muscle pain, joint pain, nerve pain, and injury pain. There are a lot of re- ally interesting data points from patients anonymous- ly providing feedback on the Tetragram app. Next, we take a high-level look at the current state of research efforts with Ruth Fisher. Fisher concluded that chronic pain is one of the more heavily studied therapeutic ap- plications for cannabis, stating that preclinical studies have established several clear mechanisms of action of cannabis for addressing chronic pain. Also on the research side of things, medical writer and co-founder/chief science officer of CannaKeys, Dr. Uwe Blesching provides insight into the exploration of can- nabis as a supplement for chronic pain treatment, opi- oid addiction mitigation, and the mind-body balance. Dr. Blesching also offers suggestions regarding the chal- lenges and benefits patients and doctors could encoun- ter in their own journey into cannabis research. For a medical doctor's perspective, we spoke with Dr. Michelle Weiner, DO, MPH, who is a pain management phy- sician and partner at Spine and Wellness Centers of Amer- ica based in South Florida, and was the chair of Florida's Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee. Dr. Weiner shared great information regarding her use of medical cannabis as a tool to help individual patients find wellness, with the caveat that it's a not a one-size-fits-all solution. On the patient side, Debbie Churgai from Americans for Safe Access interviewed Ellen Lenox Smith who suf- fers from two rare, incurable conditions: Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and sarcoidosis. Lenox Smith uses medical cannabis to help her sleep, which led to tremendous re- lief and improvement in her quality of life. Our regular contributor, David Hodes, spoke with Lin- da Casale, MSN, RN, PMHN-BC, the CEO, president, and founder of Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) veterans program, to learn more about the nursing side of medical cannabis and chronic pain. Casale works closely with veterans and other nurses to help educate on this important topic. We also hear from a medical cannabis advocate: Me Fuimaono-Poe, a nurse practi- tioner (NP) who has spent her adult life fighting for can- nabis' chance to be seen as a medical tool for various health ailments. She discusses how to become an ad- vocate and assist with legislation in your own states. Finally, we present an interview with Dr. James Woody, the chief executive officer of 180 Life Sciences, on the current research surrounding synthetic cannabinoids, such as CBD and CBG, as well as other work he's doing. On May 25th, we are hosting a special webcast with a presentation from Dr. Michelle Weiner titled "Cannabis Research for Chronic Pain." Dr. Weiner will be discussing the types of chronic pain and which cannabinoids, routes, and doses are the most effective in clinical practice; a review of the current evidence of cannabis and chronic pain; and how to optimize the endocannabinoid system to prevent chronic pain. Please register today (for free) to join us live or watch on demand any time: https://event. on24.com/wcc/r/3747998/A30199FA356E27F66EE91F47DB- 187C07?partnerref=DIGITALPDF. Reference (1) https://www.cannabissciencetech.com/view/cannabis-research-is- cannabis-science.