what studies are they based on?

The subject is decidedly fashionable among politicians. After health minister Agnès Buzyn said medical marijuana "could arrive in France", several elected PS, LREM, EELV and doctors seek the legalization in France of cannabis for "therapeutic use" in a forum published Sunday, July 8 by The Parisian .

"Producing cannabis for therapeutic use in France is no longer an option but a necessity How not to lament the national status quo on this public health issue Why maintain the seal of the forbidden and the arsenal legislative and regulatory support for more than 300,000 French patients who could alleviate their suffering differently? "Asked the signatories, among which include, among others, Senator PS Rachid Témal, Mayor PS de Strasbourg Roland Ries, LREM MPs Sonia Krimi, Jean-Baptiste Moreau, and Florent Boudié, Mayor EELV of Grenoble Eric Piolle and Mayor EELV of the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, Jacques Boutault.

Chronic pain (not due to cancer)

It remains to be seen on which studies this request is based. Those who engage in it think that "a minority of refractory people persist in considering the use of the product as dangerous, reducing it to the category of prohibited substances", while "the very comprehensive report of the effects of cannabis on health" that American academies of science, engineering and medicine published in 2017 (…) confirm the efficacy of the product in the management of chronic pain, physical disorders caused by chemotherapy and muscle spasm related to multiple sclerosis in plates. "

Concerning the management of chronic pain not due to cancer, a very recent prospective study published by The Lancet has just demonstrated that cannabis is not effective. Recruitment of the cohort took place from August 13, 2012 to April 8, 2014. 1514 participants were asked, among other things, about the origins and duration of chronic pain, cannabis use over the course of life, and 12 last month, opioid use and the existence or not of general depressive or anxiety disorders.

After four years of follow-up, 295 participants (24%) had used cannabis to relieve pain. Compared to people who did not use cannabis, the researchers found that participants who had used cannabis had "a higher pain severity score". "We have found no evidence that cannabis use has reduced the use of prescribed opioids or increased opioid abandonment rates," the scientists added.

Physical Disorders Caused by Chemotherapy

Let's move on to the physical disorders caused by chemotherapy. In the United States, often cited as an example because of the legalization of therapeutic cannabis in 28 states, nearly half of oncologists admit to talking about the therapeutic use of marijuana to their patients without being sufficiently informed on the subject, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology . Note that this is the first national survey on the subject since the use of therapeutic cannabis is allowed in the Americans, and it was published in May 2018, so long after the report of the effects of cannabis on the health of American academies of sciences, engineering and medicine on which the signatories of the medical pro-cannabis platform rely.

80% of oncologists surveyed said they had already discussed the issue of therapeutic cannabis with their patients, but less than 30% of them felt they had enough scientific data to make such recommendations. "The scientific evidence supporting the use of medical marijuana in oncology is still very thin, which puts doctors in a very uncomfortable position," recalls, and rightly, Dr. Ilana Braun, of the Dana-Farber Institute of Adult Psychosocial Oncology, even though 82% of French people favor the use of cannabis on medical prescription

Multiple sclerosis

Let's end with multiple sclerosis. Most studies on cannabis are short-term. All of them state that medical cannabis can produce a variety of side effects, including difficulty in attention and concentration, dizziness, drowsiness or fatigue, loss of balance and falls, nausea, vomiting and constipation, or psychological problems such as depression and psychosis.

Currently, only one cannabinoid drug has a French marketing authorization: Sativex, recommended against spasticity and multiple sclerosis. Dronabinol and cannabidiol, used for patients with neuropathic pain refractory to conventional treatments or epilepsies, are accessible, but only with a temporary authorization (a procedure allowing some patients to obtain a drug without authorization. not being tested in this indication)

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