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Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie
Published in: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie 5/2016

01-05-2016 | Review Article/Brief Review

Medical cannabis: considerations for the anesthesiologist and pain physician

Authors: Pierre Beaulieu, MD, PhD, Aline Boulanger, MD, Julie Desroches, PhD, Alexander J. Clark, MD

Published in: Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie | Issue 5/2016

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Abstract

Purpose

New regulations are in place at the federal and provincial levels in Canada regarding the way medical cannabis is to be controlled. We present them together with guidance for the safe use of medical cannabis and recent clinical trials on cannabis and pain.

Source

The new Canadian regulations on the use of medical cannabis, the provincial regulations, and the various cannabis products available from the Canadian Licensed Producers were reviewed from Health Canada, provincial licensing authorities, and the licensed producers website, respectively. Recent clinical trials on cannabis and pain were reviewed from the existing literature.

Principal findings

Health Canada has approved a new regulation on medical marijuana/cannabis, the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations: The production of medical cannabis by individuals is illegal. Health Canada, however, has licensed authorized producers across the country, limiting the production to specific licenses of certain cannabis products. There are currently 26 authorized licensed producers from seven Canadian provinces offering more than 200 strains of marijuana. We provide guidance for the safe use of medical cannabis. The recent literature indicates that currently available cannabinoids are modestly effective analgesics that provide a safe, reasonable therapeutic option for managing chronic non-cancer-related pain.

Conclusion

The science of medical cannabis and the need for education of healthcare professionals and patients require continued effort. Although cannabinoids work to decrease pain, there is still a need to confirm these beneficial effects clinically and to exploit them with acceptable benefit-to-risk ratios.
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Metadata
Title
Medical cannabis: considerations for the anesthesiologist and pain physician
Authors
Pierre Beaulieu, MD, PhD
Aline Boulanger, MD
Julie Desroches, PhD
Alexander J. Clark, MD
Publication date
01-05-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie / Issue 5/2016
Print ISSN: 0832-610X
Electronic ISSN: 1496-8975
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-016-0598-x

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