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Does It Have a Possible Therapeutic Use?

Sidney Cohen, MD

JAMA. 1978;240(16):1761-1763.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

MENTION marijuana and you will evoke a range of reactions to match every color of the spectrum. Still, such impassioned arguments are no reason to ignore possible therapeutic uses; I address the current status of these studies.

Humans and Cannabis sativa have coexisted for millenniums. The stems of the plant served as a source of hemp fiber for rope, canvas, clothing, and paper. The seeds provided oil for food and are still found in packages of mixed birdseed (sterilized, of course). The leaves and flowering tops have been used by many primitive societies as a folk medicine for a wide variety of ailments.

Every human complaint has been treated with Indian hemp at one time or another, and certain uses were clearly inappropriate. On the other hand, recent careful investigations have substantiated the effectiveness of a few ancient therapeutic applications of the plant. Pain, whether from toothache, dysmenorrhea, or rheumatism, . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Center for the Health Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles.

Footnotes
If you wish to suggest a topic or write an answer for this feature, write to William H. Crosby, MD, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, La Jolla, CA 92037.

Reprint requests to 13020 Sky Valley Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90049 (Dr Cohen).

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