Medicinal Cannabis Study, Canada

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Medicinal Cannabis Study, Canada

09 Dec 2004

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=17523

A first-of-its-kind study of safety issues surrounding the medical use of

cannabis has just been launched. Known as the COMPASS study (Cannabis for the

management of pain: assessment of safety study), the research initiative will

follow 1400 chronic pain patients, 350 of whom use cannabis as part of their

pain management strategy, for a one-year period. Seven participating pain

clinics across Canada are now enrolling patients for this study.

" Patients in COMPASS will typically have pain resulting from spinal cord

injuries, multiple sclerosis, arthritis or other kinds of hard-to-treat

neuropathic or muscle pain, " explains Dr. Mark Ware, principal investigator and

pain physician at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Pain Centre. " We

are not recruiting cancer patients for this study. "

" COMPASS participants will be given access to research-grade herbal cannabis and

followed for one year, " adds Dr. Jean- Collet, also a principal investigator

and Professor of Epidemiology at McGill University.

" We'll be looking at a range of safety issues, including adverse events, kidney,

liver, heart and lung function and hormone levels, " he says. " Patients will also

do tests at the start and end of the study, to help determine whether medical

use of cannabis affects cognitive function. "

Since 1999, Canadian patients have been able to use cannabis for medical

reasons, under specific circumstances, with a physician's recommendation and

Health Canada authorization. However, until now, the safety of cannabis used for

medical purposes has not been scientifically studied.

" Other studies are looking at whether cannabis relieves pain and other

symptoms, " says Dr. Ware. " These studies are important, but we also need to know

how safe cannabis used for medical purposes actually is. The experience of

recreational users gives us some information, but we must understand safety

issues in patients who are taking multiple medications and who may have diseases

like high blood pressure or diabetes which complicate the picture. "

The herbal cannabis to be used in the COMPASS study is produced by Prairie Plant

Systems Inc under contract to Health Canada. The strain used in this study

contains about 12 percent THC (the active ingredient). Government-supplied

cannabis will be sent to pharmacies at each site and dispensed to patients

there.

" Right now, thousands of Canadians are using cannabis to treat their

pain, " says Dr. Ware. " We need much more information on the safety issues facing

these patients. COMPASS is the first-ever attempt to collect this information

over an extended period, under a wide range of conditions and in real-world

settings. "

Patients wishing to participate in the COMPASS study should call

1-866-302-4636 (toll-free) and leave their names and telephone numbers. A study

coordinator will contact prospective patients to assess whether they meet study

requirements. All patient information will be held in strict confidence. Further

information is available from http://www.gereq.net/compass.

Sites enrolling patients are the Arthritis Research Center of Canada in

Vancouver, the Meadowlark Place Professional Centre in Edmonton, the London

Health Sciences Centre, the MUHC and the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de

Montréal (CHUM) in Montreal, the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation in

Fredericton and the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. This study is

financially supported by a $1.8million grant from Health Canada through the

Marijuana Open Label Safety Initiative (MOLSI), a grant partnership program with

Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

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