In an interview with the Erie Times-News on Nov. 30, I offered my medical opinion that I didn’t think marijuana made much practical difference in pain management, and that there wasn’t evidence that it rendered an effect that other medications couldn’t render better.

Brian Klutz responded in a letter to the editor with groundless confidence that marijuana can alleviate “severe pain” and that it is “nonhabit-forming with few, if any side effects.”

First, studies of the pain relieving effects of marijuana to both humans and animals are conflicting. In studies where it has relieved pain, it has shown too small a margin between pain relief and side effects to be practical.

Second, if marijuana were a medication, its label would be required to declare these side effects:

Has been shown to increase risk of cancer, bronchitis, heart attack, rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure, red eyes, dry mouth, chest tightness, faintness, and dizziness.
Decreases testosterone and fertility in men. Increases incidence of low birth weight, prematurity, spontaneous abortion, and birth defects.
Impairs the immune system.
May adversely interact with other drugs, including anticonvulsants and chemotherapy.
May produce psychological habituation, panic reaction, delusions, hallucinations, and acute paranoid states. May worsen schizophrenia. May produce depression, impaired memory, difficult concentration, and slowed reaction time.
Symptoms on abrupt discontinuation include sleep disturbance, irritability, nausea, diarrhea, salivation, sweating, and tremor.

Klutz should not mislead the public. He said that if he were suffering severe pain, he would avoid routine pain medications and take his chances with marijuana. I suspect that a kidney stone attack would change his mind.
Source: Erie Times-News, Erie, Pa. – December 26, 2004