@article{9a753e5cb36e4e08b7b6d294a0012bc1,
title = "Medical Cannabis for the Primary Care Physician",
abstract = "Medical cannabis use is common in the United States and increasingly more socially acceptable. As more patients seek out and acquire medical cannabis, primary care physicians will be faced with a growing number of patients seeking information on the indications, efficacy, and safety of medical cannabis. We present a case of a patient with several chronic health conditions who asks her primary care provider whether she should try medical cannabis. We provide a review of the pharmacology of medical cannabis, the state of evidence regarding the efficacy of medical cannabis, variations in the types of medical cannabis, and safety monitoring considerations for the primary care physician.",
keywords = "adverse effects, chronic pain, medical cannabis, medical marijuana, primary care",
author = "Deepika Slawek and Meenrajan, {Senthil Raj} and Alois, {Marika Rose} and {Comstock Barker}, Paige and Estores, {Irene Mison} and Robert Cook",
note = "Funding Information: Ms J{\textquoteright}s PCP recommended that she avoid other sedating substances like alcohol while using her medical cannabis. Her medical cannabis provider also recommended that she reduce her THC consumption by using a vaped pen with a lower THC/CBD ratio. With these changes, her pain control and side effects improved. Her children report that she is more at ease and seems in less pain. No matter the laws around medical cannabis, PCPs benefit from understanding what the potential uses, adverse events, and risks are of using medical cannabis. In order to make recommendations based on high-quality evidence, more randomized controlled trials and pragmatic trials are needed. Studies using cannabis are extremely restricted in the United States. Federal government{\textquoteright}s Schedule 1 classification of cannabis, which prohibits its use for research except for in limited settings. As providers and patient advocates, we should press for changes in these laws to allow for more substantive research that is applicable to our patients. Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr Cook receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, including research grant R01DA042069. Funding The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. ORCID iD Deepika Slawek https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8403-8433 Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2019.",
year = "2019",
doi = "10.1177/2150132719884838",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "10",
journal = "Journal of primary care & community health",
issn = "2150-1319",
publisher = "Sage Periodicals Press",
}
