Welcome to CMCR

Welcome to the Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research

Welcome to the University of California's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research (CMCR). The purpose of the Center is to coordinate rigorous scientific studies to assess the safety and efficacy of cannabis and cannabis compounds for treating medical conditions. The funding of the CMCR is the result of SB 847 (Vasconcellos), passed by the State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Gray Davis. The legislation calls for a three year program overseeing objective, high quality medical research that will "enhance understanding of the efficacy and adverse effects of marijuana as a pharmacological agent," stressing that the project "should not be construed as encouraging or sanctioning the social or recreational use of marijuana" (SB 847).

news

Smoked Cannabis Reduces Some Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

UC San Diego Health Science Communications, May 14, 2012

A clinical study of 30 adult patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has shown that smoked cannabis may be an effective treatment for spasticity – a common and disabling symptom of this neurological disease.

The placebo-controlled trial also resulted in reduced perception of pain, although participants also reported short-term, adverse cognitive effects and increased fatigue. The study will be published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on May 14.

Click here to read more...

The Gaps in Medical Marijuana Knowledge

voiceofsandiego.org, November 21, 2011

His main focus is the effect of AIDS on the brain, but University of California, San Diego psychiatry professor Dr. Igor Grant rarely gets calls from the media about that topic. Instead, he hears from reporters who want to know about pot and pain.

Grant is director of the state-funded Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, which has spent 11 years and $8.7 million studying the use of marijuana to treat pain. It's produced five studies suggesting that pot indeed has value as a painkiller and as a treatment for symptoms of multiple sclerosis; two more studies are due next year. A total of about 300 patients have taken part..

Click here to read more...

Report to the California Legislature

In February 2010, the CMCR presented a report to the California legislature summarizing the findings of 10 years of research on cannabis and cannabinoids.

Click here to download the report.

CMCR