Universty Of Washington To Train On Marijuana Pain Management

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Universty of Washington to Train on Marijuana Pain Management

 

The University of Washington has been awarded a $110,000 grant from the Washington attorney general’s office to research how marijuana can be used to treat pain and then train health care providers how to effectively treat pain with medical marijuana.

 

In applying to do the work, UW stated that,“Misconceptions about medical cannabis and the lack of science-based education for professionals hinder the benefits that the medical cannabis law can bring to those struggling with chronic pain.”  They added in their application that Washington has one of the highest rates of opiate-related mortality in the country.

 

The money was granted by the attorney general’s office to U’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute.  The money came about after big pharma company Pfizer agreed to pay more than $42 million in a suit brought by several states, including Washington.  The suit was brought about because the company was found to “unlawfully promoting its drugs Zyvox and Lyrica.”

 

Former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna said “the drug maker engaged in illegal marketing for Lyrica by encouraging its use for the treatment of pain conditions for which the drug is not approved by the FDA.”

 

Washington was granted $1.3 million in the settlement.  The only stipulation of the award was that it had to be used to “address direct treatment or research related to chronic pain.”

 

“The grant committee reviewed a variety of projects for breadth of impact as well as geographic, ethnic and project diversity. This UW research project will provide scientific-based information about the medicinal use of marijuana — including chronic pain management,” Janelle Guthrie, spokeswoman for the AG’s office, wrote Seattle PI in an email.

 

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