Perceived Effects of Marijuana Use By MS Patients in Saskatchewan—A Pilot Study

Dissatisfaction with conventional treatments has led to increasing awareness of complementary therapies. To study the use and effects of marijuana in multiple sclerosis (MS), an anonymous questionnaire was sent to 250 randomly selected MS patients from Saskatchewan asking about course of the disease, symptoms, complementary therapy use, and details of past or present marijuana usage. Of the 168 respondents, 36% had smoked marijuana. The incidence of marijuana use for the symptoms of MS was 15%. (A total of 15% used marijuana as treatment for symptoms of MS.) Symptoms that improved included spasticity at sleep onset (58%), weight loss (58%), spasticity when walking (47%), depression (45%), spasms at night (43%), and muscle pain (41%). Statistical significance was not achieved because of the small number of respondents (25 of 168) who smoked marijuana.

This small number of cannabis users provides some indication of potential symptomatic relief in MS. The effects of marijuana appear to modestly benefit symptoms of spasticity, pain, and depression. These data support the proposal for a controlled randomized trial to evaluate the beneficial effects of marijuana in MS. (Int J MS Care. 2003; 6: 139–147)