Medical cannabis researchers are still playing catchup as significant barriers and challenges to clinical research still need to be overcome in determining its role in condition-specific guidelines.
Medical cannabis has faced numerous socio-political challenges in both the development of robust research programmes and ultimately acceptance as a potential therapeutic. Over the early part of the 21st century we have seen a gradual, yet sustained, shift in attitudes towards cannabis globally. This has been achieved largely through patient and public pressure towards therapeutic use exemptions for those chronic health conditions which have benefited from using cannabis in its various forms for improvement of symptoms and quality of life.
However, with this changing tide we have also seen the potential list of conditions for which medicinal cannabis may be beneficial grow substantially. Medical cannabis researchers are still playing catchup as significant barriers and challenges to clinical research still need to be overcome in determining its role in condition-specific guidelines. The utilisation of real-world evidence (RWE) derived from data being generated by patients presents an opportunity to accelerate clinical translation and supplement pre-clinical studies and randomised controlled trials, which are still awaited.
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