Pubdate: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 2013 Chicago Tribune Contact: http://www.mercurynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390 Author: Ellen Jean Hirst, Chicago Tribune EXPERTS URGE MORE MARIJUANA RESEARCH CHICAGO - Even though 20 states have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana, swayed in part by thousands of personal testimonies, current research hasn't nailed down exactly if, and how, marijuana alleviates all the specific diseases the drug is being legalized to treat, experts say. A number of proponents believe marijuana could benefit people with everything from glaucoma to cancer, and it's been legalized in Illinois to aid patients with some 40 medical conditions. But opponents of its medicinal use believe the risks of smoking medical marijuana outweigh the benefits, while others question whether patients really improve or only feel like they improve. Marijuana's best known compound is THC, but the plant actually has 105 unique cannabis compounds with potential for medicinal use, proponents say. THC has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in synthetic form to help patients with nausea and decreased appetite. Some scientists believe the plant's other compounds - called cannabinoids - could have equal promise. Although research has increased in recent years as more states legalize medical marijuana, solid evidence of how individual cannabinoids could help people with specific diseases has been significantly lacking, a review of medical literature and interviews with experts shows. If the specific benefits could be proved, experts say, doctors ultimately would be able to assign particular strains to people, depending on their condition. Further research also may help determine optimal doses and whether marijuana works better than other medicines, experts say. While most medicines derived from nature are tested before they reach the masses, the process to evaluate marijuana has been confounded by its longtime status as an illegal drug, which it retains in the eyes of the federal government. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom