Patients have long told us that cannabis has been helpful to them in the treatment of their arthritic conditions. Science has now demonstrated that the THC component of cannabis is a very effective analgesic (pain killer), and that the CBD (cannabidiol) component has unique immunomodulatory benefits as an antagonist of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, supporting benefits in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as Crohn's disease and psoriasis.

It appears that cannabis-based medicines will likely be an important component of arthritis treatment in the 21st century.

Ethan Russo, MD, is a board-certified child and adult neurologist in Missoula, MT, and researcher in migraine, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, cannabis and cannabinoids in pain management. Dr. Russo currently serves in a consultancy position as Senior Medical Advisor to the Cannabinoid Research Institute, the division of GW Pharmaceuticals established to promote exploratory research. He holds faculty positions as adjunct associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Montana, and clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine of the University of Washington. He has published numerous articles in scientific journals and is co-editor of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential. Dr. Russo is the founding editor of Journal of Cannabis Therapeutics. doctors alike, on the superior effectiveness and safety of whole cannabis compared to other medications, … the President should instruct the NIH and the Food and Drug Administration to make efforts to enroll seriously ill patients whose physicians believe that whole cannabis would be helpful to their conditions in clinical trials" (November 1994)

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