Smoking Pot And Popping THC Pills Combat Pain, Study Finds
Marinol Pills Ten-milligram pills of Marinol, the name-brand pill whose active ingredient is the same as the active chemical in marijuana. U.S. Drug Enforcement AdministrationThis is the first study to compare smoking marijuana and pills that contain the psychoactive chemical in the plant. Both smoked marijuana and pills made using marijuana's top active ingredient relieve pain, a new, small study found. Which to choose? Well, smoked pot worked faster, but the pills' effects lasted longer, the study found. This is the first study to compare smoked marijuana with pills containing dronabinol (AKA delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol AKA THC), the study scientists, a team of three psychiatrists from Columbia University in New York, wrote in a paper published today. And while anecdotal evidence-and several small studies-have shown that marijuana works for pain, dronabinol pills aren't yet U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved for pain. Instead, their labels say they're for nausea, vomiting, low appetite and weight...