Cannabis does help MS patients - but scientists can't work out which strain did the trick

• People living with MS in Colorado are turning to cannabis as alternative therapy
• Thorsten Rudroff from Colorado State University says his lab can't conduct tests because of federal regulations
• But doctors can't recommend a strain because of lack scientific evidence
• Colorado has been the epicenter of marijuana legalization in the US

By Thorsten Rudroff 

An estimated 400,000 Americans are currently living with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease where the body's immune cells attack a fatty substance called myelin in the nerves.

Common symptoms are gait and balance disorders, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, pain and muscle spasticity.

Colorado has the highest proportion of people living with MS in the United States. It is estimated that one in 550 people living in the state has MS, compared to one in 750 nationally.

The reason for this is unknown, but could be related to several factors, such as vitamin D deficiency or environment.

Currently available therapies do not sufficiently relieve MS symptoms. As a result many people with the condition are trying alternative therapies, like cannabis.

A woman with MS leaves a licensed medical cannabis dispensary in Illinois. Many people living with MS in Colorado have turned to alternative therapies like cannabis. Colorado has the highest proportion of people living with MS in the US

Based on several studies, the American Association of Neurology states that there is strong evidence that cannabis is effective for treatment of pain and spasticity.

Although there are many anecdotal reports indicating cannabis' beneficial effects for treatment of MS symptoms such as fatigue, muscle weakness, anxiety and sleep deprivation, they have not been scientifically verified.

This is because clinical trials – where patients are given cannabis – are difficult to do because of how the substance is regulated at the federal level.

To learn more, my Integrative Neurophysiology Laboratory at Colorado State University is studying people with MS in the state who are already using medical cannabis as a treatment to investigate what MS symptoms the drug can effectively treat.