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1. Name: Joep Killestein, M.D., Ph.D.
2. Title: Department of Neurology, MS Centre, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3. Medical Marijuana
Position:		 No position found to the question "Should marijuana be a medical option?"
4. Reasoning:

"The authors conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, twofold crossover study in 16 patients with MS who presented with severe spasticity to investigate safety, tolerability, and efficacy of oral Delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Cannabis sativa plant extract. Both drugs were safe, but adverse events were more common with plant-extract treatment. Compared with placebo, neither THC nor plant-extract treatment reduced spasticity. Both THC and plant-extract treatment worsened the participant's global impression." ("Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Orally Administered Cannabinoids in MS," Neurology 5/02)
5. Credibility
Ranking:

Key Experts
Physicians [We believe physicians are the "key experts" in the medical marijuana debate because the issue is thought by many to be ultimately based on the medical value and risks of marijuana, and Physicians, with their training and clinical work, should (at least in theory) have the best knowledge of marijuana's medical value and risks]

6. Involvement:
  • Department of Neurology, MS Centre, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
7. Education:
  • M.D., School unknown
  • Ph.D., School unknown
8. Relevant Affiliations/Honors:
  • None listed
9. Contact Info:
Phone: +31 (0)20 444 44 44, Main office Fax: +31 (0)20 444 46 45, Main office
E-Mail:   j.killestein@vumc.nl
Web Site: www.vumc.nl
10. Other: Select Publications:
  • Co-author, "Cannabinoids in Multiple Sclerosis: Urgent Need for Long Term Trials," Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2005, 76(12): 1612
  • Co-author, "Medicinal Cannabis for Diseases of the Nervous System: No Convincing Evidence of Effectiveness," [Article in Dutch] Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde 2004, 148(48): 2374-8
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