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1. Name: Mark A. Ware
2. Title: Director of Research, Magill University Health Centre (MUHC) Pain Clinic, Canada
3. Medical Marijuana
Position:		 No position found to the question "Should marijuana be a medical option?"
4. Reasoning:

"Dr. Ware said in an interview with The Chomedey News that his survey is probably the most extensive study of medicinal cannabis use among chronically ill patients conducted to date. He said he undertook the study after being approached by GW Pharmaceuticals, a drug company which is developing new products based on cannabis.

'The interest from the pharmaceutical companies reflects the fact that, at least at that level, there is potential therapeutic value worth investing money and research and, obviously, raising considerable amounts of capital to do this work,' he said. 'That probably reflects the growing basic science understanding of how the ingredients of cannabis work in various syndromes, including pain.'

While Dr. Ware said he believed that physicians are gradually becoming aware of the potential therapeutic uses of marijuana, he added that he wouldn't go so far as to say they support or are promoting its use.

'I think they're gradually becoming aware of its potential and waiting for drug development to bring the necessary research forward so that safety and efficacy is there, before they actually start prescribing the drug," he said. He acknowledged that recent preoccupation by the public and media with the use of raw herbal marijuana probably heightened corporate interest in developing laboratory-grade cannabis-based pharmaceuticals.'" ("Some MDs Recommending Marijuana For Medical Use," The Chomedey Laval News 4/05)
5. Credibility
Ranking:

Organization/VIP/Other
Those individuals and organizations that do not fit into the other star categories

6. Involvement:
  • Director of Research, Magill University Health Centre (MUHC) Pain Clinic, Canada
  • Assistant Professor, (MUHC), Montreal General Hospital, Canada
  • Principle Investigator, Community Research Initiative of Toronto (CRIT)
  • Principal Investigator, "Cannabis for the Management of Pain: Assessment of Safety Study" (COMPASS) trial
  • Scientific Director, Canadian Consortium for the Investigation of Cannabinoids (CCIC)
7. Education:
  • M.Sc., Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 1999
8. Relevant Affiliations/Honors:
  • Member, International Cannabinoid Research Society
  • Member, Canadian Pain Society
  • MUHC Research Institute Equipment Competition Grant reciptient, 2003
  • The Louise Edwards Foundation Award for Pain Research, 2003
9. Contact Info:
Phone: 514-934-8222 Fax: 514-934-8096
E-Mail:   mark.ware@muhc.mcgill.ca
Web Site: Mark Ware biography at McGill
10. Other: Select Publications:
  • Co-author, "Evaluation of Herbal Cannabis Characteristics by Medical Users: A Randomized Trial," Harm Reduction Journal 2006, 3:32
  • Co-author, "Experience with the Synthetic Cannabinoid Nabilone in Chronic Noncancer Pain," Pain Medicine 2006, 7(1): 25-9
  • Co-author, "Safety Issues Concerning the Medical Use of Cannabis and Cannabinoids," Pain Research & Management : the Journal of the Canadian Pain Society 2005, 10 Suppl A: 31A-7A
  • Co-author, "Patterns of Cannabis Use Among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis," Neurology 2004, 62(11): 2098-100
  • Co-author, "A Case of Central Pain Syndrome and Dystonia Responsive to Inhaled Cannabis," Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 2002, 24: 4-6
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