PHILADELPHIA, May 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ethos Cannabis (“Ethos” or the “Company”) announced today the official launch of an opiate-use study with Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University (“Jefferson”) which seeks to assess the viability of medical cannabis as an opioid replacement therapeutic aid. The purpose of this study is to learn if medical cannabis helps people with chronic pain who currently take opioid pain medication. Jefferson is hoping to determine if medical cannabis could replace opioids for those struggling with opioid use disorder or opioid dependency.
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 10.1 million people misused opioids in 2019. Specifically, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers. Medical cannabis shows potential for mitigating opioid dependency, but due to federal restrictions research on the topic is scarce.
Jefferson is seeking participants for the 4-month study who are currently diagnosed with chronic pain, have been taking opioids (oxycodone, Percocet, morphine, etc.) for a period longer than 90 days, and are not currently using medical marijuana products. Certain participants will introduce various medical marijuana products into their treatment plan in a double blinded fashion and Jefferson researchers will observe the impact of these products on their opiate use and pain and withdrawal symptoms. All participants will be asked to complete compensated baseline, daily, weekly, and monthly questionnaires and interviews about their health and opioid use.
“We fully appreciate the risk of long-term opioid use including progression to opioid use disorder,” said Brooke Worster, MD, FACP, and lead researcher from Jefferson. “There is potential in cannabis as a safer, tolerable therapy to lessen the reliance and impact of opioids. However, we have minimal quantifiable science to feel comfortable making solid medical recommendations to patients. This study is an important step in that process, using forms and strains of cannabis that are common in the marketplace and getting real-time patient assessments in terms of effective pain relief, side effects, reduction in opioid cravings, and withdrawal. We expect to have meaningful data collection over the next 18 months which could directly translate into clinical practice change.”
David Clapper, CEO of Ethos, added, “The Pennsylvania legislation that created the Clinical Registrant (CR) permit program exponentially expanded our ability to do effective, impactful research in this space. Ethos is thrilled to continue working alongside Jefferson’s dedicated team to progress our understanding of medical cannabis.”
Ethos is one of eight Clinical Registrant (CR) permit holders in Pennsylvania that is conducting research related to medical cannabis. Thomas Jefferson University, Ethos’ designated partner, is one of the country’s leading medical schools and is certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) as an Academic Clinical Research Center (ACRC). Ethos’ dispensaries in Philadelphia, Montgomeryville and Pittsburgh, PA are all certified under the CR permit and will be recruiting participants for the study.
About Ethos Cannabis:
Ethos Cannabis is a multistate operator with operations in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Maryland. Ethos is developing a leading vertically integrated, retail-focused platform in the Mid Atlantic and East Coast markets of the U.S. This platform serves mainstream consumers while expanding the health and wellness market through relationships with Thomas Jefferson University and other academic medical institutions and strategic partnerships. Ethos is dedicated to helping individuals feel and live better through their experiences with cannabis.
For more information about Ethos, visit their website at https://www.ethospa.com/. For more information about the study, please call 215-503-3013 or email MMJstudy@Jefferson.edu.
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