Most trials showed improvement in symptoms associated with cannabinoids but these associations did not reach statistical significance in all trials .
There was an increased risk of short-term AEs with cannabinoids , including serious AEs .
Common AEs included dizziness , dry mouth , nausea , fatigue , somnolence , euphoria , vomiting , disorientation , drowsiness , confusion , loss of balance , and hallucination .
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE There was moderate- quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity .
There was low- quality evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy , weight gain in HIV infection , sleep disorders , and Tourette syndrome .
Cannabinoids were associated with an increased risk of short-term AEs
IMPORTANCE Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs are widely used to treat disease or alleviate symptoms , but their efficacy for specific indications is not clear .
OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and adverse events ( AEs ) of cannabinoids .
Psychoactive Drugs and Quality of Life
This study was performed on a representative sample of the Danish population in order to investigate the connection to the use of psychoactive drugs and quality of life ( QOL ) by way of a question naire-based survey . The question naire was mailed in February 1993 to 2,460 persons aged between 18 and 88 , r and omly selected from the CPR ( Danish Central Register ) , and 7,222 persons from the Copenhagen Perinatal Birth Cohort 1959—61.A total of 1,501 persons between the ages 18 and 88 years and 4,626 persons between the ages 31 and 33 years returned the question naire ( response rates of 61.0 % and 64.1 % , respectively ) . Variables investigated in this study were ten different  psychotropic drugs and quality of life . Our study showed that over half the Danish population had used illegal psychotropic drugs . The most commonly used was cannabis ( marijuana ) though experience of this drug appeared not to co-vary with QOL to any significant extent . Cocaine , amphetamine , and psilocybin had been used by 1.2 to 3.3 % of the population and this varied with QOL to a clear albeit small extent . LSD has been used by 1.2 % of the population and the users had a QOL score 10 % lower than those who had never used psychotropic drugs . The group with the lowest quality of life was found to be persons who had used heroin , morphine , methadone , and a mixture of alcohol and tranquilizers ( 10—20 % below the group with the highest quality of life )
Most trials showed improvement in symptoms associated with cannabinoids but these associations did not reach statistical significance in all trials .
There was an increased risk of short-term AEs with cannabinoids , including serious AEs .
Common AEs included dizziness , dry mouth , nausea , fatigue , somnolence , euphoria , vomiting , disorientation , drowsiness , confusion , loss of balance , and hallucination .
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE There was moderate- quality evidence to support the use of cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain and spasticity .
There was low- quality evidence suggesting that cannabinoids were associated with improvements in nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy , weight gain in HIV infection , sleep disorders , and Tourette syndrome .
Cannabinoids were associated with an increased risk of short-term AEs
IMPORTANCE Cannabis and cannabinoid drugs are widely used to treat disease or alleviate symptoms , but their efficacy for specific indications is not clear .
OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and adverse events ( AEs ) of cannabinoids .