Dr. Lester Grinspoon defines phantom limb pain in Marihuana: The Forbidden Medicine the following way: "Almost everyone who has had a limb amputated experiences sensations that are interpreted by the brain as though they came from the missing (phantom) limb. In two-thirds of the cases these sensations include persistent pain, usually of a cutting, stabbing, or pricking nature." (1) This condition afflicts roughly 30 percent of all amputees and is typically treated ineffectively by standard analgesics. The medical literature reveals one uncontrolled case study of a women effectively treating her phantom limb pain with 10 mg of oral THC (Dronabinol) twice a day. (2)
The analgesic properties on cannabis and cannabinoids are described in detail in the pain section. As noted there, neuropathic pain is particularly amenable to treatment with cannabis-based medicines.
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee acknowledged cannabis' ability to treat symptoms of phantom limb pain. They determined: "Pain which originates from damaged nerves might respond to cannabinoids. An example of such pain is phantom limb pain following amputation. There is anecdotal evidence that cannabis can relieve this pain and trials of cannabis should be undertaken in such patients." (3)
References used above
1. L. Grinspoon et al, "Marihuana the Forbidden Medicine" (second edition), New haven, CT: Yale University Press (1997), 200.
2. Ibid., 200-202.
3. House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology, "Ninth Report," London: United Kingdom (1998): Chapter 5, Section 5.27.
