UW News

October 18, 2013

UW receives grant from attorney general’s office for pain management

News and Information

The University of Washington has received an 18-month grant of $110,299 from the state Attorney General’s Office to provide training and education for health professionals and the general public on the subject of chronic pain management and cannabis use.

The grant was presented by Attorney General Bob Ferguson in an event at the UW’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute Oct. 17.

The grant, to Beatriz Carlini, research scientist, and her colleagues at the Institute, will assess and address gaps in science-based training and education for a number of groups: staff of community organizations that provide information to individuals suffering from chronic pain, health care providers and the general public.

“Chronic pain is a major public health issue,” Carlini said. “This project will offer non-judgmental, science-based information to clinicians and to the general public on the role of medical marijuana as an option in alleviating intractable pain in our state.”

The ultimate goal of the project is to increase awareness of the options available to treat pain and other medical conditions, and to decrease unnecessary suffering among people living with chronic pain. The project will provide and information and education about medical conditions and populations for whom cannabis is recommended, and for whom it is not recommended, as well as possible side effects and risks.

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