Medical Marijuana » Winterstein Research Group » College of Pharmacy

Clinical Outcomes of Medical Marijuana (MMJ) Use

Created by the State of Florida (F.S.1004.4351(4)), the Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research (Consortium) conducts, disseminates, and supports rigorous scientific research on the clinical outcomes of medical marijuana use. The Consortium consists of 11 public and private universities in Florida and is led by UF with Dr. Almut Winterstein as its Director.

Since the passing of the Compassionate Use Act in 2014, Florida citizens have had access to marijuana and marijuana products for the treatment of certain debilitating conditions. While medical marijuana (MMJ) may improve health outcomes, evidence to support its effectiveness for the treatment of most conditions is still lacking, and there exist safety concerns related to cognitive effects, risk of accidents, interactions with other medications, psychosis, or addiction. Moreover, cannabis products vary in terms of components and modes of administration, but there is limited research to elude which plant components, doses, and delivery methods provide the optimal benefit-risk. This need for research and lack of evidence is in stark contrast to the rapid uptake of MMJ.

The Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research Data Repository (MEMORY) is a data bank developed by the Consortium to facilitate safety and effectiveness studies pertinent to MMJ use for certain qualifying medical conditions. MEMORY allows for the longitudinal ascertainment of health outcomes, considering MMJ dose and routes, concomitant medication use, and comorbid health conditions for a population of Florida residents. The MEMORY database, built progressively over several years, is evolving into a rich source of clinical outcomes research data (Figure 1). Early efforts in building this repository have focused on integrating important data sources, including MMJ certification and dispensing records from the Florida Department of Health’s (DoH) Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU), Florida state Medicaid claims data, Medicare data, and vital statistics records (i.e., birth, fetal death, and death records).

Figure 1. MMJ Clinical Outcomes Research Repository: MEMORY (mmjoutcomes.org/memory)

Specific Aims:

MEMORY will support:

controlled studies on MMJ effectiveness and safety
active surveillance to capture emerging safety issues involving individual products or generalized effects among MMJ users
MMJ utilization studies on MMJ access and utilization pattern across Floridians

Current ongoing studies utilizing MEMORY:

Study team

Director

Almut G Winterstein, RPh, PhD, FISPE

Distinguished Professor, Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy
Director, Center for Drug Evaluation & Safety, University of Florida
Director, Consortium for Medical Marijuana Clinical Outcomes Research