Pisa, Italy: The long-term use of a cannabis-infused decoction is effective at reducing pain intensity and mitigating anxiety and depression in patients with chronic pain, according to clinical data published in the journal La Clinica Therapeutica.
Italian researchers assessed the long-term use of cannabis in a cohort of 338 patients with chronic pain. Subjects consumed between 5mg and 10mg of THC-infused tea daily. Two hundred and fourteen subjects completed the one-year trial without interruption.
Authors reported: “After 12 months of therapy, pain intensity, pain disability, anxiety and depression show[ed] substantial improvement.”
They concluded: “Our research demonstrates that cannabis therapy, as an adjunct to traditional analgesic treatment, reduces pain intensity, improves daily functionality, and allows a reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms. … Cannabis should be prescribed responsibly by taking into account the comprehensive pain history of the patients, obtaining informed consent after discussing the risks and benefits of treatment, and administering periodic follow-up of the treatment efficacy.”
For more information, contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis in patients with chronic pain: Effect on pain relief, pain disability, and psychological aspects. A prospective non-randomized single arm clinical trial,” appears in La Clinica Therapeutica.