“Over time, individuals who continued consuming cannabis within this longitudinal study reported lower pain severity and pain interference scores, as well as improved quality of life and general health symptoms scores.”
Category: Opioids
Investigators reported a “strong positive association” between subjects’ frequency of cannabis use and self-reported improvements in pain, health-care utilization, and overall health-related quality of life.
“In the adjusted analysis, at-least-daily cannabis use was significantly associated with increased rates of injection cessation.”
“Over the course of our study, … we identified a significant and progressive increase in the number of patients using cannabis. In patients with chronic pain, cannabis use more than doubled during this period.”
“Taken together, the results of this study add to the cumulative evidence in support of plant-based MC (medical cannabis) as a safe and effective treatment option and potential opioid substitute or augmentation therapy for the management of chronic pain symptomatology and quality of life.”
“This feasibility trial demonstrated that a metered-dose cannabis inhaler delivered precise and low THC doses [that] produced a dose-dependent and safe analgesic effect.”
Authors reported that patients administered oral THC experienced a “nine-fold greater reduction in opioid consumption” compared to controls.
Patients suffering from persistent pain conditions who frequently use cannabis are far less likely to use non-prescription opioids, according to study.