Minneapolis, MN: The use of medical cannabis products is associated with reduced levels of opioid use among patients with cancer, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer.
A team of investigators affiliated with the Cancer Research Center in Minnesota and with the Minnesota Department of Health assessed the relationship between the consumption of state-licensed cannabis products and opioid use patterns in a cohort of 30 cannabis naive, stage IV cancer patients. Participants in the study consumed plant-derived cannabis extract products over the course of the trial. Patients were advised to begin dosing at 2.5–5 mg/2.5–5 mg (THC/CBD), respectively, with a titration plan to escalate their dose to 30–40 mg of THC and 30–40 mg of CBD per day over two-to-four weeks. (At the time the study was conducted, Minnesota law did not permit dispensaries to provide herbal cannabis.)
Researchers reported: “Medical cannabis use led to improvements in achieving personalized pain goals and lower overall opioid requirements. No serious adverse events with cannabis were reported, and most patients who used cannabis reported that benefits outweighed negative effects.”
Authors concluded: “Our results support prior studies suggesting cannabis may improve pain and minimize opioid utilization in both cancer and non-cancer settings. … Incorporating cannabis into routine cancer care may improve pain control and minimize opioid requirements.”
A pair of recent registry studies involving over 4,000 patients with cancer similarly reported that the use of medical cannabis results in clinically meaningful improvements in patients’ symptoms while also reducing their use of opioids, benzodiazepines, and other prescription medications. Dozens of studies assessing the initiation of medical cannabis therapy in other patient populations have reached similar conclusions.
Full text of the study, “A randomized trial of medical cannabis patients with stage IV cancers to assess feasibility, dose requirements, impact on pain and opioid use, safety, and overall patient satisfaction,” appears in Supportive Care in Cancer. Additional information regarding the relationship between cannabis and prescription pain relievers is available from the NORML fact sheet, “Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.”