Jerusalem, Israel: A single oral dose of a cannabis extract significantly reduces opioid consumption in patients suffering from acute pain, according to placebo-controlled clinical trial data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Israeli researchers assessed the morphine-sparing effects of a cannabis tincture versus a placebo in 69 patients with acute radicular (nerve) pain. Study participants received either a high-dose THC/CBD tincture, a low-dose THC/CBD tincture, or a placebo. Patients’ intravenous morphine consumption was assessed eight hours and 24 hours later.
Patients administered the high-dose cannabis formulation required far less morphine over the ensuing 24-hour period. Few adverse side effects were reported.
“Our study demonstrated significantly reduced intravenous morphine consumption upon administering a single sublingual dose of a cannabinoid formulation containing THC, CBD and selected terpenes,” the study’s authors concluded. “Among subjects suffering from acute radicular pain, ones receiving 19.8 mg THC + 19.8 mg CBD and 3 mg terpenes consumed about half the morphine dose compared to those who received placebo. This reduction in morphine consumption was achieved … with no severe long-lasting adverse effects. … The 24-h sustained cannabinoid-mediated opioid-sparing effect suggests an extended sensory effect and/or affective-cognitive effects on coping with the pain, which last beyond the sensory window. … These findings support the potential of cannabinoids as opioid-sparing agents in acute pain management.”
The study’s findings are consistent with those of others reporting that botanical cannabis and cannabis-based preparations are associated with opioid-sparing effects in patients suffering from various types of chronic pain, including postoperative pain, cancer pain, and treatment-resistant lower back pain.
Full text of the study, “Opioid-sparing effect of cannabinoid formulation in treating acute radicular pain: A randomized controlled trial,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research. Additional information on the opioid-sparing effects of cannabis is available from the NORML Fact Sheet, ‘Relationship Between Marijuana and Opioids.’