Cannabis users in legalized states can visit their friendly local dispensary to find a wide range of products like topicals, edibles, capsules, beverages, and concentrates. The processed versions of cannabis are for consumers who do not want to smoke in order to get the desired effects. In terms of the method that is most beneficial for chronic pain patients, new research suggests that eating a whole bowl of cannabis flowers will still be effective.
Researchers from the University of New Mexico found that people who want to use cannabis for pain management are better off using bud as opposed to other forms of this herb. The findings, which were published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine, indicate that “whole cannabis flower was associated with greater pain relief than were other types of products.” Researchers say “higher tetrahydrocannabinol levels (THC), were the strongest predictors for analgesia, and the prevalence of side effects across all five categories of pain.”
The results of this study are particularly interesting, given that CBD (cannabidiol), the nonintoxicating component in the cannabis plant is being touted as an effective pain reliever. Even the folks pushing the hemp-derived version of this medicine, which is much weaker than the oils made from marijuana, swear that this sometimes truck stop novelty is the key to living pain-free. Researchers disagree. The researchers have come to the conclusion that THC is essential for pain relief.
This study found that cannabis flowers containing moderate or high amounts of THC are an effective medium-level analgesic.
Smoking marijuana is not the most effective way to manage pain because of the presence of THC.
The society has grown to be convinced that dividing cannabis into its good and bad components is the correct way of addressing the plant. CBD’s popularity has grown in recent years. It is a mistake to ignore the more than 100 other cannabinoids found in the cannabis plants. This attitude also ignores essential flavonoids, terpenes, and other phytochemicals. It eliminates the possibility of the patient benefiting from synergistic effects. Science established long ago that the entourage effect associated with whole-plant cannabis is what truly provides the therapeutic effects. So, all of you military service members prohibited from using CBD products, don’t worry, you’re definitely not missing much.
How about the children who suffer from epilepsy? Sanjay Gupta said years ago that CBD was needed to prevent seizures. Sure, while some sick children might have had some luck controlling this affliction through the use of CBD alone, a study published found the compound was more effective at helping them stay seizure-free if it was complemented with just a hint of THC. The researchers found that they had better results the closer the cannabinoids worked together. Researchers said that “we saw a statistically-significant reduction in motor seizure, and an increasing number of seizures-free days.”
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a CBD-based drug called Epidiolex to be prescribed to young patients suffering from two rare forms of epilepsy, not even it is expected to be a miracle cure. The drug, which contains absolutely no THC, is only effective in around 32% of patients, according to the FDA. Parents with epileptic kids have long complained that CBD alone just doesn’t do the trick and that the efficacy of this compound has been hyped beyond belief.
New Mexico’s study, on the other hand, offers some insight to Americans who are looking for information about whether or not marijuana relieves pain.
A separate study published from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) shows that 75% of the U.S. population, most of them millennials, has a genuine interest in learning more about how pot can combat pain conditions. The people who are interested in learning more about how pot can combat pain conditions, most of whom are millennials, have a genuine interest.
Unfortunately, users of medical marijuana will need to become high to experience noticeable pain relief. And that complicates things for a vast majority of the U.S. population — especially those in the workforce. Unlike over-the-counter pain remedies like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, which eliminate some of the hurt without a buzz, smoking marijuana to combat minor aches could lead to impairment issues on the job. Even after the federal law is passed, it’s likely that medical marijuana won’t be allowed on-the-job. Do not sell off your Tylenol stock just yet.