A newly-published scientific review suggests that marijuana and cannabinoids may help treat various forms of chronic pain. In some cases, they could reduce the need for other drugs. In the paper, it is also stated that certain mixtures cannabinoids may help to minimize cannabis’ undesirable effects such as THC psychoactivity.
Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine wrote the article, which was published in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids last month. The study reviews “the latest evidence that supports the use of marijuana in the treatment of chronic disorders such as chronic neuropathic, cancer-induced, chronic muscular and skeletal pain and chronic headaches and Migraines.”
It is concluded in the report that certain cannabis compounds can reduce pain. These substances have different chemical effects within the body. Further research is recommended into the analgesic potential of lesser-known cannabinoids, like cannabichromene(CBC) or cannabigerol(CBG).
More than 180 distinct cannabinoids, which interact with many different body parts, have been isolated. CBD and THC for instance, have a “wide range of therapeutic effects due to their many molecular targets, including ion channel, receptors and transporters.”
Researchers found that THC (the most common and well-studied of the three cannabinoids), CBD (the second most prevalent and understudied), and cannabigerol CBG (the least studied) reduced neuropathic symptoms in animal studies. They recommend further research on cannabinoids to focus on their optimal therapeutic doses, and on how they can help manage chronic pain.
According to the study, chronic pain affects over 100 million Americans. It is also one of most common reasons for adults seeking medical treatment.
It continues, “Chronic neuropathy pain, chronic back pain and neurogenic disorders (migraines), can be crippling and resistant to treatments.” Current treatment methods are ineffective, resulting in minimal or no pain relief. They may also have side effects. Cannabinoids suppress chronic pain when they interact with cannabinoid receptive receptors within the central nervous, PNS [peripheral nervous system]Generalized ECS [endocannabinoid system].”
While marijuana has experienced numerous cultural shifts in its thousands of years of history as a medicinal remedy, its use has increasingly received acceptance and—in medical settings—encouragement in recent decades, authors wrote.
The majority of modern research has been focused on the phytocannabinoids that are produced by this plant. These compounds have shown to be effective in reducing chronic pain, as well as other conditions such as seizures (e.g. Lennox Gastaut and Dravet Syndromes), and spasticity. [multiple sclerosis]”, the article says. This review provides scientific evidence that cannabis can be used as an adjuvant to treat chronic pain, which may also reduce pain levels enough to minimize other pharmaceutical treatments.
The article concludes by saying that “cannabinoids can be combined to decrease unwanted side effects, or increase analgesic properties of prescribed medications.” CBD can be used to reduce the psychoactive effect of THC.
A conflict of interest declaration in the paper notes that PA Options for Wellness, a medical marijuana registry registered with Pennsylvania state government, provides research support to one of its authors and Penn State College of Medicine.
This review comes as part of an explosion of recent research into cannabis’ use to treat chronic pain. Chronic pain is one of many qualifying conditions that patients with medical marijuana in most states have.
In a study published in Pain earlier this year, researchers found that cannabis was “comparatively effective” than prescription painkillers for treating chronic back pain. They also discovered that patients who used marijuana reduced their opioid painkiller use.
According to the authors of the National Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School report, “the analysis was able to determine using causal inference methods that the use of medical cannabis for chronic pain is at least equally effective, and could be more effective, in comparison to chronic pain patients treated with prescription medication (nonopioid and opioid).”
A separate federally funded study found that legalization of marijuana in U.S. states is associated with reduced prescriptions for opioid pain medications among commercially insured adults—indicating a possible substitution effect where patients are choosing to use cannabis instead of prescription drugs to treat pain.
The authors wrote that “these results indicate that the substitution of marijuana for pain medication increases with increased availability of recreational cannabis.” They noted that “there appears to be a slight shift when recreational cannabis is legalized, but that we see better results after users are able to purchase cannabis from recreational dispensaries.”
The paper published in Cannabis explains that “reductions in prescriptions for opioids due to recreational marijuana legalization could prevent opioid exposure in pain patients, as well as lead to a decrease in new opioid users and rates of addiction disorder.”
Another recent study also found a decrease in opioid fatal overdoses when marijuana for adults was legalized. That study found a “consistent negative relationship” between legalization and fatal overdoses, with more significant effects in states that legalized cannabis earlier in the opioid crisis. According to the authors, recreational marijuana legalization is “associated with an approximate 3.5 death reduction per 100,000 persons.”
This report stated that “our findings suggest that broader access to recreational marijuana could help combat the opioid epidemic.” Previous research has shown that marijuana, primarily used for medical purposes, can help reduce the number of opioid prescriptions. We also found it could reduce overdose deaths.
The effect of earlier implementation is greater. [recreational marijuana legalization]It added that this relationship has been relatively constant over time.
Another recently published report into prescription opioid use in Utah following the state’s legalization of medical marijuana found that the availability of legal cannabis both reduced opioid use by patients with chronic pain and helped drive down prescription overdose deaths statewide. It concluded that the results showed “cannabis plays a significant role in pain management, and it can reduce opioid use.”
Yet another study, published in 2023, linked medical marijuana use to lower pain levels and reduced dependence on opioids and other prescription medications. And another, published by the American Medical Association (AMA) last February, found that chronic pain patients who received medical marijuana for longer than a month saw significant reductions in prescribed opioids.
About one in three chronic pain patients reported using cannabis as a treatment option, according to a 2023 AMA-published report. A majority of this group claimed to have used cannabis in place of other pain medicines, including opioids.
Other research published that year found that letting people buy CBD legally significantly reduced opioid prescription rates, leading to 6.6 percent to 8.1 percent fewer opioid prescriptions.
A 2022 research paper that analyzed Medicaid data on prescription drugs, meanwhile, found that legalizing marijuana for adult use was associated with “significant reductions” in the use of prescription drugs for the treatment of multiple conditions.
A 2023 report linked state-level medical marijuana legalization to reduced opioid payouts to doctors—another datapoint suggesting that patients use cannabis as an alternative to prescription drugs when given legal access.
Researchers in another study, published last year, looked at opioid prescription and mortality rates in Oregon, finding that nearby access to retail marijuana moderately reduced opioid prescriptions, though they observed no corresponding drop in opioid-related deaths.
Recent research has also shown that cannabis can be a good alternative to opioids for pain relief.
A report published recently in the journal BMJ Open, for instance, compared medical marijuana and opioids for chronic non-cancer pain and found that cannabis “may be similarly effective and result in fewer discontinuations than opioids,” potentially offering comparable relief with a lower likelihood of adverse effects.
Separate research published found that more than half (57 percent) of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain said cannabis was more effective than other analgesic medications, while 40 percent reported reducing their use of other painkillers since they began using marijuana.
A Minnesota government report released this year, which looked at chronic pain sufferers enrolled in its medical marijuana program, said that they “seem to notice a change” in their pain within just a few weeks of beginning cannabis therapy.
In a large-scale, nearly 10,000 patient study, nearly one-quarter of patients who previously took painkillers reduced their usage after using medical cannabis.
Another new study on the use of medical marijuana by older patients—age 50 and above—concluded that “cannabis seemed to be a safe and effective treatment” for pain and other conditions.
American Academy Of Pediatrics’ study shows licensed marijuana retailers consistently check customers’ age in order to avoid youth sales.