Does it help and how to use it

Medical cannabis is any cannabis or cannabis product that is used to treat a medical condition. Many people use cannabis to treat medical conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved cannabis to treat any of these conditions.

Many people who use cannabis for medical purposes take CBD or other cannabis products that contain little or no THC. Although THC has medical applications, it is also intoxicating and therefore is the main ingredient behind the recreational effects of cannabis.

At present, the only CBD product FDA approved to treat a specific medical condition is Epidolex. It is approved to treat two rare forms of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.

The drugs Marinol and Syndrol, which contain a synthetic form of THC called dronabinol, are approved by the FDA to treat nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and weight loss in patients with AIDS.

In states where medical cannabis is legal, you can obtain a medical cannabis card that allows you to legally purchase and possess cannabis on the recommendation of a doctor. For example, in California, doctors may recommend cannabis to treat the following conditions:

There is no evidence that medical cannabis can cure arthritis, and some cannabis companies claiming to treat arthritis have received FDA warning letters and Federal Trade Commission.

Although cannabis cannot cure arthritis, it can help reduce some of the symptoms. According to a 2020 review, there are few high-quality studies showing its efficacy in humans for joint disease. Most of the evidence supporting the use of cannabis for arthritis pain relief is anecdotal or comes from animal studies.

The cannabinoid CBD has anti-inflammatory effects that can potentially reduce arthritis pain. The exact mechanism of action of CBD in the body is unclear, but a Study 2020 found evidence that CBD reduces the production of rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts, molecules that contribute to the breakdown of cartilage.

Human research

A 2018 study found that among 1,483 people surveyed who reported using CBD to treat a medical condition, pain was the most commonly treated condition. Over 700 people reported taking CBD for pain management and just under 700 reported using it to treat arthritis or joint pain.

The researchers found:

• 35.8% of those surveyed said that CBD treated their health problem well on its own
• 30.4% said it worked well in combination with conventional medicine.

However, in a Study 2021, researchers sought to identify the potential benefit of CBD for people with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Researchers found no apparent benefit from taking CBD in 48 people who tried CBD before surgery compared to 152 people who did not.

In other Study 2021, the researchers conducted a review of all available human studies examining the benefits of medical cannabis for the treatment of non-cancer pain. They concluded that with the current level of evidence for its effectiveness, doctors should consider cannabis as a third or fourth line therapy, which means that several other treatments should be tried before resorting to cannabis.

More research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and risks of cannabis for the treatment of arthritis. More research is also needed to find out which dose is optimal.

Cannabis can be ingested, inhaled or applied topically. Cannabis products are available in various forms such as:

There is little research examining which forms are most effective for treating pain. In a small 2013 study, the researchers compared the effects of smoked cannabis with 3.56 percent THC to 20 milligrams (mg) of dronabinol (synthetic THC) taken orally to decrease pain. They found that both products reduced pain sensitivity compared to a placebo, but the effects of oral dronabinol lasted longer.

When taking cannabis products, it is best to start low and take it slow. The effects of orally ingested cannabis can take several hours to reach their maximum effect.

According to a review of studies from 2018, you should start with a low dose and adjust as you learn how your body responds. The best dose is where you get the most pain relief with the fewest side effects.

The review authors recommend keeping your total THC intake below 30 mg per day to limit side effects. Many states that have legalized cannabis define 10 mg of THC as one serving.

However, some people can feel intoxicated even with 2.5 mg of THC. Everyone’s reaction to cannabis is different and depends on factors such as experience, tolerance, genetics and metabolism.

The side effects of cannabis depend on the dose, which means they are more likely to occur if you consume large amounts of it. They are also more likely to occur in inexperienced people.

Short-term side effects include:

Smoking cannabis can also lead to many of the same problems as smoking tobacco due to the inflammation and irritation in your lungs.

Many commercially available products are mislabelled and may include ingredients that are not listed on the label, or ingredients in higher or lower amounts. In 2020, the FDA found that only 30.95 percent of the 84 CBD samples tested were correctly labeled.

Many people report that cannabis helps relieve arthritis pain. Most of the scientific evidence currently comes from animal studies, but a few human studies have found evidence that it could potentially help.

If medical cannabis is legal in your area, you may want to discuss this with your doctor. While not everyone finds that cannabis helps them manage their pain, it may still be worth a try if other treatments fail.