Cannabis shows no benefit for chronic pain, according to a major study

GRANT MATTHEW / STUFF

Participants all started with similar levels of pain, but as the study progressed, those who turned to cannabis reported higher levels of pain and anxiety.

The medical benefits of cannabis have been severely hit, with a major study concluding that it does almost nothing to help people with chronic pain.

The study, one of the largest and most thorough on the medical use of the drug, found cannabis does not reduce pain, and it does not help either patients to replace opioids.

Cannabis has demonstrated medical benefits in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy in children, nausea induced by chemotherapy and multiple sclerosis.

The treatment of chronic pain was considered another promising area. The study, published in Lancet Public Health on Tuesday, may deflate hopes.

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"The study raises questions for several stakeholders, including political leaders such as the premier of the Australian state of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, who "We are trying to moderate people's expectations of pain management," says Professor Michael Farrell, director of the National Drug and Drug Administration's research center. Alcohol and a senior author on the newspaper Lancet

"There has been some media coverage suggesting that cannabis is the people who would not otherwise have considered a drug. to approach the cannab It is illegal to explore.

"I think that selling the impact of cannabinoids has been very difficult to sell and we must approach it with caution." [19659016] For the study, the researchers randomly selected a group of 1,514 people who were already participating in another long-term study on the use of prescription opioids to treat chronic pain.

In four years, the researchers interviewed they were treating it

The poll strikingly illustrates the growing interest of the community in medical cannabis. By the end of the study, most members of the group were using cannabis or would do it whenever they could.

But that did not seem to work.

Participants all started with similar levels of pain, but the study went, on those who turned to cannabis reported higher levels of pain and anxiety.

This did not help them reduce their use of opioids.

However, the results are not simple. Users said that they personally thought it worked well to treat their pain – even though they also reported higher pain levels.

It is possible, say the researchers, that these people searched for cannabis because their pain worsened during the course of the study.

Cannabis is also a powerful sedative; a good night's sleep can be confused with an effective treatment of pain.

Or maybe just that cannabis does not work for chronic pain.

"It's really hard to sort out the reasons." a comrade at NDARC

There are also problems of quality. The study asked people if they had used cannabis to control their pain, but not the shape, strain or source.

Medically prescribed cannabis will be much purer and will use specific strains

"For people who are not .. Getting relief, my first question would be how many strains have you tried?" says Deb Lynch, president of the Medical Cannabis Users Association. "There are a lot of trial and error in the beginning to find one that works for you."

Lynch uses cannabis – of illegal origin – to treat a variety of conditions, including chronic pain.

"It made me before I started the oil treatments, I was taking large doses of multiple opiates, I was in bed, I wanted to kill myself and my pain was not supported, now I am running all over the country. "[19659007Learnanewcomerbikeforanufacturer'sfieldofthecannabismedicinalinplantinAustraliaasAusCannuncherisharemarketwithplanksforhearthefirstproductconcertingthechroniccolorstarted2019

" There is a mix of medical cannabis trials, using different formulations and tests on various conditions, "said Dr. Stewart Washer, co-founder of the company. "But well-designed tests get a 50 percent reduction in pain, that's huge."

– Sydney Morning Herald