Real cannabis flower and oils proved effective in a small observational study in Australia, researchers found.
Chronic pain can make your life miserable. But according to a March study using real cannabis—high-THC flowers, and oils containing CBD may help. The Australian study published in the journal Drug Science, Policy and Law found significant reductions in pain and notable increases in quality of life. The study measured results after three months of use. During their experience with cannabis, patients felt better, slept better, and both their mood and general health improved. While these results are still preliminary, the authors state they, “are promising and indicate significant improvements in pain, quality of life, sleep, and mood.”
Studying chronic for pain
Using cannabis for chronic pain is nothing new. It is one of the most common conditions patients aim to treat with medical cannabis. Several large systematic reviews have already found that cannabis can be an effective aid for bringing down chronic pain.
For example, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine put out an extensive review of cannabis’ medicinal properties in 2017. They reported “conclusive or substantial evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults.” Other reviews have found similar evidence that cannabis can provide chronic pain relief.
These kinds of reviews—usually drawing from many double-blind studies—have long been considered the gold standard for research. But some researchers now point out that systematic reviews still contain limitations. They often include only highly uniform studies that don’t reflect how patients use cannabis in the real world.
Researchers in this recent study wanted to learn more about whether cannabis was helping actual chronic pain patients. So, they used an observational method, which looks at the real-world use of cannabis, and examines the real-world results.
Real pain patients, using real weed
The study—‘Medicinal cannabis for pain: Real-world data on three-month changes in symptoms and quality of life’—followed 55 adult chronic pain patients, giving them questionnaires to assess their pain, sleep, mood, and quality of life. Many of these patients had other conditions, as well, including stress and anxiety disorders. Since this is common for chronic pain patients in general, researchers felt this better replicated the real-world patients who might try cannabis.
Doctors deemed all the patients eligible for medical cannabis, but none had been using cannabis at the beginning of the study. Australian doctors prescribed each patient cannabis products on an individual basis, rather than receiving identical products and doses. This meant they could use products tailored to their specific needs, just like the average cannabis patient
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