Cannabis associated with improved quality of life and reduced opioid use in chronic pain patients

A recent study published in the journal Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics has found that chronic pain patients who use cannabis products for six months experience improvements in their health-related quality of life and a decrease in their daily consumption of opioids. The study was conducted on over 700 chronic pain patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry who were prescribed medical cannabis.

The study found that treatment with oil-based products, dried cannabis flower, or a combination of both of these cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) resulted in statistically significant improvements in pain relief and sleep quality after six months. Patients who were prescribed oils or a combination of both CBMPs reported reduced anxiety and an improvement in their ability to perform daily activities. Patients prescribed a combination of both CBMPs reported improvements in their self-care and mobility abilities. Overall, the study found that the initiation of CBMP treatment is associated with improved health-related quality of life.

“Treatment with oil-based

The study also found that patients who used cannabis products significantly reduced their daily intake of prescription opioids, which is consistent with previous studies. The researchers concluded that both cannabis oils and dried flowers are associated with long-term improved health-related quality of life in chronic pain patients.

“In summary, these results suggest that both [cannabis] oils and dried flowers are associated with long-term improved HRQoL in chronic pain patients,” they concluded.

Prior studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK registry have consistently reported them to be safe and effective for patients suffering from anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, inflammatory bowel disease, and other conditions.

This study sheds light on the potential benefits of cannabis products for chronic pain patients and adds to the growing body of evidence supporting their use. In states in the US where medical cannabis access is legal, nearly one in four pain patients self-identify as marijuana consumers, according to a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open. As more research is conducted, it is likely that the use of cannabis products for chronic pain will become more widely accepted and accessible.