Medical Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Pain: Effect on Pain Relief, Pain Disability, and Psychological aspects. A Prospective Non randomized Single Arm Clinical Trial

There is an increasing interest in the medical use of cannabis, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain. The aim is to evaluate the effects of cannabis use and the associated benefits reported by patients with various chronic pain diagnoses. Our study suggest that Cannabis therapy, as an adjun- ct a traditional analgesic therapy, can be an efficacious tool to make more effective the management of chronic pain and its consequences on functional and psychological dimension. Further randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm our conclusions.

Association Between US State Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Prescribing in the Medicare Part D Population

Opioid-related mortality increased by 15.6% from 2014 to 2015 and increased almost 320% between 2000 and 2015. Recent research finds that the use of all pain medications (opioid and nonopioid collectively) decreases in Medicare Part D and Medicaid populations when states approve medical cannabis laws (MCLs). The association between MCLs and opioid prescriptions is not well understood. Medical cannabis laws are associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing in the Medicare Part D population. This finding was particularly strong in states that permit dispensaries, and for reductions in hydrocodone and morphine prescriptions.

A HARVESTER’S NIGHTMARE

A complex motor disorder is a combination of various types of abnormal movements that are associated with impaired quality of life (QOL). Current therapeutic options are limited. We studied the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of medical cannabis in children with complex motor disorder. Significant improvement in spasticity and dystonia, sleep difficulties, pain severity, and QOL was observed in the total study cohort, regardless of treatment assignment.

[Cannabinoid therapy in practice]

In recent years, the media and scientists have shown increased interest in cannabis-based drugs. Background information about cannabis-based drugs and their mechanism of action as well as discussion of possible applications as supportive therapy or in palliative medicine, respectively, are presented. In most cases, today’s assessment of cannabinoids relies on studies that are classified as low evidence. Therefore, further studies which involve more participants and evaluate long-term effects are needed.

Cannabinoids for the treatment of rheumatic diseases – where do we stand?

As medical use of cannabis is increasingly legalized worldwide, a better understanding of the medical and hazardous effects of this drug is imperative. The pain associated with rheumatic diseases is considered a prevalent indication for medicinal cannabis in various countries. The potential medicinal effects of cannabis could be attributable to its influence on the immune system, as it exerts an immunomodulatory effect on various immune cells, including T cells, B cells and macrophages.

Medicinal cannabis: the hype is strong, but the evidence is weak.

This week, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence declined to approve medicinal cannabis for use in children with severe epilepsy on the NHS, saying there was not enough evidence to support its use. In 2018, however, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a cannabidiol for use in children with two types of severe epilepsy. So what is the situation in Australia, and is there evidence to support all the hype?

Personal experience and attitudes of pain medicine specialists in Israel regarding the medical use of cannabis for chronic pain

The scientific study of the role of cannabis in pain medicine still lags far behind the growing use driven by public approval. Accumulated clinical experience is therefore an important source of knowledge. However, no study to date has targeted physicians who actually use cannabis in their daily practice. In this survey, pain clinicians experienced in prescribing cannabis over prolonged periods view it as an effective and relatively safe treatment for chronic pain, based on their own experience.