January 9, 2023 – About a 3rd of Americans have used medical marijuana to treat chronic pain, a brand new study finds.
Researchers at Michigan Medicine surveyed 1,661 adults who reported chronic pain and lived in considered one of the 36 states with medical marijuana programs and in Washington, DC. the study published by Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to the study, 31% of respondents said that they had used medical marijuana to alleviate chronic pain in some unspecified time in the future of their lives.
About 36 percent of respondents said that they had taken the drug for pain relief previously 12 months, and 23.2 percent previously 30 days, in line with the survey. Most individuals who used medical marijuana reported using not less than one other medication or non-medication therapy.
The use of medical marijuana has had an impact on using these other therapies.
More than half of respondents said the drug led to less use of prescription opioids, nonopioids and over-the-counter pain relievers, the study said. About 1 percent said they used more of those medications.
About 39% of respondents said they used less physical therapy, while 5.9% said they used more of it. About 19% said they meditated less, while 23.7% said they meditated more. 26% said they used less cognitive therapy, but 17.1% said they used it more.
“The fact that patients so frequently report cannabis as a substitute for pain medication underscores the need to research the benefits and risks of using cannabis for chronic pain,” said Mark Bicket, MD, assistant professor within the Department of Anesthesiology and co-director of the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network, in a Press release.
The survey was conducted last March and April. Of all respondents, 57.1% were female. The average age was 52.3 years.
Many doctors define chronic pain as physical discomfort that lasts for not less than six months and infrequently affects the back, neck, head and bones.