Cannabis, often known as marijuana, is a type of plant. People use it for different reasons. Some people use it as medicine, while others use it for enjoyment or relaxation.
It’s usually smoked, but it can also be eaten in special kinds of food. In recent years, many states in America have changed their laws to allow the use of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes.
The Problem of Pain
Pain is something we’ve all felt. Maybe you’ve fallen off your bike and hurt your knee, or perhaps you’ve had a terrible headache.
But for some people, pain is a constant part of their lives. This type of long-lasting pain is called ‘chronic pain.’ It can be very hard to deal with.
Some people take medicines to help with the pain, and others use non-drug therapies, like physical therapy (exercises to make your body stronger) or cognitive-behavioral therapy (a kind of talk therapy that helps change the way you think about pain).
A New Study on Cannabis and Pain
Recently, some scientists did a study about cannabis and chronic pain. They wanted to find out how many people are using cannabis to deal with their pain.
They talked to 1,724 adults and found out that nearly one in three people with chronic pain are using cannabis to manage it.
How People’s Pain Management Changed
What’s really interesting is what these people said about their use of pain medicines after starting cannabis. More than half of the people surveyed said that they were using less pain medication.
They used less of both the type of medication doctors prescribe and the kind that people can buy in stores without a prescription.
But that’s not all. Using cannabis also changed how people used other methods of managing pain.
Some people said that after they started using cannabis, they didn’t go to physical therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy as often as before.
But, surprisingly, some people actually started using these treatments more often.
The Importance of More Research
Dr. Mark Bicket, a doctor who specializes in pain, thinks that we need to learn more about cannabis.
He said that because so many people are using cannabis instead of other pain medicines, it’s crucial to do more research. We need to understand both the good and bad sides of using cannabis for chronic pain.
Conclusion
The story of cannabis and pain is still being written. More research is needed to fully understand how cannabis affects people with chronic pain and how it changes their use of other pain treatments.
But one thing is clear: a lot of people are finding that cannabis helps them manage their pain, and that’s changing how they think about and deal with their chronic pain.
If you care about health, please read studies that whole grain foods could help increase longevity, and Omega-3 fats and carotenoid supplements could improve memory.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how tea and coffee influence your risk of high blood pressure, and strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
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