A new study has found that adults with chronic pain who used medical cannabis through New York State’s Medical Cannabis Program were less likely to rely on prescription opioids.
The study, led by researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
Dr. Deepika E. Slawek, the lead author of the study, said that chronic pain and opioid addiction are two of the biggest health problems in the U.S.
She explained that their findings show how medical cannabis, when used under a pharmacist’s supervision, can help relieve pain and reduce the need for opioid medications. She added that this could be an important way to help fight the opioid crisis.
The research followed 204 adults who were already using opioids for chronic pain. These patients were newly approved to use medical cannabis between September 2018 and July 2023. Over 18 months, the researchers tracked their use of both cannabis and opioids using data from the New York State Prescription Monitoring Program.
At the start of the study, participants were reporting high levels of pain and were using an average daily dose of opioids equal to 73.3 milligrams of morphine. By the end of the 18 months, that average dropped to 57 milligrams per day. This represents a 22% reduction in opioid use.
The study also found that when participants received a 30-day supply of medical cannabis, they used 3.5 milligrams less morphine per day compared to months when they didn’t receive cannabis.
While the changes may seem small, Dr. Slawek said that slow and steady reductions are safer and easier for people living with chronic pain than suddenly stopping opioid use.
Dr. Julia Arnsten, the senior author of the study, said this research supports the idea of treating medical cannabis like a regular prescription drug, with pharmacists playing an active role in its use. She hopes these results will help guide new policies that allow for better chronic pain care using carefully regulated substances like medical cannabis.
This study is important because it adds to the growing body of evidence that medical cannabis can be a helpful tool in reducing the use of addictive opioid drugs.
It also highlights the importance of having a controlled and supervised system where cannabis is given with professional guidance. In a time when many people are struggling with long-term pain and opioid addiction, this research offers hope for safer and more effective ways to manage pain.
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