A new study has found that a specially developed cannabis extract can relieve chronic lower back pain.
This is the first high-quality evidence showing that something in the cannabis plant can actually help treat pain.
The findings come from a large, carefully designed clinical trial published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Lower back pain is the leading cause of disability around the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than half a billion people suffer from it. Yet treatment options are limited. Common painkillers like ibuprofen can cause serious side effects when used for long periods, while opioids are highly addictive and potentially dangerous.
In recent years, the cannabis industry has promoted marijuana and cannabidiol (CBD) products as solutions for pain relief. But scientists have warned that the quality of evidence for these claims has been weak.
This new study changes that. It used a gold-standard research design called a phase 3 placebo-controlled clinical trial—the most reliable way to test medical treatments.
The trial involved more than 800 people with chronic lower back pain who had not found relief from non-opioid drugs. Participants were randomly assigned to take either the cannabis extract, called VER-01, or a placebo for 12 weeks. They then rated their pain on a 10-point scale.
People taking VER-01 reported their pain dropped by 1.9 points, compared to only 0.6 for those on the placebo. After six months, those on VER-01 saw their pain decrease by an even greater 2.9 points. They also reported better sleep, physical function, and quality of life.
Each dose of VER-01 contains 2.5 milligrams of THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana. However, the study reported no evidence of addiction or serious side effects.
The most common side effects—mild dizziness, sleepiness, dry mouth, and nausea—were short-term and tended to decrease over time. Professor Matthias Karst, the study’s lead author, said that none of the participants experienced feelings of being “high” during the trial.
Andrew Moore, a former pain researcher at Oxford University who was not involved in the study, called it “terrific” and “about as good as it gets.” He said it was the first trial to provide strong evidence that something in cannabis can help with pain.
But he also cautioned that claims about non-addictiveness should be taken carefully, since past statements about other drugs have turned out to be wrong.
The researchers stressed that VER-01 is not the same as regular marijuana or over-the-counter CBD products. Most cannabis products vary widely in strength, purity, and composition, making them difficult for doctors to prescribe safely.
VER-01 was specifically developed to meet medical standards so it could be approved for prescription use in chronic pain. Pain researcher Jan Vollert compared the difference between VER-01 and regular cannabis to the difference between eating hazelnuts and eating Nutella—they may share an ingredient, but they are not the same.
This study is important because it shows that, under the right conditions, a carefully formulated cannabis-based treatment can be effective for pain relief without causing serious harm. It may open the door for new prescription treatments for chronic pain, but it does not prove that all cannabis or CBD products work the same way.
In reviewing the findings, it is clear that this is a landmark trial. It offers real evidence that a cannabis-derived medicine can reduce pain, improve sleep, and enhance quality of life for people with chronic lower back pain.
However, the results apply only to this specific product, and long-term safety—including risks of addiction—still needs to be studied. Nevertheless, VER-01 represents a promising step forward in developing safer, non-opioid options for millions of people living with chronic pain.
The study is published in Nature Medicine.
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