medical cannabis for chronic pain?

Updated 12/1/22
​
Some people find medical cannabis helpful for chronic pain, especially in the short term, but there are questions about long-term effectiveness and safety.  Cannabis wasn’t recommended by Mayo Clinic when I attended their Pain Rehabilitation Center in 2018 nor is it recommended by the International Association for the Study of Pain.

A new systematic review and meta-analysis published November 28, 2022, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests cannabis is no better at relieving pain than a placebo. 

I have found I don’t need medicine or supplements to manage my chronic pain. Of course, your experience may differ. I know mine did earlier in my pain journey. My relief came by changing how I think about, feel about, and behave around my pain with pain rehabilitation using self-management.
 
Learn more

• Cannabis is no better than a placebo for treating pain – new research
• Cannabinoid Non-technical Summary 2021 (International Association for the Study of Pain)
• Cannabis for chronic pain: New research questions its effectiveness
• International Review finds lack of evidence to endorse clinical use of medical cannabis for pain
• Cannabis For Smart Consumers: What The Industry Does Not Want You To Know.
• Beware of supplements (my blog post)
• We Have a Chronic Pain Problem, Not a Prescription Opioid Problem
• The power of the placebo effect