PARMA, ITALY — Oral cannabis administration is safe and effective for the treatment of chronic pain conditions, according to clinical data published in the Journal of Pain Research.
Italian researchers conducted a retrospective case series analysis assessing the use of cannabinoids for intractable pain in a cohort of over 600 patients. Study subjects were typically over the age of 60 and consumed cannabinoids via infused tea.
Researchers reported that no subjects in the study complained of severe side effects, and that relatively few patients discontinued cannabis treatment.
They concluded: “[I]t can be stated that the treatment seems to be effective and safe in the majority of patients.”
In 2015, the Italian government authorized the use of cannabis to treat several debilitating conditions, including chronic pain, glaucoma, Tourette syndrome, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and certain types of epilepsy.
In January, an extensive literature review by the US National Academy of Sciences acknowledged that “conclusive or substantial evidence” exists for cannabis’ efficacy in patients suffering from chronic pain, among other conditions.
Full text of the study, “Cannabis and intractable chronic pain: an explorative retrospective analysis of Italian cohort of 614 patients,” appears in the Journal of Pain Research.
Link – NORML
