A new study on cannabis and chronic pain finds that more than 8 in 10 patients who used medical marijuana reported it to be a useful tool for pain management.
“This points to the possibility that cannabis could serve as a safer alternative or complement to standard pain management approaches, potentially helping to address the ongoing opioid crisis,” the study’s senior author—Ari Greis, an orthopedic surgery professor at Drexel University College of Medicine and a board member of the Rothman Institute Foundation for Opioid Research & Education—said in a statement about the findings.
Published this month in the journal Cureus, the report stems from a survey of 129 people who were medical marijuana patients in Pennsylvania between October 2022 and December 2024. It says it “provides important insights into the real-world patterns, perceived efficacy, and cognitive effects of medical cannabis use among individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain who employ cannabis regularly over extended periods.”
“Over 80 percent of patients who turned to medical cannabis found it effective for managing their pain,” co-author Mohammad Khak, a researcher at the Rothman Opioid Foundation, said in a press release about the study.
“Many participants also noted improvements in associated symptoms such as sleep disturbances and anxiety,” Khak added, “suggesting that cannabis may offer a broader range of relief than conventional pain medications alone.”
The report says that the “majority of respondents expressed positive views on the effectiveness of cannabis in improving their main symptom, with 66 (51.1%) strongly agreeing and 55 (42.6%) agreeing with the statement.”
Hellbound and Down 