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Cited by 412Cannabis and Cannabinoid ResearchOpioid Use Disorder TreatmentPain Management and Opioid Use

Medical Cannabis Use Is Associated With Decreased Opiate Medication Use in a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Survey of Patients With Chronic Pain

Open access
Boehnke, Kevin F., Litinas, Evangelos, Clauw, Daniel J.·2016·The Journal of Pain
DOI 10.1016/j.jpain.2016.03.002
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Abstract

Unlabelled Opioids are commonly used to treat patients with chronic pain (CP), though there is little evidence that they are effective for long term CP treatment. Previous studies reported strong associations between passage of medical cannabis laws and decrease in opioid overdose statewide. Our aim was to examine whether using medical cannabis for CP changed individual patterns of opioid use. Using an online questionnaire, we conducted a cross-sectional retrospective survey of 244 medical cannabis patients with CP who patronized a medical cannabis dispensary in Michigan between November 2013 and February 2015. Data collected included demographic information, changes in opioid use, quality of life, medication classes used, and medication side effects before and after initiation of cannabis usage. Among study participants, medical cannabis use was associated with a 64% decrease in opioid use (n = 118), decreased number and side effects of medications, and an improved quality of life (45%). This study suggests that many CP patients are essentially substituting medical cannabis for opioids and other medications for CP treatment, and finding the benefit and side effect profile of cannabis to be greater than these other classes of medications. More research is needed to validate this finding.Perspective This article suggests that using medical cannabis for CP treatment may benefit some CP patients. The reported improvement in quality of life, better side effect profile, and decreased opioid use should be confirmed by rigorous, longitudinal studies that also assess how CP patients use medical cannabis for pain management.

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  • Two observational studies found 44-64% reductions in self-reported opioid consumption in cohorts of patients with chronic pain who were using cannabis.

    “Two studies found 44-64% reductions in self-reported opioid consumption in cohorts of patients with chronic pain who were using cannabis (Boehnke et al, 2016;Haroutounian et al, 2016).”

    From Opioid-Sparing Effect of Cannabinoids: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2017) · cites this paper as Boehnke et al, 2016

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Related

Authors
Boehnke, K. F., Litinas, E., & Clauw, D. J.
Affiliations
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • Michigan Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Clauw, Daniel J.
ORCID
Venue
The Journal of Pain
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-06
Volume
17
Issue
6
Pages
739-744
ISSN
1526-5900 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jpain.2016.03.002
OpenAlex
W2343082716
Cited by
412
References
15
Citations by year
2026: 20 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 34 · 2021: 62 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 3
FWCI
34.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Pain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Pfizer
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine › Pain Management and Opioid Use
Keywords
medical cannabis, chronic pain, opioid use, opioid substitution therapy, quality of life, adverse drug reactions, pain management, Michigan
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Analgesics, Analgesics, Opioid, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Quality of Life, Retrospective Studies, Age Distribution, Young Adult, Drug Substitution, Chronic Pain, Medical Marijuana

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