Pain Research: Innovative Strategies With Marijuana

The National Center for Health Statistics reports that approximately 76 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, affecting the lives of more Americans than cancer, diabetes, and heart disease combined. Perhaps because of its ubiquity and the challenge to its treatment, relief from chronic pain is by far the most commonly cited condition by patients for use of marijuana, with 87%-94% of medical marijuana users reporting using for relief of a pain condition. Although the mechanisms are still unclear, marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids, including 9-delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are thought to be involved in reducing pain and associated inflammation. However, THC is also associated with harm in the form of cognitive dysfunction. Synergistic interactions of multiple cannabinoids are believed to produce different effects on both pain relief and cognitive function as compared to THC alone. For example, cannabidiol (CBD) is another primary cannabinoid that may work synergistically with THC in a multi-target analgesic approach. This study examines the effects of cannabinoids in edible form on pain relief, inflammation, and cognitive dysfunction in chronic pain patients who choose to use marijuana in the context of a short-term (2 weeks), patient-oriented, observational design and a mobile pharmacology and phlebotomy lab.