A new study has found that more people who suffer from arthritis pain and other muscle aches and pains are turning to medical cannabis without consulting a doctor.

As many as 1 in 5 patients who consult an orthopedic surgeon for chronic musculoskeletal pain are using a cannabis product to treat them according to Canadian researchers.

“We found 20% had reported past or current use of cannabis with the specific intention to manage pain,” said study author Dr. Timothy Leroux, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Toronto. “Not just recreational users, but patients who said, ‘I’m using cannabis because I want to improve pain with this condition.'”

Leroux’s team has found that there is also a lot of interest in medical marijuana among arthritis sufferers who haven’t yet tried it.

Two-thirds of nonusers are interested in trying a cannabis product to treat their muscle and joint pain, the researchers said.

“A lot of patients feel they have a lack of knowledge and are staying on the sidelines while we gather more science,” Leroux said.

Leroux and his colleagues surveyed more than 600 patients who visited a Toronto orthopedic clinic.

“This is encouraging in the face of the ongoing opioid epidemic, as we look to find safe alternatives to opioids for pain control,” said Dr. Yili Huang, director of the Pain Management Center at Northwell Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. Huang was not a part of the study.

“Cannabis may help decrease, or in some cases completely replace, the amount of opioid medication necessary to control pain,” said Huang. “This may be because cannabis works on many different pain pathways in our body and can even interact with the separate chemical pathways opioids work on.”


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Investments And Public Support For Legalization Sparks Expansion Of The Marijuana Industry
18 April 2017
Top Marijuana Expert Says Marijuana Is Not Benign
18 October 2019
Santa Barbara County, California to Implement ‘Death Penalty’ Tax Rule
30 June 2023