According to a forthcoming study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System, we may soon find out whether medical cannabis can alleviate the need for opioids in HIV-positive and HIV-free patients who suffer from chronic pain.
This will be a costly study and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is contributing $3.5 million towards it. The Albert Einstein College will use marijuana provided by New York medical marijuana dispensaries.
It was just last year that the University of Michigan published a study that may suggest the new study is on the right track.
The University published two years’ worth of survey results collected from 185 medical marijuana patients suffering from various ailments. In this study it was found that patients reported a 45 percent improvement in quality of life and a 64 percent reduction in the use of prescription opioids.
“We would caution against rushing to change current clinical practice towards cannabis,but note that this study suggests that cannabis is an effective pain medication and agent to prevent opioid overuse,”said Michigan study leader Kevin Boehnke.
