Study: Inhaled cannabis can improve the quality of life of patients with chronic pain

Through Johanna Skopl

A study conducted by Israeli researchers in Haifa demonstrated the short-term efficacy and safety of microdoses of medicinal cannabis administered via a metered-dose inhaler (the Syqe inhaler) in chronic pain sufferers, according to data published in the journal Pain Reports.

“Administering aerosolized cannabis through an inhaler can reduce long-term pain in patients with neuropathy and other chronic conditions,” the researchers said. The daily stable dose that researchers used for their patients was 1.5 mg of aerosolized delta-9-THC.

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Although some patients reported mild side effects (such as dizziness and drowsiness) at the start of the study, use of the inhaler over a period of several months was associated with a reduction in pain scores and an improvement in patients’ quality of life.

“Medical cannabis treatment with the Syqe inhaler demonstrated overall long-term pain relief[s]Improving the quality of life[s]and opioid-sparing effect[s] in a cohort of chronic pain patients using only a fraction of the amount of MC [medical cannabis] compared to other routes of administration by inhalation. These results were associated with a lower rate of AE [adverse events] and almost no AE reports during long-term steady-state follow-up. Additional follow-up studies in a larger population are warranted to confirm our findings,” the study said.

Additionally, another recent study found that some cannabis products taken orally can provide short-term relief from chronic pain. The study notes that a high ratio of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to cannabidiol (CBD) can also reduce significant pain in patients.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that enrollments in medicinal cannabis programs increased four-fold between 2016 and 2020, reaching nearly three million patients in 2020.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.