Medical cannabis – impact on opioid use in pain

Medical Cannabis may impact opioid and benzodiazepine requirements for pain control, according to recent research from the USA. A single-center, retrospective cohort study evaluated opioid and benzodiazepine doses over a 6-month time period for patients using medical cannabis for pain, examining data from 77 patients. There was a statistically significant decrease in morphine equivalent dose from baseline to 3 months (−32.5 mg; p = 0.013) and 6 months (−39.1 mg; p = 0.001), but benzodiazepine use was not changed significantly. The authors advocate for fruther prospective studies examining the possible opioid-sparing effects of medical cannabis. See more here