What are individuals’ values and preferences regarding medical cannabis for chronic pain?
Why was this study conducted?
Cannabis for medical purposes has been legal in Canada since 2001; however, physicians receive no formal training in this modality, and clinical use of cannabis remains controversial. The study explores the values and preferences of people living with chronic pain (PLwCP) in using medical cannabis for chronic pain to inform guideline development and shared decision-making in clinical practice.
What does this study add?
52 people living with chronic pain, including current medical cannabis users, previous users, and non-users were interviewed. Interviews showed that many people who used cannabis for their pain had to experiment to determine what cannabis products, routes, and doses worked for them. The benefits of medical cannabis included relief from pain, better sleep, and improved mental health. Reasons for stopping medical cannabis included no to little improvement in pain and/or sleep or the presence of unwanted side effects. Cannabidiol (CBD) products resulted in fewer unwanted effects (eg, physical or mental impairment) compared to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products. Different routes of cannabis use were discussed, including oral routes that provided longer-lasting pain relief but with a slower onset and inhaled routes with a faster onset of relief but with shorter-lived effects.
Is there anything else I should know?
Findings show decisions to use medical cannabis for chronic pain were varied, which suggests these decisions are likely to be sensitive to individuals’ values and preferences. There is a call for further research and information-sharing to help PLwCP understand the complexities of cannabis use for medical purposes, including ideal dosing and timing.