Cannabis For Pain Relief: Scientists Develop New Compound Without Mind-Altering Effects — Alternative To Opioids?

A new compound that provides the pain-relieving properties of cannabis without the mind-altering effects can serve as an effective alternative to opioids for pain relief, according to researchers who developed the compound that mimics a natural molecule found in the cannabis plant.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Stanford University found the compound harnesses the pain-relieving properties of cannabis without causing addiction in mice.

"There is an urgent need to develop non-addictive treatments for chronic pain, and that's been a major focus of my lab for the past 15 years," said lead author Susruta Majumdar, Ph.D of Washington University School of Medicine.

"The custom-designed compound we created attaches to pain-reducing receptors in the body but by design, it can't reach the brain. This means the compound avoids psychoactive side effects such as mood changes and isn't addictive because it doesn't act on the brain's reward center," Majumdar said.

The findings, published in the journal Nature on March 5, showed that in both mouse models, injections of the modified compound eliminated touch hypersensitivity.

Majumdar, a professor of anesthesiology, explained in a Washington University press release that opioids dull the sensation of pain in the brain and hijack the brain's reward system, triggering the release of dopamine and feelings of pleasure, which make opioids so addictive.

Government surveys show analgesics, or medications that control pain, are the most commonly prescribed type of drug in hospitals. And, according to the Centers for Disease Control drug overdoses related to opioids, including fentanyl are among the leading causes of accidental death in the U.S. In 2022, some 82,000 deaths in the U.S. were linked to opioids.

"For millennia, people have turned to marijuana as a treatment for pain. Clinical trials also have evaluated whether cannabis provides long-term pain relief," said co-corresponding study author Professor Robert Gereau of Washington University’s Medicine Pain Center.

“But inevitably the psychoactive side effects of cannabis have been problematic, preventing cannabis from being considered as a viable treatment option for pain. However, we were able to overcome that issue," Gereau added.

Approximately 125 million opioid prescriptions were dispensed to American patients in 2023 to treat moderate to severe pain, according to the CDC.

In January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first new pain reliever to hit the market in more than 20 years. This medication, produced by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc VRTX, is a non-opioid and therefore non-addictive. 

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