Huge Study Reveals Cannabis Provides Similar Pain Relief Benefits As Opioids Without Negative Consequences

In a groundbreaking study of epic proportions, researchers weighed the pain-alleviating potential of medical marijuana versus opioids, showing that cannabis is similarly effective as opioids and traditional pain meds for the treatment of non-cancer pain.

“Our findings suggest that both opioids and cannabis for medical use may provide benefits for a minority of chronic pain patients,” per the authors. “Furthermore, cannabis does not cause respiratory depression which can result from opioid consumption and lead to non-fatal or fatal overdose.”

Largest-Ever Study On Cannabis Vs. Opioids For Pain

Encompassing 90 randomized controlled trials involving more than 22,028 participants, this large investigation unveiled other positive insights about the potential of cannabis as a pain management tool. Eighty-four of the trials were included in the report’s qualitative analysis.

The study is the first network meta-analysis “exploring the comparative effectiveness of cannabis for medical use and opioids for chronic non-cancer pain,” which impacts 20% of people around the world and is generally treated with opioids. 

Key Difference Between Medical Marijuana And Opioids For Pain

The findings, published in the BMJ Open showed that opioids and medical marijuana offer moderate improvements in pain intensity. However, the key differentiator lies in the realm of side effects. Participants using medical marijuana were significantly less likely to abandon treatment due to adverse effects compared to those of opioids. 

“Our findings suggest that both opioids and cannabis for medical use may provide benefits for a minority of chronic pain patients. Furthermore, cannabis does not cause respiratory depression which can result from opioid consumption and lead to non-fatal or fatal overdose,” per the authors, who noted that medical marijuana has "fewer discontinuations due to adverse events.”

This lower discontinuation rate with cannabis is particularly noteworthy considering the potentially lethal consequences associated with opioids. This inherent safety advantage adds another layer of importance to the potential of cannabis as a pain management option. Drug overdose deaths increased more than 16% from 2020 to 2021 with over 75% of the nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involving an opioid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Neither opioids nor marijuana appeared more effective than placebo for “role, social or emotional functioning,” the study found. Low-certainty evidence also suggested “there may be little to no difference in sleep quality” between the two substances.

While researchers recognized that more research is needed, many of the trials faced challenges with bias, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. Additionally, the study primarily focused on oral and non-inhaled forms of cannabis, leaving the effectiveness of smoking or vaporizing cannabis for pain relief a question mark.

Also noting that the research landscape for cannabis remains fraught with challenges largely due to legal restrictions, the sheer size and scope of this massive study offers valuable insights that propel the conversation about cannabis and pain management forward.

Funding: Parts of this study were supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Health Canada as well as aid from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Canada Research Chair in Prevention & Management of Chronic Pain.

Photo: Courtesy of amedeoemaja on Shutterstock