Widespread legalization of cannabis in recent years has led to increased research regarding the effects of cannabis in the context of opioid use for chronic pain, with some studies suggesting that the drug may have a critical role in the ongoing opioid epidemic. Medical cannabis use programs are provided in 33 states in the US, with adult recreational use legal in 11. More research is needed to validate these findings with appropriate controls and verification of cannabis use. This study suggests that medical cannabis use may help individuals to reduce their opiate requirements along with physician intervention.
The results display an association between medical cannabis certification and a decrease in opiate use among the study group individuals. Similarly, individuals with knee pain (n = 14) reduced their opioid use by 32.6%. When examining subgroups based upon pain location, individuals with neck pain displayed a 41.5% average decrease in MME (n = 27), while individuals with low back pain were observed to have a 29.4% decrease in opioid use (n = 58). Among the included individuals with baseline opioid use, medical cannabis certification was associated with a 31.3% average decrease in opioid use (n = 63). Overall, the average change in prescribed opioid use was found to be -12.3 morphine milligram equivalent (MME) units when including all individuals (p < 0.00001). Opioid use was measured in morphine milligram equivalent (MME) through the Delaware prescription monitoring program (PMP) database. Using a posthoc analysis, we conducted a retrospective cohort study on the individuals (n = 81) to determine if there was a decrease in their opioid use following medical cannabis certification. In this study, we examined individuals who were provided with legal medical cannabis certifications in the state of Delaware between June 2018 and October 2019 and were concurrently being treated with opioid medications for chronic pain at a private pain management practice. To determine if medical marijuana certification helps patients in Delaware with chronic pain reduce their opiate use. Long-term opioid use has significantly contributed to the “opioid epidemic” that is currently ravaging the United States, leading to opioid overdoses and unintentional deaths, particularly in Delaware. While these medications are quite effective at reducing pain, they can create opioid dependence and lead to further drug addiction. Opioid medications are commonly used to treat chronic pain around the world.
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