New research suggests the majority of US physicians who treat chronic pain patients support legalising medical cannabis at a federal level.
Chronic pain is a common issue with varying impacts on quality of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 20.9% of U.S. adults experienced chronic pain in 2021, and 6.9% experienced it at a level that resulted in substantial restriction to daily activities.
Over- the- counter analgesics are often used to manage chronic pain, which can create issues if used long term or abused and may not be effective. But the more risky family of drugs sometimes used are prescription opioids, which have a high potential for dependence and abuse.
Alternatives such as cannabis are becoming more popular, and chronic pain is commonly a qualifying condition in state medical cannabis programs. And as more health professionals gain knowledge of cannabis medicines, an increasing proportion are supporting their use.
In a survey regarding attitudes among not only doctors, but also patients, this has become clear.
Researchers from several institutions conducted surveys among adults with chronic pain and physicians who treated it in states with medical cannabis programs. Respondents included 1,661 patients and 1,000 physicians.
“Compared with physicians, more people with chronic pain supported 4 policies expanding access to cannabis,” states the study report.
Those policies and the results (patients vs. doctors)
- federal legalization of medical cannabis (70.8% vs 59.0%)
- federal legalization of cannabis for adult use (54.9% vs 38.0%)
- requiring insurance coverage of cannabis for chronic pain treatment (64.0% vs 50.6%)
- requiring states with medical cannabis programs to provide subsidies for low income earners (50.1% vs 30.6%)
Additionally, a majority of respondents on both sides of the fence supported training requirements for medical students and physicians on administration of cannabis for chronic non-cancer pain.
The report has been published in the journal Jama Network Open.
A study published in 2023 in the same journal indicated close to a third of patients with chronic pain in states with medical cannabis programs reported using it as a pain management strategy. Of the 1,724 adults surveyed, more than 50% said the use of cannabis reduced their consumption of other pain medications such as prescription opioids and over-the-counter analgesics.
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