Cannabis may be effective in the treatment of chronic pain according to a large case series from Italy

A group of researchers from the University of Parma, University of Naples “Federico II”, and other Italian institutions presented a retrospective case series analysis of all chronic pain patients treated with oral or vaporized cannabis in six centers during the initial year following the approval of the new Italian law (December 2015 to November 2016). They evaluated routes of administration, types of cannabis products utilized, dosing, and effectiveness and safety of the treatment.

As only one of the six centres has extensively used cannabinoids for intractable chronic pain (614 patients of 659), only the population from Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana (Pisa) was considered. Cannabis tea was the primary mode of delivery, and in almost all cases, it was used in association with other pain treatments. At initial follow-up, 76.2% of patients continued the treatment, and less than 15% stopped the treatment due to side effects. Researchers wrote “that the treatment seems to be effective and safe.”

Fanelli G, De Carolis G, Leonardi C, Longobardi A, Sarli E, Allegri M, Schatman ME. Cannabis and intractable chronic pain: an explorative retrospective analysis of Italian cohort of 614 patients. J Pain Res. 2017;10:1217-1224.

Source: IACM