Abstract Objective: Rates of chronic pain are higher among rural versus urban individuals and rural individuals experience higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage, poor or no health insurance coverage, and unmet treatment need. Medical cannabis is legal in Oklahoma. With 40% of Oklahoma’s population living in rural areas, and nearly 17% uninsured, the medical legalization of cannabis may present as an accessible and relatively low-cost alternative treatment, particularly for those with chronic pain. This study investigated differences in cannabis use by rural (vs. urban) status and unmet (vs. met) treatment need among adults with and without chronic pain living in Oklahoma. Method: To be eligible, participants...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Many medical conditions are accompanied by severe pain. Acute pain refers to the experience of pain that lasts for only a few hours, whereas chronic pain is the ongoing emergence of pain signals over an extended period. Since ancient times, cannabis has been utilized for medical purposes. This article demonstrates the medicinal importance of cannabinoids through their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Additionally, the mechanisms of cannabinoid-induced analgesia have been interpreted via preclinical investigations in animals. Cannabinoid extracts were formulated into gel and cream at concentrations of 2.5% and 5%. The cannabis cream showed the highest...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Introduction Cannabis is increasingly available to individuals in the United States, with the majority of states legalizing medical or recreational cannabis use. Cannabis expectancies (e.g., positive expectations from cannabis use) are related to more frequent cannabis use and associated with greater odds of lapse following a cessation attempt. Methods To evaluate the relationship between expectancies and cannabis- and health-related outcomes, we surveyed adults who used medical cannabis for chronic pain (n = 633; 52.2 % female; 82.1 % white) over a two-year period. Then, we performed a principal components analysis (PCA) on the Cannabis Expectancies Questionnaire to derive components...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Purpose of Review Sleep impairment due to chronic pain is linked to functional impairment and often inadequately addressed with current treatments leading some to seek alternative therapies, including cannabis. The factors associated with chronic pain and sleep impairments are disproportionately experienced by individuals from racial/ethnic minorities, of low socioeconomic status, who live in noisy, chaotic neighborhoods, and who have poor health care access. Recent Findings First, we describe the limited evidence for cannabis to manage pain and pain-related sleep impairment. Second, we highlight how research might exacerbate health inequities due to systematic biases in the...

Abstract Cancer pain (CP) is a prevalent condition with limited pharmacotherapeutic options. Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have shown analgesic effects, but their efficacy in CP remains contentious. This study aims to evaluate the change in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and adverse events (AEs) in CP patients treated with CBMPs. A case series was conducted using prospectively collected clinical data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Primary outcomes were the changes in the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), pain visual analogue scale (Pain-VAS), EQ-5D-5L, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) and Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) questionnaires from baseline to 1, 3,...

Please use this link to access this publication. Abstract Reviews of the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for chronic pain vary in their conclusions. IASP has identified that a key missing evidence in this debate is data from observational cohort studies, analyzed with comparative effectiveness methods. In a medically supervised context to the use of marijuana for chronic pain, we identified 440 patients certified for medical marijuana by pain specialists in a single healthcare system. They were characterized by a battery of patient-reported outcomes stored electronically in the University of Pittsburgh Patient Outcomes Repository for Treatment (PORT). At 3 months, 38.6% were responders, based on...

Abstract Prescription opioids are used for managing pain in persons with cancer, however, there are socioeconomic and racial disparities in medication access. Cannabis is increasingly used for cancer symptom management and as an opioid alternative. Limited data are available about patterns of opioid and cannabis use among patients with cancer. We used survey data from 4 National Cancer Institute–designated cancer centers in 3 states (n = 1220) to assess perceptions, use of cannabis and opioids for pain, their substitution, and racial and ethnic differences in each outcome. Compared with White patients, Black patients were less likely to use opioids for pain (odds ratio [OR] = 0.66; P = .035) and more...

Abstract Cannabis use among women who experience chronic pain is on the rise in the United States. However, little is known about women's motives and preferences for cannabis administration. The purpose of this study was to characterize cannabis use among women with chronic pain. This study examined self-reported forms of cannabis administration and preferred source of cannabis, frequency and quantity of use, and self-reported side effects, and type, level, and intensity of chronic pain among adult women in the United States. This study also compared women who use cannabis for chronic pain and those who do not across the level of chronic pain, length...

Abstract Introduction Cannabinoids are being used by patients to help with chronic pain management and to address the 2 primary chronic pain comorbidities of anxiety and sleep disturbance. It is necessary to understand the biphasic effects of cannabinoids to improve treatment of this symptom triad. Methods A scoping review was conducted to identify whether biphasic effects of cannabinoids on pain severity, anxiolysis, and sleep disturbance have been reported. The search included the Embase, Biosis, and Medline databases of clinical literature published between 1970 and 2021. The inclusion criteria were (1) adults more than 18 years of age, (2) data or discussion of dose effects associated...

Abstract Background In Illinois, the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program (OAPP) was launched to expand access to medical cannabis to use as a direct substitute for opioids. Although therapeutic benefits have been reported in reducing opioid use, there is an absence of literature that examines how medical cannabis use impacts an individual's quality of life (QoL). This study examines the association of medical cannabis use with QoL among the first enrollees in OAPP. Methods A survey was sent to enrollees between February and July 2019. Cannabis users (n=626) were compared to non-users (n=234) to determine whether there was an association between cannabis use within the...