Patients with musculoskeletal pain experience symptomatic improvements and few side effects following the sustained use of medical cannabis, according to newly data published in the scientific journal Cureus.

Investigators affiliated with the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia assessed the safety and efficacy of long-term cannabis use in a cohort of 129 patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain. Study participants were registered in Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis access program and were assessed for at least one year. Over three-quarters of study subjects reported using at least one type of cannabis product daily, with most (64 percent) choosing to use topical formulations.

Consistent with prior studies, the majority (93 percent) of pain patients said that cannabis improved their primary symptoms. Cognitive and motor effects were minimal for most users, with 72 percent reporting “no impact” on their thinking, coordination, or motor functions.

Some 40 percent of study participants acknowledged reducing their use of traditional analgesics, including opioids, following medical cannabis initiation – a finding that is also consistent with other studies.

“Long-term MC [medical cannabis] use is a stable and well-tolerated option for managing chronic musculoskeletal pain, with high patient-reported efficacy and minimal cognitive impact,” the study’s authors concluded. “These findings support its role in pain management while highlighting the need for further research on optimal dosing and long-term safety.”

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano added: “These findings add to the growing body of evidence that cannabis is effective in the treatment of multiple conditions, including chronic pain, and that it possesses a safety profile that is often superior to traditional medications, like opioids. As legal access continues to expand, one would expect more patients to integrate cannabis products into their pain management strategies in a manner that reduces their overall disease burden as well as their reliance on opioids and other analgesic medications.”

According to data published last year in the Journal of Cannabis Research, more than one in five patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain acknowledge having tried cannabis for pain management their symptoms, with over 90 percent of them describing it as effective.

The full text of the study, “Patterns, efficacy, and cognitive effects of medical cannabis use in chronic musculoskeletal pain patients,” appears in Cureus. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.