Posted on 12/07/2022 1:25:00 PM PST by nickcarraway
Marijuana appears to have the same pain-relieving effect as a placebo — or fake pill. However, researchers say media outlets continue to cover these medical trials about cannabis-based therapies positively, regardless of the outcomes.
The findings come from a review of 20 clinical studies which examined the pain-relieving benefits of using marijuana involving more than 1,500 participants. Although previous studies have claimed that cannabis may help patients manage chronic pain, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that those taking placebos experienced the same level of pain relief as those consuming active cannabinoid substances.
“We see that cannabis studies are often described in positive terms in the media regardless of their results,” says the study’s first author Filip Gedin, a postdoc researcher at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, in a university release. “This is problematic and can influence expectations when it comes to the effects of cannabis therapy on pain. The greater the benefit a treatment is assumed to have, the more potential harms can be tolerated.”
Study authors note that all of these trials compared cannabis use with a placebo for the treatment of clinical pain. Scientists measured the change in pain intensity before and after treatment in each trial.
Specifically, researchers found that participants said their pain dropped significantly after taking a placebo. However, there was no difference in pain reduction between those using cannabis and those consuming the fake medication.
“There is a distinct and clinically relevant placebo response in studies of cannabis for pain,” Dr. Gedin reports.
The media keeps covering these marijuana trials positively — even if they fail
Study authors also looked at the connection between the pain-relieving effects discovered in these trials and the amount of media coverage they receive. Overall, the team discovered that medical trials involving marijuana generally receive more coverage and more positive reporting — regardless of how successful they really are.
The team used Altmetric to measure media presence — a system which evaluates mentions in the news, in blogs, or on social media. Researchers included 136 separate news items in their study, categorizing them as either positive, negative, or neutral. They determined each news report’s slant by examining how the results of the studies were presented based on the effectiveness of cannabis as a pain reliever.
Results show that cannabis studies received much greater media attention in comparison to other published reports. This coverage was significant even if the study found a minimal benefit from using marijuana to treat pain.
Study authors note that their review combined trials with varying designs and different levels of quality results. With that in mind, they say their findings should be interpreted with caution.
The study is published in JAMA Network Open.
Marijuana appears to have the same pain-relieving effect as a placebo.
Appears true when THC is removed from marijuana it’s not liked the THC is the buzz factor it’s all about the buzz kind of like the near beer deal.
The FR drug dealers aren’t going to like this.
“Medical” marijuana was never real. It was always intended, by the left, as the nose under the camels tent for legalized pot down the road.
THC has a calming effect on people and the reduction in anxiety will have an effect on the pain. The perception of pain is increased when under stress and anxiety. THC has no direct pain relieving effect. Relative to nausea it works. It does have a proper place in medical care.
cpdiii pharmacist
It took away all my 80 year old friend’s arthritis the first few times she used it.
I was referring to CBD oil.
Glad glad you posted this. I have conducted a pretty thorough literature review not long ago and found the THC and CBD have no receptors in the pain systems. Your point is excellent that anxiolysis may effect the pain perception which leads to reports of relief
There was a study published not long ago and anyone who has ever done anesthesia in an operating room will confirm that anesthetizing a chronic marijuana user requires a hell of a lot of more medication than non weed users (MAC increased for users). Bottom line is weed has no effect for actual analgesia. And chronic use increases requirements for adequate anesthesia.
Perhaps, but maybe you just won’t care if it hurts some.
In the past, I’ve tried brandy when I had a cold and it worked fantastic, but I was never able to tell if it actually had medicinal properties, or I just didn’t care after a glass of brandy.
The source of this article appears to be big pharma propaganda. My wife has suffered MS muscle pains for years. She has tried many “solution”. Full spectrum CBD is the first thing that works. Big pharma is just out to kill any possible competition.
This isn't the same weed they smoked in the 60s
Exactly, I am a church going, choir singing, Christian. But, I don’t want my faith codified into statues...
Any sin i committed is between myself and God.
Glad you were able to use the oil to help you with your pain. I get relief from arthritis pain in my knees (bone on bone), with Diclofenac Gel, an over the counter external anti-inflammatory ointment. I'm sure it's cheaper than Marijuana, and I can't stand pain pills. Never used them after four abdominal surgeries because I couldn't stand feeling groggy on and off all day. Why anyone would want to be doped up 24 hours a day is beyond me. I have a high threshold for pain, so I consider myself pretty lucky. My mother always said: No sense, no feeling. 🤣
Good luck with that. They don't even keep murderers behind bars these days.
Marijuana is free. I grow it legally.
That's okay. I wouldn't use it anyway, and even if I wanted to, I don't have any place to grow it.
“Medical usage—I do believe it can alleviate certain pains and may have quite a few medical usages but all this medical marijuana dispensaries and clinics is nonsense.”
I quit a long long time ago.
But you’re point is good. It takes a stoner (an honest one) to know what nonsense this is.
Are you saying THCa has the pain relieving properties in contrast to the psychoactive THC?
😄
There ya go!
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