The Effect of Medical Cannabis on Opioid Use for Individuals with Chronic Pain
Thomas Jefferson University
Summary
The goal of this observational study is to learn how medical cannabis (MC) affects pain and the use of opioid pain medications. Participants who have chronic pain and use prescribed opioid pain medication will opt-in to using MC or not for the 3-month study. Participants who are certified in Pennsylvania will purchase specific medical cannabis products at a reduced cost from a partnering medical cannabis dispensary monthly. All participants will complete baseline, daily, and monthly assessments to observe changes across groups.
Description
The primary aim is to observe if individuals who have chronic pain that they are treating with opioids and medical cannabis report changes in pain severity, function, and opioid use compared to those who do not use medical cannabis. Secondary aims include observation of whether the use of medical cannabis differentially impacts tolerability (side effects, risk of cannabis use disorder), sleep-related symptoms, or quality of life and mental health among chronic opioid users. There will be two groups, participants who are certified to use medical cannabis and those who do not use any cannabis.…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Current diagnosis of chronic, intractable pain * Use of prescription opioids for longer than 90 days * Have a smartphone or agree to use one provided * English fluency * Medical cannabis group only: Willing to get certified by a physician to use medical cannabis in PA OR already certified but have not been using medical cannabis products regularly (daily or weekly) for longer than 30 days * Medical cannabis group only: Willing to accept a temporary restriction on medical cannabis products * Control group: Agree to continue not using cannabis for the duration of the study…
Interventions
- OtherMedical Cannabis
Participants will be restricted to specific medical cannabis products from Ethos Dispensary. They will be randomized to one medical cannabis formulation (tincture or vaporization) for the duration of the study. Each month for three months, they will purchase a different composition (predominantly THC, predominantly CBD, or balanced products) of their designated formulation. The order of compositions will be randomized and double-blinded, so participants and the research team will not know which compositions of medical cannabis they are using each month.
Location
- Thomas Jefferson University HospitalPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania