Cannabis treatment provides statistically significant improvement in pain, anxiety, and sleep quality in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) in an observational study of seventy-seven patients from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Further research is necessary to determine the correlation between improved quality of life and cannabis. Research on the plant is very challenging for researchers due to its Schedule I classification. However, changes may be coming to the United States with a new push to reclassify cannabis.
Cannabis Study Findings
Pain
In this study, patients reported significant decreases in osteoarthritis pain in the 1, 3, 6, and 12-month follow-ups compared to baseline pain levels. Chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis can significantly limit a person’s activity level, leading to anxiety and depression. Cannabinoids are thought to decrease inflammation and alleviate pain, which are both issues associated with OA.
Anxiety
Patients reported reduced anxiety in both the 1 and 3-month follow-ups compared to baseline with the use of cannabinoids. Other studies have demonstrated decreased anxiety levels for up to 24 months. However, the sample size in this study is small, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) screening tool used to measure anxiety is known to interpret patients’ anxiety levels higher than other scales such as the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) used in similar studies.
Sleep Quality
Patients reported significant improvements in the Sleep Quality Survey (SQS) from baseline through the 6-month follow-up. Improved sleep quality could be attributed to lower pain levels.
Adverse Events
With less than 8% of patients reporting adverse events, the vast majority of patients did not experience negative outcomes attributed to cannabis use. Fatigue was the most common adverse event, but dry mouth, drowsiness, and constipation were also reported.
Other Treatment Options for OA
In the United States, over 32 million people live with osteoarthritis. OA occurs from loss of cartilage in the joint, resulting in inflammation, chronic pain, disability, and mood disorders. Age is a common risk factor along with joint injury or overuse and obesity.
Pain is typically treated with over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. More severe pain is usually treated with opioids. Unfortunately, there are many known side effects of these medications, like stomach ulceration and bleeding, kidney and liver damage, and, in the case of opioids, dependence, addiction, and even overdose.
As the disease progresses and daily tasks become unmanageable due to pain and discomfort, joint replacement surgery is typically recommended.
Further Cannabis Studies Are Needed
Based on the study’s results, researchers recommend further studies, particularly randomized controlled trials. Observational studies like this one are unable to conclude that cannabis directly caused the study results. Without a control group, other outside factors cannot be ruled out.
One of the main reasons randomized controlled trials studying cannabis are so rare is that cannabis is currently a Schedule 1 drug in the United States, alongside heroin and ecstasy. Many are calling for the cannabis plant and its products to be reclassified as a Schedule III. This would reduce the stigma of the plant and allow for more scientists to do research.
“At the end of the day, it’s a medication, and just like any other medication, it can still be misused and mis-prescribed. But that applies to almost every medication in the market, from the most addictive opioid to the least harmful, benign antacid that you can get over the counter,” says Dr. Mohab Ibrahim, a pain management physician who did his doctoral research on cannabinoids.
The Biden administration is moving forward with plans to reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III drug. This comes after approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration based on the opinion of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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