Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial published in The Journal of Pain in July 2015 provide supportive evidence that inhaled, aerosolized cannabis may be effective for reducing pain experienced by patients with diabetes experiencing neuropathic pain.
In separate testing sessions, 16 human participants were administered a placebo (i.e. inactive agent) and 3 different THC doses (low/1%, medium/4%, high/7%).
“This adds preliminary evidence to support further research on the efficacy of the cannabinoids in neuropathic pain.”
At each increasing dose, there was a more significant reduction in spontaneous pain (i.e. the response was “dose-dependent”).
Further more, at the highest dose, there was a reduction in the level of induced pain, and decreased performance on 2/3 psychological tests.
Although this was a small study and the highest dose of THC caused an acute decrease in performance on cognitive tests, the results are both reaffirming and impressive given that:
According to the researchers, “This adds preliminary evidence to support further research on the efficacy of the cannabinoids in neuropathic pain.”
For information on reasonable expectations and safety in considering whole-plant medical cannabis use, as well as how you can advocate to move cannabis out of the Schedule I controlled substance classification in order to increase research on phytocannabinoids in the United States, click here.