A recent report from Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management indicates many patients are finding significant and ongoing pain relief through the use of medical cannabis.
It was nearly nine years ago when intractable pain was added to the list of qualifying conditions for the use of medicinal cannabis in the state. In a survey report published in 2018, a high level of pain relief benefit was reported by 61% of registered pain patients. Today, pain is the most prominent condition treated or managed in the state’s medical cannabis program.
In its latest study, the Office of Cannabis Management analyzed data from close to 10,000 newly enrolled patients with a pain-related condition between March 2, 2022, and Feb. 28, 2023.
31.7% of patients indicating moderate to severe pain at enrollment experienced a meaningful reduction in pain symptoms within four months of treatment. Of those patients, 49.7% of them were able to maintain the benefit for an additional four months after achieving it.
Many patients also reported much higher quality sleep when treating their pain with cannabis. A good night’s sleep can go a long way to setting a patient up for a better mental and emotional state that day, making it easier to manage or cope with pain and other symptoms.
Pain patients purchased a total of 445,089 products in various forms. The most common method of consumption was by inhalation, and these medicines accounted for 73.5% of products purchased. Gummies, capsules, powders mixed with water and oral solutions were the second most common, accounting for 22.6% of purchases. Oromucosal and topical products accounted for less than 5% of purchases.
In all categories, high THC products were the most popular.
Among health care practitioners (HCPs) who reported their patient was taking medications for pain, close to a quarter of those patients indicated a reduction in pain medications in the six months after starting to use medical cannabis.
As for side-effects, two-thirds said they were mild, 28.4% were moderate, and only 5.6% were reported to be severe. The most commonly reported side effects were dry mouth, brain fog, fatigue, and increased appetite. And depending on the patient’s situation, the latter can be positive rather than negative.
The report can be accessed here.
