Post: “Medical” Marijuana and Chronic Pain

Key points

Cannabis may improve chronic pain—or at least people who take it believe it does

Many of the worst fears of experts have come true with increased legal and bootleg cannabis access.

Cannabis use disorder is the fastest growing addiction in the U.S.

Cannabis, the plant, and Marijuana (MJ) are used interchangeably but MJ implies cannabis’s parts with THC

Most states in the United States (38 of 50), the District of Columbia, and three territories have enacted widely divergent laws allowing “medical marijuana,” circumventing the traditional role of the FDA in prescription medication approvals. These laws allow many people with chronic pain to obtain cannabis lawfully in their state. (However, they may not take the drug to a state banning cannabis.)

State legislators favoring medical marijuana believe many constituents seek access to cannabis for pain and other problems or illnesses. They also think they are doing good (relieving patient pain) while also doing well , enhancing state coffers with taxes and fees. However, medical cannabis has created a boon for illicit cannabis growers and sellers, making law enforcement impossible and allowing bootleggers, growers, and sellers to produce higher THC content cannabis products to sell at a lower price.

Note that marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law; however, a February 2025 article in JAMA Psychiatry reports that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is currently considering down-scheduling cannabis from a Schedule I (illegal) drug to a Schedule III (legal) drug to improve scientific access for researchers and for the FDA to gain more control over cannabis purity, dosing, and THC concentration .

For many decades, opioids have been the treatment of choice for severe chronic pain. With the opioid diversion/overdose crisis, access to pharmaceutical opioids became severely restricted. People with severe chronic pain are the largest population of new and repeat medical marijuana customers are at high risk for cannabis use disorders (CUD)- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/addiction-outlook/202412/cannabis-use-disorders-in-teens-and-adults Lessons from patients with pain may help us understand what is going on. The most popular form of cannabis for pain patients in states with medical marijuana programs is typically high-THC flower or tinctures, although specific formulations […]

“Medical” Marijuana and Chronic Pain