Study finds cannabis to be safer than opioids for elderly patients with chronic pain

Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and the Cannabis Clinical Research Institute at Soroko University Medical Center have just released new data proving the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis therapy in treating elderly patients suffering from chronic pain. The alternative therapy was shown to be remarkably effective, with over 18 percent of tested participants stopping the use of, or reducing their intake of, opioid analgesics after only six months.

• Cannabis therapy was used to treat chronic pain among patients 65-years-old and older suffering from various diseases, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and multiple sclerosis, among other things.
• After monitoring these patients over a period of six months, researchers saw that medical cannabis reduced the amount of pain each individual experienced.
• These benefits were experienced with minimal to no side effects.
• More than 18 percent of patients began reducing their amount of opioid painkiller prescriptions after the testing period.

It is hoped that these findings would prompt the medical community to appreciate the beneficial qualities of medical cannabis, especially in its use in reducing dependence of prescription medicine. It is estimated that while Americans over 65 represent 14 percent of the total population, they use more than 30 percent of all prescription drugs.

Full text of the study found at this link.

Journal reference:

Ran Abuhasira, Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider, Raphael Mechoulam, Victor Novack. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF MEDICAL CANNABIS IN THE ELDERLY; The European Journal of Internal Medicine, 2018; DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2018.01.019