Cannabis 'can ease cancer pain' trends now
View
comments
Medical cannabis may reduce the need for pain relief in cancer patients, a study has found.
Researchers looked at 358 patients, all of whom were taking the drug because conventional painkillers did not fully work for them.
They reported a reduction of more than 40 per cent in how much pain affected their ability to go about daily life.
However, the study from McGill University in Montreal, published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, did not compare those using medical cannabis to those taking conventional painkillers alone.
And the results may partly have been due to the ‘placebo effect’ - where people feel better because they expect a treatment to work.
The study from McGill University in Montreal (pictured) reported a reduction of more than 40 per cent in how much pain affected their ability to go about daily life
Researchers looked at 358 patients, all of whom were taking the drug because conventional painkillers did not fully work for them
The majority were taking cannabis by swallowing cannabis oil, with 13 per cent smoking it.
The researchers found people were able to reduce their use of opioids, which are linked to side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
Meanwhile the most common side effects seen in the study by volunteers
