Medical cannabis may provide a credible alternative to opioids for pain management, according to a team of researchers.
- The legalization of medical cannabis in some US states has led to a notable drop in payments from opioid manufacturers to doctors, a study shows.
- Cannabis for therapeutic use could transform pain management practices and help alleviate the opioid crisis that is seriously affecting American communities, but also France, where opioid prescriptions increased by 150% between 2006 and 2017.
- On December 31, an experiment on the effectiveness of therapeutic cannabis ended in France, but the government has still not decided whether to authorize these treatments on a permanent basis, due to a lack of medical consensus.
In US states where medical cannabis is legal, a significant drop in payments made by opioid manufacturers to doctors has been observed. This is what a recent study from the University of Buffalo, published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association. This trend suggests that therapeutic cannabis, tested in France until December 31, could emerge as a credible alternative to opioids for pain management.
Medical cannabis for pain
The study looked at the impact of medical cannabis legalization on financial incentives offered by opioid manufacturers to doctors. These payments, often criticized, include consulting fees, travel expenses to conferences or other benefits intended to influence medical practices. “The availability of new options for pain management is changing the financial relationships between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals”explains Dr. Wreetabrata Kar, co-author of the study, in a press release.
Analyzing data between 2014 and 2017, researchers observed a marked reduction in payments from opioid manufacturers in states that passed medical cannabis laws. This phenomenon is particularly present among pain medicine specialists, reflecting more recommendations for medical cannabis over opioids.
A way to counter the opioid crisis?
Medical cannabis could transform pain management practices and help alleviate the opioid crisis that is severely impacting American communities. But also, to a lesser extent, France, where the prescription of opioids increased by 150% between 2006 and 2017, according to a report from the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) published in 2019.
On December 31, a three-year experiment on the effectiveness of therapeutic cannabis ended in the country. This experiment, carried out with several thousand patients, was to make it possible to decide whether its use could become a reality in France. But the government has still not decided whether to authorize these alternative treatments on a permanent basis. The reason is the lack of consensus in the medical community but also political instability. On January 1, 2025, Yannick Neuder, the Minister of Health, declared that it was necessary “study this path of therapeutic cannabis”.
