March 24, 2023 from leafie
It’s no secret that cannabis has been medicinally for the management of pain for thousands of years. A number of ancient texts and records, originating from around the world, all describe the use of the plant as a treatment for various types of pain, from headaches to menstrual cramps to use as an anaesthetic. And this type of use has far from died out. In fact, pain is the most reported reason for medical cannabis use, globally and, with accessibility slowly expanding, many people with different types of pain may now be considering how cannabis could help them – including people with back pain.
While medical cannabis was effectively legalised in the UK in 2018 with the rescheduling of the drug, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) still recommends against the use of medical cannabis for chronic pain. To date, the only indications for which NICE does recommend medical cannabis treatment are intractable epilepsy, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and spasticity. Nonetheless, a growing number of patients are now able to access cannabis-based medicines for back pain, and other types of pain, via private clinics.
But is there any evidence that medical cannabis can be useful for the treatment of back pain?
