General risks of harm with cannabinoids, cannabis, and cannabis-based medicine possibly relevant to patients receiving these for pain management: an overview of systematic reviews

The growing demand for improved pain treatments together with expanding legalization of, and access to, cannabinoids, cannabis, and cannabis-based medicines has intensified the focus on risk–benefit considerations in pain management. Given limited harms data from analgesic clinical trials, we conducted an overview of systematic reviews focused on all harms possibly relevant to patients receiving cannabinoids for pain management. This PROSPERO-registered, PRISMA-compliant systematic overview identified 79 reviews, encompassing over 2200 individual reports about psychiatric and psychosocial harms, cognitive/behavioral effects, motor vehicle accidents, cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer-related, maternal/fetal, and general harms. Reviews, and their included studies, were of variable quality. Available evidence suggests variable associations between cannabis exposure (ranging from monthly to daily use based largely on self-report) and psychosis, motor vehicle accidents, respiratory problems, and other harms. Most evidence comes from settings other than that of pain management (eg, nonmedicinal and experimental) but does signal a need for caution and more robust harms evaluation in future studies. Given partial overlap between patients receiving cannabinoids for pain management and individuals using cannabinoids for other reasons, lessons from the crisis of oversupply and overuse of opioids in some parts of the world emphasize the need to broadly consider harms evidence from real-world settings. The advancement of research on cannabinoid harms will serve to guide optimal approaches to the use of cannabinoids for pain management. In the meantime, this evidence should be carefully examined when making risk–benefit considerations about the use of cannabinoids, cannabis, and cannabis-based medicine for chronic pain.

Read the full article here: https://journals.lww.com/pain/Fulltext/2021/07001/General_risks_of_harm_with_cannabinoids,_cannabis,.7.aspx

Like this article?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Pinterest

Related Posts

IASIC Speaker Series Presents: Impacts of Maternal Cannabis Use on Long-Term Psychiatric Risk

The International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis (IASIC) is excited to present the IASIC Speaker Series. Presented free of charge, this ongoing educational seminar series will focus on the science, data and peer-reviewed research surrounding marijuana and will be led by international medical experts. This non-partisan and non-political series is continually developed,

Libby Stuyt Interview on Randy Tobler show

Exciting News! Libby Stuyt’s Interview on Randy Tobler Show! Hey everyone, we wanted to share some thrilling news! The brilliant Dr. Libby Stuyt recently had an enlightening interview on Randy Tobler Show. Dr. Stuyt is known for her groundbreaking work in the field of addiction medicine and mental health. Her insights are nothing short of

Balancing risks and benefits of cannabis use: umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and observational studies

Introduction Cannabis contains over 100 cannabinoids, of which Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol are the most clinically relevant. Tetrahydrocannabinol is a partial agonist at CB1 and binds CB2 receptors. CB1 is widely expressed by central and peripheral neurones but also by immune cells and other type of cells in the brain and in the periphery, and when

Medical marijuana access and prolonged opioid use among adolescents and young adults

Abstract Background and Objectives Laws liberalizing access to medical marijuana are associated with reduced opioid analgesic use among adults, but little is known about the impact of such policies on adolescents and young adults. Methods This retrospective cohort study used 2005 to 2014 claims from MarketScan® Commercial database, which covers all 50 states and Washington

Scroll to Top