Survey of 1,087 chronic pain patients finds those using both inhaled and oral cannabis report the most benefit

Of participants, 45% used both inhalation and non-inhalation routes, 36.2% used inhalation only, and 18.8% used non-inhalation only. The combined group reported significantly greater health improvements and more medication class substitutions than either single-route group. THC-rich products were typically used at night while CBD-rich products were used during the day. All groups reported similar pain reduction.

Mixed methods analysis of 1,087 cross-sectional survey responses from adults with chronic pain using cannabis in the US and Canada. Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses about use routines, followed by quantitative comparison of subgroups based on administration routes.

This is one of the largest studies to characterize how chronic pain patients actually use cannabis in practice, revealing sophisticated self-directed routines involving multiple products, routes, and timing strategies.

The finding that patients naturally develop multi-route, time-of-day-specific cannabis regimens suggests clinical trials using a single product may not capture how cannabis is most effectively used for pain management.

Cross-sectional self-report data. No verification of diagnoses, products, or outcomes. Selection bias toward cannabis-positive respondents. No control group. Medication substitution self-reported, not verified.