Cannabis for Sickle Cell Pain: Promising but Evidence Is Thin

Of 12 qualifying studies (1 clinical trial, 2 reviews, 7 observational, 1 mixed-methods, 1 qualitative), evidence was mixed but generally positive for cannabinoid effectiveness in SCD pain — with some studies showing reduced pain scores from inhaled cannabis, though results varied for hospitalizations and raised safety concerns for synthetic cannabinoids.

Scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, searching PubMed, CINAHL, and Cannakeys for studies on cannabis use in adult SCD patients addressing pain, yielding 12 of 369 screened articles.

Sickle cell disease causes severe chronic pain with limited treatment options, and patients increasingly use cannabis — yet the evidence base is remarkably thin, consisting of just one clinical trial and mostly observational data.

SCD disproportionately affects Black communities who already face barriers to pain treatment — cannabis could fill an important therapeutic gap if properly studied, but the research has not kept pace with patient use.

Only 12 qualifying studies with just 1 clinical trial; heterogeneous study designs; variable cannabis types and routes; observational studies subject to confounding; scoping review format doesn't assess quality; limited generalizability.