40% of chronic pain patients fully stopped opioids after starting medical cannabis, with 87% reporting improved quality of life | Research

The takeaway

Among 525 chronic pain patients using both medical cannabis and opioids, 40.4% completely stopped opioids and another 45.2% reduced their use, with 87% reporting improved quality of life.

Pain medicine clinicians, medical cannabis prescribers, and opioid crisis policymakers.

40.4% stopped all opioids; 87% improved quality of life; 62.8% don not want future opioids

What the researchers found

Of 525 chronic pain patients who used both medical cannabis and prescribed opioids, 40.4% stopped all opioids, 45.2% decreased use, 13.3% had no change, and only 1.1% increased opioid use. The majority (65.3%) sustained the opioid change for over a year. Nearly half (48.2%) reported 40-100% pain reduction. 80% reported improved functioning and 87% improved quality of life. 62.8% did not want to take opioids in the future.

Why it matters

The 40% complete opioid cessation rate and 87% quality of life improvement are striking, even accounting for selection bias. If even a fraction of this effect is real, medical cannabis could be a powerful tool in the opioid crisis.

The numbers in context

525 patients; 40.4% stopped opioids; 45.2% decreased; 1.1% increased; 65.3% sustained change >1 year; 48.2% reported 40-100% pain reduction; 87% improved QoL; 62.8% did not want future opioids.

How the study worked

Online convenience survey of patients from 3 medical cannabis practices who had used prescription opioids continuously for 3+ months for chronic pain and were concurrently using medical cannabis. 1,181 responded; 525 met criteria.

What this study cannot tell us

Convenience sample from cannabis practices (strong selection bias toward satisfied patients); self-report; no control group; survey cannot establish causation; patients choosing medical cannabis are already motivated to reduce opioids; no verification of opioid cessation.

How to read the evidence

Moderate: large survey with consistent results, but convenience sample from cannabis practices introduces substantial selection bias.

When this study was published

Published 2020.

The bigger picture

The 62.8% not wanting future opioids is particularly notable. Medical cannabis may not just reduce opioid doses but fundamentally change patient preferences away from opioids, potentially breaking the psychological attachment that contributes to dependence.

Questions still open

Would a randomized trial confirm these opioid reduction rates? Which chronic pain conditions respond best to cannabis-assisted opioid reduction?

Common questions

Can medical cannabis help people stop opioids?

In this survey, 40.4% of chronic pain patients completely stopped opioids and another 45.2% reduced their use after starting medical cannabis. However, this was a self-selected sample from cannabis practices, so the real-world rate may be lower.

Does medical cannabis improve quality of life for chronic pain?

87% reported improved quality of life and 80% improved functioning. Nearly half reported 40-100% pain reduction. These are patient-reported outcomes from people already using medical cannabis, so expectations may have influenced reports.

Read the original research

A Survey on the Effect That Medical Cannabis Has on Prescription Opioid Medication Usage for the Treatment of Chronic Pain at Three Medical Cannabis Practice Sites.

Cureus, 12(12), e11848

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Takakuwa, Kevin M; Sulak, Dustin. (2020). A Survey on the Effect That Medical Cannabis Has on Prescription Opioid Medication Usage for the Treatment of Chronic Pain at Three Medical Cannabis Practice Sites.. Cureus, 12(12), e11848. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.11848