Over 100 million people across Europe suffer from chronic pain. However, research has shown that conventional painkillers are often ineffective or capable of causing worse side effects.
Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni and Dr Andrew Agius suggest one solution is to use cannabis or its associated chemicals as a treatment to control various symptoms associated with persistent pain.
Chronic pain is currently treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but only for a short time because of serious side effects. Similarly, powerful opiate-based alternatives can relieve pain, but their adverse effects include respiratory depression and death.
Other approaches include diet and lifestyle changes, stress-reducing activities or psychotherapy. Even with this, however, many patients still claim they are not well controlled. Administration of natural or synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists have shown therapeutic value for a number of important medical conditions, including pain, anxiety, depression, insomnia, glaucoma, nausea, emesis, muscle spasms, epilepsy and wasting diseases. This makes cannabis an intensely valuable therapeutic tool.
While more studies need to be performed to determine ideal dosing and delivery routes, no patients have yet experienced any major adverse effects. Compare this to the gold standard, opioids, which have resulted in deadly overdoses.
The contrast is stark and it is time to act.
For more information, read the in-depth feature in Think magazine at http://www.um.edu.mt/think/is-cannabis-the-best-medicine-for-chronic-pain .