“Faced with this continued deficiency of clinical evidence, some physicians cite lack of data as rationale for not engaging with patients who wish to use or currently use cannabis,” write the authors of an accompanying editorial.2
“Given the slow pace of clinical trials, we believe it likely that McDonagh and colleagues’ findings will be the best available evidence for some time,” they add.
“[Although] we await better evidence, we believe clinicians should meet patients with chronic pain ‘where they are’ and be willing to provide compassionate guidance to patients who use cannabis products by using a strategy of pragmatism and knowledge of patient experience, known cannabinoid effects, and harm reduction,” advise Kevin Boehnke, PhD, and Daniel Clauw, MD, of the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor.
“Conventional analgesic medications are effective only in a subset of persons, so it is no wonder that many patients are drawn to widely available cannabis products. Clinicians can compassionately witness, record, and offer guidance to help patients with chronic pain use cannabis wisely,” they add.
References
- McDonagh MS, Morasco BJ, Wagner J, et al. Cannabis-based products for chronic pain: A systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Jun 7. Online ahead of print.
- Boehnke KF, Clauw DJ. Cannabinoids for chronic pain: Translating systematic review findings into clinical action. Ann Intern Med. 2022 Jun 7. Online ahead of print.
