One of the most popular drugs in the world is cannabis. Many countries have legalized the use of cannabis for medical reasons, even though it is only legal in a few countries.
People use medical cannabis to reduce pain. 17 percent of respondents who had reported using cannabis in the past year had been prescribed medical cannabis.
Between 17 and 30 percent of adults in North America, Europe and Australia report using self-medication to manage pain, according to estimates.
Cannabis and cannabis-derived products are widely used for reducing pain, but how effective is it? This is what the meta-analysis sought to uncover.
Our study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that cannabis isn't any more effective than a placebo for pain relief.
We studied the results of randomized controlled trials in which cannabis was compared with a placebo for the treatment of pain. There are studies that compare the change in pain intensity before and after treatment. We looked at 20 studies with over 1,500 people.
A variety of different pain conditions and types of cannabis products were looked at in the studies. pill, spray, oil and smoked were some of the ways in which they were administered.
The majority of the study's participants were women. The majority of the studies were done in the US, UK or Canada.
Pain was rated as being less intense after treatment with a placebo, with a moderate to large effect, according to our meta-analysis. There was no difference between cannabis and a placebo for pain reduction.
The results of a meta-analysis are supported by this. Higher-quality studies with better blinding procedures were found to have higher placebo responses.
Some placebo controlled cannabis trials fail to ensure correct blinding, which may have led to an overestimation of the effectiveness of medical cannabis.
Many people can distinguish between placebo and active cannabis, even though they have the same smell, taste and appearance. They are more likely to give a biased assessment if they know that they are receiving cannabinoids or not. To make sure the effect of cannabis is observed, participants cannot know what they get.
The media and academic journals covered the studies to see if they related to the therapeutic effect participants reported. Research shows that media coverage and information on the internet can affect a person's expectations for a treatment.
The media presence was measured through a method called Altmetric, which is used to evaluate mentions of a study in the media. The impact was measured by citations. There are 136 news items in the media.
Coverage was categorized into positive, negative and neutral depending on how the results were presented. Cannabis had a positive effect on treating pain, according to most news items. The media coverage of cannabis tends to be positive regardless of what the study says.
There are many examples of the relationship between expectations and placebos. If a person thinks they will experience relief from their pain by using a certain product or treatment, this can make them think their pain is not as bad. The placebo effect may work even if we're presented with evidence that's not what we expected.
We don't know if media coverage is responsible for the high placebo response. The results show how important it is to think about the placebo effect and how it can be influenced by external factors.
We need to be extra careful in our trials for treatments that get a lot of media attention.
Filip Gedin is a researcher at the institute.
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