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.
One of the most popular reasons people use medical cannabis is to reduce pain. According to a US national survey, 18% of people who had reported using cannabis in the past year had been prescribed medical cannabis. Between 17 and 30% 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. According to our study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 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.
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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 that took place in 2021. 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 can't 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 the expectations that a person has of a treatment.
The media presence was measured through a method called Alt-metric, 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. Media coverage of cannabis tends to be positive regardless of what a study says.
There are many examples of the relationship between treatment 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. According to recent evidence, the placebo effect may work even if we are presented with evidence that is not in line with our expectations.
We don't know if media coverage is to blame 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 attention.
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