Trial reportCMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne2012
Smoked cannabis for spasticity in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 228 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of cannabinoids in the treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review of randomized clinical trials.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Maintaining Mobility and Balance in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review Examining Potential Impact of Symptomatic Pharmacotherapy.CNS drugs · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for Cannabis and Cannabinoid-Based Medicines in the Management of Chronic Pain and Co-Occurring Conditions.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2024Pooled it
- Cannabinoids versus placebo for pain: A systematic review with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- Placebo Response and Media Attention in Randomized Clinical Trials Assessing Cannabis-Based Therapies for Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of medical cannabis on cognitive functions: a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Cannabis and cannabinoids for symptomatic treatment for people with multiple sclerosis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Cannabinoid Activity-Is There a Causal Connection to Spasmolysis in Clinical Studies?Biomolecules · 2021Pooled it
- The Therapeutic Potential and Usage Patterns of Cannabinoids in People with Spinal Cord Injuries: A Systematic Review.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Pooled it
- Analgesic Effects of Cannabinoids for Chronic Non-cancer Pain: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Meta-Regression.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- Cannabis for pain in orthopedics: a systematic review focusing on study methodologyCanadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie · 2019Pooled it
- Effects of cannabinoid administration for pain: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Cannabis-based medicines for chronic neuropathic pain in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Efficacy and adverse effects of medical marijuana for chronic noncancer pain: Systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2015Pooled it
- Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: An Updated Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2015Pooled it
- Prescribing smoked cannabis for chronic noncancer pain: preliminary recommendations.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2014Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- A randomized trial on efficacy of purified cannabidiol on spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients with gait problems: first report in Iran.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Trial
- A Semi-Naturalistic, Open-Label Trial Examining the Effect of Prescribed Medical Cannabis on Neurocognitive Performance.CNS drugs · 2023Trial
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSpasticity is a common and poorly controlled symptom of multiple sclerosis. Our objective was to determine the short-term effect of smoked cannabis on this symptom.
methodsWe conducted a placebo-controlled, crossover trial involving adult patients with multiple sclerosis and spasticity. We recruited participants from a regional clinic or by referral from specialists. We randomly assigned participants to either the intervention (smoked cannabis, once daily for three days) or control (identical placebo cigarettes, once daily for three days). Each participant was assessed daily before and after treatment. After a washout interval of 11 days, participants crossed over to the opposite group. Our primary outcome was change in spasticity as measured by patient score on the modified Ashworth scale. Our secondary outcomes included patients' perception of pain (as measured using a visual analogue scale), a timed walk and changes in cognitive function (as measured by patient performance on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test), in addition to ratings of fatigue.
resultsThirty-seven participants were randomized at the start of the study, 30 of whom completed the trial. Treatment with smoked cannabis resulted in a reduction in patient scores on the modified Ashworth scale by an average of 2.74 points more than placebo (p < 0.0001). In addition, treatment reduced pain scores on a visual analogue scale by an average of 5.28 points more than placebo (p = 0.008). Scores for the timed walk did not differ significantly between treatment and placebo (p = 0.2). Scores on the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test decreased by 8.67 points more with treatment than with placebo (p = 0.003). No serious adverse events occurred during the trial.
interpretationSmoked cannabis was superior to placebo in symptom and pain reduction in participants with treatment-resistant spasticity. Future studies should examine whether different doses can result in similar beneficial effects with less cognitive impact.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.