SynthesisExperimental and clinical psychopharmacology2019
Effects of cannabinoid administration for pain: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Synthesis in Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 4 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
28 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association between state cannabis laws and opioid outcomes: A systematic review.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Pooled it
- MASCC guideline: cannabis for cancer-related pain and risk of harms and adverse events.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Guideline
- A Mapping Literature Review of Medical Cannabis Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Evidence in Approved Conditions in the USA from 2016 to 2019.Medical cannabis and cannabinoids · 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
- Effects and safety of a CBD-richFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Trial
- Review
- Nature exposure reduces self-reported pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature. Mental health · 2026Article
- Cannabis Use and Risk of Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Sinus Surgery.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Article
- The impact of tetrahydrocannabinol on central pain modulation in chronic pain: a randomized clinical comparative study of offset analgesia and conditioned pain modulation in fibromyalgia.Journal of cannabis research · 2025Article
- Nanotechnology for the Efficacious Delivery of Medicinal Cannabis and Pharmaceutical Medicines.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain: Clinical Outcomes, Adverse Effects and Legal Challenges.Neurology international · 2025Review
- The role of prescription opioid and cannabis supply policies on opioid overdose deaths.American journal of epidemiology · 2025Article
- Cannabinoids for Acute Pain Management: Approaches and Rationale.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- Cannabinoids: Potential for Modulation and Enhancement When Combined with Vitamin B12 in Case of Neurodegenerative Disorders.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Chronic Pain and Cannabis Use Frequency, Intensity, and Severity in Young Adults.Substance use & misuse · 2024Article
- Perceived Effectiveness of Medical Cannabis Among Adults with Chronic Pain: Findings from Interview Data in a Three-Month Pilot Study.Cannabis (Albuquerque, N.M.) · 2023Article
- Cannabinoid Profiles in Medical Cannabis Users: Effects of Age, Gender, Symptoms, and Duration of Use.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2022Observational
- Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Seem to Indicate that Cannabinoids for Chronic Primary Pain Treatment Have Limited Benefit.Pain and therapy · 2022Article
- Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Chronic pain states have resulted in an overreliance on opioid pain relievers, which can carry significant risks when used long term. As such, alternative pain treatments are increasingly desired. Although emerging research suggests that cannabinoids have therapeutic potential regarding pain, results from studies across pain populations have been inconsistent. To provide meta-analytic clarification regarding cannabis's impact on subjective pain, we identified studies that assessed drug-induced pain modulations under cannabinoid and corresponding placebo conditions. A literature search yielded 25 peer-reviewed records that underwent data extraction. Baseline and end-point data were used to compute standardized effect size estimates (Cohen's d) across cannabinoid administrations (k = 39) and placebo administrations (k = 26). Standardized effects were inverse-variance weighted and pooled across studies for meta-analytic comparison. Results revealed that cannabinoid administration produced a medium-to-large effect across included studies, Cohen's d = -0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI) [-0.74, -0.43], while placebo administration produced a small-to-medium effect, Cohen's d = -0.39, 95% CI [-0.52, -0.26]. Meta-regression revealed that cannabinoids, β = -0.43, 95% CI [-0.62, -0.24], p < .05, synthetic cannabinoids, β = -0.39, 95% CI [-0.65, -0.14], p < .05, and sample size, β = 0.01, 95% CI [0.00, 0.01], p < .05, were associated with marked pain reduction. These outcomes suggest that cannabinoid-based pharmacotherapies may serve as effective replacement/adjunctive options regarding pain, however, additional research is warranted. Additionally, given demonstrated neurocognitive side effects associated with some constituent cannabinoids (i.e., THC), subsequent work may consider developing novel therapeutic agents that capitalize on cannabis's analgesic properties without producing adverse effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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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.