SynthesisSystematic reviews2020
Medical cannabis for the reduction of opioid dosage in the treatment of non-cancer chronic pain: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Systematic reviews, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05651607 (Evaluation of the Efficacy of CANNABIDIOL on the Pruritus in Children With Hereditary Epidermolysis Bullosa), which is not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 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.
Evaluation of the Efficacy of CANNABIDIOL on the Pruritus in Children With Hereditary Epidermolysis Bullosa
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medical Cannabis and Its Efficacy/Effectiveness for the Treatment of Low-Back Pain: a Systematic Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2023Pooled it
- Opioid-sparing effect of cannabinoids for analgesia: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical and clinical studies.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Trial
- A randomized trial of medical cannabis in patients with stage IV cancers to assess feasibility, dose requirements, impact on pain and opioid use, safety, and overall patient satisfaction.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Trial
- Self-reported cannabis use to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms and reductions in opioid use among people who use unregulated opioids: a cross-sectional analysis.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- Redefining Recovery: The Expanding Cannabis Landscape and Its Implications for the California Sober Approach in Addiction.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2026Article
- Cannabis use and illicit opioid cessation among people who use drugs living with chronic pain.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Cannabinoids in Chronic Pain Management: A Review of the History, Efficacy, Applications, and Risks.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Assessing Risk Factors and Comorbidities in the Treatment of Chronic Pain: A Narrative Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- A national study of clinical discussions about cannabis use among Veteran patients prescribed opioids.Journal of cannabis research · 2024Article
- Cannabis combined with oxycodone for pain relief in fibromyalgia pain: a randomized clinical self-titration trial with focus on adverse events.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Cannabis use to manage opioid cravings among people who use unregulated opioids during a drug toxicity crisis.The International journal on drug policy · 2023Article
- The association between cannabis use and risk of non-medical pain reliever misuse onset among young adults in a legal cannabis context.Addictive behaviors · 2023Article
- Assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.Brain and behavior · 2023Article
- Changes in Prescribed Opioid Dosages Among Patients Receiving Medical Cannabis for Chronic Pain, New York State, 2017-2019.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Brain Penetrant, but not Peripherally Restricted, Synthetic Cannabinoid 1 Receptor Agonists Promote Morphine-Mediated Respiratory Depression.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2022Article
- Article
- Review
- Current Challenges in the Management of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Women: From Bench to Bedside.International journal of women's health · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedical cannabis (MC) is currently being used as an adjunct to opiates given its analgesic effects and potential to reduce opiate addiction. This review assessed if MC used in combination with opioids to treat non-cancer chronic pain would reduce opioid dosage.
methodsFour databases-Ovid (Medline), Psyc-INFO, PubMed, Web of Science, and grey literature-were searched to identify original research that assessed the effects of MC on non-cancer chronic pain in humans. Study eligibility included randomized controlled trials, controlled before-and-after studies, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, and case reports. All databases were searched for articles published from inception to October 31, 2019. Cochrane's ROBINS-I tool and the AXIS tool were used for risk of bias assessment. PRISMA guidelines were followed in reporting the systematic review.
resultsNine studies involving 7222 participants were included. There was a 64-75% reduction in opioid dosage when used in combination with MC. Use of MC for opioid substitution was reported by 32-59.3% of patients with non-cancer chronic pain. One study reported a slight decrease in mean hospital admissions in the past calendar year (P = .53) and decreased mean emergency department visits in the past calendar year (P = .39) for patients who received MC as an adjunct to opioids in the treatment of non-cancer chronic pain compared to those who did not receive MC. All included studies had high risk of bias, which was mainly due to their methods.
conclusionsWhile this review indicated the likelihood of reducing opioid dosage when used in combination with MC, we cannot make a causal inference. Although medical cannabis' recognized analgesic properties make it a viable option to achieve opioid dosage reduction, the evidence from this review cannot be relied upon to promote MC as an adjunct to opioids in treating non-cancer chronic pain. More so, the optimal MC dosage to achieve opioid dosage reduction remains unknown. Therefore, more research is needed to elucidate whether MC used in combination with opioids in the treatment of non-cancer chronic pain is associated with health consequences that are yet unknown. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: This systematic review was not registered.
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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.