All smoke and mirrors? There’s NO evidence marijuana or CBD oil treats pain better than placebo, major review finds
- Twenty studies involving 1.5k people found a placebo reduced pain just as well
- Expecting to have relief can change the way the body perceives pain signals
- It comes amid a US cannabis revolution with 37 states legalizing to treat pain
Marijuana and CBD have no effect on pain relief, a major review has found.
Despite pain being one of the most popular reasons for using cannabis, researchers found the products are no more effective than a placebo.
The review looked at more than a dozen studies in 11 countries involving 1,459 people from early 2000s to September 2021.
The researchers said: ‘Our team observed no significant difference between cannabis and a placebo for reducing pain.’
Official figures show around a fifth of marijuana users in the US are prescribed medical cannabis. Estimates suggest a quarter of all Americans use CBD oil, with the main reason being pain (64 per cent).
It comes after researchers at Cleveland Clinic found that cannabis users were significantly more likely to suffer pain after surgery.
It comes amid a cannabis revolution in the US with more than half of states legalizing the drug for…