Cannabis could be viewed as a great pain treatment in the scientific community, but more information on its addictive properties should be investigated before it becomes a widespread form of medical care.

A recent review conducted by Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences of experimental pain and cannabis found conflicting answers on whether or not the drug actually reduces pain.

Medications certainly have a place in treatments for pain, but until we know more about cannabis, it’s better to be careful and frugal when prescribing it.

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Doctoral candidate Martin De Vita, at SU, recently explained why the group at Arts and Sciences chose this research subject.

“Some studies are saying that it increases pain, others are saying that it has no pain effects, and then other studies are saying that it reduces pain,” said De Vita. “Whenever you have a dilemma like that, as scientists, you become very curious.”

Moving forward, from the SU team’s findings, it’s critical that more information related to cannabis and other potential pain treatments be gathered.

The opioid crisis stemmed from pharmaceutical companies pushing opioid pain relievers on physicians and the public. There was a lack of understanding of those drugs’ full effects and the country is still reeling from the epidemic.

Marijuana is not physically addictive like opioids, but it’s psychologically addictive. This form of addiction causes a dependence, in which the drug — in this case cannabis — becomes central to a given person’s thoughts and actions.

Marijuana use disorder is characterized by withdrawal, intense cravings for cannabis, and a decrease in normal functioning, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse. The opioid crisis should serve as a warning. One drug should not and cannot serve as an alternative to another without a full and complete base of knowledge.

There has been a lack of research on many specific components of cannabis, including cannabidiol, which has been legalized to some degree in all 50 states.

Laura Angle | Digital Design Editor

The public doesn’t know enough about it to be able to safely say that cannabis is always a successful treatment option. And current studies on cannabis are conflicting. Until researchers come to an agreement, physicians shouldn’t immediately opt to prescribe cannabis as a medication.

Patients have other options. Psychotherapy or even integrated approaches that combine non-drug based treatments with lesser doses of medications are options to keep in mind, at least until more is known about cannabis.

“Everybody’s very focused on opioids and cannabis right now, but we certainly have more tools in our bag and we are going to continue to study and learn more about cannabinoids and opioids, both their interactions and their therapeutic potential,” De Vita said.

There’s much more to learn about regarding extremely complicated drugs and medical conditions. It’s vital that physicians and patients keep open minds as research is completed and reviews are conducted on cannabis.

Bethanie Viele is a junior biology with a focus on environmental sciences major and religion minor. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at bmviele@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @viele_bethanie.

Published on September 30, 2018 at 7:34 pm