Medical cannabis ‘effective’ for helping cancer pain, study shows

New research suggests that medical cannabis helps relieve cancer pain and can complement other painkilling drugs.

A study, which was published this week, includes 358 adults with cancer and found that an equal balance of active ingredients including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) – the substance found in cannabis which is responsible for the ‘high’ sensation – significantly helped pain intensity and the interference of pain in daily life.

Existing evidence suggests around 38% of all patients with cancer experience moderate to severe pain, while 66% with advanced, metastatic or terminal diseases suffer pain.

Of the 358 studied, around a quarter took THC-dominant products, 38% took TCH:CBD balanced drugs and 17% took CBD-dominant products. However, after three, six and nine months, THC:CBD-balanced products were associated with the best pain relief.

Following this news, only specialist doctors can prescribe cannabis-based medicines on the NHS, and only for a few limited conditions such as severe epilepsy. From last month, fewer than five people have received an NHS prescription of the drug, forcing them to go private or buy drugs illegally.

Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin and the Medical Cannabis Programme in Oncology at Cedars Cancer Centre in Canada, concluded that medical cannabis is ‘a safe and effective treatment for pain relief in patients with cancer.’

Experts said: ‘Our data suggest a role for medicinal cannabis as a safe and complementary treatment option in patients with cancer failing to reach adequate pain relief through conventional analgesics, such as opioids.’

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