Is Marijuana A Viable Treatment For Chronic Pain?

One of the biggest question marks for medical marijuana has been which ailments the drug is considered to be an effective treatment for. While cannabis has been proven effective in treating some illnesses like epilepsy, others remain locked in a debate over whether or not marijuana should be available as a treatment option. One such grey area is chronic pain, a condition that millions of Americans suffer from.

In states where medical marijuana is legal, chronic pain is often not included on the list of conditions treated by cannabis products as lawmakers say not enough is know about the drug's long-term effects to make it a viable treatment. However, a new study that suggests that marijuana is a safe pain treatment could change that view.

Related Link: 5 Charts On The Expanding Marijuana Industry

Marijuana Generally Safe

A study conducted by researchers associated with McGill University and the University of British Columbia showed that patients prescribed marijuana had no greater risk of adverse effects from their treatment than those who were not prescribed to use the drug. Published in the Journal of Pain, the results showed that patients who used marijuana to manage their chronic pain had no additional risks to their health when compared to their non-marijuana using counterparts.

Still Many Unknowns

The study could go a long way in getting chronic pain onto the list of ailments approved for treatment by marijuana in many states. However, while the study is supportive of marijuana for pain management, many doctors argue that not enough is known about the long-term damage that marijuana could do to a patient's body. As the drug is still a relatively new treatment, the effects of using marijuana on a consistent basis later in life are largely unknown.