One in four people dealing with chronic pain using cannabis to cope, study finds

A new study on pain management appears to bolster the argument of cannabis reform advocates as they urge Texas lawmakers to expand the state's limited medical marijuana program.

One in four U.S. adults suffering from chronic pain use cannabis to manage their discomfort, according to a study published this month in JAMA Open Network.

Last spring, the study's authors surveyed 1,661 adults grappling with chronic pain. All of the participants reside in the 36 states with active medical marijuana programs plus Washington, D.C. Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health conducted the analysis.

Of those surveyed, 26% said they used cannabis within the past year to manage their discomfort. Most of the participants — 23% of the total — also said they'd partaken of the plant during the past 30 days.

Further, more than half of those surveyed said their cannabis use led them to cut their use of prescription opioids, prescription nonopioids and over-the-counter pain meds. Fewer than 1% said they'd increased use of those drugs due to their cannabis intake. 

Cannabis reform proponents are pushing for the Texas Legislature to expand the state's medical pot rules to include people with chronic pain — a group lawmakers have repeatedly left out of past expansions of the program.

Although the legislature last session expanded the list of authorized users to include people with PTSD and all cancers patients, advocates argue that studies show people suffering from chronic pain are among those who show the most benefit from medically prescribed cannabis use.

Advocates also argue that expanding Texas' medical cannabis scheme, known as the Compassionate Use Program, is a way to combat the state's opioid epidemic and reduce the number of overdoses plaguing the state — an argument strengthened by the JAMA study.

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