Cannabis reduces healthcare utilization in chronic pain

Key findings

• A new study found that people who used medical cannabis for chronic pain reported fewer visits to urgent care centers and emergency departments (EDs) due to chronic pain-related symptoms.
• People who used cannabis for chronic pain also reported higher quality of life.
• These findings support medical cannabis as an effective treatment for chronic pain.

Cannabis may help reduce the overall burden of chronic pain

According to the results of a study by Leafwell published in Pharmacy, patients who use medical cannabis for chronic pain have fewer visits to urgent and emergency care services, plus higher quality of life.

Chronic pain affects an estimated 21% of U.S. adults. Older adults in particular report higher use of healthcare services, including urgent care and ED visits.

Chronic pain is often referred to as a “silent epidemic” due to its high prevalence and heavy burden on both patients and healthcare systems. Patients who seek healthcare services for acute pain episodes are often subject to high medical expenses.

Moreover, studies suggest that many treatments for pain performed in healthcare settings, including therapeutic ultrasound and acupuncture, provide only modest, short-term relief.

Medical cannabis has been established as an effective, low-cost treatment option for chronic pain, though more research is needed to understand its impact on healthcare use and related costs.

To explore this, a team of authors led by Mitchell L. Doucette, PhD, MS, Senior Director of the Health Economics and Outcomes Research Division of Leafwell, investigated whether medical cannabis use affected healthcare utilization and quality of life in people with chronic pain..

Cannabis leads to fewer unhealthy days and acute care visits

The study authors analyzed self-reported patient data provided by Leafwell. They compared outcomes between those who had used medical cannabis for chronic pain in the past year with those who had no prior cannabis use, measured by:

• Urgent care visits
• ED visits
• Hospitalizations
• Quality of life according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Healthy Days measure

Data was provided by 5,242 patients with chronic pain, of whom 3,943 had used medical cannabis for their condition within the past year. Patients reported outcomes based on the previous 6 months.

The researchers found that healthcare utilization was significantly lower among medical cannabis users. Compared with those who had never used cannabis, medical cannabis users had:

• A 27% reduction in urgent care visits
• A 33% reduction in ED visits

Cannabis use was not associated with significant changes in hospital admissions.

Patients also reported an average of 3.5 fewer unhealthy days per month — an 18% decrease — demonstrating a considerable improvement in quality of life.

The takeaway: In addition to chronic pain relief, medical cannabis can reduce costs and healthcare visits 

The study’s findings suggest that medical cannabis is a valuable treatment option for people with chronic pain, providing substantial relief while reducing reliance on costly healthcare services.

Medical cannabis treatment may also help relieve the stress on healthcare systems that treat significant numbers of patients with chronic pain through various outpatient and inpatient services.

“These findings demonstrate the tangible benefits that medical cannabis offers people with chronic pain, who are often overburdened by excessive healthcare costs,” Dr. Doucette stated.

“While more clinical trials are needed to establish the ideal dosing strategies and potential risks, this study is a step in the right direction toward recognizing the meaningful impact of cannabis in healthcare,” he added.

Read the fully study here.

Resources

• Acupuncture for chronic nonspecific low back pain. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33306198/
• CDC archive. https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/hrqol/methods.htm
• Chronic pain among adults — United States, 2019–2021. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7215a1.htm
• Medical cannabis use and healthcare utilization among patients with chronic pain: A causal inference analysis using TMLE. https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/4/96
• The health effects of cannabis and cannabinoids. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/24625/chapter/1
• Therapeutic ultrasound for chronic low back pain. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7390505/