Smoking THC-dominant cannabis reduces the symptoms of lower back pain more than sublingually consuming CBD-dominant extracts, a new study has found.
Four out of five people experience lower back pain in their lifetime and it’s one of the most common reasons for trips to the GP.
Previous research has found that access to cannabis (both THC and CBD dominant types) is associated with a reduction in the use of pharmaceuticals, particularly pain-killers.
The study
Participants engaged in the study for a period of 2 years. In the first year, they were given CBD-rich sublingual extract treatment for around 10 months, which was then followed by a month away from any treatment.
Then for the following 12 months, the same group was given THC-dominant whole dried cannabis flowers which were smoked as joints.
Researchers found that not only did the THC-rich flowers mitigate lower back pain symptoms, and outperform the CBD-rich sublingual extracts, but the participants’ use of over-the-counter painkillers also significantly decreased.
The Findings
Researchers assessed the safety and effectiveness of THC-dominant flowers and CBD-dominant sublingual (under the tongue) extracts among patients suffering from lower back pain. The results were published in the Israeli journal Rambam Maimonides.
“Our findings indicate that inhaled THC-rich therapy is more effective than CBD-rich sublingual extract therapy for treating low back pain and that cannabis therapy is safe and effective for chronic low back pain,” authors of the study concluded.
It’s estimated that there are currently 111,000 patients in Israel who have a license to consume medicinal cannabis products, with more than half taking cannabis to treat chronic pain.
Four out of five people get lower back pain
Lower back pain can be brought on by a number of reasons, one of the most common being work-related injuries.
For many people, lower back pain can come and go, but unfortunately for many others, the pain may last for a number of weeks or months, and in severe cases, the pain may never subside.
According to this study in 2017, around 7.5% of the world’s population experiences varying levels of lower back pain, and four out of every five people will experience lower back pain at some point in their life.
This makes it one of the most common reasons for trips to the GP.
Read: Availability Of CBD Flower Leads To Significant Drop In Pharmaceutical Usage
Read: 38% Of Patients Quit Opioids When They Have Access To Medical Cannabis, Finds New Study
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