International researchers estimate that roughly 1 out of every 5 people on the planet suffers from chronic pain, with the likelihood of someone having the condition increasing as they age. The rate of people over the age of 65 who suffer from chronic pain is as high as 85% according to at least one study.

Chronic pain can be very tough to deal with. In some cases, it can be extremely debilitating and interfere with virtually every aspect of daily life. To make matters worse, when pain patients go to their doctor, they are almost always met with one form of recommended treatment – opioids.

For some patients, it’s their only option, and for many other patients, it’s effective for their specific situation. However, just as people shouldn’t be subjected to negative stigma for using cannabis, so too should they never be subjected to negative stigma for using opioids or any other medicine, for that matter.

With all of that being said, opioids can be very addictive and yield undesirable side effects. Chronic patients may benefit from considering the use of medical cannabis and should talk to their doctor(s) about it. A team of researchers affiliated with various health and academic institutions in Australia recently conducted a study examining medical cannabis use and opioid use among pain patients. The study’s findings were published in the journal Pain Management.

“One cohort attending a small private pain clinic (N = 102), already taking opioids, was co-prescribed cannabinoids and another cohort (N = 53) attending a separate pain clinic nearby received only opioids. The two groups were studied prospectively for a year before their drug consumption was assessed.” the researchers wrote about the methodology of their examination.

“Opioid consumption had decreased significantly at one-year follow-up, the final median dose being lower in cases (2.7 mg/day) than controls (42.3 mg/day) (p < 0.05 in an intention-to-treat analysis). Disability and insomnia had also decreased in cases.” the researchers found.

“The introduction of cannabinoids can produce useful reductions in opioid consumption in real-world settings, with additional benefits for disability and insomnia.” the researchers concluded.