Marijuana Doesn't Reduce Pain, Just Makes it More Bearable

New study reveals

Using marijuana for pain relief makes it more bearable rather than getting rid of it, according to researchers from Oxford University's Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (FMRIB). They found that when volunteers took oral tablets of THC, they tended to find the experience of pain more tolerable, but there was no evidence that it reduced pain intensity. For a number of patients who have not responded adequately to drugs, marijuana-based medications are an effective way of controlling their pain, but many report no benefits from it and some undesirable side effects. Lead researcher Dr. Michael Lee said, "Cannabis does not seem to act like a conventional pain medicine. Some people respond really well, others not at all, or even poorly. Brain imaging shows little reduction in the brain regions that code for the sensation of pain, which is what we tend to see with drugs like opiates. Instead cannabis appears to mainly affect the emotional reaction to pain in a highly variable way." (Medical News Today)

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