Exploring the effects of medical cannabis for chronic pain

Abstract

Exploring the effects of medical cannabis for chronic pain Dr Simon Erridge of Sapphire Medical Clinics discusses the therapeutic effects of medical cannabis for chronic pain, affecting 15.5 million people in England and why more evidence is needed to support greater patient access. In November 2018, medical cannabis was rescheduled in the UK, allowing for the prescribing of unlicensed products manufactured from the cannabis plant for the first time since 1973. Chronic pain is now the most common condition for which medical cannabis is prescribed, according to the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (1) Considering this increase in prescribing for eligible UK patients, it is important to understand the underlying science of how it affects the human body. Medical cannabis is the term given to a broad spectrum of medications that can be derived from the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant is thought to contain more than 540 active pharmaceutical ingredients; however, the most abundant compounds are cannabidiol (CBD) and (-)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). (2) The main mechanisms of action of these are via the body’s own cannabinoid system, which consists of molecules very similar to those found in the cannabis plant and receptors they bind to, causing downstream effects. One of the most important effects of this system is to regulate the firing of signals through nerves. (3,4) Some have therefore likened the endocannabinoid system to a dimmer switch for the nervous system.