The University of Georgia to study the effects of medical marijuana on chronic pain
Chronic pain is perhaps one of the most common reasons that people report using medical cannabis. Studies by the CDC have reported that approximately 50 million Americans today live and suffer from chronic pain.
For the University of Georgia study, chronic pain was defined as:
- Pain throughout every day, or most days for the past six months.
Medical marijuana associated with chronic pain relief for many years
The University of Georgia has been awarded $3.5 million in the form of a grant to study how medical marijuana legalization affects people who are living with chronic pain. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has provided the grant. The study will help in determining if cannabis can be substituted for the traditional pain medications that are commonly prescribed today.
The collective team will be the first to study the effects of marijuana extract laws as they pertain to health care. To date, there are 34 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted medical cannabis laws for patients.
Documentation shows a reduction in prescription use with cannabis
The studies from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, aka. (NASEM) have specific information that cannabinoids or marijuana can be quite useful in the treatment of chronic pain. The current laws are based on a restrictive list of qualifying medical conditions, and cannabis researchers would like to change that.
Georgia has implemented low- THC/high-CBD cannabis extracts, and this research will assist in the breaking of new ground. There has been no study on whether cannabis extract laws will change how health care is used.
The study
The study will work with the data of 5 million Medicare, along with 5 million Medicaid enrollees’ medical claims history. All inpatient, outpatient, and prescription drug use will be tracked in the study, along with HCCI/private insurance companies. The same people will be followed for a period after the experiment to assess the possibility of long term effects. Documentation on how they have, or have not, changed their pain management regime as they gain access to medical marijuana via the laws as they vary state by state will be studied.
Best types of weed
There different types of marijuana that can be used when determining the effects of cannabis on chronic pain. Three types of marijuana are listed below.
- Indica: Hindu Kush Northern Lights and Girl Scout Cookies
- Hybrid Blue Dream, Chemdawg, and Gorilla Glue
- Sativa: Green Crack, Sour Diesel and Durban Poison
Cannabis research has paved the way to provide a few different strains of marijuana that have been noted as beneficial in treating chronic pain, including:
1. White Widow
- Excellent pain relief
- Uplifting, energetic feelings
- Hybrid Indica and Sativa
2. Bubba Kush
- A relaxed and sleepy effect
- Perfect as a sleeping pill before bed, as it relieves pain
- Indica based
3. Blue Dream
- Reported significant pain relief
- High THC level
- Depression and stress relief
- Cross between a Sativa and an Indica
4. AK47
- An excellent strain right for elevating pain
- Good for controlling depression
- Sativa-dominant
- Uplifting effect
5. Jack Herer
- Helps to ease pain
- High THC level
- Treats depression and fatigue
- Sativa dominant
