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By Crystal Lindell

A new multi-study analysis is further muddying the water on whether medical cannabis is an effective treatment for neuropathic pain.

The Cochrane review – considered the gold standard in medical research – looked at results from 21 high-quality clinical studies of medical cannabis involving nearly 2,200 participants. German researchers were hoping to find whether THC and/or CBD helped people suffering from neuropathic pain.

They found “no clear evidence” that THC‐dominant medicines, CBD-dominant medicines or THC/CBD‐balanced medicines provided pain relief of 50% or more compared to a placebo.

Those findings contradict a recent U.S. study that found THC more effective in relieving pain than CBD. That review mostly involved patients with chronic neuropathic pain.

The findings also contradict a recent survey of 1,450 medical cannabis users, which found that cannabis works best on neuropathic pain, such as pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and multiple sclerosis.

As someone with nerve pain in my ribs, these contradictory results are not surprising. I’ve tried both THC and CBD and found them lacking. The most effective class of medications for me remains opioids, with 7-OH a close second.

I fully believe that people should have access to whatever medications work best for them. So, if there are people out there who find that THC works best to alleviate their nerve pain, then by all means they should be allowed to take it. And of course, this new research shouldn’t negate the idea that many people do find cannabis to be very effective at treating other conditions.

The issue is that over the last decade, as cannabis legalization has spread, some doctors have recommended that their patients try medical cannabis, while refusing to prescribe opioids. That is a problem, especially when research shows that cannabis doesn’t work well for most people with nerve pain, and that THC comes with unwanted side effects.

The good news though is that as cannabis has gained more official legal status, research like this is actually happening. So, we can actually have real scientific data, rather than just anecdotal evidence about cannabis.

I’d also really like to see in-depth research about natural leaf kratom and kratom extracts like 7-OH. Perhaps if data showed them as being effective and with few side effects, governments would stop being so quick to ban them.

In the end, every person’s pain is uniquely theirs to endure, and which treatments work will vary from person to person. When doctors and regulators finally accept there is no one treatment that fits all, that we can truly make progress in alleviating pain.