Can cannabinoids still play a role as pain medications?

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Abstract

Cannabinoids have been in use for millennia for the treatment of various illnesses, particularly pain. However, cannabinoids as an accepted medicine remain controversial given their Schedule I substance status in the United States, thereby limiting their investigational and applicational potential. Additional challenges remain with medication production given differences in regional laws and regulations, causing great variability in products with lack of standards and controls, as well as how the medicine is delivered to the body (e.g. ingestible, smoked, vaporized, or topical options). Despite these logistical challenges, the literal growth and development of cannabis as a pain therapy over the past decade has been driven by several key factors, including emphasis on using endogenous ‘natural’ analogs to regulate the treatment of pain and the pursuit of alternative therapies to opioids. We are in the infancy of understanding the early and long-term outcomes of cannabinoids for treating pain.