Marijuana and Chronic Pain: What the Research Shows

Can medical marijuana ease chronic pain? A little, in some studies. A 2018 review of 47 studies described by NIH found that 29% of people taking cannabis or cannabinoids had their pain cut by at least 30%, compared with 26% on placebo, a small benefit.

Severe, chronic pain is hard to ignore.

Maybe you felt it before you even got out of bed. Or maybe it was so bad, you hardly slept during the night.

Whatever the case, you know this much: you want the pain to go away.

If that sounds like your morning, the research comes with a caution.

NIH adds that the difference may be too small to be meaningful to patients, and that side effects were more common with cannabis or cannabinoids than with placebo.

Why Do We Feel Pain in the First Place?

In a previous post, we compared anxiety to having your own personal alarm system inside your body, warning you of possible danger.

But if anxiety is an early-warning detection system, pain is like an intrusion alarm. Pain means your body is taking damage, and you need to do something about it quickly.

It is a useful system: it keeps you from touching hot pans and other things that could harm you.

In fact, pain is often what sends us to the doctor in the first place. We want to find out why we’re in pain and how to make it stop. And we expect our physician to give us those answers.

So yes, pain has a purpose: it helps us stay alive.

But What Do You Do When the Pain Won’t Go Away?

Even after you’ve removed yourself from the harmful situation…

And after you’ve seen the doctor, followed their advice and taken the prescribed medication…

And even after you’ve had the operation that was supposed to fix the condition you were suffering from…

Sometimes, the pain just won’t go away.

And if it’s left untreated, chronic pain can:

• Prevent you from being able to perform daily activities
• Affect your job performance
• Disrupt your sleep pattern
• Cause mental and emotional distress, including depression

For many people, those problems arrive together.

At that point, your pain is no longer helping you function safely. It’s not warning you of an underlying condition.

Chronic pain itself becomes the condition that needs to be treated.

Why Not Just Take Over-the-Counter Pain Medication?

Over-the-counter painkillers are one option, but MedlinePlus notes that chronic pain is not always curable and that treatment may include medicines and non-drug care.

Never take more than the label’s recommended dose of an over-the-counter pain medicine to treat chronic pain; if it is not enough, talk with your doctor.

• Acetaminophen overdose is a serious risk: taking too much can damage the liver, sometimes badly enough to need a transplant.
• A 2006 national analysis estimated about 56,000 emergency visits, 26,000 hospitalizations and 458 deaths a year from acetaminophen overdoses.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen carry risks too: stomach ulcers and bleeding, and, for NSAIDs other than aspirin, a higher chance of heart attack and stroke.
• These risks can appear at any time during treatment, and MedlinePlus says they may be higher in older adults and with long-term use.
• NSAID ulcers and bleeding can happen without warning symptoms and can be fatal.

The Problem With Opioid Painkillers

In certain cases, physicians may prescribe opioid painkillers for patients with severe, chronic pain.

But opioid drugs come with significant side effects, such as:

• Nausea
• Constipation
• Respiratory depression
• Dependence and addiction

We’ve written before about the opioid crisis and medical marijuana. In 2023, 79,358 Americans died from overdoses involving opioids, down from 81,806 in 2022.

Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain: What Does the Evidence Show?

• Cannabis has been used as a medicine for at least 3,000 years, the National Cancer Institute notes, though modern pain trials are recent.
• Marijuana’s cannabinoids act on the endocannabinoid system, one of several body systems involved in how pain signals are processed.
• Cannabinoids such as THC bind to receptors in the nervous system, which is why they are studied for pain, though results in trials are modest.
• Some veterans, athletes and people with fibromyalgia say medical marijuana helps their chronic pain, but personal reports are not trial evidence.

For a plain summary of what pain trials have found, NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health covers chronic pain in its overview of cannabis and cannabinoids.

Is Marijuana Safe for Chronic Pain? Side Effects to Know

• Marijuana has side effects, such as:
  • Increased appetite
  • Drowsiness
  • Dry mouth
  • Impaired motor skills
  • Increased anxiety

• How strong these effects are depends on the amount and the product, and a 2022 analysis of commercial cannabis in six states found that strain names do not reliably predict what is in a product. Ask your doctor before you start and mention your other medicines.
• Cannabis has its own risks: about 3 in 10 people who use it have cannabis use disorder, CDC says, and use is linked to psychosis in some people.
• We’re not saying people shouldn’t use acetaminophen, NSAIDs or opioids; used as directed, they can work well. Any pain plan, cannabis included, is worth weighing with your doctor.
• Some people hope cannabis will let them take fewer opioids, but a 2017 review of 9 studies with 750 people found no high-quality trial showing cannabinoids cut opioid use. Never change an opioid dose without your prescriber.

If you take opioids and are thinking about medical marijuana, bring that plan to the doctor who prescribes your opioids.

Who May Qualify for Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain in Nevada and Florida?

Nevada lists severe or chronic pain, and a Nevada-licensed provider responsible for your care must sign. In Florida, chronic nonmalignant pain counts only when it is caused by or originates from a qualifying medical condition, such as multiple sclerosis or Crohn’s disease, and persists beyond the usual course of that condition; Florida residents can schedule an appointment with us online for an in-person evaluation at our Fort Myers office.

If you have questions about chronic pain and Florida’s rules, you can reach us on social media or through our contact page.

Last updated October 16, 2026 by the Dr. Green Relief Editorial Team.

Sources

• NCCIH (NIH). Cannabis (Marijuana) and Cannabinoids: What You Need To Know
• MedlinePlus. Acetaminophen
• Nourjah, et al. Estimates of acetaminophen (Paracetomal)-associated overdoses in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. 2006
• MedlinePlus. Ibuprofen
• National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug Overdose Deaths: Facts and Figures
• National Cancer Institute. Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ), Health Professional Version
• Smith, et al. The phytochemical diversity of commercial Cannabis in the United States. PLoS One. 2022
• CDC. Cannabis Facts and Stats
• CDC. Cannabis and Mental Health
• Florida Statutes s. 381.986 (2026). Medical use of marijuana
• Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 678C. Medical Use of Cannabis
• MedlinePlus. Chronic Pain
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Pain