Is cannabis an effective treatment for joint pain? R.J. Miller1, R.E. Miller2 1Department of Pharmacology, ABSTRACT Introduction Northwestern University, Chicago; Cannabis has been used to treat pain Pain is one of the primary symptoms 2 Department of Internal Medicine, for thousands of years. However, since of joint disease and the major reason Division of Rheumatology, Rush University the early part of the 20th century, laws why patients seek medical advice. Un- Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA. restricting cannabis use have limited fortunately, at this point in time, we Richard J. Miller, PhD its evaluation using modern scientific do not have a detailed understanding Rachel E. Miller, PhD criteria. Over the last decade, the situa- of how joint pain is generated under Please address correspondence to: tion has started to change because of the Dr Richard J. Miller, pathological conditions. When treating Department of Pharmacology, increased availability of cannabis in the osteoarthritis (OA) pain, non-steroidal Northwestern University, United States for either medical or recre- anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are Chicago, IL, USA. ational purposes, making it important to usually the initial drugs of choice in pa- E-mail:
[email protected] provide the public with accurate informa- tients with mild to moderate pain (1, 2). Received and accepted on September 9, tion as to the effectiveness of the drug for However, the chronic use of NSAIDS 2017. joint pain among other indications. The is often problematic, particularly with Clin Exp Rheumatol 2017; 35 (Suppl. 107): major psychotropic component of can- elder patients owing to gastrointestinal S59-S67.