Pile of marijuana

Patients experiencing pain due to injuries or complications form surgery notice smoking marijuana, or cannabis, as an effective method to reduce pain, a new study explains.

For the study, 21 adults experiencing chronic pain were instructed to take one inhale of 25 milligrams of marijuana, three times daily over the course of five days. The potency of the marijuana being smoked was altered in terms of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, content. A placebo was also used to accurately determine the effects of smoking on pain relief.

Subjects in this study were able to smoke each of the different potency batches, and were unable to smoke for nine days between.

For those who smoked the marijuana with the highest potency of THC, they noticed less pain when compared to smokers containing a placebo. All subjects explained decreased levels of anxiety and sleeping better.

Researchers explain this study included individuals where no medications seemed to ease their pain, and using a controlled study, were able to conclude significant results.

On top of that, potency of the marijuana given in this study was between 3 and 13 percent less potent than marijuana typically sold from a dealer.

While marijuana seems to be an effective short term solution, many studies show painkillers like morphine to be a more effective long term solution to ease pain.

Minimizing the chemical risks of smoking can be accomplished by inhaling THC using a vaporizer. This does not actually burn the marijuana, but heats it to a level to appropriately release THC, the actual chemical providing the “high,” researchers conclude.