An industry survey has shed light on how patients use medical cannabis to treat pain conditions.
The report looked at data reported by more than 41,000 patients self-reported over a period of three years.
The findings, uncovered by Canadian research firm Ryah Medtech, reveal general chronic pain is by far and away the most common pain condition disclosed by users.
The condition was followed by headaches, migraines, and inflammation as the primary drivers of patients towards medical cannabis.
According to the findings, men typically treat pain conditions with medical cannabis more than women, especially for headaches and migraines.
For patients treating arthritis, headaches, migraines, and inflammatory pain, CBD-rich strains were most preferred.
Treatment for pain conditions is a huge commercial opportunity for the cannabis market as patients and policymakers look to move away from addictive opioids.
The global opioid market was valued at $25bn dollars in 2018 and medical cannabis companies are increasingly looking to carve out a slice of that market.
Ryah Medtech is involved in a five year study based in the UK into a dry herb inhaler it has developed for medical cannabis patients.
Gregory Wagner, CEO of RYAH, said: “The Ryah data report on cannabis use for pain management comes at a turning point as studies on alternatives to opioids in treatment and potential efficacy of chronic pain start to accelerate.
“The opioid crisis, which began with initially good intentions to more effectively treat pain, created a flood of opioids being prescribed, up from an estimated 70 million prescriptions in the 1990s to more than 255 million by 2012.
“RYAH is committed to providing the tools needed to effectively monitor and measure dosing in plant-based medicine treatments and to providing data analytics in order for the industry to make more informed decisions around alternative treatments to opioids.”
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