The term “self-medicating” is often associated with negative connotations and lack of self-control, but that perception may not be accurate for many, if not most, when it comes to actual personal experiences.
The authors of this paper, published in Complimentary Therapies in Medicine, used the largest set of data from real time user experience regarding the self administration of cannabis (marijuana) for pain. Five categories of pain included musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, nerve, headache-related, or non-specified. The ReleafApp was used by 2,987 individuals to record 20,513 cannabis administrations.
Data was gathered from 6-6-2016 through 10-24-2018 to evaluate individual momentary pain intensity levels, and correlated product characteristics associated with the best pain relief.
Whole flower product was associated with the greatest pain relief compared to other products, as well as higher tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels, for all 5 pain categories. The average pain reduction was a drop of 3.1 points on a traditional 0-10 scale.
This indicates that self-directed cannabis consumption may be an effective mid-level analgesic treatment.
