A study from Rabin Medical Center in Israel found that chronic lower back pain patients who had not responded to conventional therapies experienced significant, lasting relief after switching to inhaled cannabis.
Researchers analyzed longitudinal data from 241 treatment-resistant patients between 2020 and 2025, publishing results in the journal Biomedicines. Cannabis was chosen in inhaled or vaporized form "because of its rapid onset, on-demand titratability, and patient preference," with THC content ranging 4–22 percent and CBD concentration ranging 2–22 percent.
"Inhaled cannabis was associated with large, sustained, and statistically robust improvements in pain, disability, and pain interference, accompanied by near-total displacement of opioids, NSAIDs, antidepressants, and gabapentinoids."
"Concomitant opioid use fell from 100% at baseline to 4.6% at Year 5 (within-patient absolute risk reduction 95.4%)."
The authors said the data support "consideration of cannabis as a potentially clinically meaningful, opioid-sparing option in patients who have failed multimodal conventional therapy, pending confirmation in randomized comparative trials" before causal claims can be made.
The study fits a broader pattern of research. An April study of more than 3,500 patients found that medical marijuana reduces use of opioids, sleeping aids, and antidepressants and produces fewer side effects than prescription drugs. A federally funded February study found about one in three CBD users take it as an alternative or supplement to at least one medication, particularly painkillers. Separate federally funded research published by the American Medical Association (AMA) found marijuana can substitute for opioids in chronic pain and that legalization is "significantly associated with reduced opioid use among patients diagnosed with cancer." Another paper found medical marijuana legalization is "associated with significant reductions in opioid prescribing." Research in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review found daily cannabis use is linked to a higher likelihood of quitting opioids, especially among men. Australian researchers found marijuana is an effective opioid substitute in pain management. Other studies found that medical cannabis legalization reduced payments from opioid manufacturers to pain specialists and that recreational legalization shows a "consistent negative relationship" with fatal overdoses, tied to roughly 3.5 fewer deaths per 100,000 people, with stronger effects in states that legalized earlier. A study on Utah's medical marijuana legalization found it reduced opioid use among chronic pain patients and drove down statewide prescription overdose deaths.
