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About Chronic Pain
Acute Pain vs. Chronic Pain
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Cannabis as an Alternative to Prescription Drugs
​Acute pain, such as from a cut or a burn, lasts for a limited period of time and then resolves. Acute pain serves the purpose of protecting an individual from harm and to promote healing when injury has occurred.
Chronic pain, on the other hand, is pain that lasts longer than would be expected as part of the normal course of an illness or injury. Some doctors consider chronic pain to be pain that persists for more than three months. Chronic pain can last for months, years, or even decades.

Chronic Pain Affects 50,000,000 Americans. Pain is a critical national health problem. In fact, Congress even declared 2001 to 2010 the Decade of Pain Control and Research to emphasize the importance of proper pain management.

The NIH, or National Institutes of Health, notes that pain is the most common reason for medical appointments in the United States; it costs us over $100 billion each year in health care costs and lost productivity, and chronic pain affects more than 50 million Americans each year.

The NIH also notes that pain has a profound effect on life, and it negatively affects life span, the immune system, sleep, thought processes, appetite, mood, and behavior.
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Chronic pain affects physical and emotional functioning, decreases quality of life, and impairs the ability to work.
Common types of pain include back pain, headache or migraine pain, neck pain, and nerve-related pain. Chronic pain is often accompanied by anxiety and depression, and it very often interferes with sleep.
When patients cannot achieve adequate pain relief from traditional pharmaceutical drugs – or when unpleasant side effects limit their usefulness – they often seek out alternative treatments.

Medical cannabis is one such alternative treatment that has been used to treat chronic pain and other medical conditions for at least 5000 years. Many patients report that medical cannabis is highly effective in treating their chronic pain conditions with very few side effects.

Scientific research has clearly shown that cannabis’ usefulness as a medicine comes from the presence of molecules in the cannabis plant known as cannabinoids. Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is a commonly known cannabinoid. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is another cannabinoid that has received considerable scientific attention in the last decade due to its medically beneficial effects. Altogether, the cannabis plant contains over 100 cannabinoids. These cannabinoids have been shown to exert their medicinal actions by interacting with natural receptors, known as “endocannabinoid receptors,” that are located throughout our bodies.

Endocannabinoid receptors are a part of our bodies’ endocannabinoid system. Through interactions with this natural system in our bodies, cannabis is able to exert a broad range of medicinal actions. These include the relief of chronic pain, as well as the commonly associated muscle spasms, nerve injury, anxiety, depression and insomnia.

When compared with conventional prescription drugs, medical cannabis has a very favorable side effect profile, and there has never been a death directly attributable to a cannabis overdose. Many patients report that the use of medical cannabis has been a significant addition in the treatment of their chronic pain. Other alternative modalities that many patients find beneficial in the treatment of chronic pain include acupuncture, hypnosis, meditation, massage, and physical therapy. There are many ways to use cannabis as alternatives to smoking.  These include vaporization, tinctures, edible products, topical applications, teas, and raw plant extracts.

Vaping Versus Smoking