How does cannabis work for pain
                     How does cannabis 
work for pain?
chronictherapy.com.au
THC vs. CBD
 THC resembles the cannabinoid chemicals that occur naturally in the 
body. When people ingest or inhale THC, it stimulates the trusted Source 
of the brain’s cannabinoid receptors.
 CBD does not cause a high, although it does interact with pain receptors 
in the brain to exert pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects.
Synthetic and medicinal cannabis
 Medical cannabis refers to the whole, unprocessed plant or its extracts.
 Medical cannabis only has approval from the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA)Trusted Source as a safe or effective treatment for 
two conditions.
 The FDA has also approved medications containing synthetic THC 
cannabinoids called dronabinol (Marinol) and nabilone (Cesamet).
 Synthetic cannabis is also the name given to drugs such as K2 or Spice. 
 Synthetic cannabis attempts to duplicate the effects of the ingredients 
in the plant. 
Risks and side effects
Cannabis use can cause some side effects, including:
 dependence
 breathing problems
 dizziness
 addiction, which occurs in 9 per cent of people who begin use in adulthood
 impaired reaction times
 interactions with medication
 loss of concentration
 memory issues
 mental health issues in those predisposed to them
 rapid heart rate
 withdrawal symptoms
Alternatives to herbal cannabis
Cannabis is available in several different forms, including:
 Oil
 Topical treatments
 Edibles
 Sublingual cannabis
Is cannabis better than opioids?
 Medical cannabis may offer an alternative to addictive opioids. When 
researchers surveyed almost 3,000 medical cannabis users, they found that 30 per cent had 
used opioids in the last 6 months.
 Of those respondents, 81 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that cannabis was more 
effective alone than in combination with opioids.
 In addition, 97 per cent said they agreed or strongly agreed that they could decrease their 
opioid usage when taking cannabis.
INFORMATION 
SOURCE
chronictherapy.com.au