The National Institutes of Health recently awarded a five year, $3.8 million dollar grant to researchers for the first long-term investigation of whether medical cannabis could reduce opioid use among adults with chronic pain.

The federal grant could provide peer-reviewed evidence of the widespread trend of chronic pain patients dropping the use of opioids for a safer reliance on medical cannabis. The study will use medical cannabis from licensed dispensaries in New York state, unlike the lower-quality cannabis grown by federal contractors in Mississippi.

The study will have a special focus on chronic pain patients with HIV. Two hundred and fifty HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults with chronic pain who use opioids and have received certification from their physicians to consume medical cannabis are slated to participate.

Over 18 months, the subjects will complete web-based questionnaires every two weeks, which focus on pain levels and the use of opioids with cannabis. They will provide urine and blood samples during research visits every three months. In-depth interviews with select groups of participants will also explore their perceptions of how medical cannabis use affects the use of opiates.

Compared to the general population, chronic pain and opioid has been more common in people with HIV. Between 25 and 90 percent of adults with HIV suffer from chronic pain. Previous studies reported despite the high risk for misuse of opioid pain relievers, adults with HIV were more likely to receive opioids to help manage their pain.

There are no current studies on how the specific chemical compounds of cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), affect pain, function, and quality of life. Studies which reported negative effects of long-term cannabis consumption have focused on illegal use, rather than medical.