The medical uses for cannabis are widespread and according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology, cannabis therapy can relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia.

Since fibromyalgia affects some 3 to 6 million people in America, this news is being received very well across the country. Healthcare for chronic pain costs the US billions of dollars annually. Medical cannabis may lift the economic burden associated with standard pain medications like Lyrica and Cymbalta. These drugs are known to cause side effects, such as dizziness.

Researchers claim that cannabis, when used as a form of chronic pain therapy, has “significant favorable effect on patients with fibromyalgia, with few adverse effects.” In other countries where medical cannabis has been legalized, the discovery could mean that fibromyalgia sufferers can swap opioid medication for a natural and safe cannabis-based alternative.

Human trials prove the potential of using medical cannabis for fibromyalgia

The study documented 26 patients, all of whom had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Each study subject agreed to receive cannabis therapy in two different hospitals in Israel. This country is a global pioneer in medical cannabis research and currently, over 100 clinical trials are in progress around Israel.

Subjects were mostly female (73 percent) and the median age was 37 years old. An average monthly dose of 26 to 28 grams was administered to the patients over a period of 10 to 11 months.

Upon completion of the trial, patients were asked to provide honest information in a questionnaire, of which was reviewed for analysis.

Amazingly, medical cannabis for fibromyalgia relieved pain in 100 percent of the study subjects. Approximately half of the patients who participated in the trial had completely stopped taking other forms of medication for chronic pain.

“After commencing medical cannabis treatment, all the patients reported a significant improvement in every parameter on the questionnaire, and 13 patients (50 percent) stopped taking any other medications for fibromyalgia,” the study states.

Israel’s scientists are making big steps in medical cannabis research

Scientists in Israel anticipate big things for the medical cannabis industry.

Thanks to decades of research, patients with pain-related problems have been legally allowed to used medical cannabis since the 1990s.

In fact, a team of scientists at Hebrew University was the first to locate the endocannabinoid system inside the human body.

This network of neurological receptors is the body’s biggest receptor system. It can also be found in mammals, making medical cannabis an option for pets, too.

In 2017, Israeli company Breath of Life Pharma submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an attempt to gain legal approval for their products. If this happens, the company’s cannabis-based treatments will be used in the states.