Conclusions and Relevance Cannabinoid drugs may prevent the onset of pain by producing small increases in pain thresholds but may not reduce the intensity of experimental pain already being experienced ; instead , cannabinoids may make experimental pain feel less unpleasant and more tolerable , suggesting an influence on affective processes .
Cannabis-induced improvements in pain-related negative affect may underlie the widely held belief that cannabis relieves pain
Importance Cannabinoid drugs are widely used as analgesics , but experimental pain studies have produced mixed findings .
The analgesic properties of cannabinoids remain unclear .
Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of the association between cannabinoid drug administration and experimental pain outcomes in studies of healthy adults .
Antinociceptive, subjective and behavioral effects of smoked marijuana in humans.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether marijuana produced dose-dependent antinociception in humans and , if so , whether endogenous opiates modulate this effect . A total of five male regular marijuana users participated in three test sessions during which they smoked cigarettes containing 0 % ( placebo ) and 3 . 55 % Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol ( Delta(9)-THC ) ( active ) . Each of four controlled smoking bouts per session , spaced at 40-min intervals , consisted of nine puffs from active and placebo cigarettes ( three cigarettes , three puffs per cigarette , one puff per min ) . During successive bouts , participants smoked 0 , 3 , 6 and 9 ( 0 , 3 , 9 and 18 cumulative ) puffs from active marijuana cigarettes , with the remainder of puffs from placebo cigarettes . Test sessions were identical , except for naltrexone 0 , 50 or 200 mg p.o . ( r and omized , double-blind ) administration 1 h before the first smoking bout on the different days . Before smoking , between smoking bouts and postsmoking , participants completed an assessment battery that included antinociceptive ( finger withdrawal from radiant heat stimulation ) , biological , subjective , observer-rated signs and performance measures . Marijuana produced significant dose-dependent antinociception ( increased finger withdrawal latency ) and biobehavioral effects . Naltrexone did not significantly influence marijuana dose-effect curves , suggesting no role of endogenous opiates in marijuana-induced antinociception under these conditions
Conclusions and Relevance Cannabinoid drugs may prevent the onset of pain by producing small increases in pain thresholds but may not reduce the intensity of experimental pain already being experienced ; instead , cannabinoids may make experimental pain feel less unpleasant and more tolerable , suggesting an influence on affective processes .
Cannabis-induced improvements in pain-related negative affect may underlie the widely held belief that cannabis relieves pain
Importance Cannabinoid drugs are widely used as analgesics , but experimental pain studies have produced mixed findings .
The analgesic properties of cannabinoids remain unclear .
Objective To conduct a systematic review and meta- analysis of the association between cannabinoid drug administration and experimental pain outcomes in studies of healthy adults .