Medically Speaking: Marijuana and Pain Management
The comprehensive use of medical marijuana is legal in 25 states, and in four states insurance companies have reimbursed the drug in workers' comp claims.
With growing momentum on a state level for the legal use of medical marijuana, there is a need for the healthcare community to better understand its potential benefits and risks.
Recently, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced they would not move marijuana from its federal Schedule I status, which has historically inhibited clinical research. However the DEA has implemented policy changes that allow qualifying researchers to grow marijuana for commercial endeavors funded by the private sector and aimed at drug product development.
While there is still a lengthy application process to study marijuana, pharmaceutical entities would likely have more resources to dedicate to this endeavor now that they are permitted to move forward, which could result in a greater clinical understanding of the drug.
The DEA added that under this new approach, should the state of scientific knowledge advance in the future such that a marijuana-derived drug is shown to be safe and effective for medical use, a rescheduling may be possible.
These developments beg the question as to whether or not the drug has a place in workers' compensation for the treatment of pain.
A JAMA 2015 systematic review found that marijuana led to a 37% reduction in pain, and the American Academy of Pain Medicine found that problematic substance use in marijuana was 21.2%, lower than the 52.6% found for opioids. Furthermore, overdose deaths for marijuana are incredibly rare; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that marijuana led to 0 overdose deaths in 2014, whereas prescription opioids were responsible for 25,760 overdose deaths.
While more research must be conducted before coming to a consensus on marijuana's place in workers' comp, it is critical we look into the clinical information currently available.
Read Healthesystems' white paper, Medically Speaking: Marijuana and Pain Management
Tags: Medical Marijuana, Pain Management, Legislation, DEA