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Can medical cannabis help chronic pain patients taper off opioids?

NCT ID NCT04827992

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study looked at whether adding medical cannabis to a behavioral program helps adults with long-term non-cancer pain lower their opioid dose and manage pain better. 87 participants on stable, high-dose opioids were randomly assigned to either start medical cannabis or not, while all received weekly group support for tapering opioids over 24 weeks. The goal was to see if cannabis use leads to reduced opioid use and improved pain scores.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
medical cannabis
What this could lead to
If successful, this could offer a way to reduce opioid doses while managing chronic pain, potentially lowering addiction risk.
What could go wrong
This was a small, completed trial with only 87 participants. Results may not apply to everyone, and cannabis use carries its own risks like dependency or side effects.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

87 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Aug 2021

Finished

Oct 2025

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Men and women aged 18-75, inclusive. 2. Endorsing \> 6 months of chronic, non-cancer pain. 3. On stable prescription opioid doses of 25 MME or greater for \>90 days, verified by the Prescription Monitoring Program. 4. Either no prior use or current light cannabis use (weekly or less in the past 12 months). 5. Plans to use medical cannabis for pain to control pain and/or reduce opioid dose. 6. Competent and willing to provide written informed consent in English. 7. Potential participants of childbearing potential must not be pregnant at enrollment. They will be asked to self-report pregnancy status and the start date of their most recent menstrual period and agree to use effective contraception: abstinence; hormonal contraception; intra-uterine device, sterilization; or double barrier contraception, during the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current cannabis use (including inhaled or ingested CBD products) of greater than weekly on average in the past 12 months, assessed via self-report (no more than 10 times in the past 90 days). 2. Current cannabis use disorder; current moderate to severe substance use disorder for any substance by structured interview, EXCEPT nicotine and opioids (OUD). 3. Current uncontrolled major medical illness, such as cancer, symptomatic hypothyroidism/hyperthyroidism or severe respiratory compromise. 4. Use of non-prescribed opioids, by self-report. 5. Dose change or initiation of medications with significant analgesic effects (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, SSRIs, gabapentin, NSAIDs) in the past 4 weeks. 6. Concomitant medications will be discussed at each study visit, and any medications that may interact with cannabinoids (e.g., warfarin) will be discussed with a study clinician prior to enrollment or continued participation. 7. Actively suicidal and/or suicide attempt or psychiatric hospitalization in past year, or current suicidal ideation with specific plan or intent. 8. History of intellectual disability (e.g., Down's syndrome) or other severe developmental disorder or IQ \< 70. 9. Current diagnosis of delirium, dementia, amnestic, or other cognitive disorder; current diagnosis of bipolar II disorder; lifetime diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, schizophrenia spectrum, or other psychotic disorder. 10. Surgery within the past month or planned during the next 6 months. 11. Pregnant or trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding. 12. In the opinion of the investigator or study physicians, not able to complete study procedures or safely participate in this study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cambridge Health Alliance

    Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, United States

  • Maine Medical Center

    Portland, Maine, 04102, United States

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114-2523, United States

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