Living with chronic pain: could treatment at a medical cannabis clinic be an alternative option?

Managing chronic pain

For many people, conventional painkillers help to make life more bearable and symptoms easier to manage. But they’re not perfect, and their side effects are well documented. Some can even lead to dependence¹ with long-term use.

This can leave chronic pain patients in a bit of a predicament, with many often searching for alternative solutions to make their symptoms more manageable.

Thanks to sweeping reforms in UK law in November 2018,² medical cannabis consultations and treatments are now legally available from CQC-regulated providers, such as Releaf, and may be prescribed to eligible patients to take alongside their existing treatment. But what does the evidence say about its use, and who can be prescribed it?

Here, we take a closer look at what chronic pain involves, what the latest research tells us, and how to find out whether medical cannabis could be an option for you.

What options are there when conventional treatments haven’t eased chronic pain symptoms?

If you’ve not been able to control your chronic pain with conventional treatments, it’s worth speaking to your doctor. Depending on the type of pain you have, the conventional options offered to you may include:⁵

• A review of your medication.

• Physiotherapy.

• A supervised exercise programme.

• Psychological therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

• A pain management programme.

• Referral to a specialist pain clinic.

For certain people whose pain hasn’t responded to at least two conventional treatments, a specialist may also suggest assessing your eligibility for a medical cannabis prescription.

How does medical cannabis work?

For eligible patients, having a medical cannabis prescription may help to manage certain symptoms associated with chronic pain.

While it can’t treat the underlying cause of conditions such as arthritis or lower back pain, it may help to alleviate several secondary symptoms that come with these diagnoses, such as sleep-related issues, anxiety, and pain perception.

This is largely due to the two main active ingredients that medical cannabis contains: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

These compounds interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS), a complex cell-signalling network involved in important physiological and cognitive processes,⁷ such as our ability to regulate pain, inflammation, sleep, appetite, and mood.

Cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system

The ECS is a complex network characterised by two main receptors, CB1 and CB2.

• CB1 receptors are mainly found in the brain and nervous system and are generally involved in pain signalling.

• CB2 receptors are found largely on immune cells and within joint tissues, where they help to regulate inflammation.

Cannabinoids such as THC and CBD interact with these receptors in different ways, causing various effects on the body.

• THC acts on CB1 receptors in the nervous system, where it’s believed to help reduce pain perception and promote sleep and relaxation.⁸ It also has psychoactive properties, which is why it’s often associated with the ‘high’ sensation many relate to cannabis.

• CBD is non-intoxicating⁷ and - rather than binding strongly to either receptor - is thought to influence the ECS indirectly. It may also help to slow the breakdown of endocannabinoids,⁹ which may support the body’s natural regulation of processes like pain perception and inflammation.

Depending on the unique combination of cannabinoids contained within the medical cannabis you’re prescribed, this may lead to different therapeutic effects, which is why having a clinician-led approach is crucial.

Because every patient can respond to cannabinoids differently, only a trained specialist will be able to identify the right balance of cannabinoids for your specific needs.

What does the research say?

For a long time, research into medical cannabis and chronic pain has been fairly limited, with larger, higher-quality trials still needed to confirm the relationship between the two. But recent studies are starting to change that, allowing us to understand how medical cannabis may help to alleviate symptoms in certain related conditions.

Chronic lower back pain

Back in 2025, a large phase 3 clinical trial published in Nature Medicine became one of the first high-quality studies to directly assess the impact of cannabis on chronic lower back pain.¹⁰

During the trial, 820 adult patients were given either a placebo (426 patients) or a full-spectrum cannabis extract called VER-01 (394 patients) and then analysed over an initial 12-week study period.

Over the first 12 weeks, patients in the cannabis group reported a notable decrease in pain symptoms compared to the placebo.

That improvement continued in the following months, with VER-01 patients reporting significant benefits in terms of sleep and physical function.

However, it’s worth noting that VER-01 is a specific, standardised extract, so these results may not apply to all cannabis-based medicines.

Arthritis

Research into medical cannabis for arthritis is at an earlier stage than chronic back pain. But a growing number of studies are starting to show some encouraging results.

A 2025 study from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry found that cannabis-based medicines were associated with improvements in pain, sleep, and quality of life¹¹ for patients with inflammatory arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

But the picture isn’t always clear-cut.

Back in 2025, the CANOA trial¹² discovered that taking CBD-rich oil was unable to outperform a placebo when treating knee osteoarthritis, despite being well tolerated by patients.

This echoed the results of a 2024 scoping review,¹³ which described the current evidence for osteoarthritis as “mixed” and highlighted a need for further research.

Keeping clinical research in perspective

While much of the research into chronic pain and medical cannabis has been encouraging, it’s important to keep it in context.

Many of the studies have so far been observational and can’t be used to prove that the improvements were made by medical cannabis alone. This means higher-quality trials with larger sample sizes are still needed to confirm the relationship.

It’s also important to remember that medical cannabis is not currently recommended as a first-line treatment¹⁴ for chronic pain. That’s why any decision to prescribe it should always be made by a specialist, on a case-by-case basis.

What do existing Releaf patients think?

To better understand the real-world experiences of people who take medical cannabis, we surveyed 1,669 of our own Releaf patients back in November 2025, in what was the largest patient survey of its kind at the time.

While these results are highly encouraging, it’s important to remember that they are self-reported and reflect our patients’ experiences at the time. In other words, they can only be used to show overall trends rather than guaranteed outcomes.

Who can be prescribed medical cannabis?

Every patient responds differently to medical cannabis, which is why you’ll need to be assessed by a medical professional to determine your eligibility for a prescription.

To legally access medical cannabis in the UK, it must be prescribed to you by a physician on the General Medical Council (GMC) Specialist Register.¹⁵

This means your regular GP will be unable to prescribe medical cannabis to you themselves. Most patients can only access it via a specialist at a private, CQC-regulated clinic.

Since medical cannabis is also not currently available on the NHS¹⁶ for chronic pain, you will need to book a consultation at a private clinic to see if you’re eligible.

To be considered, you’ll need to have:

• A confirmed diagnosis of a qualifying condition from a medical professional.

• Tried at least two conventional treatments that have been unable to provide adequate relief or resulted in unwanted side effects.

• Not been previously diagnosed with psychosis, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder.

You also won’t be able to access a medical cannabis prescription if you are currently pregnant or breastfeeding.

What side effects does medical cannabis cause?

Medical cannabis doesn’t work the same way for everyone and, as with any other type of prescription medication, there are certain risks and side effects involved.

The most commonly reported side effects¹⁶ can include:

• Dry mouth.

• Headaches.

• Dizziness or lightheadedness.

• Increased appetite.

• Mood-related changes.

• Red eyes.

• Increased heart rate.

• Changes in blood pressure.

Cannabis can also interact with other medications,¹⁷ which is why it’s so important to give a full medical history to your prescribing clinician during your initial consultation.

That way, they can provide you with a tailored plan designed to minimise any potential risks and side effects.

Speaking to a medical cannabis specialist

If you’re living with chronic pain and conventional treatments haven’t given you the relief you’re looking for, our team at Releaf can help determine whether medical cannabis would be an appropriate alternative option.

This article is sponsored by Releaf.
Medical cannabis is only available on prescription following a consultation with a specialist doctor, and isn’t suitable for everyone. Always speak to a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment.