Cannabis Drug Can Treat Chronic Back Pain
A clinical trial has shown that a specific cannabis-derived drug called VER-01 can sufficiently ease back pain without causing adverse events or making patients addictive to cannabis. The study is considered to be one of the biggest to date, giving high-quality data on pain treatment with medical cannabis.
Chronic back pain is fairly common, especially among senior folks. An estimated 16 million Americans suffer from persistent forms of back pain that affect their ability to perform everyday tasks, according to the Health Policy Institute at Georgetown University.
Few treatment options are available to patients, with many being prescribed opioids which are associated with high risk of addiction. Researchers in the study further write that long-term exposure to traditional pain medicines may also lead to gastrointestinal ulcers and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Cannabis is one of the alternative medicines that could help treat chronic back pain. The new cannabis drug attests to the subtle efficacy of plant-based medicines.
Which Cannabis Drug Was Tested for Chronic Back Pain Treatment?
The cannabis-based drug in question is VER-01, which contains 5 percent of the major compound THC. The experimental drug was tested in a clinical trial that involved 820 participants who endured chronic lower back pain. The patients were randomly assigned to take VER-01 or a placebo during a 3-month period.
At the end of the trial, participants taking the cannabis drug reported a noteworthy reduction in their pain scores of 1.9 on average from a 0-10 scale. Throughout the duration of the trial they gradually increased their dosage, and reported additional improvements in sleep quality and physical function. Side effects were mostly mild, and included dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth and nausea in some patients.
Despite the reduction in pain isn’t massive, researchers suggest looking at the bigger picture and subordinate outcomes such as better sleep, which has a direct impact on a person’s ability to function.
Which Type of Back Pain Is Best Treated with Cannabis?
The treatment was especially helpful for back pain due to nerve damage, also known as neuropathic pain, according to one of the researchers in the study, Dr. Winfried Meissner at Jena University Hospital in Germany.
“It’s one of the first really high-quality studies for medical cannabis which many people, both researchers and patients, have been waiting for,” Meissner says. “So far evidence is poor, past studies are of lower quality, fewer patients.”
The Jena University Hospital researcher says chronic pain patients should always be treated initially with physical therapy, then with painkillers which can help those who face mobility issues. “Even a relatively small pain reduction might help go to exercise,” he says, New Scientist reported.
The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on September 25, 2025, demonstrates that there are no significant adverse reactions indicative of cannabis withdrawal or abuse. The study suggests that the incidence of adverse events, which were “mostly mild to moderate and transient” were more likely to occur in the first phase of the trial, after which patients seem to adapt to the cumulative effects of cannabis.
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Stephen Andrews
