Cannabis Improves Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients With Chronic Pouchitis
Many patients with ulcerative colitis after ileoanal pouch anastomosis report improvement of pouchitis with the use of cannabis. Nine patients with chronic pouchitis used 1 g/d of cannabis: 7 patients were male with average age 51 ± 16 years. Average partial pouchitis disease activity index were 11 (range 8–17), 6 (range 5–8), and 5 (range 4–8); endoscopic subscores were 7 .3 ± 2.3, 6 ± 1.1, and 4.4 ± 0.9; average bowel movements per day were 14 (range 8–20), 8 (range 2–13), and 10 (range 13–8); and quality of life increased from 72 ± 1 to 90 ± 16 and 97 ± 10 (P = 0.001) before cannabis treatment and after 8–12 and 52 weeks, respectively. No adverse events were reported.
Main body
The purpose of this article is to review the current state of the opioid epidemic; the shifting picture of cannabinoids; and the research, policy, and current events that make opioid risk reduction an urgent public health challenge. The provided table contains an evidence-based clinical framework for the utilization of cannabinoids to treat patients with chronic pain who are dependent on opioids, seeking alternatives to opioids, and tapering opioids.