Using Marijuana and Tobacco for Chronic Pain Relief May Backfire

Many Americans are using both marijuana and tobacco for chronic pain, but the combination may be doing more harm than good.

A new study out of the Duke University School of Medicine finds the co-use of these substances can amplify pain — more than doubling over one year.

Researchers analyzed data from 32,000 adults and found many patients are trapped in a ‘vicious cycle’ where pain leads to more substance use and substance use leads to more pain.

"Our findings are concerning because tobacco and cannabis use is shown to be more harmful than using either substance alone. There's more exposure to carcinogens, and it also makes it harder to quit either substance," says Dana Rubenstein, 4^th year medical student and lead author.

Rubenstein says using these substances can also delay the care they need. "By using those substances, people might be less likely to seek out assistance with their pain management from medical professionals, and there may be other treatment options out there that could be more effective."

She encourages health providers who are treating patients with pain to also assess for substance use, such as tobacco and cannabis.

Source: Pain

 Author Affiliations: Duke University School of Medicine