The global market for pain relief drugs is currently US$60 billion, and will grow to more than $80 billion by 2024, according to Transparency Market Research.
Next month, the qualifying medical conditions the state allows for medical cannabis use will expand to include chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.
A new study has investigated what patients themselves prefer when it comes to managing pain – opioids, which are widely distributed for intense pain relief, or medical marijuana.
Adults in their 70s, 80s and 90s are trying cannabis for the first time, hoping the plant will ease chronic pain, insomnia, depression and anxiety after pharmaceutical drugs have failed.