As you know, an important focus of this course is giving people information about the risks and benefits of cannabis, but making a decision about whether or not to use the cannabis product is not just about the risks and benefits of cannabis, it also involves comparing the risk-benefit ratio of cannabis against other traditional treatments. Most of the remaining modules are focused on specific medical problems. These modules will provide an overview of the medical problem and underlying causes, discuss the risks and benefits of traditional treatments, and discuss what we know about cannabis with respect to that specific problem. Module five is focused on the number one reason that patients report when they're asked why they use medical cannabis, not reason as chronic pain. All of us have experienced and are very familiar with acute pain. The sensation acute pain is adapted. It provides immediate feedback about potentially dangerous stimuli. Chronic pain is different. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for at least three or six months, and sometimes many years. Chronic pain can be debilitating, making it difficult to work or function. It's big problem in the US and worldwide. Recent estimates suggest that about 50 million people suffer from chronic pain in the US and that number is going to increase as the population ages. Well, there is a clear socio-economic burden in the US, there's also a heavy individual burden for those who suffer chronic pain. At the individual level, chronic pain is also difficult to understand for both patients and healthcare providers. Often, nobody knows why some patients get better while many do not, why some treatments work and others do not. As a patient, that can be incredibly discouraging. Imagine waking up to pain every day, not being able to work or function, talking to one healthcare provider after another, and trying many different treatments with limited success. It's not surprising that many of these patients also want to try cannabis, especially given the side effects of more common pain treatments like opioids. Estimates from the most recent published studies in early 2019 suggests that 63 percent of patients who turn to cannabis, sychronic pains is the reason and that estimate is consistent with a number of other earlier studies. So what do we know about cannabis and chronic pain? Several high-quality reviews of studies have found consistent evidence that cannabis and cannabinoids provide some relief from chronic pain. However, it's important to know that there are different types of chronic pain and as you know, many different types of cannabis. Studies have yet to provide a thorough assessment of different formulations of cannabis across the different types of chronic pain. We also do not understand how cannabis works with chronic pain. It's possible it has a direct analgesic effect on the intensity of pain, but it's also possible that it works indirectly by changing the way we perceive and interpret the pain or by reducing stress and anxiety associated with the pain or by helping pain patients sleep. Clearly, we have much to learn. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about chronic pain and cannabis in this module. Thank you.
