MORE than half of patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain discontinue medical cannabis use within a year, with older adults being most likely to stop, according to new research from Philadelphia.
Prescription of medical cannabis for chronic pain is growing quickly in the United States, especially as patients and clinicians look for opioid-free solutions. However, questions remain about how many patients persist with cannabis over time and what drives their decisions to continue or stop. This recent study analysed a group of adults newly certified for medical cannabis in Pennsylvania, tracking their use and outcomes to better understand patterns of discontinuation.
Researchers followed 78 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain through state cannabis certification over two years. Of these, 57.9 per cent had stopped using medical cannabis at one year, and nearly half (44.7 per cent) quit within the first three months. The only significant predictor of discontinuation was age, with those who stopped averaging 71.5 years, compared with 64.5 years for those who continued. Baseline measures of physical and mental health showed no difference between groups, and pain location, whether in the back, neck or joints, did not significantly influence who discontinued. Factors such as drug satisfaction, accessibility, cost and perceptions of relief were not formally measured, leaving open the question of whether discontinuation reflected lack of benefit, side effects or improvement in symptoms.
The authors recommend larger, prospective studies to clarify which patient groups benefit most from cannabis and to explore key influences such as dosing, delivery method and patient satisfaction. Ultimately, while medical cannabis offers hope for some chronic pain sufferers, its long-term role may depend on more personalised, evidence-based guidance.
Reference
Mohammad K et al. Discontinuation rates and predictors of Medical Cannabis cessation for chronic musculoskeletal pain. PLOS One. 2025;DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0329897.
