Medicinal Cannabis Matters: Friday Roundup - 25 September 2026

Cannabinoids and Opioids: Is Chronic Pain Treatment Changing?

A new report from Cannabis Health News examines whether medicinal cannabis could offer another option for people living with chronic pain, following new clinical evidence comparing a standardised cannabinoid medicine with opioids.

The focus is on a full-spectrum cannabis extract developed by German pharmaceutical company Vertanical. The medicine has received authorisation in Germany and Austria for chronic lower-back pain with a neuropathic component.

Two Phase 3 randomised controlled trials were completed in 2025. In the direct comparison, patients receiving medicinal cannabis experienced a slightly greater average reduction in pain over six months than those receiving opioids.

The article highlights the importance of continuing to study individual medicines and specific pain conditions rather than treating “cannabis” as one single treatment.

Improvements in Inflammatory Arthritis Pain Due To Medicinal Cannabis

New research using data from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry has looked at the experiences of 192 people prescribed medicinal cannabis for chronic pain associated with inflammatory arthritis.

Patients completed assessments before beginning treatment and at one, three, six, 12, 18 and 24 months. Researchers looked at pain severity, how much pain affected everyday life, sleep, anxiety and health-related quality of life.

The results showed improvements across the pain measures at each follow-up point, alongside improvements in sleep and overall quality of life.

After two years, 62.5% of participants experienced what researchers considered a clinically meaningful improvement in pain severity. A further 54.7% reported a meaningful reduction in the extent to which pain interfered with their everyday lives.

Sleep also showed improvement, with 45.3% of participants recording a clinically significant improvement after two years.

The study included people with different forms of inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

For patients, longer-term data such as this can help researchers and clinicians understand how people experience treatment over time.

Getting the Heat Right with Medicinal Cannabis

For patients prescribed cannabis flower, understanding how to use a vaporiser safely and appropriately is an important part of treatment. A recent guide looks at how temperature can affect what is released from cannabis flower when it is vaporised.

Different temperatures can release different combinations of cannabinoids and terpenes. While a general temperature range of around 180°C to 220°C is commonly used, there is no single setting that is right for every patient or every prescribed flower.

Lower temperatures, for example, may preserve more of the flower’s terpenes, while higher temperatures can release a broader range of cannabinoids and produce thicker vapour.

The most important consideration is following the instructions provided with your prescription and by your clinical team. The appropriate temperature can depend on the particular flower and vaporiser being used, meaning patients should not simply assume that a setting used for one product will be suitable for another.

For patients using prescribed cannabis flower, understanding how their device works can help them feel more confident about using their medication as directed.

At Medicann, we believe patients should have access to clear, evidence-led information and personalised clinical support throughout their treatment journey.

If you’re considering whether medicinal cannabis may be suitable for your condition, you can check your eligibility online in just two minutes. It’s confidential and provides a straightforward starting point before speaking with a prescribing doctor.

Disclaimer: This blog post and the following featured articles are for information only and any articles on external platforms may be amended at any time. Articles that we refer to in our weekly roundup do not reflect the views of Medicann.