Cannabis & OAThe Relationship Between Cannabis Use, Biomarkers, Tissue Cannabinoid Levels and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With OA

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is a leading cause of disability, affecting the quality of life, pain, and physical functioning of 4.6 million Canadians. About half of OA patients have limited response to primary therapy. The number of OA patients continues to rise, affecting the quality of life of those with OA. There is a dire need to develop future effective treatment options. Cannabis is a potential therapy for those with OA and may provide analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and disease modifying effects. The common barriers to use are a lack of knowledge regarding efficacy, access, and commonly used products, doses and routes of administration. No high-quality clinical trials of cannabis for OA have been conducted, leaving physicians struggling to guide and inform patients regarding symptom relief. Findings from clinical trials of cannabis for other painful conditions have been variable, perhaps due to suboptimal cannabis products and failure to consider important patient characteristics. The goal of the current study is to characterize patient- and cannabis-level factors that are associated with OA pain and address other knowledge gaps.