Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

About 1 in 4 or 5 Canadian adults aged 18 and older live with chronic pain, most commonly due to lower back pain and arthritis, which lasts on average more than 10 years. Arthritis alone affects over 4.2 million Canadians, and this number is estimated to reach about 7 million by 2031. Chronic pain is often accompanied by sleep problems, anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and substance use problems. Chronic pain and these accompanying conditions are among the most common conditions for which cannabis (marijuana) is used for medical purposes. Since 2001, Canada has authorized the medical use of cannabis and plans on implementing the regulation and legalization of cannabis for adult use in the summer of 2018, the role of cannabis in the context of chronic pain management is likely to increase. Physicians state that they do not have the quality of evidence they require to feel comfortable support cannabis use as an option for their patients. There is clearly a need for tools and information for health care providers and patients to assist them with decisions about cannabis as a treatment options to better manage chronic pain and co-occurring conditions. We propose to develop the Canadian Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Use of Cannabis in the Management of Chronic Pain and Co-Occurring Conditions. Funding for a planning meeting would help bring together researchers, clinicians, people living with chronic pain and co-occurring conditions, and health charity representatives interested in exchanging their knowledge and expertise toward the development of such clinical practice guidelines.