“…there is increasing attention being given in the media as well as in the biomedical sciences to the use as analgesic agents of the crude extracts of plants of the genus Cannabis (eg, marijuana) and their active ingredient delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC).
These cannabinoid compounds have been reported in the biomedical literature to be beneficial in the treatment of some types of neuropathic pain and other pain states…
This review has found evidence indicating that they may be effective analgesic agents for neuropathic pain conditions refractory to other therapeutic approaches…
The clinical findings pointing to the usefulness of the cannabinoids for pain relief are supported by a growing body of evidence from basic science investigations addressing the possible efficacy and mechanisms of action of the cannabinoids in animal models of acute or chronic pain.
These preclinical findings add to the growing evidence that cannabinoid receptor agonists may be effective agents for the treatment of neuropathic pain and other types of pain.
They also point to their possible clinical utility in acute or chronic orofacial pain conditions, and thereby suggest an affirmative answer applies to the question posed in the title of this editorial.”
http://www.quintpub.com/journals/ofph/abstract.php?article_id=15025#.VPBsU033-iw