The use of cannabis as a treatment for muscle skeletal pain in western medicine dates to the 1700s. Evidence from recent research suggests that cannabis based therapies are effective in the treatment of arthritis and the other rheumatic and degenerative hip, joint and connective tissue disorders. Since these are frequently extremely painful conditions, the well documented analgesic properties of cannabis make it useful in treating the pain associated with arthritis, both on its own and as an adjunct therapy that enhances the efficacy of opioid painkillers.
