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Clinical trials have shown no effect from CBD on pain, an evidence review concluded

THC products have some slight effect, but they come with side effects

MONDAY, Dec. 29, 2025 (HealthDay News) — CBD and other cannabis derivatives are a bust when it comes to pain relief, a new evidence review has concluded.

Products containing mainly or only cannabidiol (CBD) demonstrated almost no ability to manage a person’s pain, according to a review of recent clinical trials.

“This may be surprising to people,” said lead researcher Dr. Roger Chou, senior adviser for the Pacific Northwest Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

“Conventional wisdom was that CBD was promising because it doesn’t have euphoric effects like THC and it was thought to have medicinal properties,” Chou said in a news relase. “But, at least in our analysis, it didn’t have an effect on pain.”

Weed products carrying relatively high levels of THC — the compound that causes intoxication — showed some potential to provide short-term improvements in pain and function, the review found.

But they also come with an increased risk of side effects like dizziness, sleepiness and nausea, researchers concluded in their Dec. 23 paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Both THC and CBD act on a system of neurotransmitters within the body that play a role in modulating a person’s pain.