Cannabis oil fails to ease Parkinson’s pain in trial

Cannabis-Based Oil for Pain and Other Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society • • Highly Relevant
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AI Summary

A 9-week randomized, placebo-controlled phase II trial tested an oral Cannabis sativa oil in people with Parkinson’s disease who had chronic pain. The formulation contained CBD and THC, with a final daily dose of 43.88 mg CBD and 0.96 mg THC. The study enrolled 101 participants, of whom 87 completed it.

Compared with placebo, the cannabis oil did not significantly improve Parkinson’s-related pain or other non-motor symptoms. The study also reported no serious adverse events, but its main conclusion was that this particular CBD/THC formulation did not provide a measurable benefit for pain or other non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson’s disease. These results do not establish whether different doses, formulations, or treatment periods might have different effects.

💡 Key Findings

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In this randomized, placebo-controlled trial, the CBD/THC oil produced no significant improvement in Parkinson’s-related pain compared with placebo.
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The treatment also did not significantly improve other non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
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The study reported no serious adverse events during the trial period.
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The tested formulation contained CBD and low-dose THC, reaching a final daily dose of 43.88 mg CBD and 0.96 mg THC.
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📄 Original Abstract

There is a lack of treatments for non-motor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson's disease (PD). To assess the safety and effectiveness of an oral Cannabis sativa L. extract on pain and other NMS of PD. This phase II, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluated a formulation containing cannabidiol (CBD; 96 mg/ml) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 2.1 mg/ml) in PD patients with chronic pain over 9 weeks. The final daily dosage was 43.88 mg CBD and 0.96 mg THC. The primary outcome was the between-group difference in PD-Pain Classification System (PCS) scores at final visit. We enrolled 101 participants, and 87 completed the study. No significant differences were observed between the CBD/THC and placebo groups in PD-PCS scores (P = 0.757) or in other non-motor scales. No serious adverse events were reported. A cannabis oil formulation did not improve pain or other NMS compared with placebo in people with PD. © 2026 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

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