Living with persistent back pain means making decisions most people never have to consider. Will sitting through dinner make tomorrow worse? Can you sleep without waking every time you turn? Is the relief from medication worth its side effects?
A cannabis-derived medicine called VER-01 has produced encouraging results in clinical trials involving people with chronic lower back pain. But the most useful question goes beyond whether it “beats opioids”: how much relief did it provide, and what were the trade-offs?
What Is VER-01?
VER-01 is a standardized, full-spectrum extract made from a specific Cannabis sativa strain. It contains THC alongside smaller amounts of other plant compounds and is formulated for oral use.
Standardization matters because researchers need a consistent product to test. These findings cannot automatically be applied to dispensary cannabis, homemade preparations, or an ordinary bottle of CBD oil. Different formulations may produce different effects.
For anyone interested in botanical medicine, this is an important distinction: a plant’s potential becomes more useful when researchers can measure its composition, benefits, and risks.
Did It Actually Work Better Than Opioids?
A randomized trial assigned 384 adults with chronic lower back pain to VER-01 or commonly used opioids. Constipation was the primary outcome.
The VER-01 group had approximately 75% lower relative risk of constipation and used fewer laxatives. Across six months, pain scores fell by an average of 2.50 points with VER-01 versus 2.16 with opioids—a difference of 0.34 points on a 0–10 scale. Sleep outcomes also favored VER-01.
However, pain and sleep differences measured specifically at week 27 were not statistically significant. The opioid comparison was also open-label, meaning participants and clinicians knew which treatment was being used; expectations could influence reported outcomes.
That makes the finding promising, while keeping its size in perspective. The average pain advantage was modest. For some patients, better digestive tolerability could be particularly valuable.
A Larger Trial Also Found Benefits
A separate, double-blind trial enrolled 820 adults and compared VER-01 with placebo.
During the initial 12 weeks, participants receiving VER-01 reported an average pain reduction of 1.9 points. The additional benefit over placebo was approximately 0.6 points. Researchers also reported improvements in physical function and sleep.
Longer follow-up included open-label treatment phases, which provide useful information but cannot offer the same certainty as a blinded comparison.
These results suggest a potential role in chronic lower back pain. They do not establish that the product works equally well for arthritis, migraines, cancer pain, or every other painful condition.
Plant-Based Does Not Mean Side-Effect-Free
The larger trial reported adverse events in 83.3% of participants receiving VER-01, compared with 67.3% receiving placebo. Most were described as mild to moderate and temporary.
In the opioid comparison, commonly reported effects included dizziness, vertigo, headache, and dry mouth.
THC can also impair reaction time, coordination, and judgment. Anyone using a THC-containing medicine needs clear advice about driving and operating machinery.
A treatment can have advantages over another medicine while still requiring careful supervision.
What About Dependence?
Researchers reported no signs of abuse, dependence, or withdrawal in the larger VER-01 study. That is encouraging, but it does not establish zero risk for every person or every cannabis product.
Cannabis can cause dependence, and individual risks vary. A person’s medical history, mental health, other medicines, and the product’s THC content all deserve consideration.
The studies also included disclosed commercial relationships involving the developer. Independent replication would strengthen confidence in the findings.
Where Does This Leave People With Back Pain?
A broader review of cannabis-based pain treatments found that some formulations offer small improvements in pain, accompanied by increased common side effects. More evidence is needed on long-term outcomes and different products.
For someone considering a change in treatment, useful questions include:
- Is this approach supported for my particular diagnosis?
- Could it interact with my current medicines?
- How will we measure improvements in daily function?
- What side effects would mean the treatment should be reconsidered?
- Is the specific product legally available and appropriately regulated where I live?
Do not abruptly stop prescribed opioids to try cannabis. Any reduction should be planned with the prescriber; sudden discontinuation can cause withdrawal and other harms.
Pain Relief Should Help You Live Better
A lower pain score matters, but so does being able to walk farther, sleep more comfortably, or return to an activity you miss.
Chronic pain care often combines appropriately selected medicines with exercise, rehabilitation, psychological support, and other approaches tailored to the individual. Nonopioid and nonmedication therapies are preferred for many chronic pain situations.
VER-01 offers a reason to keep investigating cannabis-derived medicines. Its most compelling promise is the possibility of giving some patients another carefully tested option—one whose benefits can be weighed against its risks.
Sources:
PMC
PubMed
NCCIH
