Translated from our German original by AI. The German text was researched, written, and edited by the Psychedelia Foundation team and remains the authoritative version.
The German Society for Pain Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schmerzmedizin, DGS) wants to broaden the scientific evidence on the use of medical cannabis in pain therapy and has announced several clinical trials to that end. Speaking at the Medicinal Cannabis Congress in Berlin, DGS president Dr. Richard Ibrahim said the newly founded “DGS-Initiative Klinische Studien” is to deliver robust data for the care of pain patients and for the further development of medical guidelines.
According to the society, around 15 million people in Germany live with chronic pain. Medical cannabis is already used for a range of indications, among them neuropathic pain, chronic non-cancer pain, cancer pain, and spasticity in multiple sclerosis. Ibrahim stressed that cannabis does not replace established pain therapies as a matter of course, but is increasingly establishing itself as a therapeutic option in pain medicine.
Plans include a fibromyalgia trial with 225 participants due to start in September 2026, and a study on chronic spinal, back, and osteoarthritis pain with more than 1,500 patients, scheduled to begin in June 2026. A further trial on chronic pain, using a standardized inhalation system for cannabis extracts, is in the planning stage. The aim is to produce findings relevant to treatment guidelines.
Alongside the research projects, the society is expanding its training programs. A new curriculum, “Cannabiskompetenz in der Schmerz- und Palliativmedizin”, is intended to train physicians and non-physician professionals. The DGS is also updating its practice guideline “Cannabis in der Schmerzmedizin”. The revised version is to be presented on 20 November 2026 at the DGS Innovationsforum in Kassel and will contain recommendations on prescribing, diagnostics, and dosing.
“Care without data is opinion, care with data is the future”, Ibrahim said in Berlin. With its nationwide network of members, regional bodies, and pain centers, the DGS wants to strengthen health services research and further improve the quality of pain care.
