A specially developed cannabis extract relieves chronic lower back pain, according to a clinical trial published Wednesday that experts are calling the first high-quality evidence that something in the cannabis plant can treat pain.

Lower back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting more than half a billion people, according to the World Health Organization.

But drugs for chronic back pain are limited to common painkillers such as ibuprofen, which can have serious side effects when used long-term, or highly addictive and potentially dangerous opioids.

In recent years, an expanding cannabis industry has claimed that a range of marijuana or cannabidiol (CBD) products can help with pain, but researchers have warned that the quality of evidence actually showing this has

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