# The impact of medical cannabis on pain and inflammation in people living with HIV

> **NIH NIH K23** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2022 · $194,163

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Dr. Deepika Slawek’s overall goal is to improve health outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH), with a focus
on determining the impact of medical cannabis. PLWH have a high burden of pain, and most commonly
experience neuropathic pain. It is associated with significant disability, including functional impairment, poor
antiretroviral adherence, and virologic failure. Neuropathic pain in PLWH is related to persistent systemic
inflammation despite virologic suppression and is deeply interrelated with psychological symptoms. It is
frequently managed with opioids, despite a high risk of misuse and use disorder, prompting interest in
alternative therapies for pain like medical cannabis. Medical cannabis use is explosively increasing in the
United States, and pain and HIV are qualifying conditions in most states. Though medical cannabis
successfully reduced pain in the few randomized control trials completed to date, there remain gaps in our
understanding of how medical cannabis affects neuropathic pain in PLWH. No studies have evaluated how the
main active components of medical cannabis, ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) impact
neuropathic pain in PLWH; none have occurred with products comparable to those dispensed at medical
cannabis dispensaries; none have examined the impact medical cannabis has on inflammation; and none have
studied how medical cannabis impacts adverse events (e.g., psychological symptoms, antiretroviral
adherence, and virologic failure). Federal policies make conducting a randomized trial of medical cannabis for
the management of chronic pain in PLWH infeasible. Therefore, this study will employ two coupons that
provide deep discounts to medical cannabis products that are legally dispensed in New York. This K23
mentored patient-oriented career development award will train Dr. Slawek in skills necessary to be successful
in the fields of HIV and cannabis research. These are: 1) design and conduct of randomized trials, 2)
translational cannabis research, 3) causal inference, and 4) mediation analysis. These skills will be applied to
an innovative study to test how coupons that provide deep discounts for high THC medical cannabis products
or high CBD medical cannabis products affect neuropathic pain, inflammation, and adverse events in PLWH.
Through a multidisciplinary mentorship team, formal coursework, and the proposed research project, Dr.
Slawek will achieve the professional growth needed to become an independent investigator contributing critical
findings that will be integral to the care of PLWH.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10448376
- **Project number:** 5K23DA053997-02
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Deepika Slawek
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $194,163
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-07-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10448376

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10448376, The impact of medical cannabis on pain and inflammation in people living with HIV (5K23DA053997-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10448376. Licensed CC0.

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