Smoking or vaping cannabis reduced headache and migraine severity by 47%, according to a study in the Journal of Pain. Men were more likely to report pain relief than women.

Researchers from Washington State University used data from the app Strainprint, which tracks how different strains and doses of cannabis affect symptoms. The study included 1,306 medical cannabis users who used the app 12,293 times to track changes in headache and 653 medical cannabis users who used it 7,441 times to track migraine severity.

Many people in the study developed a tolerance to cannabis over time, needing to use more for the same pain relief. Cannabis concentrates were associated with more pain relief than using flower. Cannabis did not lead to medication overuse headaches, which can occur with other types of painkillers.