Results at a glance
Based on a peer-reviewed, 12-week study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Medical School and the University at Buffalo, in partnership with MoreBetter. Findings reflect all three formulations tested, including LEVEL’s Recover formulation.
Deep dive: the key findings
1. Three formulations, one shared design
Each participant took a 12-week supply of one of three oral capsules. The first paired 12.5 mg of CBD with 12.5 mg of THC. The second combined 10 mg of THCa, 10 mg of CBDa, 5 mg of CBG, and 5 mg of CBC — the formulation LEVEL uses in its Recover Protab+. The third paired 10 mg of CBD with 10 mg of CBDa.
THCa and CBDa are the non-intoxicating acidic precursors to THC and CBD, so LEVEL’s formulation was the only one of the three that did not introduce delta-9 THC.
2. Meaningful pain relief across three different conditions
Fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis have different underlying causes, yet the researchers found that pain and related symptoms improved across all three groups. In their words, the study suggests that “various cannabinoid combinations may have therapeutic benefits across 3 different types of chronic pain.”
3. LEVEL’s formulation stood out on neuropathic pain
Across most outcomes, the three formulations performed similarly, with the researchers describing the effects as “remarkably similar in their effectiveness overall.” One notable exception: participants taking the THCa, CBDa, CBG, and CBC formulation — LEVEL’s Recover blend — reported specific reductions in neuropathic pain intensity, a type of nerve-related pain that is often harder to manage than general soreness or joint discomfort.
4. Sleep, mood, and quality of life moved together with pain
Pain rarely stays contained to the body. Participants also reported improvements in sleep quality, mental health measures, and general quality of life — changes the researchers connected to being able to engage more fully in daily activities.
Sleep disturbance was one of the few outcomes where the three formulations showed some differences from one another rather than moving in lockstep. Sleep improved for all three groups, just not by the same degree. The published research does not break out exactly which formulation produced the largest sleep gains, so we are not claiming an edge for LEVEL’s blend here specifically. Worth noting alongside that: participants taking LEVEL’s formulation were the ones who reported the neuropathic pain reduction described above, so sleep and nerve pain moved somewhat differently across the three groups even as most other measures moved together.
5. Non-intoxicating options held their own
Not every participant wants an intoxicating effect from a cannabinoid product, and this study speaks directly to that preference. The researchers noted that nonintoxicating cannabinoids such as CBD and CBDa “may provide relief from pain and related symptoms” for people who prefer to avoid intoxication altogether — whether for work, driving, caregiving, or personal preference.
Study methodology
- Study Type: Randomized, head-to-head comparison across three cannabinoid formulations (no placebo arm)
- Duration: 12 weeks
- Participants: 164 California adults — 64 with fibromyalgia, 25 with rheumatoid arthritis, 75 with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip
- Institutions: University of Michigan Medical School and the University at Buffalo, in partnership with MoreBetter
- Outcomes: Self-reported pain, mental health, cognitive function, physical function, sleep quality, and general quality of life
- Published: Clinical Therapeutics, 2026
Because this study compared three active formulations head-to-head rather than against a placebo, it cannot tell us how any of the three would have performed against no treatment at all. It also does not single out LEVEL’s formulation as superior. Cognitive function did not show a measurable improvement, and on most outcomes the three formulations moved together rather than one clearly outperforming the others. We are highlighting this research because it is a rare, peer-reviewed, university-led look at how multi-cannabinoid formulations perform for chronic pain — not because it proves any one product works best.
This is the same standard we hold our own research to. When LEVEL’s IRB-approved trial on CBG and sleep in U.S. military veterans did not reach statistical significance on its primary outcome, we published the null result without revision. We would rather report what the data actually shows than round up. If you want to see how that same real-world approach plays out in our own studies, read the results of our 29-day Sleep Protab study and our 29-day Relief Protab study.
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