Intractable PainWhen patients experience pain that seemingly does not respond to 3 or more doses of analgesics within a typical 12- to 24-hour period, the person is said to be suffering from intractable pain. There is usually no serious cause to this issue, although the pain can be very bothersome and distressing. For such patients, marijuana may be able to provide some relief if over-the-counter medications don’t work.