A cannabis initiative team at UCLA plans to conduct a high-quality clinical study of the painkilling properties of pot — and perhaps stem the opioid epidemic.

Since California first took the leap in 1996, 30 more states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana to treat pain.

Anecdotal and historical accounts of pot’s painkilling properties abound.

But so far, scientific evidence that it works better than traditional painkillers is hard to come by.

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Karin Roberts and Erika Edwards ~ NBCNews.com ~