Study: Medical cannabis users happier than non-users

According to a new cross-sectional study to be published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, medical cannabis users are healthier, happier and more satisfied with life than non-users.

Hundreds of studies have already reported that medical cannabis can effectively treat specific medical conditions, including chronic pain, epilepsy, anxiety and depression - and even slow the growth of cancer. While studies on these specific use cases continue, the researchers in this report have chosen to focus on the bigger picture rather than the details.

«Despite widespread legalization, the impact of medical cannabis use on patients» health and quality of life has not been carefully evaluated.", explain the study authors. «The objective of this study was to characterize the self-reported demographics, health characteristics, quality of life and health care utilization of cannabis users compared with a control group.»

To conduct the study, researchers used online surveys to determine the overall health and well-being of medical cannabis users and non-users between April 2016 and February 2018. Researchers recruited 1,276 people who were either caregivers or patients with at least one diagnosed health condition. Each of these patients was registered with the Realm of Caring Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to medical cannabis research and education.

Of those surveyed, 808 used medical cannabis or low-THC hemp products, while the remaining 468 were non-consumers. Each person was asked to self-assess their quality of life, pain level, sleep, anxiety and the presence or absence of depression, as well as to report their use of medicines other than cannabis. Respondents then underwent follow-up surveys every three months after the initial survey. Only a third of participants completed all follow-up surveys.

The study authors reveal that medical cannabis users reported significantly better quality of life, greater satisfaction with their health, better sleep and lower average pain intensity than non-users. They were also significantly less depressed and anxious than the control group. Cannabis users also reported using fewer prescription medications and were less likely to have been admitted to hospital in the month prior to the survey.

«This study clearly shows that cannabinoids have a very positive effect on health outcomes across all age and demographic groups,» says declared Jonathan Grog Daily, CEO of Realm of Caring. «This publication will be the first of many based on the detailed results of this comprehensive data set. Perhaps the most dramatic finding of this study is that medical cannabis use was associated with 39% fewer emergency room visits and 46% fewer hospital admissions.»

The study authors were able to find the most noticeable impact among subjects who were not using medical cannabis at the start of the trial and who started using it during the study.

«People felt better when they started [using cannabis],» said lead researcher Ryan Vandrey, PhD, associate professor in the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. «It's a powerful signal.» Vandrey also noted that some of the respondents said they were previously using a prescription drug to treat their illness, but that cannabis was able to provide the same relief with fewer side effects.