According to a study by the American Medical Association, medical marijuana use is associated with “significant improvement” in quality-of-life for people suffering from conditions such as chronic pain or insomnia. These effects are also “largely sustained” with time.
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 3,148 Australians who had been prescribed medical marijuana for certain conditions.
The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Policy last week found that marijuana helped improve all eight of the wellbeing indicators tested. Adverse side effects were also “rarely severe.”
At different stages of treatment, patients were asked to rate the level of their wellbeing in eight categories using a scale from 0-100. These categories included general health, bodily discomfort, physical function, physical role limitation, mental health and emotional role limitations.
The study found that after administering the survey about once every 15 days to patients, it was discovered that those who consumed cannabis had an average improvement of between 6.6-18.31 on a 100-point scale.
Researchers from Swinburne University of Technology and the University of Western Australia, as well as Austin Hospital, wrote: “These results suggest that medical marijuana treatment may be associated to improvements in health related quality of life for patients with a variety of health conditions.”
Patients who used medical cannabis reported an improvement in their health-related quality. This improvement was mostly sustained over time.
Cannabis was prescribed for non-cancer chronic (68.6%) pain, cancer-related (6.0%) pain, insomnia (4.8%) and anxiety (4.2%).
The study states that cannabis is increasingly used as a medication. The study says that, “given the wide range of medical conditions treated with cannabis and the variety of products and dosage forms available, clinical data incorporating patient-reported results may help determine safety.”
Patients used marijuana products in a variety of ways, including different doses, consumption methods and cannabinoid profiles. The “estimated effects of treatment were very similar.”
Researchers said that retrospective case series analyses are limited because there is no control group, which makes it harder to generalize results.
The study concludes that “this study suggests a positive association between medical marijuana treatment and quality-of-life among patients with diverse conditions.” However, the clinical evidence of cannabinoid effectiveness is limited and more high-quality studies are needed.
The study is the latest in an ever-growing list of studies that support the therapeutic potential for marijuana, as more countries and states reform their cannabis laws.
Another recent study conducted by the University of Colorado showed that marijuana consumption is linked to improved cognition, and reduced pain in cancer patients and chemotherapy recipients.
In a separate AMA study published earlier this year, chronic pain patients receiving medical cannabis for more than a month experienced significant reductions in opioid prescriptions.
AMA published research in late 2017 that linked state cannabis legalization to decreased opioid prescribing by certain cancer patients. Numerous studies have shown that cannabis legalization, and self-reported marijuana usage, are linked to decreased opioid prescribing and deaths from overdose.
According to a recent study that used data from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, marijuana legalization at the state level is also associated with a notable reduction in the prescribing codeine.
Minnesota Lawmakers finalize Marijuana Legalization Bill in Conference Committee with Passage expected this week
Photo by Mike Latimer.
The post Marijuana is Associated with ‘Significant and Sustained’ Health Improvements: American Medical Association Study first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
