According to a recent study, over 90 percent of U.S. veterans who use medical cannabis say it improves their life quality. Many also choose to use cannabis instead of prescription and over-the counter medications.
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Utah, as well as cannabis research institutes, analyzed self-reported data collected by 510 veterans, who claimed to use marijuana. They wanted to understand their purpose and experience of using it.
The majority of respondents (67%) said they used cannabis daily. About one-third of respondents (30%) said they use marijuana to reduce their medication intake, such as antidepressants (25%) and non-steroidal pain relievers (17%). Another 21 percent reported that cannabis allowed them to reduce the use of opioid-based medication.
Overall, 91 per cent of veterans reported that cannabis had improved their quality-of-life.
The study found that veterans who were Black and female, served in combat, were suffering from chronic pain, were more likely than others to want to reduce their prescription medication intake. Women and people who use cannabis regularly are more likely to use cannabis to reduce their prescription medication usage.
Many study participants reported that medicinal cannabis usage improved their quality of life, and reduced the use of unwanted medications. The current findings suggest that medicinal cannabis could potentially reduce harm by helping veterans use fewer pharmaceutical drugs and other substances.
The observational study, which was published last month in the journal Clinical Therapeutics, has several limitations–including the fact that data was self-reported and several cannabis friendly media outlets and companies promoted recruitment or provided funding for the research initiative. The findings of the study are consistent with those of other studies which have looked at marijuana in comparison to prescription drugs.
Cannabis is being studied as a possible treatment for post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), which affects veterans disproportionately.
In a 2019 survey by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, (IAVA), 20 percent of veterans had used marijuana for medical purposes while 66 percent consumed cannabis recreationally.
Veterans can speak to doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs about cannabis use. The doctors are still prohibited from filling in the necessary forms to issue a recommendation for medical cannabis in states that have legalized the drug. This is something that a bipartisan congress bill, as well as an amendement attached to VA funding legislation, aim to change this session.
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Last month, the House Armed Services Committee held a separate markup of National Defense Authorization Act . Members adopted GOP-led provisions that created a “medical marijuana pilot program” and required a study of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics among active duty military personnel under the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee passed another bill in February to instruct VA to conduct studies into the therapeutic benefits of marijuana for veterans with certain medical conditions. This was the first time standalone cannabis legislation had ever been approved by a committee. In April, Senate Republicans failed to pass a motion that would have moved it to the floor.
Rep. Mariannette Miller Meeks (R – IA) has filed a bill in May which would promote similar research into the potential medical benefits of marijuana for veterans suffering from PTSD, chronic back pain and other conditions deemed suitable by the VA secretary.
A coalition of over 20 Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs ) wrote to the leaders of Congress late last year urging the passage of marijuana research legislation before the end the last Congress. But it didn’t work out.
In April, bipartisan lawmakers in the House and Senate also re-filed bills to legally legalize medical marijuana for veterans.
Photo by Mike Latimer.
The article Medical Marijuana Improves Military Veterans’ Quality of Life and Reduces Prescription Drug Usage, Study Finds first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
