According to a recent study, marijuana use that is consistent with a cancer patient’s treatment or chemotherapy can improve cognition and reduce pain.
The University of Colorado study found that while cannabis can produce intoxicating effects and the initial “high” may temporarily impair cognition for a short time, after two weeks, patients using marijuana products purchased from state-licensed retail dispensaries began reporting clearer thoughts.
In a press statement, Angela Bryan, who is a cancer-survivor, stated that the findings of this study were unexpected.
She said, “We were concerned that we may have seen some cognitive dysfunction.” “But the people felt that they were actually thinking more clearly.” It was a pleasant surprise.
After weeks of consistent use, cancer patients who use marijuana to treat their symptoms seem to think better and sleep better.
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— CU Boulder Psychology and Neuroscience April 28 2023
The 25 participants also reported that they slept better and felt less pain from their cancer symptoms or side effects of chemotherapy.
Another reason why the study is noteworthy is that patients selected edible cannabis products from Colorado dispensaries. This included baked goods, gummies, and other cannabis edibles, all with different cannabinoid profiles.
As marijuana is still federally illegal, most studies in the U.S. use either dronabinol, a pharmaceutical grade cannabis medicine, or marijuana that has been standardized and grown by a federally-authorized source. This marijuana tends to have low THC levels and lack other cannabinoids.
Top federal officials have supported giving scientists this option. This practice is currently prohibited. Patients are required to purchase their own cannabis to be studied and report back to the researchers. Scientists cannot choose which dispensary products to use.
This study shows that it is beneficial to examine the effects of marijuana, which is available on a growing number state markets. Overall, the study concluded that cannabis offers significant therapeutic potential to cancer patients. It also provided insights into different products’ effects.
Researchers found, for example, that patients who consumed edibles with high CBD concentrations experienced less pain than those who consumed products high in THC.
Bryan stated that people are “open to trying anything they think may be useful but there is just not enough data to guide them as to what works best.”
Patients were asked to purchase marijuana edibles at dispensaries for the study. Researchers would then drive to the home of each subject in a mobile lab van (nicknamed “cannavan”) and conduct physical and cognitive testing before and after they consumed cannabis.
Two weeks of cannabis use ad-libitum was associated with improvements to pain intensity, interference and sleep quality.
Patients reported that pain levels decreased within an hour, but they also felt a high-intoxicating feeling which impaired cognition. The researchers noticed that the acute effects were eventually replaced by mental clarity after two weeks of follow-ups. After long-term usage, objective measures of cognition such as reaction times also improved.
The study states that this is the first study of its kind to examine the associations between palliative cannabis, legal market and cancer patient outcomes. These early findings regarding pain intensity, sleep, and cognitive function will help inform future studies on this topic.
Gregory Giordano is one of the study‘s authors. says that oncologists and cancer patients are “concerned” about the negative impact of cancer treatments on cognitive function.
The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, offered funding to researchers last year for the study of the risks and benefits of marijuana for cancer patients.
Cannabis’ ability to relieve pain is a topic of great interest, particularly in light of the opioid epidemic which has raised concerns about long-term effects of opioid use.
Numerous studies have shown that cannabis legalization, and self-reported marijuana usage, are linked to reduced opioid prescribing as well as overdose deaths.
The American Medical Association published a study earlier this year that found chronic pain patients receiving medical cannabis for more than a month experienced significant reductions in opioid prescriptions.
The AMA published a study late last year which linked state legalization of cannabis with decreased opioid prescribing to certain cancer patients.
According to a recent study based on data from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, marijuana legalization at the state level is also associated with significant reductions in the prescribing codeine.
Maryland Governor signs Marijuana Regulation Bill into Law, with Sales To Begin July 1,
Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
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