Cannabis use is associated with improvements in pain-specific and general health-related quality of life outcomes in cancer pain patients.
Topic: Medical Cannabis
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“Almost one-third of patients experiencing moderate to severe pain at enrollment saw a meaningful reduction in pain symptoms within four months of treatment,” researchers determined.
Participants in the program will be able to receive telehealth consultations with cannabis specialists and discounts on medical marijuana products, among other benefits.
“The introduction of cannabis as a therapeutic alternative may have contributed to a reduction in opioid use among patients seeking pain relief,” the study’s authors wrote.
Nearly 1 in 4 pain patients residing in states where medical cannabis access is legal identify as marijuana consumers.
The most frequently reported reasons for using cannabis were anxiety, chronic pain, depression, post-traumatic stress, migraine, and fibromyalgia.
“Had all 50 states implemented medical cannabis at the same time, employees may have seen a total savings of $4.2 billion for single plans and $2.3 billion for employee-plus-one plans in a given year.”
Patients reported greater than 20 percent improvements in their physical health, social functioning, and emotional well-being following their introduction to medical cannabis.