Erie, PA: Patients authorized to consume medical cannabis products report significant improvements in their overall health, according to data published in the journal Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
Researchers affiliated with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine assessed the impact of medical cannabis on patients’ physical and emotional well-being. Participants in the study possessed a doctor’s authorization to access state-licensed cannabis products in Pennsylvania. Patients’ symptoms were assessed upon enrollment in the study and then again at 30, 60, and 90 days. Most patients enrolled in the study inhaled herbal cannabis or concentrates.
Investigators said that patients’ cannabis use resulted in immediate symptom improvements. These improvements were sustained for the length of the study. Those patients who consumed cannabis products once per day displayed greater improvements in their general health than did those who used it more frequently. Only minor side effects (e.g., cough, dry mouth) were reported.
“It is clear that medical marijuana, when administered safely, can improve an individual’s quality of life,” the study’s authors determined. “Participants reported significant decreases in emotional limitations, fatigue, and pain levels.”
They concluded, “The findings suggest that MMJ [medical marijuana] has the potential to improve physical and social functioning, energy levels, emotional well-being, and overall general health within the first 30–60 days of use.”
Their findings are consistent with those of other larger observational studies involving thousands of patients enrolled in medical cannabis access programs.
Full text of the study, “Observational analysis of the influence of medical marijuana use on quality of life in patients,” appears in Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids.