Study shows medicinal cannabis improves quality of life for seniors

A new study by researchers affiliated with two midwestern universities found that the medicinal use of cannabis improves the quality of life for seniors. A report on the research, "Evaluating the Health-Related Outcomes of Medical Cannabis Use Among the Elderly": Findings from Colorado and Illinois, "was published this week in the journal Clinical Gerontologist. To conduct the study, a team of researchers affiliated with the University of Illinois and the University of Iowa surveyed 139 seniors about their medical cannabis use and self-reported changes in results over a period of one year. The researchers found that medicinal use of cannabis in those over 60 years of age showed a positive association with improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQL) in the subjects. The study showed a "strong positive association" between the frequency of cannabis use by test subjects and self-reported improvements in pain, medical use, and general health-related quality of life. The test subjects did not report a statistically significant association with the use of medicinal cannabis and adverse effects. The study's authors wrote that they found "a strong positive association between a higher frequency of cannabis use and an improvement in HRQL and HCU (health care usage) levels". More pot is better Investigators also found that those participants who used medicinal cannabis most frequently experienced the greatest improvements in their health. "Our regression models also found a strong positive relationship between higher rates of cannabis use and self-reported improvements in pain symptoms," they continued. "The positive relationship between almost daily use and improved reports provides further evidence of the perceived value of medicinal cannabis as a therapeutic approach to pain management." Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said Thursday that many aging Americans are choosing to treat the pain of aging and other medical ailments with cannabis rather than riskier alternatives. A study published last year in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that the rate of cannabis use among those over 65 has increased dramatically and steadily since 2006. "These results are hardly surprising," said Armentano in a press release from the group that has been campaigning for cannabis policy reform since 1970. "Many seniors likely have experimented with cannabis firsthand in their youth and are now returning to cannabis as a potential therapy for the relief of many of the health-related symptoms that appear with age, including chronic pain. Many seniors are aware of the litany of serious adverse side effects in connection with available prescription drugs such as opioids, and see medical cannabis as a viable alternative. Clinical Considerations The study's authors noted several clinical implications of their research, including a recommendation that clinicians should acknowledge that "older adults who use cannabis for medicinal purposes experience a range of positive and negative outcomes". They also wrote that clinicians should keep in mind that these results can be experienced together or separately. "While cannabis use appears to improve a number of self-reported outcomes, patients may report underreporting adverse effects and clinicians must be careful to make a direct assessment of the potential risks and harms for older adults who use cannabis for medicinal purposes. included, "they added.