A recent study has revealed that medical cannabis can offer numerous therapeutic benefits for older adults, positively impacting their mood, sleep, health and well-being. The study observed significant reductions in both pain interference and severity in older adults who use cannabis to manage chronic pain.
Published in the “Drugs and Aging Journal,” the study addresses the limited high-quality studies on marijuana use among older adults. Typically, clinical trials exclude participants older than 65 years of age, even as this demographic increasingly turns to medical cannabis for relief.
The research, which was carried out by a group from Drug Science and the Center for Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, examined information from the T21 project, a sizable cannabis observational study that was started in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2020.
Since 2018, marijuana-based medical products (CBMPs) have been legally prescribed in the UK. However, access through the National Health Service is limited, with most prescriptions coming from the private market.
The study measured patient outcomes through self-reported overall health, quality of life, sleep and mood metrics. Findings showed steady improvements in all these areas from the start of treatment to a three-month follow-up. Older adults who continued using CBMPs reported significant enhancements in their well-being and overall health.
Further, the study noted that while older patients’ improvements in mood and quality of life were not as significant as those of younger patients (those below 65 years), the advantages were still significant. Improvements in general health and sleep were similar across all age groups.
The researchers emphasized the importance of their findings in filling a gap in the current understanding of medical marijuana use among older adults. They highlighted a nationwide study by the Center for Medical Marijuana that failed to differentiate older persons over age 55, and the UK’s National Statistics Office, which does not gather particular information on marijuana usage by adults over the age of 59. Additionally, they noted that most data does not distinguish between recreational and medical use.
The study also identified distinctions between older and younger patients. Older patients were more likely to be female, report chronic pain as their major condition and be on multiple prescribed medications. They were also less likely to have used cannabis before and to use it daily before starting treatment. When prescribed, older patients were more likely to receive CBD-infused oils and less likely to receive cannabis flower with high-THC potency.
The study concludes that the improvements, even if slightly lower in quality of life and mood for older adults, are significant and add to the limited knowledge about medical marijuana in this age group.
As more becomes known about the specific ways in which different groups of patients, such as seniors, can benefit from medical marijuana products, businesses such as Verano Holdings Corp. (CSE: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF) could see their clientele growing faster in the years to come.
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