A recent study in the “PLoS ONE” journal found that more than 2,300 individuals with persistent health issues experienced improved well-being and reduced fatigue within the first three months of using medicinal cannabis. The study was centered on the responses obtained from eligible Australian patients who participated in the QUEST Initiative.
The participants’ age spectrum spanned from 18 to 97 years of age, with an average age of 51. Among the participants, 62.8% were women while 37.2% were men. The majority of participants reported experiencing chronic pain (69%), followed by insomnia (23%), anxiety (22%), and a combination of anxiety and depression (11%).
Before starting cannabis treatment, the participants were tasked with completing initial surveys concerning their health-related quality of life (HRQL), pain levels, sleep patterns, fatigue levels, and depression and anxiety symptoms. Subsequent follow-up surveys were administered at the two-week mark and then on a monthly basis for three months.
All participants were prescribed Little Green Pharma’s medical marijuana oil, comprising CBD and THC dissolved in MCT oil. This product was available in four different formulations featuring varying THC-to-CBD ratios: 1:20, 10:10, 20:5 and CBD only.
When compared to initial baselines, patients who faithfully adhered to the three-month treatment regimen reported notable enhancements in their overall health-related quality of life. In contrast, individuals who only completed the first follow-up assessment demonstrated less progress compared to those who persisted with the treatment.
With regard to pain management, the study revealed that participants, on the whole, exhibited improvements in pain-related metrics. The magnitude of improvement, however, was more pronounced among those diagnosed with chronic pain conditions compared to those not receiving pain-focused treatment.
Sleep patterns did not witness any significant amelioration among the respondents; nevertheless, a reduction in fatigue levels was noted, signifying clinically meaningful improvements.
Regarding depression, the research disclosed that while scores shifted from moderate to mild severity, they failed to reach the five-point threshold indicative of clinically meaningful improvement. However, substantial improvement was observed among individuals diagnosed with specific conditions.
Anxiety scores displayed analogous trends, revealing significant improvements over time but falling short of reaching the expected threshold, except in cases where participants were diagnosed with anxiety conditions.
Throughout the three-month period, a total of 127 participants formally withdrew from the study, citing various reasons for doing so. These included perceived ineffectiveness of the treatment, alterations in treatment plans, unwanted side effects and the perceived high cost of cannabis products. However, the majority reported at least some degree of relief from their ailments.
Despite the generally favorable outcomes, the researchers acknowledged that certain reported improvements might be attributed to the placebo effect.
Looking ahead, the study intends to continue tracking patients for a full 12 months to assess the sustainability of the observed improvements in patient-reported outcomes. Additionally, further subgroup analyses will be conducted to ascertain whether patients with specific conditions experience superior outcomes when evaluated using condition-specific questionnaires.
This study pointing to the beneficial effects of medical marijuana could be good news to companies that are looking to popularize their medicinal cannabis products in different markets around the world, such as TerrAscend Corp. (TSX: TSND) (OTCQX: TSNDF).
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