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Study: Cannabis Provides Sustained Health-Related Quality of Life Improvements in Chronic Pain Patients

London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with chronic pain conditions report sustained improvements in their symptoms following their use of medical cannabis, according to observational data published in the journal Pain Practice.

British researchers assessed the use of cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) consisting of either flower or oil extracts in 1,139 pain patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. (Since 2018, British specialists have been permitted to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products to patients unresponsive to conventional medications.) Researchers assessed changes in patient-reported outcomes at one, three, six, and 12 months.

Consistent with prior observational studies, cannabis treatment was associated with improvements in patients’ perceived pain severity. The most frequently reported adverse events associated with cannabis preparations were fatigue, dry mouth, lethargy, somnolence, and insomnia.

“Following CBMP treatment initiation, the present study found improvements in mean pain-specific PROM [patient reported outcome measures] scores that are consistent with other comparable prospective open-label observational studies,” the study’s authors concluded. “Despite being limited by its observational design, the present study can be used to inform future RCTs [randomized clinical trials], in addition to current clinical practice.”

Data published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that nearly one in four pain patients residing in states where medical cannabis access is legal self-identify as marijuana consumers.

Other observational studies assessing the use of cannabis products in patients enrolled in the UK Cannabis Registry have reported them to be effective for those suffering from fibromyalgia, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Full text of the study, “UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A clinical outcome analysis of medical cannabis therapy in chronic pain patients with and without co-morbid sleep impairment,” appears in Pain Practice.

Canada: One in Four Older Adults Have Used Cannabis in the Past Year

Ottawa, Canada: An estimated 25 percent of Canadians between the ages of 55 and 65 acknowledge having consumed cannabis in the past year, according to data in the Journal of Drug Issues.

Researchers affiliated with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction analyzed cannabis use data in older adults for the four-year period immediately following legalization.

Investigators reported an uptick in self-reported marijuana use in the first year post-legalization. Use rates remained stable thereafter.

Two-thirds of older consumers reported using cannabis “to improve or manage a physical health condition,” including chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.

The study’s authors concluded: “Our findings highlight that a significant proportion of cannabis consumers in this age group, particularly women, consume cannabis to manage a physical or mental health condition. Targeted public health and clinical messaging might be beneficial for older adults, particularly around the efficacy of cannabis products for managing mental and physical health conditions as well as possible interactions with other medications.”

Survey data from the United States finds that one in five adults ages 50 and older have consumed cannabis during the past year, with over 60 percent of them acknowledging having done so to manage stress, improve sleep, or relieve pain.

Full text of the study, “Cannabis consumption among adults aged 55-65 in Canada, 2018-2021,” appears in the Journal of Drug Issues.

Illinois: State Launches University-Affiliated Cannabis Research Institute

Chicago, IL: The University of Illinois has opened the state’s first-ever Cannabis Research Institute. The purpose of the Institute is to provide an “unbiased, rigorous, equity-centric research center advancing public knowledge about all aspects of cannabis and hemp.” Key research priorities for the Institute include “agricultural crop management, health and medicinal effects, and social equity impacts.”

The Institute is funded by a three-year, $7 million grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Several states – including California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Utah – have similarly established (or are in the process of establishing) state-sponsored institutions to study the safety and efficacy of cannabis. Some of these programs have conducted FDA-approved clinical trials documenting cannabis’ efficacy in various patient populations.

Illinois lawmakers legalized the adult-use marijuana market in 2019.

Additional information is available from the Cannabis Research Institute.

Colorado: Voters in Colorado Springs Decide on Marijuana Sales Measures

Colorado Springs, CO: Voters in Colorado Springs (population: 489,000) decided on a pair of municipal ballot measures that pave the way for the licensed retail sale of adult-use cannabis products within the city’s limits.

Voters on election day decided 55 percent to 45 percent in favor of Question 300, which authorizes existing medical dispensaries to sell cannabis products to adults. Approximately 90 dispensaries are currently operating in Colorado Springs.

Voters more narrowly rejected a separate ballot measure (Question 2D), which sought to impose a permanent citywide ban on adult-use marijuana sales. The measure failed by a margin of approximately one percent, according to results provided this week by the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s Office. The results are not official until the Canvass Board certifies the vote count next Tuesday.

Prior to the election, city officials preemptively passed a zoning ordinance severely restricting where recreational marijuana dispensaries can operate. It remains unclear whether the voter-approved measures will supersede the city council’s ordinance.

Colorado voters legalized adult-use marijuana possession and sales in 2012.

California: Oakland City Council Advances Proposal Exempting Cannabis From Residential Smoking Ban

Oakland, CA: Members of the Oakland City Council have voted to exempt cannabis from a proposed ordinance barring smoking in multi-unit residential dwellings.

Council members decided 6-0 in support of the exemption, which was supported by California NORML, on the bill’s first reading. Two members abstained. The final vote will be taken on December 3rd.

“Unlike tobacco, cannabis is illegal to consume in any public place in California. As a result, a ban on residential smoking would effectively leave the many Oaklanders who don’t have their own houses with no place to legally inhale cannabis, even for medical purposes,” California NORML opined.

California NORML’s Director Dale Gieringer further argued that cannabis smoke exposure does not pose the same potential risks to respiratory health as tobacco smoke.

According to a press release issued by California NORML: “Oakland joins West Hollywood in exempting cannabis from its anti-smoking ordinance. In San Jose, a nonsmoking ordinance was scrapped after activists pushed for a cannabis exclusion. San Francisco likewise scrapped a comprehensive smoking ban. However, anti-smoking activists have successfully campaigned for comprehensive smoking bans on cannabis and tobacco in numerous other California cities.”