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Tel Aviv, Israel: The sustained use of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products is associated with significant reductions in pain, depression, and opioid use among elderly patients, according to observational data published in the journal Biomedicines.

Israeli investigators assessed self-reported outcomes in a cohort of 119 elderly (mean age: 79) patients prescribed medical cannabis products. (Israeli law permits qualified patients to access state-regulated cannabis products, and an estimated 100,000 Israelis are currently authorized to use them.) Most of the study’s participants suffered from chronic pain and consumed cannabis via tinctures. Subjects utilized cannabis products for at least six months.

Authors reported that medical cannabis use was associated with clinically significant reductions in patients’ chronic pain scores. They also reported that patients reduced their use of opioids by nearly half following cannabis treatment – a finding consistent with other studies.

Cannabis use was also associated with reduced symptoms of depression and overall improvements in patients’ daily living, especially among those over the age of 80. The latter finding is consistent with several prior studies reporting health-related quality of life improvements among older adults who initiate cannabis treatment.

Researchers concluded: “Cannabis contributes to the amelioration of depressive symptoms …while also achieving discernible pain alleviation. … Our findings also demonstrate the relatively favorable safety profile of cannabis therapy” in the elderly patient population.

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis is not associated with a decrease in activities of daily living in older adults,” appears in Biomedicines.

Analysis: Cannabis Use Common for Those Recuperating From Painful Work-Related Injuries

Toronto, Canada: Nearly one-quarter of Canadians with a painful work-related disability use cannabis during their recovery, according to data published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Researchers affiliated with the University of Toronto surveyed 1,650 adults who were disabled due to a physical work injury or illness. They reported that 22.4 percent of those who suffered from a work-related injury that involved “severe pain symptoms” used cannabis as part of their treatment. (Cannabis is legal for both medical and adult-use in Canada.)

Overall, 11.5 percent of all disabled employees reported using cannabis “to manage conditions associated with the work-related injury,” a finding that is consistent with prior studies.

Those who used cannabis products to assist in their recovery generally did not differ from their non-using peers with respect to their disability expenditures or health care benefit expenses.

Authors concluded: “This study is one of a limited number of studies [assessing] the association between cannabis use and disability benefit expenditures in a representative sample of work disability episodes. The evidence presented in this study of working-age adults recovering from a work-related injury or illness does not find a substantial association of cannabis use with disability benefit expenditures and health care benefit expenditures that would suggest either concerning harm, or significant benefit. These findings contribute information to support decision making among clinicians and disability insurance authorities on the potential benefits and risks associated with cannabis use in settings that have legalized cannabis use.”

By contrast, US data reports declines in the number of workers’ compensation filings following the adoption of either medical cannabis legalization or adult-use legalization.

State courts in the United States have issued contradictory opinions regarding whether medical cannabis-related costs are eligible for reimbursement under workers’ compensation laws. Six states — Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Pennsylvania -- currently allow for reimbursements. By contrast, seven states (Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Florida, North Dakota, Ohio, and Washington) expressly prohibit workers’ compensation insurance from reimbursing medical marijuana-related costs. Other states are silent on the issue.

NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano recently weighed in on the issue in an op-ed. He wrote:: “Most patients, most physicians, and most state laws view cannabis as a legitimate therapeutic option. Therefore, the millions of Americans who rely upon medical cannabis products ought to be afforded the same entitlements as those who use other conventional medications and therapies. Those privileges should include insurance-provided reimbursement for medical cannabis treatment.”

Full text of the study, “An observational study of pain severity, cannabis use, and benefit expenditures in work disability,” appears in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Survey: Health Providers Say They Are Unprepared To Discuss Cannabis Therapy With Their Cancer Patients

Toronto, Canada: Radiation therapists working in Canada, where the use of medical cannabis has been legal for more than two decades, acknowledge being unprepared to discuss the use of medical cannabis with their cancer patients, according to survey data published in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences.

Investigators surveyed 282 radiation therapists. Just under one-fifth (19 percent) said that they frequently received inquiries from their patients about the use of medical cannabis. However, nearly 100 percent of those surveyed “believed that their radiation therapy training did not prepare them to support patients using cannabis.”

Authors concluded, “The findings of this study strongly advocate for the development of educational tools to meet Therapists clinical needs.”

Healthcare professionals in the United States and abroad – including nurses, pharmacists, clinicians, and nurse practitioners – consistently acknowledge that they are inadequately trained to counsel patients on matters specific to medical cannabis.

Survey data published in September reported that nearly one-third of US cancer patients turn to cannabis for symptom management, but most fail to inform their healthcar

e providers that they are using it.

Full text of the study, “Therapeutic cannabis use by patients with cancer in Canada: A national survey of the experiences, opinions, and information needs of Radiation Therapists,” appears in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences.