Analysis: Medical Cannabis Legalization Associated With Lower Healthcare Premiums
Miami, FL: Medical cannabis access is associated with significant decreases in employees’ healthcare premiums, according to data published in the journal Applied Health Economics and Health Policy.
Researchers affiliated with the medical cannabis technology company Leafwell assessed the relationship between medical cannabis legalization laws and employer-sponsored healthcare premiums over ten years (2003-2022).
They determined, “For states that adopted a medical cannabis law, there was a significant decrease in the … average total premium per employee for single and employee-plus-one coverage plans per year … compared with states without such laws. … Our results are significant as healthcare costs, primarily driven by the cost of premiums, have grown in the past decade or more and account for an increasing proportion of an employer and employees’ budget.”
The authors’ findings are consistent with a 2023 study, which reported that medical cannabis access is associated with “a sizeable and statistically significant reduction in annual per-enrollee premiums of about $1600.”
Authors of the latest study also acknowledged, “Had all 50 states implemented medical cannabis at the same time, employers may have experienced a total savings of $14.9 billion for single coverage plans and $8 billion for employee-plus-one coverage plans in a given year; employees may have seen a total savings of $4.2 billion for single plans and $2.3 billion for employee-plus-one plans in a given year. Under this assumption, medical cannabis laws could have reduced healthcare expenditure GDP by 0.65 percent in 2022 had all states adopted this policy change at the same time.”
They concluded, “Medical cannabis laws ... likely decrease the cost of private, employer- sponsored health insurance for both single and employee-plus-one coverage plans. … States should consider these positive externalities associated with medical cannabis legalization when considering whether or not to adopt a medical cannabis law.”
Full text of the study, “Measuring the impact of medical cannabis law adoption on employer-sponsored health insurance costs: A difference-in-difference analysis, 2003-2022,” appears in Applied Health Economics and Health Policy.
Study: Medical Cannabis Associated With Clinically Meaningful Quality of Life Improvements
Philadelphia, PA: Newly authorized patients who begin using medical cannabis products experience rapid and clinically meaningful improvements in their health-related quality of life, according to data published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Investigators affiliated with Philadelphia’s College of Osteopathic Medicine assessed changes in patients’ general health prior to their use of medical cannabis and then three months later. Researchers described their study as “one of the largest longitudinal studies of quality of life in individuals using medical marijuana in the US.”
They reported, “New medical marijuana users experienced improvements across all domains of HRQoL [health-related quality of life] over the first three months of medical marijuana use. ... We believe that these HRQoL gains represent clinically meaningful change in our participants.”
Specifically, respondents reported greater than 20 percent improvements in their physical health, social functioning, and emotional well-being.
“In conclusion, the use of medical marijuana for three months was associated with improvements in physical, social, emotional and pain-related HRQoL,” the study’s authors determined. “Results from this study can help patients, their caregivers, and their providers to make more informed and evidence-based decisions on whether to incorporate medical marijuana into their treatment regimens.”
Their conclusions are consistent with those of several other studies, finding that medical cannabis use is associated with sustained quality of life improvements in a broad range of patient populations.
Full text of the study, “Changes in health-related quality of life over the first three months of medical marijuana use,” appears in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Rafsanjan, Iran: The daily topical application of hemp seed oil improves osteoarthritic knee pain, according to placebo-controlled clinical trial data published in the journal Pain Management Nursing.
Iranian investigators assessed the efficacy of cold-pressed hemp seed oil versus either placebo or the NSAID diclofenac (aka Voltaren) in 90 patients with osteoarthritic knee pain and stiffness. Patients enrolled in the trial were between the ages of 45 and 70 years old. Study participants were assessed at baseline and again at four weeks and at eight weeks.
Researchers reported that the topical application of hemp seed oil provided therapeutic effects similar to those of diclofenac and superior to those of the placebo. Investigators reported that the oil was “safe and well tolerated.”
The study’s authors concluded: “This randomized controlled trial found that the daily application of topical hemp seed oil improved knee pain, physical function, and perceived knee stiffness. ... Topical herbal compounds may have a role in the treatment of painful chronic conditions, such as knee OA [osteoarthritis], to reduce the systemic adverse effects of oral drugs.”
Full text of the study, “Effect of topical hemp (cannabis sativa) seed oil on knee osteoarthritis: A randomized double-blind controlled trial,” appears in Pain Management Nursing.
Swing State Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Marijuana Legalization, Banking Reforms
Alexandria, VA: Likely voters in Arizona and Nevada strongly support allowing adults to use marijuana and other related reforms, according to polling data compiled by the market research firm The Tarrance Group.
Specifically, supermajorities of voters in both states favored legalizing cannabis, removing it from its Schedule I classification under federal law, and permitting banks and other financial institutions to explicitly partner with state-licensed cannabis businesses.
Polling previously compiled by the firm reported similar results in the battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“Legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis access is not only good policy, but it’s also good politics,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “State and federal politicians who continue to ignore their constituents’ sentiments on these issues do so at their own political peril.”
In recent weeks, both Presidential candidates have called for ending marijuana-related possession arrests. Donald Trump also recently tweeted his intention to vote for Florida’s Amendment 3 initiative, which permits existing medical cannabis facilities to engage in adult-use marijuana sales.
On election day, voters in four states – Florida, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota – will decide on cannabis-specific ballot measures.
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