Medical cannabis offers hope for Australians with chronic illnesses, new study reveals

Australian research indicates that medical cannabis provides significant benefits to patients with chronic conditions.

Since its availability by prescription in 2016, these findings offer new hope. However, it is less effective in combating sleep disorders.

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Study Overview

The study, led by Margaret-Ann Tait of the University of Sydney, was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

"Australian patients with chronic health conditions who were prescribed medical cannabis showed significant improvements in overall health-related quality of life and fatigue in the first three months," the report said. Additionally, positive changes were observed in levels of anxiety, depression and pain. The study analyzed “responses to a survey of 2,327 Australian patients with chronic health conditions who were prescribed medical cannabis between November 2020 and December 2021,” News Medical Life Sciences reported. Respondents, 63% of whom were women with an average age of 51, reported their health-related quality of life, pain, sleep, anxiety, and depression before and during cannabis treatment. "The most commonly reported treated conditions were chronic pain (69%), insomnia (23%), anxiety (22%) and anxiety/depression (11%); half of the patients were treated for several conditions,” notes the study. .

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Main findings

Results indicated "significant and clinically meaningful improvements in health-related quality of life and fatigue over the three months." However, the effectiveness of treatment for sleep disorders was lacking. The study found no overall improvement in sleep quality, although many patients were prescribed cannabis to treat insomnia.

"The study continues to follow patients for up to 12 months to determine if the improvements are durable," said the researchers who suggested a potential improvement in the oil-based products of cannabis to better treat insomnia and associated disorders.< /p>

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