Gainesville, FL: The use of medical cannabis by older adults with a chronic pain condition is associated with improvements in their quality of life, according to data published in the journal Cannabis.
Investigators with the University of Florida at Gainesville assessed the use of medical cannabis over a three-month period in a cohort of 46 middle-aged and older adults diagnosed with chronic pain.
They reported that subjects experienced significantly lower levels of pain following the use of medical cannabis, as well as improvements in sleep, anxiety/depression, and in overall quality of life.
The findings are consistent with numerous other studies documenting that the use of cannabis is associated with sustained improvements in chronic pain patients and that it is linked with enhanced quality of life outcomes in older adults.
Full text of the study, “Health outcomes among adults initiating medical cannabis for chronic pain: A 3-month prospective study incorporating ecological momentary assessment,” appears in Cannabis.Additional information on cannabis and chronic pain is available from NORML. Further information on cannabis use by older adults is available from NORML.
Source: NORML – make a donation