A new study indicates that cannabis may be a key to better health and quality of life.
The Colorado-based Realm of Caring Foundation (ROCF) on Tuesday announced the publication of the first peer-reviewed research manuscript from the Observational Research Registry (ORR) in the Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research journal indicating that cannabis users may tend to be in better health than non-users.
The ORR is an ongoing research project under the guidance of principal investigator and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Associate Professor Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D.
From a research group of 1,276 patients, cannabis users (808) self-reported better quality of life, health, and sleep as well as a reduction in pain, anxiety, depression, and healthcare utilization compared to non-users (468) or controls in the study.
Controls who began using medical cannabis during the study reported a significant improvement in health and quality of life.
“Though prior observational studies have reported health benefits among medicinal cannabis users, this study extends that work considerably by including a control group for comparison as well as evaluation of changes over time in the same individuals as they initiated or stopped cannabinoid use,” says Realm of Caring CEO Dr. Jonathon Hoggard. “Perhaps the most dramatic finding in this study was that medicinal cannabis use was associated with 39% fewer ER visits and 46% fewer hospital admissions.”
According to ROCF, the majority of cannabis users in the study reported using products in which cannabidiol (CBD) was the primary ingredient.
Dr. Hoggard says that the study clearly shows the positive health effects of cannabis use across all age groups and demographics and that the publication is only the first of many reports based on the detailed findings of the extensive dataset.
ROCF says that the outcomes of the study will provide a foundation for future collaborative studies evaluating the health impact of medicinal cannabis use and research on using specific products to treat targeted health conditions.
