“A majority of participants reported that medicinal cannabis treatment helped them to experience a greater quality of life.”
A newly published peer-reviewed medical journal article in which more than a third of subjects reported living in the Bay State offers insight into the health and well-being of cannabis-using US veterans as well as this population’s “experiences with war and exposures to workplace hazards during their service” in the context of “their medication and cannabis use.”
Titled “Self-reported Medicinal Cannabis Use as an Alternative to Prescription and Over-the-counter Medication Use Among US Military Veterans,” the paper is presented in the June 2023 issue of the journal Clinical Therapeutics as part of a special issue on “Cannabis Research and Policy: Therapeutic Potential of Cannabis in Modern Day Policy and Clinical Practice” that was guest edited by researchers from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.
The veteran report was produced by Marion McNabb from the Cannabis Center Of Excellence, along with Katherine A. Durante, Sarah Trocchio, DJ Ritter, Randal MacCaffrie, Ann Brum, Stephen Mandile, and Steven White. Earlier this month, McNabb and others joined Mandile, a military veteran and longtime leaf advocate, to present findings around these issues in support of An Act further defining eligibility for medical use marijuana, which would expand access for veterans and is currently under consideration by the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.
Among other measures, the study published in Clinical Therapeutics “assessed factors associated with a desire to reduce the use of prescription drugs and using cannabis as a substitute for at least one prescription or over-the-counter medication.” Findings include that “a majority of participants (463; 91%) reported that medicinal cannabis treatment helped them to experience a greater quality of life, fewer psychological symptoms (407; 80%), and fewer physical symptoms (371; 73%).” While “Many more reported using less alcohol (236; 46%), fewer medications (229; 45%), less tobacco (120; 24%), and fewer opioids (105; 21%) as a result of medicinal cannabis use.”
According to the paper, “Veteran study recruitment partners included cannabis nonprofit organizations, the Disabled American Veterans of Massachusetts, select Massachusetts-based medicinal and adult-use cannabis dispensaries, Veteran advocates, and clinical and academic co-investigators. Most of the study partners were primarily based in, and recruited veterans from, Massachusetts, while select partners focused on recruiting veterans nationally.”
“Over one third of respondents, 172 veterans or 34.75%, reported residing in Massachusetts; the high participation in that state was driven by the convenience sampling methodology used.”
You can read the whole journal article here.
