A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Curaleaf found the attitudes around cannabis and its potential health and wellness benefits, with 91% of adults aged 21 and over who have consumed cannabis have done so for health and wellness purposes.
The survey was conducted online and included responses from nearly 2,000 U.S adults, aged 21 and older, found 75% of Americans said they would prefer holistic solutions over pharmaceutical drugs to treat a medical issue if possible, with 62% saying they would prefer to use cannabis. Survey results showed the top health and wellness reasons Americans have consumed cannabis, with 52% of respondents saying to relax, 49% using cannabis to help them sleep, 44% using to reduce stress, and 41% using to reduce anxiety.
“Educating consumers on how cannabis can be leveraged to support everyday health and wellness needs is critical to destigmatizing the plant and providing consumers with more choices to best fit their personal lifestyle,” said Dr. Stacia Woodcock, Clinical Cannabis Pharmacist for Curaleaf New York. “There are a wide variety of ways to consume cannabis safely, and many formulations actually have minimal intoxicating effects. Different product options with various ratios of THC and CBD give patients the opportunity to consume cannabis in a way that works with their lifestyle and comfort level.”
The survey also found 88% of those who used cannabis as an alternative or in addition to pharmaceuticals reported an improved well-being and 86% of those who used cannabis for health or wellness would recommend cannabis to a friend or family member.
A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Pain Research found cancer patients who used medical cannabis reported less pain and a reduced need for opioids, helping improve the patient’s quality of life. The research also found medical cannabis helped reduce other cancer-related symptoms.
“Traditionally, cancer-related pain is mainly treated by opioid analgesics, but most oncologists perceive opioid treatment as hazardous, so alternative therapies are required,” said researcher David Meiri, assistant professor at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and one of the study’s authors. “Our study is the first to assess the possible benefits of medical cannabis for cancer-related pain in oncology patients; gathering information from the start of treatment, and with repeated follow-ups for an extended period of time, to get a thorough analysis of its effectiveness.”
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons noted 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain that is not cancer-related that is treated with opioids. At the 2022 Annual Meeting of the AAOS, two studies were presented with findings showing providing patients with access to medical cannabis can also improve their quality of life as well as reduce or even eliminate the use of opioids for pain management.
Another retrospective study of over 7,000 adults found cannabis use improved depression and anxiety at 12 and 18 months in adults diagnosed with the conditions. Of the 7,362 patients, nearly 44% cited anxiety as the reason for their cannabis use and nearly 26% reported depression. The mean General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for patients with anxiety was 11.1 and a score of 5.3 for those without. The score for anxiety patients went down over time with notable decreases taking place between one and three months after treatment and two years later.
The study also found notable drops in patients with depression taking place after the first three months of treatment, with men providing the highest scores at baseline reporting the most improvement over time.
