Medical Marijuana Helps Depression, Pain And Anxiety Patients While Reducing Prescription Drug Use, New Study Shows

A new study finds that medical marijuana is associated with reduced prescription drug use and improved well-being and symptom intensity among Appalachian adults who suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia and chronic pain. The researchers behind the paper are urging more cannabis education for healthcare providers, who they says are the main source of information for patients.

“Prescription medication use decreased significantly after medical cannabis use,” says the new report, published in the Journal of Nurse Practitioners. “Health characteristics and symptom intensity improved significantly after medical cannabis use.”

The researchers, who are two nurse practitioners associated with Clinic 420 as well as an eminent scholar at Old Dominion University and a nurse scientist at the school, surveyed 31 patients at a medical marijuana center located in rural Virginia. Patients were limited to adults 18 and older in federally designated Appalachian counties and cities, the team said, and included only patients using cannabis for chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety or depression.

“Prescription medication use decreased significantly after medical cannabis use.”

Respondents were scored on six measures of prescription medication use, general health, quality of life, medical cannabis knowledge, condition severity and general health beliefs.

“Health and well-being improved significantly after the addition of medical cannabis to their treatment regimen. Moreover, prescription medication use decreased significantly,” the study says. “Respondents self-reported a therapeutic health benefit after medical cannabis use. Of those surveyed, 28% reported improved health, and 57% reported improved quality of life. The most significant benefits were decreased anxiety (59%) and insomnia (53%).”

Subjective feedback from those surveyed also indicated perceived relief, researchers wrote:

Patients indicated they were “sleeping a lot better” and “don’t feel depressed anymore.” Patients also noted their “anxiety is so much better, no panic attacks even under stress.” One patient noted “narcolepsy is about as good as it will get, zero to one nap a day now.” Other patients noted “it’s wonderful for my nausea” and “cannabis helps pain, I’m off of all narcotics and other pain meds.” Finally, 1 patient noted “I bought salve and it has really helped my neck and my arms. I’m just amazed. Thank you so much.”

The study suggests that the benefits of medical marijuana might be of particular significance in Appalachia—where, it notes, about 20 percent of residents live in poverty and about 20 percent of households lack access to the internet.

“In 2021,” it points out, “the mortality rate for diseases of despair in Appalachia (ie, suicide, liver diseases, and overdose from alcohol, prescriptions, and illegal drugs) was 43% higher than non-Appalachian regions of the US.”

Medical marijuana was legalized in Virginia in 2014 exclusively for patients with epilepsy. In 2018, the program expanded to allow healthcare providers to recommend cannabis for any condition it might benefit.

“Medical cannabis should be considered as an alternative treatment for patients who suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia, or chronic pain,” the study says. “Patients should feel comfortable discussing medical cannabis with their providers.”

“Quality of life and symptom intensity improved significantly.”

The patients surveyed for the new study reported that nurse practitioners, family and doctors were main sources of medical marijuana information, with 55 percent, 45 percent and 42 percent of respondents saying they were moderately or very likely to obtain information from those sources, respectively. Only 13 percent said they were moderately or very likely to get such information through social media.

Implications of the findings, the study says, include the need for more and better education for healthcare providers.

“Improved provider knowledge about medical cannabis use and benefits may increase their willingness to provide access for patients managing chronic conditions in the Appalachian region of Virginia,” it says.

It also notes that obtaining a medical cannabis certificate in Virginia “requires significant out-of-pocket expense for patients”—especially those Appalachia, where the average household income is about $10,000 less than in other rural areas of the country.

“Medical cannabis, as an alternative treatment for patients who suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia, or chronic pain, may reduce dependency on prescription medications for symptom relief,” authors wrote—which means “the concentration of prescription drugs within the Appalachian region might be reduced, which is a goal of local community health departments.”

The findings add to a growing body of research suggesting medical marijuana can reduce reported symptoms of certain mental health conditions as well as chronic pain, in addition to evidence that medical marijuana access may reduce use of prescription drugs.

A study of more than 500 military veterans published last year, for example, found that more than 90 percent who used medical marijuana said it improved their quality of life. Many also reported used cannabis as an alternative to over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Separate studies published this year, meanwhile, found that older people who use medical marijuana “experience considerable improvement in health and well-being” and that access to cannabis moderately reduced opioid prescriptions—a result indicated by several other studies in recent years.

And just last month, a new federally funded study found that marijuana helps people with substance misuse disorders stay off opioids or reduce their use, maintain treatment and manage withdrawal symptoms.

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.