Having to deal with a medical issue for a longer time can be depressing and debilitating.  over 40 million in the US and Canada are limited in their usual activities due to one or more chronic health conditions. Several studies have demonstrated that MC helps reduce the opioid dosage for patients undergoing treatment for non-cancer pain. It can also be substituted in place of opioids to achieve therapeutic benefits. Dealing with pain can be helped…but now a study finds a key surprised about medical marijuana patients which is more holistic.

Johns Hopkins researchers partnered with Realm of Caring, a nonprofit dedicated to therapeutic marijuana research, and collected data from 1,276 patients associated with the organization. Among the participants, 808 patients consumed medical marijuana products, and 468 patients who served as a control group.

Patients were asked about their quality of life, sleep habits, pain symptoms, mental health status, ongoing use of non-marijuana medications, and baseline health. Those who use medical marijuana recorded significant improvements in quality of life and health satisfaction than the control group. They also expressed less pain, depression, and anxiety symptoms than non-users. Lastly, they used less prescription medications and visited the hospital less than their counterparts.

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“This study shows clearly that cannabinoids have a very positive effect on health outcomes across the board among all age groups and demographics. This publication will be the first of many based on the detailed findings of this extensive data set,” Realm of Caring CEO Jonathan 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.”

Among the control group were patients interested in exploring potential therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana. Researchers noted that some of them began using medical marijuana during the study and subsequently reported higher health and well-being levels after the fact.

“People felt better when they started. That is a powerful signal,” study author Ryan Vandrey said.

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The paper notes that biases and pre-existing beliefs about marijuana should be considered for both patients and researchers.  While this is the first step in research, it is an indication of additional benefits of medical marijuana.