Survey Highlights Therapeutic Benefits of Cannabis for Chronic Conditions, Prompting Calls for Policy Changes

A recent survey conducted by Victoria University in New Zealand sheds light on the experiences of individuals using cannabis to manage chronic conditions. The study, led by Dr. Geoff Noller from the bioethics department at Otago University, focused on 213 participants with medically diagnosed conditions such as chronic pain, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, mental health issues, and sleep difficulties. The survey aimed to explore the therapeutic benefits of cannabis in these individuals and examine its potential to replace or reduce the use of other medications.

The survey findings were striking, with 96% of participants who used cannabis for pain reporting some form of therapeutic benefit. Among those with sleep difficulties, the rate was even higher at 97%. Similarly, individuals with mental health conditions, autism, ADHD, PTSD, and difficulty eating reported a 98% therapeutic benefit.

Perhaps the most compelling result was that half of the participants reported being able to reduce or completely stop using prescription pain medications, including opioids such as tramadol, pregabalin, and codeine, as well as antidepressants and antianxiety medications. This significant reduction in reliance on pharmaceutical drugs highlights the potential of cannabis as an alternative treatment option for chronic conditions.

Dr. Geoff Noller stressed that the research team was not advocating for individuals to replace prescribed medications with cannabis without medical guidance. Instead, they suggested that cannabis could be used in conjunction with other treatments, and policy and funding changes should be made to facilitate easier access to medicinal cannabis products. Noller emphasized the importance of providing options to individuals who have exhausted other treatments:

"If you've tried everything else and nothing's worked and you're at your wit’s end, then you try this and for whatever reason, believe it works, that’s when you go: ‘Well, I'm going to do this and not that.'"

One participant shared a powerful testimony, stating that the pain and sleep relief provided by cannabis literally saved their life:

"I was ready to finish my life before that. I had had enough."

Such personal stories highlight the potential life-changing impact of cannabis on individuals struggling with chronic conditions.

However, access to medicinal cannabis in New Zealand faces significant challenges. Currently, no medicinal cannabis products are funded or subsidized, and legal options are subject to high costs and strict regulations.

The publication of this survey in the journal Drugs, Habits, and Social Policy has rekindled the conversation around drug policy in New Zealand. Calls for changes in policy and funding have intensified, aiming to address the therapeutic benefits reported by individuals using cannabis for chronic conditions and to ensure greater accessibility to medicinal cannabis products.

As Dr. Noller aptly puts it, "We've got ourselves into a bit of a straitjacket" with the high cost and strict regulations surrounding legal medicinal cannabis, and it is imperative to find a more balanced approach.