Study: Medical cannabis and hemp users report better health outcomes

Tuesday June 9, 2020 Tags: Colorado Springs, Realm of Caring, Ryan Vandrey, Jonathan Hoggard

COLORADO SPRINGS -- Realm of Caring announced the publication of the first peer-reviewed research manuscript from the Observational Research Registry (ORR) initiative in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research. 

The ORR is an ongoing longitudinal research project conducted under the guidance of principal investigator Ryan Vandrey, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In a study of 1276 patients conducted by Johns Hopkins University and the Realm of Caring, Cannabis Users (n=808) self-reported better health, quality of life, pain, sleep, anxiety, depression, and reduced healthcare utilization compared with Controls (n=468).

These outcomes provide the foundation for future collaborative studies to better evaluate the health impact of medicinal cannabis use, including additional research on using specific products to treat targeted health conditions.

Controls who initiated medicinal cannabis use during the study period reported significantly better health and quality of life after initiation of medicinal cannabis use. The majority of cannabis users reported using products in which cannabidiol (CBD) was the primary chemical component.

"This study shows clearly that cannabinoids have a very positive effect on health outcomes across the board among all age groups and demographics,” said Realm of Caring CEO Jonathan Hoggard.

“This publication will be the first of many based on the detailed findings of this extensive dataset.”

"Though prior observational studies have reported health benefits among medicinal cannabis users, this study extends that work considerably by including a control group for comparison as well as evaluation of changes over time in the same individuals as they initiated or stopped cannabinoid use.

“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.”

The article has been accepted by the Journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, a publicaation dedicated to the scientific, medical, and psychosocial exploration of clinical cannabis, cannabinoids, and the biochemical mechanisms of endocannabinoids.

Read the full article. 

For more information about the ORR and other Realm of Caring research initiatives, click here.