If you were ever skeptical as to the true health benefits of cannabis, yet another study is here to cast that skepticism aside, and its findings shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s had experience with cannabis.
Published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, the study was the result of a survey conducted at two retail cannabis shops in Colorado back in 2016. Led by Dr. Marcus Bachhuber of New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the survey asked 1,000 adult-use customers whether they mostly used cannabis for recreation, pain, or sleep. 65% of the respondents reported taking cannabis to relieve pain while 74% said they took it to promote sleep. Among those taking cannabis for pain, 80% said that it was very or extremely helpful, while of those taking over-the-counter pain medications or opioid analgesics (82% of respondents), a whopping 88% reported reducing or stopping use of those medications all together. Meanwhile, among respondents taking cannabis for sleep, 84% found it very or extremely helpful, while most of those taking over-the-counter medications (87%) or prescription sleep aids (83%) reported reducing or stopping the use of those medications.
“While adult-use laws are frequently called ‘recreational,’ implying that cannabis obtained through the adult-use system is only for pleasure or experience-seeking, our findings suggest that many customers use cannabis for symptom relief,” wrote the study’s authors.
Added Dr. Bacuhuber, “In summary, we found that de facto medical cannabis use is common among adult-use customers at a cannabis dispensary.”
In other words, as much as adults love cannabis for recreational purposes, they love it even more for all the health and medical benefits it provides. So the next time someone questions your use of cannabis, simply point them to this study. Or the nearest dispensary.
