Medicinal cannabis has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years, especially in Australia where patients are being prescribed this alternative treatment option for various health conditions. A recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS One has shed light on the long-term benefits of medicinal cannabis on patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQL), fatigue, and sleep disturbance.
The study, conducted by Margaret-Ann Tait and colleagues from The University of Sydney, Australia, followed adult patients with chronic health conditions who were newly prescribed medicinal cannabis oil. Over a one-year period, researchers found that patients maintained improvements in their overall HRQL, fatigue, and sleep, with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain also showing signs of improvement over time.
The advocacy efforts in 2016 led to legislative changes in Australia, allowing patients who were not responding to conventional treatments to access medicinal cannabis with a prescription from clinicians. Since then, over one million new patients in Australia have received medicinal cannabis prescriptions for more than 200 health conditions.
The multicenter prospective study, known as the QUEST initiative, recruited patients with various chronic health conditions and collected data over a 12-month period to assess the long-term effects of medicinal cannabis. Participants reported improvements in fatigue, pain, and sleep, with those diagnosed with anxiety, depression, insomnia, and chronic pain also showing positive outcomes.
While the study did not have a control group, the results suggest that prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients with chronic health conditions may lead to improvements in pain, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and depression, as well as overall HRQL. The authors noted that these improvements were noticeable quickly and maintained over the long term.
The findings of this study contribute to the growing evidence base supporting the use of medicinal cannabis in clinical practice and policy decision-making. The authors believe that this is promising news for patients who have not responded to traditional medicines for their conditions.
For more information, the study titled “Improvements in health-related quality of life are maintained long-term in patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in Australia: The QUEST Initiative 12-month follow-up observational study” can be found in PLOS One. This research adds to the evolving understanding of the benefits of medicinal cannabis and its potential impact on patients’ quality of life.
