Medicinal cannabis linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Medical Xpress / Public Library of Science / PLOS One ^ | April 2, 2025 | Tait M-A, et al

[ConservativeMind]

Patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in maintained improvements in overall health-related quality of life (HRQL), fatigue, and sleep disturbance across a one-year period, according to a study.

Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain also improved over time for those with corresponding health conditions.

A multicenter prospective study called the QUEST initiative (QUality of life Evaluation STudy) recruited adult patients with any chronic health condition newly prescribed medicinal cannabis oil between November 2020 and December 2021.

Tait and colleagues gathered 12-month follow-up data to determine if previously reported improvements at three months would be maintained long-term. Of 2744 consenting participants who completed baseline assessments, 2353 also completed at least one follow-up questionnaire and were included in analyses, with completion rates declining to 778/2353 (38%) at 12 months.

Participants with clinician-diagnosed conditions completed questionnaires covering condition-specific symptoms, and HRQL, which encompasses physical, emotional, social, and cognitive function, as well as bodily discomfort.

The researchers found that short-term improvements in overall HRQL reported at three months were maintained over a 12-month period in patients prescribed medicinal cannabis in Australia. People with chronic health conditions reported improvements in fatigue, pain, and sleep.

Patients with anxiety, depression, insomnia, or chronic pain diagnoses also showed improvements in condition-specific symptoms over 12 months. Patients treated for generalized anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia, and PTSD all showed improvements in HRQL.

Participants with movement disorders had improved HRQL but no significant improvements in upper extremity function scores.

Despite this limitation, the results suggest that prescribing medicinal cannabis to patients with chronic health conditions may improve pain, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and depression and overall HRQL.

The findings also suggest that any improvements would be apparent quickly and maintained long-term.

The authors add, "This is promising news for patients who are not responding to conventional medicines for these conditions."

[jpp113]

Sativa is not good for pain, it will increase it. Indica is what should be used for pain, IBS or insomnia. It works.

[wardaddy]

Drinking man’s forum hates weed
I’m shocked I tell ya lol

Btw youngsters which here means under 60

Boomers are hardly the only weed smokers

I know tons of folks teens to Xers and most smoke some weed in some form and almost everyone I know is a righty

Anything gets u high or amped has a downside

I prefer stoners over alcohol problem folks but that’s just me

This is off topic but in prohibition and bootlegger days average law breaker never did over five years and usually less

When the sentencing guidelines ramped up in 1987 I know personally folks with no history or guns that did over a quarter century in the feds for importing weed usually from Jamaica or Colombia (80s)

I saw a kid recently in Kansas zero priors got 9 years for two pounds of weed five years ago

It’s crazy
Now it’s legal in half the country

A hot mess of justice

[Organic Panic]

REEFER MADNESS!!!!