Medical marijuana appears to help cancer patients by decreasing pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression while also improving sleep, according to a new study conducted by government officials in Minnesota.
The research, published on Friday by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), is “one of the largest studies ever involving medical cannabis treatment,” officials said. It involved an analysis of marijuana purchases, self-evaluation surveys and symptom and side-effect ratings for 6,621 patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program.
Patients rated the severity of various symptoms when they first enrolled in the program and then again at various points while they were receiving treatment.
Of the 82 percent of cancer patients who reported moderate to severe pain, nearly a third (30 percent) saw a reduction in their pain score of at least 30 percent within four months of their first medical marijuana purchase. More than half were able to maintain that level of reduced pain after an additional four months.
Upon enrollment in the program, over half of participants said they experienced nausea and more than a quarter reported vomiting. Of those, after four months, forty percent reported a reduction in nausea scores of 30 percent or more, and 47 percent
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