Access to Medical Marijuana Improved Insomnia, but No Change to Pain, Anxiety

Patients granted immediate access to medical marijuana exhibited improved self-reported sleep quality and mental well-being, but also displayed higher incidence and severity of cannabis use disorder (CUD), according to new research published in JAMA Network Open. The study results also showed no significant improvement in pain, anxiety, or depressive symptoms.

“Despite inconclusive evidence of its efficacy and little information on its risk, medical cannabis has surged in popularity,” observed Jodi M. Gilman, PhD, and co-authors. “Given the increasing prevalence of cannabis use for medical concerns, well-designed studies are needed to assess the effect of cannabis product use on target symptoms and associated adverse medical and psychiatric events, particularly the development of cannabis use disorder (CUD).”

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The single-blind, randomized clinical trial conducted in Massachusetts included 186 participants divided into 2 groups: those immediately granted access to a medical marijuana card, and those delayed access for 12 weeks. Researchers utilized a logistic regression model to estimate the odds ratio (OD) for CUD diagnosis and linear models for continuous outcomes to estimate the mean difference (MD) in symptom score.

Compared with the delayed access group, the immediate access one presented fewer self-rated insomnia symptoms (MD, -2.90; CI -4.31 to 1.51; P<.001) , greater improved mental well-being (MD, 4.67; CI, 2.63-6.71; Cohen d=0.39), and more CUD symptoms (MD, .028, CI, 0.15-0.40; P<.001).  Most of the cases of CUD, evaluated according to the CUD Checklist in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition), were classified as mild.

Patients did not report any significant changes in pain severity, anxiety or depressive symptoms. Despite this, researchers noted that they “did observe an effect of medical marijuana card ownership on mental well-being and perceived stress that may be relevant to these health concerns. This finding deserves follow-up, and the potential risk of CUD should be weighed against the potential benefit to perceived stress and well-being.”

“Those with a primary insomnia concern were unlikely to develop CUD, suggesting a potential clinical utility of cannabinoids for insomnia,” the authors concluded.

Reference

Gilman JM, Schuster RM, Potter KW, et al. Effect of medical marijuana card ownership on pain, insomnia, and affective disorder symptoms in adults: a randomized clinical trial. Jama Netw Open. Published online March 18, 2022. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2