Greek study: Quality of life of patients receiving medical cannabis
Another study looking at the quality of life of patients using medical cannabis found that the majority of them benefited from it, this time in patients with neurological disorders.
In this study conducted by researchers from the Department of Nursing at the University of Western Attica, Athens, Greece, one hundred patients who had used medical cannabis answered a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, as well as on the SF-36 quality of life scale. There RAND Corporation developed the SF-36 health survey in 1992 and has used it widely ever since.
Researchers found that the majority of participants using medical cannabis to treat neurological conditions (58%) reported.
- a decrease in their symptoms (96%)
- improved energy and vitality (68%)
- an ability to perform their professional tasks (88%)
- improved sleep (79%) and appetite (71%)
Participants who reported a longer period of medical cannabis use also reported a statistically significant increase in energy and vitality, as well as improved mental and general health. .
Medical cannabis has been subject to a lot of stigma. How do these patients manage the disclosure of their consumption to those around them?
The study found that the majority of patients (85%) disclosed their medical cannabis use to family members. It is important to note that 93% of them were supported by their family members in their decision. But outside the family unit, 81% did not reveal their treatment to other members of their entourage.
In 2017, the Greek government legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes on medical prescription, and the following year it lifted the ban on its cultivation or production for duly authorized parties. However, it was not until the beginning of this year that the first production facility of medical cannabis in Greece started working. The lack of production, combined with the ban on the import of cannabis products, means that many patients still have access to medicines containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) through illicit routes, although there is a market important legal for other cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD).
Along the same lines, an Australian study (Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria) published at the beginning of the year and evaluating the quality of life of thousands of patients suffering from various pathologies* and consuming medical cannabis found that patients reported improvements significant compared to the starting situation on the 8 aspects of the SF-36, and that these improvements were maintained for the most part over time.
