Health and Medicine, New Zealand (Commonwealth Union) – In recent years, the landscape surrounding cannabis has undergone a significant transformation. What was once considered a taboo substance is now experiencing a shift in perception and acceptance.
Cannabis use particularly for recreational purposes has always been polarizing issues with many governments across the world classifying it as dangerous drug. The herb remains illegal in most parts of the world with some countries and states within countries completely legalizing them and, in some nations, they have been made legal for medical purposes.
A recent New Zealand study on cannabis may change perceptions and possibly bring in a policy shift and change in attitude towards the herb.
The study focused on the therapeutic advantages of cannabis added to the expanding body of proof that it displays a positive impact on pain, sleeplessness and anxiety.
From the 213 individuals in the research who were consuming cannabis for therapeutic purposes, nearly 96% stated that consuming cannabis assisted them with many conditions, and 49% stated that they could lower, or entirely halt their prescription medicine.
The study, had researchers from the University of Otago, Victoria University, and the University of Auckland join hands, that had the goal of evaluating an individual’s experiences of consuming cannabis therapeutically, to build up data on the quality of products they were utilizing, their efficacy as well as the type of effects they experienced.
The study co-author Dr Geoff Noller, from the Dunedin School of Medicine, Bioethics Centre, stated that as with many other studies that were done in Aotearoa New Zealand, there was consistent reporting of a good impact on pain relief, sleeplessness together with anxiety.
He indicated that it was consistent with results across multiple studies in New Zealand and across the world.
Across the sample, 96% of participants stated that cannabis consumption assisted them. The most frequent themes for therapeutic efficacy were pain management, with 96% of participants stating that cannabis assisted, difficulty sleeping (97%) as well as mental health problems (98%). From the participants that consumed cannabis for other reasons, like autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder as well as eating difficulties, 98% had noted that consuming cannabis assisted them.
Dr Noller indicated that a significant finding of the study was that participants either reduced or halted their utilization of prescribed medicines, that was mostly opioid based.
“This both reinforces that they experienced some actual effect from using cannabis in that they ceased or decreased other medications with recognised efficacy, and in the case of many of these other medications, they reduced their use of potentially more problematic medications. Opioids, for example, have well known issues in terms of dependence and other negative side effects.”
The researchers pointed out that they were not indicating of doing away with prescribed medicines, nor that it should be an “either/or” decision.
“There is a place for both approaches with the results of this study suggesting that cannabis products could have a role in treating patients with chronic pain and other conditions refractory to treatment by conventional means,” said Dr Noller.
But this depended on an economical and widely available medicinal cannabis system. A prior study Dr Noller was engaged in demonstrated that most people who utilized cannabis for therapeutic reasons sourced it via illicit means as a result of the barriers to legal sourcing.
“At present, current regulations (both for medicinal cannabis and drug checking) appear to be creating problems for many New Zealanders who otherwise report positive benefits from their use of medicinal cannabis.”
Dr Noller further indicated that the policies right now need evaluation specifically those associated with the current medicinal cannabis scheme that forms blockades to access. He also pointed out that further real-world research is required.
