Changes in health-related quality of life over the first three months of medical marijuana use

Background

The psychosocial impact of medical marijuana use is not yet known. This study evaluated short-term changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over the first three months of medical marijuana use.

Methods

This prospective, observational, longitudinal study followed adults newly recommended for medical marijuana by a physician for any of the more than 20 qualifying medical conditions in Pennsylvania. Participants (N = 438) provided their clinical status and demographic information, and completed semi-structured interviews prior to medical marijuana initiation (baseline) and at three months. HRQoL was assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36). Paired-samples t-tests evaluated changes in HRQoL over time.

Results

Participants (M age = 46.4 years [15.6]; 66.4% female) were mostly commonly referred for medical marijuana to treat anxiety disorders (61.9%) or severe chronic or intractable pain (53.6%). Participants reported rapid and significant improvements in all of the domains of HRQoL from baseline to three months after initiating medical marijuana use (physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health problems, emotional well-being, role limitations due to emotional problems, bodily pain, social functioning, energy/fatigue and general health, P P P P Conclusions

Gains were observed in all HRQoL domains assessed after three months of medical marijuana use. In several domains, age was a significant predictor of degree of improvement.