Mental Health-Related Demand for Medical Marijuana Surges
The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and other intense current events of the past year has led an increased number of individuals to seek medical cannabis for mental health reasons, displacing chronic pain as the main reason for medical cannabis use, according to a study published this week.
The national study was conducted by Veriheal, a healthcare technology company that provides marijuana education and connects prospective patients with medical marijuana prescribers, along with the London School of Economics, the University of Southern California, the University of Maryland, and the Cultivating Research Education and Advocacy (CREA) Group. Findings were presented at the American Chemical Society’s recent national conference.
The study looked at medical cannabis interest and adoption according to Veriheal’s telemedicine platform in relation to COVID-19 cases as reported by the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker. Of the patients studied, 55% said their main reason for using marijuana was “to feel happy.” Patients’ desire to feel “happy” increased 46% year-over-year. Sign-ups for medical cannabis consultations and appointments (which represent adoption) rose in tandem with COVID-19 case spikes, along with periods around Black Lives Matter-related protests during Summer 2020, the pre-election period, and around the time of turmoil at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021.
“Medical cannabis has traditionally been viewed as an alternative treatment for relieving physical pain and chronic ailments,” Maha Haq, CEO of CREA and a graduate student at the University of Maryland’s School of Pharmacy, said in a news release.
“That most people are actually looking to the plant to ease psychological stressors, often related to external social upheaval, is an incredibly important discovery that helps medical professionals better understand evolving consumer relationships with cannabis, and from there, improve the quality of their treatment and related mental healthcare programs.”
