Seniors say cannabis helps with pain & sleep

This study looked at 9,766 older adults' use of medical cannabis in Canada from 2014 to 2020 and was published in December 2021 in the journal Drugs & Aging. 

All participants were at least age 65 and their average age was 73. Two-thirds used medical cannabis for pain, and 60% were women. After intake, participants completed follow-up after 90 days. The most common product used was CBD oil with little to no THC (84%).

Additionally, 36% reported they reduced their dose of opioids while 20% reduced their dose of benzodiazepines. Reported adverse side effects were dry mouth (13%), drowsiness (9%), or dizziness (4%).

The authors summary of reported effectiveness:

"Users reported improved pain [73%], sleep [65%], and mood [53%] symptoms at follow-up after cannabis use."

The full-text paper is here at Springer Link.