Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine conducted one of the first studies of COVID-19 impacts on access to chronic pain treatment and medical cannabis and published the findings in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
The researchers conducted semi-structured qualitative telephone interviews from March through May 2020 with a convenience sample of 14 participants. Participants included both frequent and infrequent cannabis consumers. Interview questions addressed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily life, symptoms, medical cannabis purchase, and use.
The participants’ median age was 49 years old. Nine participants were female, four were Hispanic, four were non-Hispanic White, and four were non-Hispanic Black. Five participants had significant insomnia. Four participants experienced moderate to severe anxiety, and six reported moderate to severe symptoms of depression. Over half of the participants reported occasional to frequent medical cannabis use.
Three main themes from data analysis revealed that the pandemic disrupted access to health services, obstacles to obtaining medical cannabis, and pain’s impact on social isolation and mental health. Social distancing and pandemic lockdowns forced participants to decrease or stop medical cannabis consumption, and some substituted medical cannabis with unregulated cannabis. Participants reported that living with chronic pain had two influences on their pandemic experiences: pain prepared them for the challenges of the pandemic, but it also made the pandemic more difficult.
Many chronic pain patients have turned to medical cannabis to manage symptoms that can be debilitating. Many patients prefer to use a less-addictive alternative to opioid-based treatments. One study found that medical cannabis use results in a 51% decrease in opioid prescriptions.
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified pre-existing challenges and obstacles to conventional health care and medical cannabis for individuals with chronic pain. The findings may inform policy development on supporting chronic pain patients in future public health emergencies.
Source: Journal of Cannabis Research