Survey reveals 84% of patients using medical marijuana strongly agree that cannabis provides relief from their symptoms, mainly chronic pain, anxiety, stress and insomnia
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — HelloMD, a leading digital healthcare platform for medical marijuana patients, recently released the results of a new study which gathered key demographic information and questioned patients about medical reasons for cannabis use, use and purchase preferences and social perceptions. The company believes this to be the largest, and most comprehensive, medical marijuana patient survey conducted to date.
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Among the findings; 66% of respondents use cannabis as the primary treatment modality for their medical issue at hand, with 64% reporting daily cannabis use. Very few patients reported negative consequences of cannabis use, with most reporting beneficial side effects (over and above the intended effect), and over 96% of patients likely to recommend cannabis use to friends, family or others seeking improved health and/or wellbeing. This type of advocacy indicates a changing social acceptance and that medical marijuana is becoming more conventional, more mainstream, and moving beyond the recreational subset that once dominated the market.
The study found that the most common conditions being treated by medical marijuana include chronic pain, anxiety, stress and insomnia, with 84% of respondents strongly agreeing that cannabis provides them with relief from their symptoms. Respondents reported beneficial side effects of relaxation, mood elevation, better sleep, and replacement for the use of alcohol or as a libido or sexual enhancement.
HelloMD CEO and co-founder, Mark Hadfield, comments, "It's not surprising that people are using cannabis for symptomatic relief of a variety of medical complaints, from the seriously ill, to more common complaints like anxiety, stress and insomnia. Almost without exception the experience is reportedly overwhelmingly positive."
He continues, "The data collected in this study strongly supports the notion that a new demographic of cannabis user has been born. This population is substantial to the extent of eclipsing the recreational cannabis user. Frustratingly, the prevailing perception of a medical marijuana patient is that of a masquerading recreational user, which couldn't be further from the truth. These are real patients finding measurable relief with use of medical marijuana."
When asked questions concerning preferences on strains, dosage, and general consumer education as it relates to dosage, THC, and psychoactive effects, the responses were varied. While consumer sales data indicates a significant rise in the amount of edibles sold, and many new product entrants are being created as edibles, tinctures and topical creams or oils, key findings show:
- 71% of people still favor smoking cannabis, and 66% enjoy vaporizing it
- Edibles make up 48% of the market with tinctures and topicals at 16% and 13% respectively
- Younger people prefer to smoke or vaporize, while the use of topicals and tinctures increase with age
Surprisingly, despite the obvious importance of dosing, a full 29% of those surveyed are not aware of the dosage they typically consume. The data found in the study supported, however, the new trend of 'micro-dosing,' with 25% that prefer to consume less than 10mg of THC in a single dose.
"Cannabis has a real potential to make a significant impact on the betterment of society," said Hadfield. "There is no denying the growing demand for cannabis as a wellness solution, and HelloMD is proud to be at the forefront of the industry."
Methodology
The survey was conducted online, and canvassed more than 1,400 medical marijuana patients between the ages of 18 and 80. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of31 questions, all of which were either binary choices or multi-select.
There was a final text box for patients to leave comments. The answers were collected over a period of seven days during January 2016. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Michael Litchfield at michael@hellomd.com.
About HelloMD
HelloMD is the leading digital healthcare platform for medical cannabis patients. We provide easy, convenient access to medical marijuana doctors for medical cannabis recommendations, product and advice and more.
For more information visit: https://www.hellomd.com/
Media Contacts
Michael Litchfield / Jennifer Price
Email
T: 415-793-6618 / 609-638-2558