Sickle cell disease patients who take medical marijuana for pain have fewer hospital visits than others, according to a new US study.
Previous studies have shown that cannabis and cannabinoid products can effectively treat chronic pain, but Dr Susanna Curtis, of the Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center, and her team said they discovered that many patients who were offered medical marijuana told them they were already using illegal cannabis for pain relief.
“Illicit marijuana is not regulated, so its quality and contents are not standardised,” she said. “And particularly for people with sickle cell disease, many of whom identify as black, we know that while black and white people use marijuana at similar rates, black people are four times more likely to be arrested for possession. We didn’t want our patients using unsafe products or being arrested for trying to control the pain of their condition.”
Dr Curtis and her team examined data from 50 individuals with sickle cell disease at the Adult Sickle Cell Program at Yale New Haven Hospital who were certified for medical marijuana use.
Of those certified, 29 obtained medical marijuana and 21 did not. Those who took medical marijuana visited the hospital less frequently on average over the following six months, with several patients reducing their hospital admission rates by three-five visits.
However, taking medical marijuana was not associated with a change in emergency room or infusion centre visits or opioid use, nor was there any change to hospitalisation rates among those who did not take medical marijuana.
The researchers also surveyed patients to try to understand why many were unable to access medical marijuana and why some continued to occasionally use illicit cannabis even after obtaining medical marijuana.
They found that those who took medical marijuana reported they felt it was safer to take than illicit marijuana and that it was effective at pain relief, but they cited barriers, such as greater expense and difficulty of access.
Race and socioeconomic status may also be barriers for patients with sickle cell disease, say the researchers.
“About 80% of our clinic population identifies as black, and another 15% as Latinx, and unfortunately people of colour who visit the hospital with pain are often not believed or accused of being drug-seeking,” said Dr Curtis.
“Medical marijuana is associated with significant stigma, and stigma is already a big part of the life of a person with sickle cell.”
In the study, patients who obtained medical marijuana were more likely to use edible products, rather than inhaled products, which, according to previous research, has a slower onset for pain relief, but is longer lasting than inhaled.
Medical marijuana certification for patients with sickle cell disease: a report of a single center experience. Blood Advances 13 August 2020
https://ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/4/16/3814/461784
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