I support medical cannabis in principle. I don’t use it myself, but I know several people who could probably benefit from it. And yet, I often cringe when I read studies that appear to be desperate attempts to draw some sort of positive correlation between medical cannabis and human health. One such study I recently read involved mental health among seniors.
After reading a summary of the study and its results, I understood what the authors were trying to convey. Nonetheless, touting this particular study as proof that medical cannabis is a good thing would be a stretch, at best. That has not stopped pro cannabis media outlets from reporting on it.
Such reporting can be as frustrating as it is informative. Medical cannabis can stand on its own merits. It is proving helpful to millions of Americans on a daily basis. What medical cannabis doesn’t need are researchers seemingly grasping for straws in an attempt to make any positive connection they can.
More About the Study
The previously mentioned study was conducted by the Cato Institute using data from the New York Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a system that continually collects data on public health via surveys. Cato Institute researchers were particularly interested in survey data gathered between 2011 and 2021.
The premise was to better understand how access to medical cannabis impacts mental health. Focusing on seniors aged 65 and older, here is what they found:
- Cannabis availability was not linked to poor mental health within the general population.
- Living within 30 minutes of a medical cannabis dispensary did not increase the incidents of self-reported poor mental health.
- Seniors living within 30 minutes of a dispensary reported better mental health than their counterparts not living so close to dispensaries.
Researchers point to the possibility of using medical cannabis for pain relief as a primary reason seniors living within close proximity of a medical cannabis pharmacy report better mental health. I am no scientist, but that seems like a stretch.
A Meaningless Factor
This particular study only looked at medical cannabis availability in terms of a person’s location relative to a cannabis pharmacy. That one factor alone is meaningless. In order to understand why, let’s leave New York and talk about Utah.
According to Utahmarijuana.org, the Beehive state has just 15 licensed medical cannabis pharmacies to serve the entire population. All but one are located in metropolitan areas. Guess what else is found in metropolitan areas? Plenty of opportunities to shop, take in the arts, enjoy sporting events, and so forth. General access to medical care is also more abundant in metropolitan areas.
It would be no surprise to learn that people with more access to the things that make them happy would report better mental health. At the same time, you may have a medical cannabis user living in rural Utah, a user that needs to drive for an hour or more to get to a pharmacy. That person might report excellent mental health because he loves living in rural Utah.
We Need Better Data
As I said at the beginning of this post, I support medical cannabis in principle. I also appreciate sound clinical data that actually proves something. When I read studies like the Cato Institute research, I cannot help but think that we need better data than what some of these studies are offering.
Does medical cannabis actually improve mental health among seniors? I can’t tell based on the Cato research. The link researchers established doesn’t have any real value. I guess I should go look for better studies.
