The use of medical cannabis is associated with significant improvements in overall enjoyment of life, general activity, and physical wellbeing among chronic pain patients, according to the findings of a recent study published by the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Therapeutics.
The study, which was conducted by researchers with the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), analyzed data from more than 6,000 patients registered with the state medical cannabis program.
“Clinical trials typically use only one type and dosage of medical cannabis product, which is not reflective of real-world use,” the researchers wrote. “The use of a state-run medical cannabis program can bridge the gap between clinical research and real-world use of medical cannabis to estimate the benefits of cannabis use on patient symptoms.”
Using data collected between March 2022 and February 2023, the researchers identified patients who reported participating in the medical cannabis program for at least eight months. The researchers then assessed the impact of the patients’ medical cannabis use based on their pain, enjoyment of life, and general activity, or PEG, score.
“Patients in the Minnesota Medical Cannabis Program report decreased interference to life enjoyment and general activity from pain symptoms 4 months after starting medical cannabis,” the researchers wrote, according to a report from online cannabis news outlet Marijuana Moment.
More Than Half of Patients Reported Improved Enjoyment of Life
The researchers determined that 55% patients with moderate-to-severe PEG scores when they enrolled in the program reported an improvement in enjoyment of life of at least 30% within four months of their first medical cannabis purchase. More than half (55%) reported improvements in general activity interference, and 41% reported improvements in their pain scores.
The research also showed that patients with an intractable condition experienced a meaningful improvement in pain symptoms within four months. Perhaps more significantly, even when pain persisted, the use of medical cannabis made life more enjoyable and led to improvements in patients’ general functionality.
The researchers also analyzed the patients’ choices of medical cannabis products, finding that those with high levels of THC:CBD “were the most commonly purchased in all medical cannabis product categories.” Cannabis flower was the most commonly used product type, with cannabis vapes and edibles rounding out the top three product types.
After adjusting for the number of cannabis transactions among patients, however, the researchers determined that “there was no significant difference in reduction of PEG scores between purchasing profiles.”
“Future research on medical cannabis should determine the frequency of use of different products and administration methods to further investigate how cannabis can be used for effective pain management in patients with chronic pain,” they wrote.
Study Follows Research on Patient Outcomes
The study is a tailored review of an OCM report on medical cannabis patient outcomes published last year to comply with state mandates that require the agency to study medical cannabis and report how patients are using it. To complete the report, OCM researchers compiled and analyzed data from patient enrollment, survey results, purchase data, and “symptom and side-effect ratings at the time of each purchase,” according to a February 2025 OCM news release.
“Meaningful pain relief within four months was found among 30.5% of intractable pain patients, 32.9% of chronic pain patients, and 28.3% of cancer pain patients,” the report reads.
“Though these percentages may seem low,” OCM senior research analyst Grace Christensen said at the time, the report’s findings show that “cannabis treatment offers other benefits to patients experiencing pain-related conditions that allows for their pain to be better managed and ultimately improve their quality of life.”
“Many patients report that they have much higher quality sleep when treating their pain with cannabis,” Christensen said, for example. “Getting better sleep often allows for patients to start the day in a better mental and emotional state.”
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