There are several states that have made changes to allow for medicinal cannabis use and a recent study by researchers from Johns Hopkins looked at those states and discovered that the cannabis availability is helping to lower pain for older adults and promote overall better health.

The study was conducted by researchers from both Johns Hopkins and Temple University. They were seeking to quantify the effects of legalized medicinal cannabis laws on both the labor supply and health of older adults.

It discovered that because the cannabis was helping to reduce pain it was increasing the ability of people to work longer and more efficiently, and is also increased their overall standard of wellness, promoting better health.

Researchers suggest that these benefits might be most prevalent with older adults and that shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as this is the crowd that's greatly driving the cannabis market. There are many people suffering from a myriad of illnesses and their freedom to explore the potential for cannabis to offer help should be respected.

There is a great deal of research continually being conducted on cannabis, investigating the potential for benefit and wellness that it might provide. However, it's reported that older adults have been largely underrepresented in most medical cannabis trials.

Cannabis is the most commonly used "drug" among older adults today.

Researchers suggest that over the last 15+ years, the older adult population has largely been responsible for the growing prevalence of cannabis use. And researchers have found that for older adults who opt for cannabis that they have also been more likely to be unmarried, have multiple chronic diseases, and suffer from psychological stress.

We continue to see cannabis legalization growing more prevalent, though there are still many arrests being made throughout the United States and elsewhere.

Last year, it's estimated that someone in the United States purchased cannabis every 8 seconds.

There are many states that have been attempting to decriminalize, or legalize cannabis use for either recreational or medicinal purposes though they might not have been successful so far. At some point, you might find that every state in the U.S. has made way for broadened cannabis acceptance in some way.

As federal rules remain however, restricting activity involving this substance, medical research on the topic has also been stiffled because of it. But that could change soon. Just recently, a bipartisan group of Congress members issued a letter that demands protection for any educational institution that wants to study cannabis.

Those Congress members have asked the government not to punish any universities that might pursue research on cannabis, by attempting to withhold federal educational funding.

Previous surveys have found that more than 50 percent of the United States is in support of cannabis legalization in some form, though there have been some decriminalization efforts as well. Who knows how long it might be until we see federal restrictions unravel as well and adapt into a whole new set of restrictions surrounding this substance, in an attempt to further fuel the illusion of freedom.

Sources:
https://dailyhive.com/grow/cannabis-helps-older-adults-work-study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6024284/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomaspellechia/2019/02/01/in-2018-u-s-consumers-ordered-cannabis-every-8-seconds/#5e7e6d2b322e
https://www.civilized.life/articles/let-universities-study-cannabis-say-members-of-congress/
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/08/americans-support-marijuana-legalization/

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