Analysis: Medical Cannabis Associated With Reduced Healthcare Utilization in Chronic Pain Patients

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July 25, 2025

Miami, FL: The sustained use of state-authorized medical cannabis products is associated with improved quality of life and reduced healthcare utilization among chronic pain patients, according to data published in the journal Pharmacy.

A team of researchers affiliated with the medical cannabis telehealth company Leafwell and George Mason University in Virginia assessed healthcare utilization trends in chronic pain patients with and without prior medical cannabis experience. An estimated one in three pain patients residing in medical cannabis access states report using marijuana as an analgesic agent.

Investigators determined that patients who had used medical cannabis products during the prior year reported fewer urgent care visits, fewer emergency department visits, and fewer “unhealthy days per month” than did those with no prior cannabis use history.

“The findings of this study suggest … that medical cannabis is likely an effective treatment option for patients with chronic pain,” the study’s authors concluded. “Moreover, we found that, in addition to an increase in QoL [patients’ quality of life], medical cannabis exposure is associated with lower risk of urgent care and ED visits, when comparing patients who used medical cannabis for at least one year to cannabis-naïve patients. This underscores the potential for not only QoL gains associated with medical cannabis use, but also positive downstream effects on the healthcare system resulting from treatment.”

A prior analysis by Leafwell researchers concluded that state-level access to medical cannabis is associated with significant reductions in healthcare premiums. 

Full text of the study, “Medical cannabis use and healthcare utilization among patients with chronic pain: A causal inference analysis using TMLE,” appears in Pharmacy. Additional information on cannabis and pain management is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis & Cannabinoids.