Despite endless accusations that medical marijuana programs are chalk full of fakers just looking for an easy fix, evidence is mounting that MMJ is a legitimate treatment for a wide variety of ailments. In fact, a recent survey found that 92% of California medical marijuana patients reported that marijuana successfully alleviates chronic pain and, among other things, symptoms of arthritis, migraines, and cancer.
“Our study contradicts commonly held beliefs that medical marijuana is being overused by healthy individuals,” the researchers explain.
The results were reported by the California Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which surveyed 7,525 California adults.
The survey did find that, though there are similar rates of medical marijuana usage between men and women, younger generations are more likely than older generations to use medical marijuana. Nonetheless, the researchers explained, “Our study’s results lend support to the idea that medical marijuana is used equally by many groups of people and is not exclusively used by any one specific group.”
“The most common reasons for use include medical conditions for which mainstream treatments may not exist, such as for migraines, or may not be effective, including for chronic pain and cancer,” the authors write. The survey also concluded that approximately five percent of California adults have used medical marijuana to treat a “serious medical condition.”
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