91% of Cannabis Users With Chronic Conditions Used It Medicinally During COVID-19
Among 1,466 cannabis users with chronic health conditions during the pandemic, 91% reported using cannabis to manage their condition, most commonly for sleep, pain, headaches, and nausea, despite most lacking a medical recommendation.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Of 1,466 cannabis users with chronic conditions, 90.9% reported using cannabis medicinally. Only 46.1% had a medical card. The most common self-managed symptoms were sleep (69.2%), chronic noncancer pain (49.7%), acute pain (46.5%), headaches/migraines (39.0%), muscle spasms (33.6%), nausea/vomiting (30.6%), and appetite stimulation (29.9%). The most common comorbidities were mental health-related (66.1%) and pain (58.5%).
Key Numbers
n=1,466; mean age 47.1 years; 90.9% used cannabis medicinally; 46.1% had medical card; 4.6% received professional recommendation for COVID-19; sleep 69.2%, chronic pain 49.7%, acute pain 46.5%, headaches 39.0%, muscle spasms 33.6%, nausea 30.6%, appetite 29.9%.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional analysis of the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study, an ongoing survey of adults who self-report cannabis use. Data from 1,466 responses collected March 2020 to March 2022 from participants reporting both cannabis use and a chronic health condition.
Why This Research Matters
This study reveals the scale of unsupervised self-medication with cannabis for chronic conditions. That over 90% of cannabis users with chronic illness use it medicinally, mostly without medical guidance, highlights a major gap between patient behavior and healthcare oversight.
The Bigger Picture
The pandemic may have accelerated existing trends toward self-medication with cannabis. The high prevalence of medicinal use without professional guidance raises questions about safety, efficacy, and the role healthcare systems should play in supporting patients who are already using cannabis.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-selected sample of cannabis users limits generalizability. No control group to compare outcomes with non-cannabis users. Self-reported benefits are subjective and not verified. Data collected during the pandemic may reflect atypical patterns. Cannot determine whether cannabis actually helped manage reported symptoms.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would these patients benefit from medical oversight of their cannabis use?
- ?Are they achieving better outcomes than they would with conventional treatments?
- ?How should healthcare systems respond to the reality that most cannabis users with chronic conditions are self-medicating?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 91% of cannabis users with chronic conditions used it medicinally, but only 46% had a medical card
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate: Large sample capturing real-world self-medication patterns, but self-selected cannabis user sample and subjective self-reports limit conclusions about efficacy.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2025 with data from March 2020 to March 2022.
- Original Title:
- Chronic Disease Symptoms Self-Managed by Cannabis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study.
- Published In:
- Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 10(4), 558-568 (2025)
- Authors:
- O'Dell, Nicole, Baral, Amrit(4), Reid, Marvin, Diggs, Bria-Necole A, Islam, Jessica Y, Camacho-Rivera, Marlene, Ortega, Johis, Vidot, Denise C
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07268
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that most users lacked a medical card?
Over half of participants who used cannabis to manage chronic conditions did not have a medical cannabis card or physician recommendation. This means they were self-diagnosing and self-treating without medical oversight, which raises both safety and efficacy concerns.
Did cannabis actually help these patients?
The study captured patient perceptions, not clinical outcomes. Participants reported using cannabis for specific symptoms, but the study cannot verify whether cannabis was actually effective for those symptoms. Controlled clinical trials would be needed to determine efficacy.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07268APA
O'Dell, Nicole; Baral, Amrit; Reid, Marvin; Diggs, Bria-Necole A; Islam, Jessica Y; Camacho-Rivera, Marlene; Ortega, Johis; Vidot, Denise C. (2025). Chronic Disease Symptoms Self-Managed by Cannabis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study.. Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 10(4), 558-568. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2023.0234
MLA
O'Dell, Nicole, et al. "Chronic Disease Symptoms Self-Managed by Cannabis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study.." Cannabis and cannabinoid research, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1089/can.2023.0234
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Chronic Disease Symptoms Self-Managed by Cannabis During the..." RTHC-07268. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/o-dell-2025-chronic-disease-symptoms-selfmanaged
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.