A New Study Finds Feeling 'High' Enhances Symptom Relief In Medical Cannabis Patients

A new study conducted by researchers at The University of New Mexico, in collaboration with the Releaf App, shed light on the role of feeling 'high' in medical cannabis patient outcomes.

About The Study

Titled "Understanding Feeling 'High' and Its Role in Medical Cannabis Patient Outcomes," the study, published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, examined data from nearly 2,000 patients who recorded over 16,000 medical cannabis administration sessions using cannabis flowers.

The study revealed that 49% of participants reported feeling 'high' during these sessions.

Interestingly, feeling 'high' was found to be strongly correlated with both positive and negative side effects.

Patients who reported feeling 'high' experienced a 7.7% increase in symptom relief and reported positive side effects such as feeling 'relaxed' and 'peaceful.' However, there was also a more than 20% increase in negative side effects reported.

Jacob Vigil, senior author and associate professor of psychology, emphasized the importance of investigating the concept of feeling 'high,' according to the University of New Mexico Newsroom.

He stated that feeling 'high' is often associated with impairment and euphoria in the scientific literature. "Typically, feeling ‘high’ is assumed to be the goal of recreational use, but a limitation to cannabis’ therapeutic potential. In this paper, we test the validity of this assumption and find that feeling ‘high’ may be an unavoidable component of using cannabis medicinally.”

Findings

• The study's findings indicated that feeling high was strongly correlated with greater symptom relief, even after controlling for factors such as THC and CBD levels, dose and mode of consumption. This suggests that feeling high could be a fundamental component of effective cannabis treatment. However, it should be noted that being high was also associated with negative side effects, including feeling clumsy, confused, dizzy, foggy and paranoid.
• It further revealed that THC levels were the most significant predictor of feeling high while using a vaporizer reduced the likelihood of experiencing this sensation.
• Additionally, higher THC levels increased symptom relief only if the patient felt high. THC also remained an independent predictor of negative side effects.

Lead author and associate professor of Economics, Sarah Stith, emphasized the complexity of using cannabis as medicine. She highlighted the variability of cannabis products and patient profiles, emphasizing the need for highly customized treatments rather than standardized dosing.

Recommendations & Conclusions

The study recommends that clinicians recognize the significance of being high in medical cannabis treatment while cautioning the cannabis industry against pursuing higher THC levels due to increased negative side effects without necessarily improving symptom relief.

Clinicians and policymakers should be aware of the association between feeling high, improved symptom relief and increased negative side effects, and adjust treatment outcomes based on factors like mode of consumption, product potency, and dose, researchers recommended.

Finally, future research should investigate the relationship between feeling high and patient outcomes with different cannabis products and explore the role of phytochemicals beyond THC and CBD, concluded the study.

Image Credits: Africa Studio on Shutterstock Edited By Benzinga