Canadian CANNAINVESTOR Magazine Canadian Publicly Traded April / May 2019 | Page 247

addition to reporting less pain! A total of 204 elderly patients over 75 years old, had been prescribed medical cannabis for pain, and 70% of those patients reported symptom relief. Of which, 50% reported reduction in chronic pain, 18% reported sleep benefits, and 15% reported an improvement in neuropathic pain. Only 3% of those studied stopped taking medical cannabis due to side effects they had. Consistent with the Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine report that majority of those using cannabis would not decrease its use.

There are countless studies currently underway or that have concluded recently. For example, some seniors are concerned with the lack of data in relation to the interaction with other medications, such as allergy, diabetes, heart, and cholesterol medications to name a few. Which has led the Ontario Long Term Care Association to conduct a six-month pilot program involving 500 seniors at many long-term care facilities across Ontario. The program will track patients and the effects cannabis has on them. The organization hopes to create guidelines that could become a provincewide tool in long-term care facilities. Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED, NYSE: CGC) is supporting this study. A similar study of up to 1000 participants has recently commenced by Tilray (NASDAQ: TLRY), examining the impact of cannabis on sleep, pain and quality of life in patients over 50 years old.

Here are a few other studies reported in the media for reference (click on the links below for more information). There are a ton more, so doing a quick Google search is advised if you want to read on more developments with research as it relates to the elderly.

Hebrew University and the Ben Gurion University of Negrev – Israel: Study assed the use of therapeutic cannabis in patients over 65 years of age that suffer from chronic pain or cancer.

University of Bonn – Germany: Effects on cognitive performance in elderly patients.

NBC News – New York: Video on medical cannabis and the elderly and its impact on chronic pain, and reduction of opioid use.

One of the main issue with using cannabis for the elderly is of course, the cost. But with many insurance providers coming on board recently for private health benefits plans (Great-West Life and Manulife, for example), it is only a matter of time before the government implements some sort of program to assist seniors in obtaining medical cannabis at a reasonable cost, if not no cost at all.

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