Older Adults in UK Cannabis Registry Report Better Pain, Mood and Sleep After Three Months

A 2024 study of UK patients prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products found that adults aged 65 and older reported improvements in pain, general health, mood, sleep and overall quality of life after three months of treatment. The findings come from an observational analysis of data published in Drugs & Aging by researchers from Drug Science and Imperial College London.

The study used records from T21, a UK registry that collected real-world information from people seeking prescribed cannabis. Researchers compared older patients—defined as those aged 65 and above—with younger adults and examined changes in self-reported health and well-being between treatment entry and a three-month follow-up.

At the beginning of treatment, the researchers had data from 4,228 patients, including 198 older adults. Follow-up information was available for 2,455 patients, of whom 98 were aged 65 or older. Among the older participants with follow-up data, scores improved across measures of quality of life, perceived general health, mood and sleep.

Older patients also reported less severe pain and less disruption from pain. Measures of depressed mood and sleep difficulties improved as well. However, the researchers found that sleep improvements were greater among younger patients than among those aged 65 and older.

The older participants differed from the younger group in several important ways. They were more likely to be women and to identify pain as their primary condition. They were also more likely to be taking multiple prescription medicines, while being less likely to report daily cannabis use before entering the study.

Prescribing patterns differed by age, too. Older patients received fewer cannabis-based products on average and were more likely to receive cannabidiol-dominant oils. Younger patients were more likely to receive products dominated by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, including cannabis flower.

These findings should be interpreted cautiously. T21 was an observational registry rather than a randomized clinical trial, so it cannot establish that cannabis caused the reported improvements. Patients chose to pursue treatment, there was no untreated comparison group, and fewer participants completed the three-month assessment than entered the study. Self-reported outcomes can also be influenced by expectations, changes in other treatments or the natural course of an illness.

The results nevertheless add useful information about a group that has often been underrepresented in cannabis research. Older adults may have chronic pain, several medical conditions and complex medication regimens, making questions about side effects and drug interactions especially important. The NHS guidance on medical cannabis notes that cannabis-based medicines can cause effects such as dizziness, fatigue and mood changes, and that CBD and THC may affect how other medicines work.

In the UK, cannabis-based products for medicinal use can be prescribed only in specific clinical circumstances and generally under the supervision of a specialist. The government’s medicinal-cannabis resources provide background on prescribing and regulation.

Overall, the T21 analysis suggests that older adults prescribed cannabis-based medicines experienced meaningful short-term improvements in several aspects of well-being. It does not show that medical cannabis is effective or appropriate for every older patient. Larger controlled studies, longer follow-up and closer monitoring of adverse effects and medication interactions are needed to clarify its benefits and risks.