Patient Survey Links Medical Cannabis Use With Self-Reported Quality-of-Life Improvements
A 2023 survey of medical cannabis patients in Greece found that many participants reported improvements in symptoms, sleep, appetite, energy, and their ability to carry out professional duties. The findings, published in the conference proceedings GeNeDis 2022: Neuroscientific Advances, describe patients’ experiences but do not establish that cannabis caused those improvements.
Researchers from the University of West Attica surveyed 100 people receiving medical cannabis and assessed their health-related quality of life using the SF-36 Health Survey. Fifty-eight percent of participants were receiving cannabis for neurological disorders. Among the reported responses, 96 percent said their symptoms had decreased, 88 percent said they were better able to perform their professional duties, 79 percent reported improved sleep, 71 percent reported improved appetite, and 68 percent reported greater energy and vitality.
Participants who had been receiving medical cannabis for longer periods also reported higher energy and vitality, along with better mental and general health scores. Because the study was based on a single survey of patients already using cannabis, however, the results cannot show whether longer treatment produced those changes. Other factors—including the underlying condition, previous treatment, symptom fluctuations, and patients’ expectations—could also have influenced the responses.
The survey also examined whether patients disclosed their cannabis use. Eighty-five percent said they had told family members, and 93 percent of those participants reported receiving family support. Disclosure was less common in broader social settings: 81 percent said they had not told their social environment, including people in settings such as the workplace. The pattern suggests that stigma or concerns about disclosure remained relevant for many respondents.
The study adds patient-reported information to a broader but still mixed evidence base. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, cannabinoids may provide modest benefits for some types of chronic pain and multiple-sclerosis symptoms, while evidence for many other uses remains limited or uncertain. Reported improvements in sleep or daily functioning may also reflect relief from an underlying symptom rather than a direct effect on sleep or work performance.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the cannabis plant as a treatment for any disease. It has approved specific cannabinoid-based medicines, including purified cannabidiol for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, as well as medications containing dronabinol or nabilone for particular indications.
The Greek study therefore supports further research into how regulated cannabis-based medicines may affect quality of life, but it should not be interpreted as proof that medical cannabis improves neurological disorders or job performance. Larger prospective studies and controlled clinical trials are needed to determine which products, doses, and patient groups are most likely to benefit—and to clarify potential risks and side effects.
