A new survey report indicates the primary reasons Americans are using cannabis in relation to health and wellness.
Conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of cannabis company Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., a survey conducted online among nearly 2,000 U.S. adults ages 21+ indicated 91% of participants who have ever consumed cannabis have done so for the reasons of “health and wellness”.
Among the reasons, the most common were:
- to relax (52%)
- to help with sleep (49%)
- to reduce stress (44%)
- to reduce anxiety (41%)
But based on those reasons, it could also be argued consumption of alcohol for many is for “health and wellness” reasons, even though in the case of alcohol it can actually make the issues a consumer is seeking to address far worse if abused. No doubt among some cannabis users, the long term impacts can be the same.
Anyway, there appears to be very healthy interest in using cannabis and other options considered as “holistic” as opposed to conventional pharmaceuticals. 75% of Americans say they would prefer holistic solutions over pharmaceuticals to treat a medical issue when possible, with 62% of people identifying cannabis as the preferred choice.
Among those who had used cannabis as an alternative and/or as an adjunct to pharmaceutical treatments, 88% felt it improved their overall well-being and 86% of those who have consumed cannabis for health or wellness reasons would recommend it to a friend or family member for the same purposes.
Commenting on the survey results, Clinical Cannabis Pharmacist for Curaleaf New York Dr. Stacia Woodcock said:
“Educating consumers on how cannabis can be leveraged to support everyday health and wellness needs is critical to destigmatizing the plant and providing consumers with more choices to best fit their personal lifestyle”.
Dr. Woodcock also noted there are many cannabis formulations with minimal intoxicating effects.
The intoxicating effects are primarily associated with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). But there are many cannabinoids in cannabis – and the most popular non-intoxicating compound for health and wellness applications is cannabidiol; more commonly referred to as CBD.
Full results of The Harris Poll survey can be found here.
