Young adults in the US are turning to cannabis to manage chronic pain, according to a Harris Poll for the Samueli Foundation.

The online survey of 2,063 adults conducted in September found 22% of respondents aged 18-34 who experienced chronic pain reported using cannabis and/or CBD oil to manage it.

In comparison, only 11% of those aged 45 and over reported doing so.

Executive director of integrative health programs at Samueli Foundation Wayne Jonas MD said: “We know cannabis and CBD can be effective in treating pain that stems from various conditions, such as cancer.”

However, he warned there was insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of CBD and cannabis in treating common chronic pain conditions. 

“Instead, young people should be working with their physicians to first try non-drug treatments that are recommended by the medical community, such as massage therapy, yoga, physical therapy, and exercise,” he added.

Meanwhile, a second Harris Poll on behalf of Retail Brew found two-thirds of 2,097 respondents in the US (66%) believed recreational cannabis should be federally legalised, with support for legalising medicinal use at a whopping 84%. 

Only 40% of those surveyed said they had bought a cannabis product, with the most popular recreational products being flowers and gummies (64%), followed by edibles/drinks (60%).

However, among those who had never made purchase, only 29% said they were more open to buying or trying it as more states move to legalise, with 34% saying “never”. 

Prior to launching Cannabiz, Martin was co-founder and CEO of Asia-Pac’s leading B2B media and marketing information brand Mumbrella, overseeing its sale to Diversified Communications in 2017. A journalist...

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