Covid-19 leads to spike in demand for medical cannabis

A new survey suggests a spike in demand for medical cannabis during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Data collected by US-based cannabis media outlet Way of Leaf suggest patients needed access ‘more in the past 12 months’ compared to other years.

The company surveyed MMJ cardholders to understand how patients’ relationships with medical products had altered during the public health crisis.

Overall, 70 percent of those questioned reported needing more product and one in three said they had used it to treat stress and anxiety.

Way of Leaf content director Dylan Baker said: “The survey data is interesting, to say the least.

“It’s clear the pandemic has produced heightened levels of stress and anxiety, and far more people than we expected are looking to medical cannabis as a potential outlet for relief.”

The survey also found 85 percent of participants felt ‘confident or very confident’ that medical cannabis could help with their specific condition.

However, less than half said they were satisfied with current MMJ card application processes used in some US states.

Baker said: “People have stress and anxiety from the pandemic, they’re wanting to use doctor-guided cannabis to cope, but they’re not satisfied with current MMJ card application processes in their state.”