OBJECTIVE
As our knowledge and understanding of the therapeutic role of cannabis evolve through increased research, cannabis products are increasingly being used as a treatment for several medical conditions. Recent evidence suggests that cannabis may exert anxiolytic effects, which has led to considerable interest in using cannabis for the management of anxiety. Accordingly, there is a need to examine the effect of cannabis use on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with anxiety. The aim of this observational study was to measure the HRQoL for 1 year of 60 participants who used medical cannabis products primarily to manage their anxiety symptoms.

METHODS
We conducted a prospective, open-label observational study between April 2015 and April 2019. Patients from several Canadian specialized medical cannabis clinics were recruited by their physicians to participate in the study. At baseline, all participants were required to register online through a digital platform; thereafter, they were asked to complete a series of self-report questionnaires every 30 days throughout the duration of the study. The 36-Item Short Form Health Survey was used to measure HRQoL among the 60 participants.

RESULTS
Our study findings suggest that cannabis use over the course of 1 year was associated with an increase in the vitality dimension of mental HRQoL and a decrease in physical functioning in adults with self-reported anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights the importance of examining changes in HRQoL among patients using cannabis products for specific psychological and medical conditions. It also underscores the need for additional, larger studies to further examine the specific cannabis products used to manage anxiety.