Medical cannabis is a significantly more effective sleep aid than prescription and over-the-counter sleep remedies, according to a survey of medical cannabis patients released on Sunday. The survey of more than 1,000 people who have been using medical cannabis to help them sleep found that nearly 70% of patients reported that cannabis is a better sleep aid than prescription sleeping pills. More than nine out of 10 (91.2%) said medical cannabis was more effective than OTC sleep remedies.

The survey was conducted by Bloomwell Group GmbH, a Frankfurt, Germany-based medical cannabis company. The survey included 1,086 people who have been using cannabis to treat sleep disorders since 2023. The survey is the largest in Europe to date to study the effectiveness of medical cannabis as a sleep aid, Bloomwell reports.

Dr. Julian Wichmann, M.D., managing director of Bloomwell GmbH, says that the survey reveals new insights into sleep disorders and their impact on daily life for the people who struggle with them.

“This survey goes a long way in both legitimizing the severity of sleep disorders and the toll these conditions take on people’s lives, as well as providing real-world patient evidence that medical cannabis is a highly effective treatment,” Wichmann writes in an exclusive statement about the survey.

The findings of the survey revealed that 95% of respondents said sleep disorders place a significant burden on their daily life and work. As a result, almost 93% have tried over-the-counter sleeping aids such as valerian or melatonin, while 83.5% have used prescription sleeping pills.

Nine Of 10 Patients Said Cannabis Is More Effective Than OTC Sleep Aids

When compared to other medical sleep aids, nearly 70% of respondents reported that medical cannabis is more effective at improving sleep quality than other prescription medications, and almost 70% noted fewer side effects. Compared to over-the-counter sleep aids, 91.2% of those surveyed considered medical cannabis to be the more effective option, while only 1.7% disagreed.

“The numbers reveal some truly promising results: almost 70% of patients surveyed found medical cannabis to be more effective than prescription sleeping pills, and more than 91% say medical cannabis is more effective than over-the-counter sleeping pills,” Wichmann writes, adding, that “70% noted fewer side effects with medical cannabis, and nearly 86% of medical cannabis patients dealing with sleep disorders reported an improved quality of life.”

The survey also found that 95% of patients believe medical cannabis is a highly effective treatment for their sleep disorders. Almost 86% of respondents reported an improved quality of life, while 80% experienced reduced symptoms. Only 5.8% of respondents reported no health improvements from taking medical cannabis. Additionally, almost 42% were able to stop taking other medications.

“The data paints a very different picture than some critics who publicly question cannabis treatments prescribed via telemedicine platforms or dismiss sleep disorders as a ‘mild’ condition,” Wichmann said in a statement from Bloomwell. “People with sleep disorders suffer greatly, often having tried numerous over-the-counter and prescription sleep aids over the years.”

“Medical cannabis has proven to be far more effective in many cases, with fewer side effects,” he added. “Rather than discrediting patients who choose medical cannabis as a treatment option, we should celebrate the fact that they finally have a real alternative with minimal or no side effects.”

The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is set to hold a hearing to examine the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) apparent ‘failure’ to prevent the flood of intoxicating hemp products across the country.

Intoxicating hemp-derived substances have become one of the most contentious products in the US over the past year, seeing manufacturers utilise what has been described as a legal ‘loophole’ to sell products with similar effects as recreational cannabis with little to no regulatory oversight.

While numerous bills are underway to rectify this phenomenon federally, these are still a way off, leading many states to move to regulate themselves, creating a patchwork of accessibility across the country.

On Wednesday (April 09), the committee has announced that it will host a hearing titled ‘Restoring Trust in FDA: Rooting Out Illicit Products’.

While it is understood that this will focus on a range of topics, one of the four key witnesses confirmed to be taking part is the US Hemp Roundtable’s General Counsel, Jonathan Miller, suggesting they will play a key role in the discussions.

According to the Committee’s website, the hearing will be focused on the FDA’s failure to ‘take necessary enforcement actions resulting in a flood of illicit and counterfeit products entering the country.’

“Entities controlled or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party are the primary manufacturers of these products. This hearing will enable members to conduct oversight and gather information from industry experts on the FDA’s regulatory and enforcement jurisdictions.”

Chairman of the Committee, James Comer, continued: “The Biden FDA stifled innovation with red tape while allowing counterfeit and dangerous products to flood our communities… With newly confirmed FDA Commissioner Makary, we finally have a leader who will put Americans’ safety first, not special interests and bureaucrats. We look forward to working together to restore integrity to our food and drug supply and hearing from our expert witnesses on how we can achieve this goal.”