Sleep Quality Comparison after Drinking Cannabis Leave Tea and Its Side Effects in Healthcare Staff

Abstract

          This quasi-experimental trial aimed to compare the sleep quality of healthcare staff drinking different concentrations of cannabis leaf tea and to study its side effects.    63 healthcare staff, working in government health facilities in Khaosuankwang, Khon Kaen, volunteered in a four-day trial. The instruments were the Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) and a side effects questionnaire. On the first day, baseline data of the volunteers was collected. The volunteers drank tea made of two cannabis leaves (0.75±0.02 gram), four cannabis leaves (1.44±0.03 gram), and six cannabis leaves (2.16±0.03 gram) approximately 30 minutes before bed on the second, the third, and the fourth day, respectively. There was a 7-day washout period between each trial day.        The finding showed that most volunteers were female (69.84%) and the average age was 39.38±7.54 years old. The global sleep scores between the first day and other three trial days were significantly different (median diff 3.35, 95%CI: 1.60-8.04, p-value = 0.0003, mean diff 5.23±14.68, 95%CI: 1.53-8.93, p-value = 0.0063, and mean diff 9.12±1.64, 95%CI: 5.85-12.39, p-value = 0.0001 respectively). Thirteen volunteers (20.63%) reported side effects after drinking two-leaf cannabis tea. Twelve volunteers (19.05%) reported the side effects after drinking four-leaf cannabis tea. Fifteen volunteers (23.81%) reported the side effects after drinking six-leaf cannabis tea. Most side effects were minor and associated with the nervous system, followed by the gastrointestinal tract system