The program is designed to help regulators, industry stakeholders, and researchers understand how medical cannabis relates to prescription use, health outcomes and quality of life; select aggregate findings intended for public release

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MoreBetter, Ltd. today announced a first-in-nation statewide program to collect patient-reported outcomes from Mississippi's registered medical cannabis patients. The program is designed to give both the state and university research partners a continuous, patient-level view of how medical cannabis is used and how it relates to symptoms, prescription medication use and quality of life. MoreBetter's role is to provide the real-world evidence infrastructure for the program: designing the protocols, managing the study and all participant interactions, collecting the data and, with academic partners, supporting analysis and publication. It is the first in a series of statewide programs MoreBetter is working to announce, with more than a dozen additional states expected to follow, including Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Medical cannabis programs now operate in most U.S. states, yet the departments of health, pharmacy boards, regulators and lawmakers responsible for them rarely have patient-level evidence on how these programs affect health. As federal policy moves medical cannabis toward a pharmaceutical-style framework, the demand for clinical-grade evidence at the state level is growing. The questions regulators and lawmakers are asking are practical. Are patients using fewer, or more, prescription medications over time? How do pain, sleep, anxiety and overall well-being change? Which products and patterns of use are patients reporting, and what effects and unwanted effects do they experience? And how do the answers differ by condition? Mississippi, where the medical cannabis program reached more than 66,000 active patients by the end of 2025 according to the Mississippi State Department of Health, is where MoreBetter is starting.

The program is built on research-grade methods: validated instruments common to every participant, so responses combine into a single statewide dataset; protocols designed for review by an institutional review board; and de-identification and data governance designed for regulated research. It builds on an earlier MoreBetter study that enrolled about 300 Mississippi medical cannabis cardholders in 10 days. MoreBetter intends to make select aggregate, de-identified findings available through a public data portal so that researchers, policymakers and the public can use them.

MoreBetter is also working with data partners to enable HIPAA-compliant linkage of patient-reported outcomes with electronic health record and claims data. Where available, that linkage would allow the program to examine hospital and clinic visits, out-of-pocket costs and the cost of care, including for state programs such as Medicaid, while protecting personal privacy.

"Every state with a medical cannabis market is asking the same questions about health outcomes and prescription use, and almost none of them have patient-level answers. We are building the rigorous, statewide evidence infrastructure to provide them, starting in Mississippi, and we look forward to bringing the same approach to other states, which we'll be announcing in the coming months." said Kevin Provost, Chief Executive Officer of MoreBetter.

Patient recruitment in Mississippi is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2027 in coordination with Mississippi industry stakeholders. Details on how to participate will be announced closer to launch.

Medical cannabis manufacturers, dispensary operators, and other organizations that reach medical cannabis patients in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, California, and other states with medical cannabis programs are encouraged to inquire about participating. Universities, health departments, regulators and research sponsors interested in the aggregate dataset, or in funding and joining a statewide program, are encouraged to do the same. Contact MoreBetter at kevin@morebetter.ltd or visit morebetter.ltd.

This is a prospective observational research program. It makes no claim that cannabis treats, prevents or cures any condition.

About MoreBetter
MoreBetter, Ltd. is a clinical research infrastructure company that designs and runs prospective, patient-reported outcome studies and real-world evidence programs for academic, pharmaceutical and industry sponsors. Its platform supports IRB-reviewed protocols, validated clinical instruments and data governance built for regulated research. Working with 12 university research partners, state and federal regulators, MoreBetter has produced 18 peer-reviewed publications. MoreBetter generates data, not claims. Learn more at morebetter.ltd.

Media Contact
Kevin Provost, Chief Executive Officer, MoreBetter | kevin@morebetter.ltd | 248.808.8120 | morebetter.ltd

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SOURCE MoreBetter