Becoming a medical marijuana user

Lankenau, Stephen E.; Kioumarsi, Avat; Reed, Megan; McNeeley, Miles; Iverson, Ellen; Wong, Carolyn F.

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.11.018

Cited by 20 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Recent research, however, also stresses a link between drug policy developments and fluctuations in reported consumption motives (Mitchell, Sweitzer, Tunno, Kollins, & McClernon, 2016). In line with this, some studies suggest that the political trend of legalizing medical cannabis use is related to an upsurge of medical motives (Athey, Boyd, & Cohen, 2017;Lancaster, Seear, & Ritter, 2017;Lankenau et al, 2018;Lau et al, 2015;Mitchell et al, 2016;Satterlund, Lee, & Moore, 2015). People report using cannabis in order to reduce symptoms related to ADHD (Pedersen, 2015), multiple sclerosis and rheumatism (Coomber, Oliver, & Morris, 2003), and sleep deprivation and unrest (O'Brien, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Cannabis use under prohibitionism – the interplay between motives, contexts and subjects

Ekendahl

Månsson

Karlsson

2019

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

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A key question in drugs research is why people use psychoactive substances. Diverse motives such as boredom, habit, and pain relief have served as explanations, but little is known about how adult cannabis users motivate their use in prohibitionist policy contexts, like Sweden. The aim is to explore what motives a sample of adult Swedish cannabis users refer to when they give meaning to their use. We ask: what aspects of cannabis use (e.g. drug effects, individual characteristics and social contexts) are emphasized in their accounts, and how are such aspects combined to describe motives and justify use? In this study, motives are perceived as culturally situated action, and our analysis is based on online text messages (n ¼ 238) and interviews (n ¼ 12). Participants emphasized either the characteristics of the use situation (motives such as party, relaxation and social function) or of him-/herself as an individual (motives such as mindfulness, identity marker and somatic function). They often mentioned medical and recreational motives in the same account, and carefully presented themselves as rational individuals. The motives reflect that the drugs discourse is increasingly medicalized, that responsibility is highly esteemed in contemporary societies, and that cannabis use is still stigmatized in Sweden.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Cannabis use under prohibitionism – the interplay between motives, contexts and subjects

Ekendahl

Månsson

Karlsson

2019

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy

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“…Early exposure to cannabis can have serious effects on cognitive functioning and many users who develop cannabis use disorders do so at a younger age than other substances such as alcohol. Therefore a minimum age requirement of 18 (consistent with tobacco and alcohol purchase laws in the UK) and monitoring of young people in particular seems prudent (Kelly, 2018;Lankenau et al, 2018;Parnes et al, 2018;Philbin et al, 2019;Wade et al, 2019;Wiens et al, 2018).…”

Section: Conventional Prescription 2 Recreational-therapeutic Crossover and Harm Reductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online survey into developing a model for a legal cannabis market in the United Kingdom

James

Robertshaw

Pascoe

et al. 2021

Drug Science, Policy and Law

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Background Despite rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule 2 and amendments to the law permitting legal availability of cannabis for the treatment of medical conditions, access to cannabis for medical use remains challenging for patients in the United Kingdom (UK). Recreational use is widespread despite laws stating users can be sentenced to prison for up to 5 years for possession. Objective The aim of the study was to develop a model for a legal cannabis market in the UK building upon the results of a preceding study in which a UK population sample determined that pharmacies are the most suitable primary legal vendor of cannabis as opposed to regulated shops or the black market. Methods An online survey was developed using Qualtrics software and advertised via the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media accounts and monthly newsletter. Results Three hundred and ninety seven individuals, a majority having used cannabis at least once, consented to participate in the study. The participants concluded that there is enough evidence for cannabis to be prescribed to treat a range of medical conditions. In addition to pharmacies providing cannabis to patients with a prescription, a majority of participants supported cannabis being sold in pharmacies for harm reduction purposes and allowing access to medicinal cannabis in cases where supporting evidence is insufficient to merit a prescription. Participants supported greater integration between dispensing pharmacies and mental health services. Overall, the participants did not oppose a consultation or screening for potential cannabis users prior to obtaining access from licensed vendors. UK participants were supportive of the concept of a cannabis card, which users can present to licensed vendors such as pharmacies, with specific recommendations (such as strains relevant to a patient’s medical condition) being coded into the card. A majority of participants supported the existence of shisha-type bars for the purchase and onsite consumption of cannabis and determined that such vendors should not be part of a pharmacy chain of stores or regulated by pharmacy regulators. The participants generally preferred that laws regarding public consumption are in line with existing smoking legislation. Participants determined that it should be legally permitted to grow cannabis at home for personal medical and non-medical purposes but not to sell for profit. Conclusion The results are suggestive of a regulatory system that medical and non-medical cannabis users can use which aims to maximise therapeutic applications, minimise harms and respect individual liberty.

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“…The following characteristics were used to select the qualitative subsample (n = 62): recent light or recent heavy cannabis users (range of 4-90 days of cannabis use in the past 90 days); participants with or without some type of chronic health condition (35 out of 62 respondents had a chronic illness such as anxiety, asthma, and lower back pain); and participants who scored high or those who scored low on emotion suppression or cognitive reappraisal subscales of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ; Gross & John, 2003). In total, 40 MCP and 22 non-patient cannabis users (NPU) were interviewed (see Lankenau et al, 2018 for additional details).…”

Section: Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Life Events/Contextual Factors and Cannabis Use in Patterns of Other Drug Use Among Young Adult Cannabis Users in Los Angeles: A Qualitative Inquiry

Fedorova

Roth

Cepeda

et al. 2020

Journal of Drug Issues

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This analysis examined the role of impactful life events/stressful contextual factors and cannabis use in the patterns of illicit drug use. It utilized semi-structured qualitative interviews with 40 young adult medical cannabis patients and 22 non-patient users collected in Los Angeles during 2014–2015. Three patterns of illicit drug use emerged based on participants’ narratives: regular/problematic, recreational/occasional, and never users. Among regular/problematic users, a common theme was the lasting impact of traumatic life events or stressful contextual factors on transition to and away from problematic drug use, and using cannabis to cope with negative after effects of drug use. In contrast, most recreational/occasional and never users, who reported impactful life events or stressful contextual factors, used cannabis to cope with those experiences. Family history of addiction and acceptance of cannabis use within a family as protective factors against illicit drug use among some recreational/occasional and never users was an unexpected finding.

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Becoming a medical marijuana user

Cited by 20 publications

References 32 publications

Cannabis use under prohibitionism – the interplay between motives, contexts and subjects

Cannabis use under prohibitionism – the interplay between motives, contexts and subjects

Online survey into developing a model for a legal cannabis market in the United Kingdom

The Role of Life Events/Contextual Factors and Cannabis Use in Patterns of Other Drug Use Among Young Adult Cannabis Users in Los Angeles: A Qualitative Inquiry

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