Factors Influencing Demand for Medical Cannabis Use among Cancer Patients in the North of Thailand

Sukrueangkul, Alongkorn; Panomai, Nitchatorn; Laohasiriwong, Wongsa; Sakphisutthikul, Chutikan; Phimha, Surachai

doi:10.31557/apjcp.2022.23.1.319

Cited by 12 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Jamaica's legal therapeutic cannabis market, for example, faces diplomatic and marketing challenges, with constraints imposed by agreements with the United Nations and the United States and purchasers conflating RC and MC. 19 Stigma has also been found to be a barrier to accessing MC in the United States, 20 and a contributor to perceptions and experiences of MC use in Thailand [21][22][23] and Canada, 24 but does not feature as such in the limited Australian-focussed scholarship. 5,25 In Australia, MC users face two tiers of regulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘What price do you put on your health?’: Medical cannabis, financial toxicity and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer

Olson

Smith

Good

et al. 2022

Health Expectations

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Introduction Following 2016 legislation permitting limited access to cannabis for research and medicinal purposes, the number of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis (MC) on symptom burden relief in cancer contexts has increased in Australia. This study aimed to understand the perceptions, hopes and concerns of people with advanced cancer regarding the future availability and regulation of MC in Australia. Methods This qualitative study draws on semistructured interviews conducted between February 2019 and October 2020 in Brisbane, Australia, as part of an MC RCT substudy. Interviews were undertaken on 48 patients with advanced cancer in palliative care eligible to participate in an MC trial ( n = 26 participated in an RCT; n = 2 participated in a pilot study; n = 20 declined). Interviews included a discussion of patients' decision‐making regarding trial participation, concerns about MC and perceptions of future availability, including cost. Transcribed interviews were analysed inductively and abductively, informed by constructivist thematic analysis conventions. Results Overall, participants supported making MC legally accessible as a prescription‐only medication. Fear of financial toxicity, however, compromised this pathway. Steep posttrial costs of accessing MC prompted several people to decline trial participation, and others to predict—if found effective—that many would either access MC through alternative pathways or reduce their prescribed dosage to enable affordable access. Conclusions These findings suggest that—despite a relatively robust universal healthcare system—Australians are potentially vulnerable to and fearful of financial toxicity. Prevalent in the United States, financial toxicity occurs when disadvantaged cancer patients access necessary but expensive medications with lasting consequences: bankruptcy, ongoing anxiety and cancer worry. Interview transcripts indicate that financial fears—and the systems sustaining them—may pose a threat to RCT completion and to equitable access to legal MC. Such findings support calls for embedding qualitative substudies and community partnerships within RCTs, while also suggesting the importance of subsidisation to overcoming injustices. Patient or Public Contribution A patient advisory committee informed RCT design. This qualitative substudy foregrounds patients' decision‐making, perceptions and experiences.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘What price do you put on your health?’: Medical cannabis, financial toxicity and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer

Olson

Smith

Good

et al. 2022

Health Expectations

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“…Also, cannabis in the form of medical cannabis (MC) or recreational marijuana legalized or less restricted in Thailand, Canada, Uruguay, South Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Israel, Belgium, USA, UK, Germany, Italy, Singapore and Malaysia, probably among many others. However, Health literacy, social support, attitudes about MC, age, and duration of disease were significantly associated with demand for MC use among cancer patients in Thailand [73].…”

Section: Substance Use Disordermentioning

confidence: 86%

Low Health Literacy (LHL): A Devious Enemy of Patient Treatment Adherence

Mohiuddin¹

2023

Preprint

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People must have particular personality traits and social resources, also known as health literacy, in order to access, comprehend, and use information to make decisions about their health. Patients' ability to engage in complex disease management and self-care is strongly related to their level of health literacy. It can help us stay healthy by preventing illness and effectively managing existing illnesses. People with low health literacy (LHL) may find it difficult to manage their condition and prevent illness, which may lead to increased use of healthcare services. Furthermore, LHL is associated with increased hospitalizations, increased use of emergency care, decreased use of preventative services, and a worsened ability to understand labels and health messages, a worsened state of health, higher mortality, and more expensive medical care.

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“…In 2018, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise cannabis use for medical purposes. The law was amended in 2019 to allow for the use of cannabis for research and development purposes [ 24 , 29 ]. The legalisation of cannabis in Thailand has attracted much attention both domestically [ 30 ] and internationally [ 24 , 31 ]; while there has been some discussion on the impact of this decision on the country's economy and healthcare system [ 24 , 29 ], research on its impact on the country's tourism industry is limited.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chinese media narrative of Thailand as a tourist destination after the legalisation of cannabis

Deng¹,

Slutskiy²,

Boonchutima³

2023

Heliyon

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Factors Influencing Demand for Medical Cannabis Use among Cancer Patients in the North of Thailand

Cited by 12 publications

References 27 publications

‘What price do you put on your health?’: Medical cannabis, financial toxicity and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer

‘What price do you put on your health?’: Medical cannabis, financial toxicity and patient perspectives on medication access in advanced cancer

Low Health Literacy (LHL): A Devious Enemy of Patient Treatment Adherence

The Chinese media narrative of Thailand as a tourist destination after the legalisation of cannabis

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