How much influence does barriers to medical cannabis (MC) have on the illicit medicinal cannabis (IMC) use? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research hopes to address as a team of researchers from the University of Utah School of Medicine investigated how patients who are suffering from cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain illicitly use cannabis based on restrictions to MC. This study has the potential to help scientists, medical professionals, legislators, and the public better understand the drawbacks of limited access to MC and the steps that can be taken to mitigate them.
For the study, the researchers had 211 MC program participants complete a survey regarding recent IMC use and how restricted access to MC influenced their decision for using IMC. In the end, the researchers found that 24 of the 211 participants reported IMC use within the prior 14 days with 19 of the 24 reporting the reason for using IMC was the cost and 11 of the 24 reported a lack of supply for using IMC. Additionally, the participants reported MC restrictions had a greater likelihood of IMC use compared to participants who reported a lack of MC restrictions.
“As state MC programs develop, the prevalence and clinical implications of IMC use must be considered,” the study concludes. “In this exploratory study, we identified key factors that may influence the likelihood of use IMC among participants enrolled in a MC program. Our findings suggest that barriers related to MC supply and cost may contribute to IMC use, while reliance on state program information appears to protect against this behavior. Additional factors, such as enrollment barriers and public perception may be influential in participants’ decision-making processes.”
What new connections between MC and IMC will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Journal of Cannabis Research