Abstract
BackgroundThe New South Wales State Government recently proposed a trial of the medical use of cannabis. Australians who currently use cannabis medicinally do so illegally and without assurances of quality control. Given the dearth of local information on this issue, this study explored the experiences of medical cannabis users.MethodsAustralian adults who had used cannabis for medical purposes were recruited using media stories. A total of 147 respondents were screened by phone and anonymous questionnaires were mailed, to be returned by postage paid envelope.ResultsData were available for 128 participants. Long term and regular medical cannabis use was frequently reported for multiple medical conditions including chronic pain (57%), depression (56%), arthritis (35%), persistent nausea (27%) and weight loss (26%). Cannabis was perceived to provide "great relief" overall (86%), and substantial relief of specific symptoms such as pain, nausea and insomnia. It was also typically perceived as superior to other medications in terms of undesirable effects, and the extent of relief provided. However, nearly one half (41%) experienced conditions or symptoms that were not helped by its use. The most prevalent concerns related to its illegality. Participants reported strong support for their use from clinicians and family. There was almost universal interest (89%) in participating in a clinical trial of medical cannabis, and strong support (79%) for investigating alternative delivery methods.ConclusionAustralian medical cannabis users are risking legal ramifications, but consistent with users elsewhere, claim moderate to substantial benefits from its use in the management of their medical condition. In addition to strong public support, medical cannabis users show strong interest in clinical cannabis research, including the investigation of alternative delivery methods.
Highlights
The New South Wales State Government recently proposed a trial of the medical use of cannabis
In addition to basic experimental research, case reports, surveys of people using cannabis for medical conditions and prospective clinical trials of cannabis-based medicines are consolidating the evidence that cannabis may play a role in the management of some medical conditions
Authoritative reviews of this evidence indicate that cannabis has therapeutic potential for conditions such as HIV- and cancer-related wasting, nausea and vomiting resulting from http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/2/1/18 chemotherapy, neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and chronic pain [1,2,3,4]
Summary
The New South Wales State Government recently proposed a trial of the medical use of cannabis. While current research reveals exciting therapeutic opportunities, there is an ongoing debate about the virtues of obtaining such benefits from the complex chemical cocktail contained in the whole plant or from one or more components isolated and developed into a synthetic pharmaceutical product This debate cross-cuts important issues such as the difficulties of reliable dosing when using the natural product, whether the potential harms of smoking cannabis due to its ease of titration overshadow its therapeutic benefits, and whether different medical conditions will respond more favourably to the whole plant or to different constituents in isolation or combination. Underlying these issues is the reality that most people who use cannabis medicinally do so by using black market supplies of an illicit drug
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