Abstract
BackgroundPrior to nonmedical cannabis legalization in Canada, individuals were only able to access cannabis legally through licensed producers with medical authorization. Now with an additional legal access system designed for nonmedical purposes, it is unclear what factors influence cancer survivors’ decisions to medicate or not medicate cannabis as a complementary therapy to alleviate their cancer symptoms.MethodsWe recruited cancer survivors via social media. Interested individuals were purposively sampled to ensure maximization in terms of age, sex, and province of residence. Constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior were explored during the telephone interviews as participants described what influenced their decisions to medicate or not medicate cannabis to manage their symptoms.ResultsInterviews were conducted with 33 cancer survivors. All individuals believed that cannabis would manage their cancer symptoms. Those that chose to medicate with cannabis provided a variety of reasons, including that cannabis was a more natural alternative; that it reduced their overall number of prescription drugs; and that safer products had become available with the legalization of nonmedical cannabis. Some individuals also indicated that support from physicians and validation from family and friends were important in their decision to medicate with cannabis. Individuals who opted not to medicate with cannabis raised concerns about the lack of scientific evidence and/or possible dependency issues. Some also felt their physician's disapproval was a barrier to considering cannabis use.ConclusionsThe findings revealed that recreational legalization made using cannabis appear safer and easier to access for some cancer survivors. However, physicians’ censure of cannabis use for symptom management was a barrier for survivors considering its use.
Highlights
Cancer survivors––individuals diagnosed with cancer until the end of their life1––have reported medicating with cannabis or drugs containing cannabinoid.[2]
In terms of behavioral beliefs, all participants believed that medicating with cannabis could help to manage cancer symptoms: “it was good for [...] nausea; it was good for sleeping; it was good for depression, anxiety [;...] it was good for joint pain as well” (ID27, medicate their cancer symptoms with cannabis (MWC))
While not medicate with cannabis (nMWC) perceived that cannabis had benefits to alleviating cancer symptoms, they firmly believed that medicating with cannabis would lead to undesired side-effects and possibly interact with their currently prescribed medications
Summary
Cancer survivors––individuals diagnosed with cancer until the end of their life1––have reported medicating with cannabis or drugs containing cannabinoid.[2]. With an additional legal access system designed for nonmedical purposes, it is unclear what factors influence cancer survivors’ decisions to medicate or not medicate cannabis as a complementary therapy to alleviate their cancer symptoms. All individuals believed that cannabis would manage their cancer symptoms Those that chose to medicate with cannabis provided a variety of reasons, including that cannabis was a more natural alternative; that it reduced their overall number of prescription drugs; and that safer products had become available with the legalization of nonmedical cannabis. Individuals who opted not to medicate with cannabis raised concerns about the lack of scientific evidence and/or possible dependency issues Some felt their physician's disapproval was a barrier to considering cannabis use. Physicians’ censure of cannabis use for symptom management was a barrier for survivors considering its use
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