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Pav M, Haesaert G, De Steur H. Public Knowledge, Perceptions, and Behavioral Intention Regarding Medical Cannabis in Belgium. J Psychoactive Drugs 2024; 56:187-198. [PMID: 37155939 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2023.2209893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence on medical cannabis has moved its legislation forward in various countries, which has increased research on stakeholder reactions. While various studies looked at experts and users, research on public perceptions is scarce. This study aims to (1) examine the relationships between knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intention toward medical cannabis, and (2) identify and profile key segments within the general public. An online survey was conducted among 656 respondents in Belgium. Findings showed that both subjective and objective knowledge are relatively poor, while risk/benefit perceptions and behavioral intention are much more positive. Subjective and objective knowledge as well as social trust have a positive influence on benefit perceptions and a negative influence on risk perceptions. In turn, risk and benefit perceptions are key determinants of behavioral intention, but in opposite directions. Furthermore, cluster analysis identified a cautious (23% of the sample), positive (50%), and enthusiastic cluster (27%). In terms of socio-demographic profile, older and highly educated people were significantly more represented in the latter two clusters. While our study demonstrated that cannabis is well accepted for medical purposes, research is needed to further validate the relationships between knowledge, perceptions, and (intended) behavior in different settings and policy contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Pav
- Division of Agri-Food Marketing and Chain Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Geert Haesaert
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hans De Steur
- Division of Agri-Food Marketing and Chain Management, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Clobes TA, Gagnon M. How Demographic Factors Impact Attitudes Toward the Recreational Use of Cannabis. Cureus 2023; 15:e34304. [PMID: 36860218 PMCID: PMC9970729 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.34304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
While cannabis legalization in the United States has become more commonplace, differences in attitudes toward its use persist. Negative attitudes toward cannabis create barriers to care for those seeking its use for therapeutic purposes. Existing research regarding the attitudes surrounding cannabis is specific to medical cannabis (MC) use or cannabis use in general. To address this gap, the present research sought to explore the demographic factors that influence attitudes toward recreational cannabis, including gender, age, ethnicity, race, level of education, marital status, number of children, the legal status of cannabis in the state of residency, employment status, political party affiliation, political view, and religion. The Recreational Cannabis Attitudes Scale (RCAS) was used to measure participants' attitudes toward recreational cannabis. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or one-way Welch ANOVA was used to determine variations in RCAS scores between different demographic groups. Data from 645 participants indicated that gender (P = 0.039), employment status (P = 0.016), political party affiliation (P = 0.002), political view (P = 0.0005), the legal status of the state of residence (P = 0.003), religion (P = 0.0005), and experience with cannabis (P = 0.0005) had significant variations between groups regarding attitudes toward recreational cannabis. Understanding the factors that inform attitudes is critical to efforts to destigmatize cannabis use. Education about cannabis is an effective measure in reducing stigma, and paired with demographic information, advocacy efforts can be more accurately targeted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Clobes
- Health Sciences, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, USA
| | - Matin Gagnon
- Psychology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, USA
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Clobes TA, Arellano M, Gagnon M, Klaiman C. Differences in Attitudes Toward Medical Cannabis With Humanized Patient Scenarios. Cureus 2022; 14:e28354. [PMID: 36168378 PMCID: PMC9507077 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.28354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Attitudes toward medical cannabis are shaped by a number of factors, such as religion, previous use, and political affiliation. Individuals with less supportive beliefs toward cannabis, in general, may be more open to its therapeutic applications in a humanized patient scenario (PS). Methods A modified medical cannabis attitude scale was used to measure participants' attitudes toward medical cannabis. Two humanized patient scenarios were presented to the participants, and their level of agreement with the patient having access to medical cannabis was measured. After the scales were standardized, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test (WSR) was utilized to determine whether a difference between medical cannabis attitudes and approval of medical cannabis use in the humanized PS exists. Results A total of 645 participants completed the full survey and were included in the data analysis. Most participants were supportive of the patients in the humanized scenarios having access to medical cannabis; 76.1% and 75.7% of respondents, in each of the scenarios, selected the highest level of approval. There was a significantly higher approval for medical cannabis with the PS than attitudes toward medical cannabis in general (Z=-17.415, p<0.0005). Conclusion Individuals were more supportive of patient access to medical cannabis when exposed to humanized PS than their general attitudes toward medical cannabis indicated. Applying the results of this current research, a viable plan to reduce the stigma surrounding cannabis is to use patient testimonials in public-facing advocacy efforts regarding medical cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Clobes
- Health Sciences, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, USA
| | - Mya Arellano
- Health Sciences, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, USA
| | - Matin Gagnon
- Psychology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, USA
| | - Colby Klaiman
- Biology, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, USA
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Kang H, Hunniecutt J, Quintero Silva L, Kaskie B, Bobitt J. Biopsychosocial factors and health outcomes associated with cannabis, opioids and benzodiazepines use among older veterans. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE 2021; 47:497-507. [PMID: 33881952 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2021.1903479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Background: Older Veterans may experience injuries that result in chronic pain and mental health conditions. Given the increasing availability of medical cannabis, it is important to examine if it serves as a viable or undesirable form of care relative to existing approaches.Objectives: We compared cannabis, prescription opioids, and benzodiazepines use between older Veteran and non-Veterans, and identified outcomes of cannabis use among Veterans. Because of the physical and mental conditions experienced by older Veterans we expected Veterans to report higher use of opioids and benzodiazepines compared to non-Veterans.Methods: We collected surveys from individuals aged 60 and older enrolled in the Illinois Medical Cannabis Patient Program and conducted logistic regression to identify factors associated with cannabis, opioids and benzodiazepines use between Veterans (N = 514, 90.2% male) and Non-Veterans (N = 2758, 41.1% male) across biopsychosocial factors.Results: Both groups reported similar levels of pain, quality of life, social satisfaction, and sleep quality. Veterans were more likely to use cannabis for mental health conditions (p = <.001) while they reported lower use for pain-related conditions (p = <.001) than non-Veterans. Veterans were less likely to use opioids (p = .013) and benzodiazepines (p < .01) compared to non-Veterans. Veterans also reported desirable health outcomes of cannabis use for pain, sleep quality, health conditions, and quality of life.Conclusions: Our work provides insights for clinicians and policy makers to consider whether cannabis can be a viable option to reduce or replace opioid and benzodiazepine use by older Veterans with chronic physical and mental health conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyojung Kang
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Jeni Hunniecutt
- Chez Veterans Center, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Laura Quintero Silva
- Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Brian Kaskie
- Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Julie Bobitt
- Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Croker JA, Bobitt JL, Arora K, Kaskie B. Assessing Health-Related Outcomes of Medical Cannabis Use among Older Persons: Findings from Colorado and Illinois. Clin Gerontol 2021; 44:66-79. [PMID: 32842935 DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1797971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To assess health-related outcomes associated with medical cannabis use among older patients in Colorado and Illinois enrolled in their home state's medical cannabis program. METHODS Cross-sectional data from anonymous surveys were collected from 139 persons over the age of 60 using medical cannabis in the past year. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to confirm the hypothesized four-factor structure that includes health-related quality of life (HRQL), health-care utilization (HCU), symptom effects, and adverse events. We then examined associations between cannabis use and self-reported outcome changes using linear regression. RESULTS The four-factor model was the best fitting structure (X2(df) = 81.63 (67), p> X2 = 0.108) relative to reduced structures. We also found that using cannabis 1-4 times per week is associated with 3.30 additional points on the HRQL scale (p < .001), 2.72 additional points on the HCU scale (p < .01), and 1.13 points on pain (p < .001). The frequency of use reported at 5-7 times per week is associated with 4.71 additional HRQL score points (p < .001). No significant associations were observed between the frequency of use and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS We observed how cannabis use outcomes fall into four independent factors, and those using more frequently reported higher values on HRQL, HCU, and pain measures. However, we are cautious about the generalizability of our findings. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Clinicians should consider how older patients using medical cannabis can experience positive and negative outcomes simultaneously or separately and assess these outcomes directly along with considering patient self-reports.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julie L Bobitt
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Applied Health Sciences , Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Kanika Arora
- Health Management & Policy, University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Brian Kaskie
- Health Management & Policy, University of Iowa , Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Szaflarski M, McGoldrick P, Currens L, Blodgett D, Land H, Szaflarski JP, Segal E. Attitudes and knowledge about cannabis and cannabis-based therapies among US neurologists, nurses, and pharmacists. Epilepsy Behav 2020; 109:107102. [PMID: 32442891 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Use of cannabinoid therapies is on the rise in the United States, but responses of healthcare professionals and their knowledge of these therapies have been mixed. More information is needed about factors associated with healthcare professionals' attitudes and knowledge about medical cannabis. We conducted an online survey of US-based neurologists, nurse practitioners (NPs)/nurses, and pharmacists in August-September of 2018 (n = 451). We constructed perceived knowledge and attitudes scales and a knowledge index from multiple items and assessed state cannabis laws, participant's sociodemographics, workplace type and policies, and patient population. We used ordinary least-squares regression to examine associations among study variables. Over 80% of participants supported use and legalization of medical cannabis, especially cannabidiol (CBD) for epilepsy and when prescribed by a medical provider, but 40-50% (depending on item) felt unfamiliar with cannabinoid pharmacology and clinical applications. A total of 43% favored legal recreational cannabis. Pharmacists scored higher on the knowledge test than neurologists and NPs/nurses, but NPs/nurses had more favorable attitudes than neurologists and higher perceived knowledge than pharmacists. Both knowledge indicators predicted attitudes. State cannabis access and favorable workplace policies were associated with higher knowledge and more favorable attitudes. Healthcare professionals see potential in cannabis therapies but report significant knowledge gaps. Professional cannabinoid education is needed to address growing patient and provider demand for knowledge about cannabinoid therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Szaflarski
- Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), HHB 460H, 1720 2nd Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294-1152, USA.
| | - Patricia McGoldrick
- Division of Child Neurology and Epilepsy, Boston Children's Health Physicians of Westchester and Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, Valhalla, NY, 141 South Central Ave, Hartsdale, NY 10530, USA
| | - Lauryn Currens
- Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts, 55 Lake Ave North, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
| | - Dustin Blodgett
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky, 245 Fountain Court, Lexington, KY 40509, USA.
| | - Hunter Land
- Canopy Health Innovations, Smiths Falls, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jerzy P Szaflarski
- UAB Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 312 Civitan International Research Center (CIRC 312), 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021, USA.
| | - Eric Segal
- Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group, Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, 20 Prospect Avenue, Suite 800, Hackensack, NJ 07601, USA.
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Edelstein OE, Wacht O, Grinstein-Cohen O, Reznik A, Pruginin I, Isralowitz R. Does religiosity matter? University student attitudes and beliefs toward medical cannabis. Complement Ther Med 2020; 51:102407. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
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Abstract
Given the aging Baby Boomer generation, changes in cannabis legislation, and the growing acknowledgment of cannabis for its therapeutic potential, it is predicted that cannabis use in the older population will escalate. It is, therefore, important to determine the interaction between the effects of cannabis and aging. The aim of this report is to describe the link between cannabis use and the aging brain. Our review of the literature found few and inconsistent empirical studies that directly address the impact of cannabis use on the aging brain. However, research focused on long-term cannabis use points toward cumulative effects on multimodal systems in the brain that are similarly affected during aging. Specifically, the effects of cannabis and aging converge on overlapping networks in the endocannabinoid, opioid, and dopamine systems that may affect functional decline particularly in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which are critical areas for memory and executive functioning. To conclude, despite the limited current knowledge on the potential interactive effects between cannabis and aging, evidence from the literature suggests that cannabis and aging effects are concurrently present across several neurotransmitter systems. There is a great need for future research to directly test the interactions between cannabis and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Bin Yoo
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Jennifer DiMuzio
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Francesca M Filbey
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
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Medical Cannabis for Older Patients-Treatment Protocol and Initial Results. J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8111819. [PMID: 31683817 PMCID: PMC6912698 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8111819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Older adults may benefit from cannabis treatment for various symptoms such as chronic pain, sleep difficulties, and others, that are not adequately controlled with evidence-based therapies. However, currently, there is a dearth of evidence about the efficacy and safety of cannabis treatment for these patients. This article aims to present a pragmatic treatment protocol for medical cannabis in older adults. We followed consecutive patients above 65 years of age prospectively who were treated with medical cannabis from April 2017 to October 2018. The outcomes included treatment adherence, global assessment of efficacy and adverse events after six months of treatment. During the study period, 184 patients began cannabis treatment, 63.6% were female, and the mean age was 81.2 ± 7.5 years (median age-82). After six months of treatment, 58.1% were still using cannabis. Of these patients, 33.6% reported adverse events, the most common of which were dizziness (12.1%) and sleepiness and fatigue (11.2%). Of the respondents, 84.8% reported some degree of improvement in their general condition. Special caution is warranted in older adults due to polypharmacy, pharmacokinetic changes, nervous system impairment, and increased cardiovascular risk. Medical cannabis should still be considered carefully and individually for each patient after a risk-benefit analysis and followed by frequent monitoring for efficacy and adverse events.
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