PURPOSE: Several states, particularly in the Southeast, have restrictive medical marijuana laws that permit qualified patients to use specific cannabis products. The majority of these states, however, do not provide avenues for accessing cannabis products such as in-state dispensaries. METHODS: We conducted a survey of patients registered for medical marijuana (low tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] oil cards) in an ambulatory palliative care practice in Georgia (one of the states with restrictive medical marijuana laws). RESULTS: We had a total of 101 responses. Among our sample of patients who use cannabis as part of a state-approved low THC oil program, 56% were male and 64% were older than age 50 years. Advanced cancer was the most common reason (76%) for granting the patients access to a low THC oil card. Although patients reported cannabis products as being extremely helpful for reducing pain, they expressed considerable concerns about the legality issues (64%) and ability to obtain THC (68%). Several respondents were using unapproved formulations of cannabis products. For 48% of the patients, their physician was the source of information regarding marijuana-related products. Furthermore, they believed that their health care providers and family members were supportive of their use of cannabis (62% and 79%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients on Georgia's medical marijuana program are most concerned about the legality of the product and their ability to obtain marijuana-related products. Therefore, we recommend that states with medical marijuana laws should provide safe and reliable access to cannabis products for qualifying patients.
PURPOSE: Several states, particularly in the Southeast, have restrictive medical marijuana laws that permit qualified patients to use specific cannabis products. The majority of these states, however, do not provide avenues for accessing cannabis products such as in-state dispensaries. METHODS: We conducted a survey of patients registered for medical marijuana (low tetrahydrocannabinol [THC] oil cards) in an ambulatory palliative care practice in Georgia (one of the states with restrictive medical marijuana laws). RESULTS: We had a total of 101 responses. Among our sample of patients who use cannabis as part of a state-approved low THC oil program, 56% were male and 64% were older than age 50 years. Advanced cancer was the most common reason (76%) for granting the patients access to a low THC oil card. Although patients reported cannabis products as being extremely helpful for reducing pain, they expressed considerable concerns about the legality issues (64%) and ability to obtain THC (68%). Several respondents were using unapproved formulations of cannabis products. For 48% of the patients, their physician was the source of information regarding marijuana-related products. Furthermore, they believed that their health care providers and family members were supportive of their use of cannabis (62% and 79%, respectively). CONCLUSION:Patients on Georgia's medical marijuana program are most concerned about the legality of the product and their ability to obtain marijuana-related products. Therefore, we recommend that states with medical marijuana laws should provide safe and reliable access to cannabis products for qualifying patients.
Authors: Sarah B Klieger; Abraham Gutman; Leslie Allen; Rosalie Liccardo Pacula; Jennifer K Ibrahim; Scott Burris Journal: Addiction Date: 2017-07-21 Impact factor: 6.526
Authors: Penny F Whiting; Robert F Wolff; Sohan Deshpande; Marcello Di Nisio; Steven Duffy; Adrian V Hernandez; J Christiaan Keurentjes; Shona Lang; Kate Misso; Steve Ryder; Simone Schmidlkofer; Marie Westwood; Jos Kleijnen Journal: JAMA Date: 2015 Jun 23-30 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Pia M Mauro; Julian Santaella-Tenorio; Alexander S Perlmutter; Deborah S Hasin; Christine M Mauro; Silvia S Martins Journal: Addict Behav Date: 2018-07-30 Impact factor: 3.913
Authors: Ilana M Braun; Alexi Wright; John Peteet; Fremonta L Meyer; David P Yuppa; Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic; Jessica LeBlanc; Yuchiao Chang; Liyang Yu; Manan M Nayak; James A Tulsky; Joji Suzuki; Lida Nabati; Eric G Campbell Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2018-05-10 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Linan Zeng; Lyubov Lytvyn; Xiaoqin Wang; Natasha Kithulegoda; Silvana Agterberg; Yaad Shergill; Meisam Abdar Esfahani; Anja Fog Heen; Thomas Agoritsas; Gordon H Guyatt; Jason W Busse Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2021-09-07 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Billy Vinette; José Côté; Ali El-Akhras; Hazar Mrad; Gabrielle Chicoine; Karine Bilodeau Journal: BMC Cancer Date: 2022-03-24 Impact factor: 4.430