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Medical cannabis use in Australia seven years after legalisation: findings from the online Cannabis as Medicine Survey 2022-2023 (CAMS-22).
Mills, Llewellyn; Arnold, Jonathon C; Suraev, Anastasia; Abelev, Sarah V; Zhou, Cilla; Arkell, Thomas R; McGregor, Iain S; Lintzeris, Nicholas.
Afiliación
  • Mills L; Specialty of Addiction Medicine, Faculty Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, 591 South Dowling Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010, Australia. llew.mills@sydney.edu.au.
  • Arnold JC; Drug and Alcohol Services, South East Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia. llew.mills@sydney.edu.au.
  • Suraev A; Drug and Alcohol Clinical Research and Improvement Network (DACRIN), Sydney, NSW, Australia. llew.mills@sydney.edu.au.
  • Abelev SV; Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
  • Zhou C; Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
  • Arkell TR; Faculty of Science, School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
  • McGregor IS; Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
  • Lintzeris N; Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Harm Reduct J ; 21(1): 104, 2024 05 28.
Article en En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38807133
ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Cannabis was legalised for medical purposes in 2016. Uptake was initially slow, but since 2019 there has been a large increase in the number of Australians who have been prescribed cannabis for medical reasons. Yet a significant number of consumers continue to treat their medical conditions via illicitly-sourced cannabis. Little is known about how these two groups of medical cannabis consumers differ.

METHODS:

The anonymous Cannabis-As-Medicine Survey 2022-2023 (CAMS-22) was available for completion online from December 2022 to April 2023 to adult Australians who had used cannabis to treat a medical condition in the previous year. Recruitment occurred through social media, consumer forums, and medical practices. Questions included demographic characteristics, patterns of cannabis use, conditions treated, and self-rated effectiveness.

RESULTS:

Of the 3323 respondents included in these analyses, 2352 (73%) mainly used prescribed medical cannabis, 871 (27%) mainly used illicit. Prescribed users were significantly more likely than illicit users to have had their health condition diagnosed (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.3, 2.2), to consume their cannabis via oral (OR = 1.9; CI 1.5, 2.4) or vaporised (OR = 5.2; CI 4.0, 6.8) routes, and to be sure of the composition of their medical cannabis (OR = 25.0; CI 16.7, 50.0). Prescribed users were significantly less likely to have used cannabis non-medically before medical use (OR = 0.6, CI 0.5, 0.7), consume cannabis via smoked routes (OR = 0.2, CI 0.1, 0.2), and to report any side effects (OR = 0.1; CI 0.1, 0.2). The most common conditions among both prescribed and illicit users were pain (37%), mental health (36%), and sleep (15%) conditions. Prescribed users were significantly more likely to use cannabis to mainly treat a pain (OR = 1.3; CI 1.1, 1.5) or sleep condition (OR = 1.4; CI 1.1, 1.7) and less likely to treat a mental health condition (OR = 0.8; CI 0.7, 0.9). There were no between-group differences in effectiveness with 97% saying medical cannabis had improved their symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS:

From a harm-reduction perspective there is much to recommend prescribed medical cannabis; it has fewer side-effects than illicit, is used more safely (oral or vaporised versus smoked routes), gives consumers greater certainty regarding the composition and quality of their medicine, and does not risk exposure to the criminal justice system. Of concern, however, is the apparent willingness of prescribers to prescribe for indications for which there is limited evidence of efficacy, such as mental health and sleep conditions.
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Marihuana Medicinal Límite: Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged País/Región como asunto: Oceania Idioma: En Revista: Harm Reduct J Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Australia Pais de publicación: Reino Unido
Texto completo
Añadir a Mi BVS
Imprimir
XML
PubMed Links
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Texto completo: 1 Colección: 01-internacional Base de datos: MEDLINE Asunto principal: Marihuana Medicinal Límite: Adolescent / Adult / Aged / Female / Humans / Male / Middle aged País/Región como asunto: Oceania Idioma: En Revista: Harm Reduct J Año: 2024 Tipo del documento: Article País de afiliación: Australia Pais de publicación: Reino Unido