Study Reveals Why Most Medical Marijuana Consumers Are Self-Medicating: Is This Safe?

Although recreational cannabis has been legal in Canada for nearly five years and medical marijuana for more than two decades, the illicit market is still very much alive. A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Manitoba reveals that the majority of Canadians who consume medical marijuana, are doing so without medical authorization.

"This raises real concerns around safety," said principal investigator Lynda Balneaves, a professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba, reported the CBC. "It raises concerns in terms of has that product gone through good manufacturing processes. Could there be a potential for contamination? Is the labeling on that product accurate in terms of the amount of THC, the cannabinoid that makes people feel high? It may not be accurate, and then that potentially could lead to people experiencing more side effects.”

Medical marijuana and the challenges around its use will be one of many important topics discussed at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami Beach next week, on April 11-12.

Survey Highlights And Common Trends

• Out of 5,744 Canadians surveyed, 95% confirmed medical marijuana use;
• Out of those 5,433 who use it, only 54% held current medical authorization;
• The three most common health problems marijuana was taken for were chronic
• pain (67%), anxiety (64%) and sleep issues (62%).
• Those who used it without medical authorization were also 20% less likely to seek professional medical advice;
• Most individuals using cannabis without medical authorization had a hard time estimating how much of it were they using and were more likely to report side effects than those with authorization (30% versus 23%);
• Nearly 1 in 2 individuals report taking medical cannabis to reduce the use of other medications;
• 1 in 2 individuals who tried to get authorization said they were unable to get it because their healthcare professional lacked knowledge about medical marijuana.

Expenses-Related Issues

• Every 2 in 3 individuals who had authorization did not want to renew it because of the recreational market;
• Almost half of the individuals with past authorization did not renew because more affordable products were easily acquired on the adult-use market;
• Only 6% of individuals with medical authorization received coverage for expenses; 
• Individuals with medical authorization spent 25% more on medical cannabis costs than those without it; 
• Among individuals with a history of using medical cannabis (n=204), the most reported reason for why they stopped was that it was too expensive (48%).
• Individuals who made less than $35,000 per year reported spending about $50 a month more on medical cannabis than participants reporting a higher income; 
• Those with medical authorization believe that removing taxes would reduce the cost of medical cannabis (64%), make it easier to access (57%) and reduce the use of unregulated sources (35%).

What Can Be Done To Improve The Medical Marijuana Program?

The report, created with McGill University in collaboration with patient groups Medical Cannabis Canada, SheCann Cannabis and Santé Cannabis offered six recommendations on how to improve the program.

These suggestions include:

• To create a formalized evaluation of the medical marijuana program in consultation with patients and experts;
• Amend marijuana regulations, tax and insurance policies to minimize out-of-pocket expenses;
• Keep reasonable access to marijuana via a dedicated medical framework;
• Create and establish medical cannabis-focused education training for healthcare professionals;
• Add community pharmacy dispensing;
• To maintain a federally-run hub to be in charge of creating updated information and resources about medical cannabis.

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