Medical cannabis – who needs it? Turns out, perhaps quite a few Australians say they do …

It turns out that many people use cannabis for medical purpose in Australia. A study of cannabis use for medical purposes in Australia conducted immediately prior to the 2016 legislation for frameworks for medical cannabis use was recently published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Using an anonymous online survey, 1748 study participants recruited through online media and at professional and consumer forums and who reported using a cannabis product for self-identified medical or therapeutic reasons during the preceding 12 months were studied. Men accounted from 68.1% of the cohort and and nearly 57% were described as “employed.” The mean reported period of medical cannabis use of 9.8 years (SD, 12.5 years). The most frequent reasons for medical cannabis use were anxiety (50.7%), back pain (50.0%), depression (49.3%), and sleep problems (43.5%). Respondents had used medical cannabis on a mean of 19.9 of the previous 28 days (SD, 10.0 days). Mean out of pocket expenditure amounted to $68.60 per week, and the most frequent route of administration was inhalation (>80%). Participants reported high levels of clinical effectiveness and frequent side effects, including drowsiness, ocular irritation, lethargy and memory impairment; and 17% were thought to satisfy diagnostic criteria for moderate or severe cannabis use disorder.