Australian Study Finds Most Medical Cannabis Obtained Without Prescription

PainRelief.com:  What are the main findings?

Response: We found that in Australia, 3 years after having legal access for medical cannabis, 2.6% reported use in the past year, only 0.8% reported use solely for medical purposes, of whom 95.9% did not have a prescription. People living with chronic pain were more likely to use cannabis for medical and recreational purposes.

PainRelief.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: In 2019, the prevalence of cannabis use solely for medicinal reasons remains under 1%, was more common among people with specific medical conditions, and most did not have a prescription.

PainRelief.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Based on the latest data available, the prevalence of self-reported medical cannabis use in Australia was low and there had been limited use of the legal pathway. Access to medical cannabis has since been streamlined and future research that monitors trends and co-use of medical cannabis with other substances is warranted.

No conflicts of interest.

Citation:

Janni Leung, Carmen C.W. Lim, Vivian Chiu, Jack Chung, Tesfa Mekonen, Danielle Dawson, Wayne D. Hall, Gary C.K. Chan,
Prevalence and correlates of cannabis use for medicinal reasons – An Australian cross-sectional study,
Addictive Behaviors Reports, Volume 15,2022,100436,
ISSN 2352-8532,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100436.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352853222000311

[last-modified]

The information on PainRelief.com is provided for educational purposes only, and is in no way intended to diagnose, cure, or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health and ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In addition to all other limitations and disclaimers in this agreement, service provider and its third party providers disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided on this website.

Last Updated on June 9, 2022 by PainRelief.com