A qualitative study on the self-perceived effects both positive and detrimental of the self-medication of cannabis and cannabinoid products in people aged between 18 and 65 in the Liverpool city region

Abstract

In the United Kingdom there are approximately thirty million people that have been diagnosed with conditions that make them eligible for treatment using cannabis and/or cannabinoid products. Although cannabis and cannabinoid products have been legal in the United Kingdom since November 2018, the only route of access for patients is through specialised private clinics. With very little information being given to the public around policy changes in reference to medical cannabis there are still many misconceptions over the legality of medical cannabis, what conditions it can be used to treat and the side-effects of medical cannabis on patients. This study used qualitative research methods to research the self-perceived effects of cannabis and cannabinoid products in those who are self-medicating with illicit cannabis and legal cannabinoid products and their reasoning for use. Individuals aged between 18 and 65 who live within the Liverpool city region and currently use or have a history of using cannabis or cannabinoid products for health-related purposes were recruited into the study, on a voluntary basis, through the researchers preexisting networks using convenience sampling with the potential for the individuals to refer or recruit appropriate individuals through snowball sampling methods. Three participants took part in semi structured interviews to gather data pertaining to their use of cannabis and/or cannabinoid products. All data was then transcribed with emerging themes being identified and subsequently compared to existing research and available data in relation to the research question. Results showed that there are various reasons for use of cannabis and cannabinoid products, in varying quantities, for health-related purposes with use of cannabis predominantly as an aid to sleep and relieve anxiety whilst cannabinoid products being predominantly used for pain related illness. Reasons for use also varied from initial recreational use, individuals looking for an alternative to synthetic or derivative medicines and individuals wanting to try cannabis as a sleep aid. All participants reported a willingness to be prescribed cannabis and/or cannabinoid by medical professionals if it was available to them. Further research should focus on gaining greater participation for the study and utilising unstructured interviews with participants to gain the greatest amount of in-depth data in relation to the positive and detrimental effects of cannabis and/or cannabinoid product use on the health and daily lives of participants. There are suggestions from this study that the legalisation of and eligibility criteria for medical cannabis and/or cannabinoid products in the United Kingdom are not widely known to the public.