Cancer care providers were about three times more likely than cancer survivors to report awareness of medical cannabis’s potential risks, according to a study published June 20 in the Journal of Cancer Education.
Researchers at Richmond, Va.-based VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center surveyed 395 cancer survivors and 62 cancer care providers to compare their attitudes toward medical cannabis, along with perceived benefits and risks.
Here are five notes from the study:
- Providers reported awareness of medical cannabis’s potential risks more often than survivors, at 25% and 8.4%, respectively.
- Survivors were more comfortable discussing cannabis with their care team than providers were initiating those conversations with patients, at 68.5% and 46.7%, respectively.
- Providers held more negative views of recreational cannabis use than survivors did.
- Among survivors, those who used cannabis reported higher social well-being than those who never used it, but also reported lower physical and emotional well-being, greater healthcare mistrust and lower use of healthcare services.
- Cannabis-using survivors had higher rates of smoking, vaping, anxiety and depression than nonusers, though the two groups did not differ in chronic pain, alcohol use or sleep quality.
Read the full study here.
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