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April 2022; 12 (2) ResearchOpen Access

Sources of Cannabis Information and Medical Guidance for Neurologic Use

NARCOMS Survey of People Living With Multiple Sclerosis

View ORCID ProfileAmber Salter, Gary Cutter, Ruth Ann Marrie, Kathryn Nichol, Joshua R. Steinerman, Karry M.J. Smith, View ORCID ProfileRobert J. Fox
First published January 20, 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1212/CPJ.0000000000001155
Amber Salter
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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  • ORCID record for Amber Salter
Gary Cutter
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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Ruth Ann Marrie
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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Kathryn Nichol
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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Joshua R. Steinerman
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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Karry M.J. Smith
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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Robert J. Fox
UT Southwestern Medical Center (AS), Dallas, TX; The University of Alabama at Birmingham (GC); Max Rady College of Medicine (RAM), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Greenwich Biosciences, Inc. (KN, JRS, KMJS), Carlsbad, CA; and Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis (RJF), Cleveland Clinic, OH.
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Citation
Sources of Cannabis Information and Medical Guidance for Neurologic Use
NARCOMS Survey of People Living With Multiple Sclerosis
Amber Salter, Gary Cutter, Ruth Ann Marrie, Kathryn Nichol, Joshua R. Steinerman, Karry M.J. Smith, Robert J. Fox
Neurol Clin Pract Apr 2022, 12 (2) 102-112; DOI: 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000001155

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Abstract

Background and Objectives As cannabis products become increasingly accessible across the United States, understanding how patients obtain medical information on cannabis and view the role of their health care provider in providing information is important.

Methods Participants with multiple sclerosis (MS) from the North American Research Committee on Multiple Sclerosis registry completed a supplemental survey on Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-containing cannabis use between March and April 2020. Participants reported dialogue with health care providers regarding cannabis use, information sources used to make product decisions, and expenditure on cannabis. Findings are reported using descriptive statistics.

Results Overall, 3,249 participants responded (47% response rate), of whom 31% ever used cannabis and 20% currently used cannabis for MS. To determine presumed cannabis contents, respondents who had ever used cannabis (ever users) most often used dispensary-provided information (39%), word of mouth/dealer/friend (29%), and unregulated product labels (24%). For general information on cannabis for MS, ever users most often used dispensary staff (38%) and friends (32%). The primary source of medical guidance among ever users was most often “nobody or myself” (48%), followed by a dispensary professional (21%); only 12% relied on their MS physician, although 70% had discussed cannabis with their MS physician. Most current users (62%) typically sourced their cannabis from a dispensary. The most common factor in selecting a cannabis product was perceived quality and safety (70%).

Discussion Participants most often received information on cannabis for MS from dispensaries, unregulated product labels, and friends; only a small proportion used health care providers. Evidence-based patient and physician education is needed.

Footnotes

  • Funding information and disclosures are provided at the end of the article. Full disclosure form information provided by the authors is available with the full text of this article at Neurology.org/cp.

  • The Article Processing Charge was funded by Greenwich Biosciences, Inc.

  • Received October 18, 2021.
  • Accepted January 5, 2022.
  • Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND), which permits downloading and sharing the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

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