Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers
Background: Despite the increased use and availability of cannabis, little is known about provider perceptions and practices regarding cannabis. The present study examined support for use of medical marijuana/tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) among a national sample of primary care providers and explored w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Mary Ann Liebert
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Women's Health Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/whr.2024.0016 |
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| _version_ | 1849321573225332736 |
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| author | Kathryn Polak Anna Wiese Taylor B. Crouch Wally Smith Dace S. Svikis |
| author_facet | Kathryn Polak Anna Wiese Taylor B. Crouch Wally Smith Dace S. Svikis |
| author_sort | Kathryn Polak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Despite the increased use and availability of cannabis, little is known about provider perceptions and practices regarding cannabis. The present study examined support for use of medical marijuana/tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) among a national sample of primary care providers and explored whether support varied by gender of the provider. Methods: Participants (N = 85) were primary care providers recruited through ResearchMatch.org who completed a 10-minute computer-administered survey on perceptions, attitudes, and experiences involving chronic pain management and medical marijuana/THC. Results: Demographically, the sample was predominantly female (60%) and White (70.6%), with a mean age of 40.81 years. Over one-third (37.6%) were nurse practitioners or physician assistants. A majority of practitioners supported use of medical marijuana/THC for chronic cancer pain (82.4%), chronic noncancer pain (64.7%), end-of-life/palliative care (64.7%), neuropathic pain (58.8%), intractable epilepsy (52.9%), and anxiety (50.6%). The lowest rates of support were found for patients with dementia with agitation (34.1%) and insomnia (31.8%). Female practitioners were significantly more likely than male practitioners to support medical marijuana/THC use for the following conditions: chronic cancer pain (90.2% vs. 70.6%; p < 0.05); end-of-life/palliative care (80.4% vs. 41.2%; p < 0.001); cachexia associated with severe illness (58.8% vs. 23.5%; p < 0.01); spasticity in multiple sclerosis (51% vs. 29.4%; p < 0.05); antitumor effects (52.9% vs. 17.6%; p < 0.01); and dementia with agitation (43.1% vs. 20.6%; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Findings suggest female providers are more likely to be supportive of medical marijuana/THC than male providers. Future research should assess how knowledge and training around medical marijuana/THC impacts level of support, as well as how level of support may impact behavior. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a2748f1431a4473f8550d902cbe4e5d3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2688-4844 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Mary Ann Liebert |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Women's Health Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-a2748f1431a4473f8550d902cbe4e5d32025-08-20T03:49:42ZengMary Ann LiebertWomen's Health Reports2688-48442024-04-015190991510.1089/whr.2024.0016Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care ProvidersKathryn Polak0Anna Wiese1Taylor B. Crouch2Wally Smith3Dace S. Svikis4Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.Division of General Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.Background: Despite the increased use and availability of cannabis, little is known about provider perceptions and practices regarding cannabis. The present study examined support for use of medical marijuana/tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) among a national sample of primary care providers and explored whether support varied by gender of the provider. Methods: Participants (N = 85) were primary care providers recruited through ResearchMatch.org who completed a 10-minute computer-administered survey on perceptions, attitudes, and experiences involving chronic pain management and medical marijuana/THC. Results: Demographically, the sample was predominantly female (60%) and White (70.6%), with a mean age of 40.81 years. Over one-third (37.6%) were nurse practitioners or physician assistants. A majority of practitioners supported use of medical marijuana/THC for chronic cancer pain (82.4%), chronic noncancer pain (64.7%), end-of-life/palliative care (64.7%), neuropathic pain (58.8%), intractable epilepsy (52.9%), and anxiety (50.6%). The lowest rates of support were found for patients with dementia with agitation (34.1%) and insomnia (31.8%). Female practitioners were significantly more likely than male practitioners to support medical marijuana/THC use for the following conditions: chronic cancer pain (90.2% vs. 70.6%; p < 0.05); end-of-life/palliative care (80.4% vs. 41.2%; p < 0.001); cachexia associated with severe illness (58.8% vs. 23.5%; p < 0.01); spasticity in multiple sclerosis (51% vs. 29.4%; p < 0.05); antitumor effects (52.9% vs. 17.6%; p < 0.01); and dementia with agitation (43.1% vs. 20.6%; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Findings suggest female providers are more likely to be supportive of medical marijuana/THC than male providers. Future research should assess how knowledge and training around medical marijuana/THC impacts level of support, as well as how level of support may impact behavior.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/whr.2024.0016gender differencesmedical cannabismedical marijuanaprimary care |
| spellingShingle | Kathryn Polak Anna Wiese Taylor B. Crouch Wally Smith Dace S. Svikis Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers Women's Health Reports gender differences medical cannabis medical marijuana primary care |
| title | Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers |
| title_full | Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers |
| title_fullStr | Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers |
| title_short | Gender Differences in the Support of Medical Marijuana Use Among Primary Care Providers |
| title_sort | gender differences in the support of medical marijuana use among primary care providers |
| topic | gender differences medical cannabis medical marijuana primary care |
| url | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/whr.2024.0016 |
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