Stigma Among California's Medical Marijuana Patients

Overview

Journal J Psychoactive Drugs

Specialties Pharmacology
Psychiatry

Date 2015 Feb 26

PMID 25715067

Citations 48

Authors

Travis D Satterlund

Juliet P Lee

Roland S Moore

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The enactment of California's Proposition 215 stipulates that patients may use marijuana for medical reasons, provided that it is recommended by a physician. Yet, medical marijuana patients risk being stigmatized for this practice. This article examines the way in which medical marijuana patients perceive and process stigma, and how it affects their interactions and experiences with others. Eighteen semi-structured interviews of medical marijuana patients were carried out using a semi-structured interview guide. Most patients circumvented their own physicians in obtaining a recommendation to use medicinal marijuana, and also used a host of strategies in order to justify their medical marijuana use to family, friends, and colleagues in order to stave off potential stigma. The stigmatization of medical marijuana thus has a profound effect on how patients seek treatment, and whether they seek medical marijuana treatment at all.

Citing Articles

Detecting and understanding potential stigma among medical cannabis users in Germany.

Borojevic V, Sohner F BMC Public Health. 2025; 25(1):874.

PMID: 40045288 PMC: 11884029. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22084-w.

Acceptability of and attitudes to the therapeutic use of cannabis and cannabidiol in people with Parkinson's disease: A French survey.

Barre T, Cazorla G, Di Beo V, Lopez F, Radoszycki L, Maradan G Clin Park Relat Disord. 2024; 11:100286.

PMID: 39687323 PMC: 11647636. DOI: 10.1016/j.prdoa.2024.100286.

Discussions of Cannabis Over Patient Portal Secure Messaging: Content Analysis.

Shetty V, Gregor C, Tusing L, Pradhan A, Romagnoli K, Piper B J Med Internet Res. 2024; 26:e63311.

PMID: 39666375 PMC: 11671783. DOI: 10.2196/63311.

Use and perceptions of Cannabidiol among individuals in treatment for opioid use disorder.

Kudrich C, Chen R, Meng Y, Bachi K, Hurd Y Harm Reduct J. 2024; 21(1):135.

PMID: 39020418 PMC: 11253449. DOI: 10.1186/s12954-024-01051-5.

Understanding the epidemiology and perceived efficacy of cannabis use in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Leroux T, Ajrawat P, Sundararajan K, Maldonado-Rodriguez N, Ravi B, Gandhi R J Cannabis Res. 2024; 6(1):28.

PMID: 38961506 PMC: 11220958. DOI: 10.1186/s42238-024-00231-1.

References

Campbell C, Foulis C, Maimane S, Sibiya Z . "I have an evil child at my house": stigma and HIV/AIDS management in a South African community. Am J Public Health. 2005; 95(5):808-15. PMC: 1449259. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2003.037499. View

Rogge M, Greenwald M, Golden A . Obesity, stigma, and civilized oppression. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 2004; 27(4):301-15. DOI: 10.1097/00012272-200410000-00006. View

Sirey J, Bruce M, Alexopoulos G, Perlick D, Raue P, Friedman S . Perceived stigma as a predictor of treatment discontinuation in young and older outpatients with depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2001; 158(3):479-81. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.158.3.479. View

Kalant H . Medicinal use of cannabis: history and current status. Pain Res Manag. 2002; 6(2):80-91. DOI: 10.1155/2001/469629. View

Bolton J . How can we reduce the stigma of mental illness?. BMJ. 2003; 326(7386):S57. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.326.7386.S57a. View

Guzman M . Cannabinoids: potential anticancer agents. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003; 3(10):745-55. DOI: 10.1038/nrc1188. View

Kalant H . Adverse effects of cannabis on health: an update of the literature since 1996. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2004; 28(5):849-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2004.05.027. View

Corrigan P . How stigma interferes with mental health care. Am Psychol. 2004; 59(7):614-625. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.59.7.614. View

Cunningham J, Sobell L, Sobell M, Agrawal S, Toneatto T . Barriers to treatment: why alcohol and drug abusers delay or never seek treatment. Addict Behav. 1993; 18(3):347-53. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4603(93)90036-9. View

10.

Link B, STRUENING E, Rahav M, Phelan J, Nuttbrock L . On stigma and its consequences: evidence from a longitudinal study of men with dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance abuse. J Health Soc Behav. 1997; 38(2):177-90. View

11.

Sidney S, Quesenberry Jr C, Friedman G, Tekawa I . Marijuana use and cancer incidence (California, United States). Cancer Causes Control. 1997; 8(5):722-8. DOI: 10.1023/a:1018427320658. View

12.

Woolridge E, Barton S, Samuel J, Osorio J, Dougherty A, Holdcroft A . Cannabis use in HIV for pain and other medical symptoms. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2005; 29(4):358-67. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2004.07.011. View

13.

Luoma J, Kulesza M, Hayes S, Kohlenberg B, Larimer M . Stigma predicts residential treatment length for substance use disorder. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2014; 40(3):206-12. PMC: 5061110. DOI: 10.3109/00952990.2014.901337. View

14.

van Boekel L, Brouwers E, van Weeghel J, Garretsen H . Stigma among health professionals towards patients with substance use disorders and its consequences for healthcare delivery: systematic review. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013; 131(1-2):23-35. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.02.018. View

15.

Satterlund T, Lee J, Moore R . Changes in smoking-related norms in bars resulting from California's Smoke-Free Workplace Act. J Drug Educ. 2013; 42(3):315-26. PMC: 3671496. DOI: 10.2190/DE.42.3.d. View

16.

Reinarman C, Nunberg H, Lanthier F, Heddleston T . Who are medical marijuana patients? Population characteristics from nine California assessment clinics. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2011; 43(2):128-35. DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2011.587700. View

17.

Kuepper R, van Os J, Lieb R, Wittchen H, Hofler M, Henquet C . Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study. BMJ. 2011; 342:d738. PMC: 3047001. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.d738. View

18.

Keyes K, Hatzenbuehler M, McLaughlin K, Link B, Olfson M, Grant B . Stigma and treatment for alcohol disorders in the United States. Am J Epidemiol. 2010; 172(12):1364-72. PMC: 2998202. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwq304. View

19.

Livingston J, Boyd J . Correlates and consequences of internalized stigma for people living with mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2010; 71(12):2150-61. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.09.030. View

20.

Hall W, Degenhardt L . Adverse health effects of non-medical cannabis use. Lancet. 2009; 374(9698):1383-91. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61037-0. View