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Older Canadians’ Perceptions of the Safety, Effectiveness and Accessibility of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

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Abstract

Background and Objective

Cannabis use is increasing among older adults, with use primarily for medicinal purposes. Much of the evidence on perceptions of cannabis is derived from younger populations and current users of cannabis. The purpose of this study was to describe community-dwelling older Canadians’ perceptions of cannabis effectiveness, safety and accessibility for medicinal purposes and to identify factors influencing cannabis perceptions.

Methods

An online survey of older adults’ perceptions, knowledge and experiences with cannabis was completed between February and September 2022. The survey was open to English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians aged 50 years and older regardless of their cannabis use history.

Results

A total of 1615 Canadians completed the survey. Respondents identified primarily as men (49.7%) or women (48.5%) of Caucasian decent. The majority of participants viewed cannabis as a reasonable alternative (65.8%) and an effective (70.5%) treatment modality for symptom management in older adults. Few respondents (16.4%) felt that older adults compared to younger adults were at a higher risk of side effects and 34.5% felt that cannabis is safe to use with most medicines. Cannabis perceptions were influenced by gender, cannabis use history (prior use vs current use) and reasons for cannabis use (recreational purposes vs medicinal purposes vs both purposes).

Conclusions

Older Canadians have a positive view of the role of cannabis in symptom management. The perceptions of cannabis safety and effectiveness were influenced by gender, cannabis use history and reasons for cannabis use. Healthcare professionals should leverage these perceptions when discussing cannabis with their older patient populations.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the contribution of Richard Saczkowski, who performed the statistical analysis for this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jennifer Bolt

  2. Interior Health Authority, Department of Pharmacy Services, Kelowna Community Health & Services Centre, 505 Doyle Ave, Kelowna, BC, V1Y 6V8, Canada

    Jennifer Bolt

  3. Aging in Place Research Cluster, The University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada

    Jacob Movold, Megan Behm, Jill Williamson, Melanie Fenton & Jennifer M. Jakobi

  4. School of Health and Exercise Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Development, The University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada

    Jacob Movold & Jennifer M. Jakobi

Authors
  1. Jennifer Bolt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Bolt.

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Funding

Work performed by Jennifer M. Jakobi, Jacob Movold, Megan Behm, Melanie Fenton and Jill Williamson was funded by the Eminence Award from Vice President Research and Innovation at University of British Columbia Okanagan for Research Clusters of Excellence.

Conflicts of Interest

Jennifer Bolt, Jacob Movold, Megan Behm, Jill Williamson, Melanie Fenton and Jennifer M. Jakobi have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

Availability of Data and Material

Data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethics Approval

This study was performed in alignment with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the harmonized Interior Health Authority and the University of British Columbia’s Behavioral Research Ethics Boards (H21-03287).

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

Consent for Publication

Not applicable.

Code Availability

Not applicable.

Author Contributions

JB, JM, MF and JMJ contributed to the study conception and design. Data management was performed by JM, JW and MB. Statistical analysis was completed by Richard Saczkowski. Data interpretation was undertaken by JB, JM, JW and JMJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JB and all authors contributed to subsequent versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Bolt, J., Movold, J., Behm, M. et al. Older Canadians’ Perceptions of the Safety, Effectiveness and Accessibility of Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Drugs Aging 41, 329–337 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40266-024-01109-w

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