Dataset Information

Medical Cannabis Use Among Canadian Veterans and Non-Veterans: A National Survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Medical cannabis (MC) is used by Canadian Veterans to manage a wide range of health issues. However, there is little information comparing the reasons for MC use and its perceived effectiveness between Veterans and non-Veterans.

Objects

We compared MC use among a convenience sample of Canadian Veterans and with non-Veteran controls, including demographics, reasons and patterns of use, and perceived effectiveness.

Methods

Between November and December 2021, Canadian Veterans using cannabis were invited to participate in a survey using a national press release, social media, and announcements on online platform dedicated to promoting health among Canadian Veterans and non-Veterans during the pandemic (www.MissionVav.com). The survey was also mentioned in a monthly newsletter from Veteran Affairs Canada. Self-reported effectiveness was evaluated using a 0 to 10 visual analogue scale (0 being not all effective, 10 being the most effective).

Results

The survey was completed by 157 people, including 108 (69%) males and 49 (31%) females. The mean age was 57 years (range 19 to 84). Among responders, 90 (63%) identified as Veterans. The most common reasons for MC use among Veterans included: insomnia (80%), anxiety (73%), and depression (52%). Veterans reported medical conditions such as chronic pain (88%) and arthritis (51%). Compared with non-Veterans, Veterans were significantly more likely to be male (83% vs. 49%), have a higher BMI (35.2 vs. 30.9), to report problems with sleep, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and to use cannabis in edible form (51% vs. 22%). Self-reported mean effectiveness scores for MC were highest for PTSD (8.4), insomnia (8.2), anxiety (8.1), depression (8.0), and chronic pain (7.6).

Conclusions

We found important differences in user characteristics and cannabis use patterns between Canadian Veterans and non-Veterans. Further controlled studies are required to validate these findings, but these data suggest that orally administered cannabis products may be worth further study.

SUBMITTER: Valikhanova G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10619467 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Medical Cannabis Use Among Canadian Veterans and Non-Veterans: A National Survey.

Valikhanova Gunel G Kato Yuka Y Fitzcharles Mary-Ann MA Ware Mark M Da Costa Deborah D Lowensteyn Ilka I Cheung Ho Sum HS Grover Steven S

Integrative medicine reports 20231012 1

<h4>Background</h4>Medical cannabis (MC) is used by Canadian Veterans to manage a wide range of health issues. However, there is little information comparing the reasons for MC use and its perceived effectiveness between Veterans and non-Veterans.<h4>Objects</h4>We compared MC use among a convenience sample of Canadian Veterans and with non-Veteran controls, including demographics, reasons and patterns of use, and perceived effectiveness.<h4>Methods</h4>Between November and December 2021, Canadi ...[more]

PMID: 37920683

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Dataset Information

Medical Cannabis Use Among Canadian Veterans and Non-Veterans: A National Survey.

Background

Objects

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Medical Cannabis Use Among Canadian Veterans and Non-Veterans: A National Survey.

Similar Datasets

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