Medical Cannabis Patients Reported High Psychological Distress and Stress From Drug Law Enforcement
A survey of 37 medical cannabis dispensary patients found psychological distress nearly 2.5 times higher than the general population, with 76% reporting previous exposure to drug law enforcement tactics.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Thirty-seven medical cannabis patients at a Washington state dispensary completed surveys about health behaviors, psychological distress, stress related to marijuana criminality, and law enforcement experiences. Their median psychological distress, measured by the Behavioral Symptom Inventory, was nearly 2.5 times higher than the general population but one-third lower than psychiatric outpatients.
Seventy-six percent reported previous exposure to a total of 119 separate drug law enforcement tactics. Participants reported moderate stress related to marijuana's criminal status and used a wide range of coping methods. The study also noted that standard substance use disorder assessments were confounded by the legal ambiguity of medical cannabis.
Key Numbers
37 subjects enrolled. Psychological distress 2.5x general population, one-third less than psychiatric outpatients. 76% reported drug law enforcement exposure. 119 total law enforcement tactics reported across participants.
How They Did This
Dispensary-based survey of medical cannabis patients in Washington state. Measures included the BSI for psychological distress, custom measures for marijuana criminality stress, law enforcement exposure, and coping behaviors. Modified substance use assessment instruments were used.
Why This Research Matters
Medical cannabis patients occupy a uniquely stressful position between receiving medical recommendation for a substance that remains federally illegal. This study documented the psychological toll of that conflicting legal status, including direct encounters with law enforcement.
The Bigger Picture
This study highlighted the hidden costs of cannabis prohibition for medical users: elevated distress, law enforcement encounters, and the confounding effect of legal status on clinical assessment of substance use disorders. These concerns have become central to cannabis policy reform discussions.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Very small sample size (37 participants) from a single dispensary. Convenience sampling limits generalizability. The elevated psychological distress could reflect the conditions for which patients sought medical cannabis rather than the stress of legal ambiguity. No control group.
Questions This Raises
- ?Has the psychological distress of medical cannabis patients decreased in states that have legalized recreational use?
- ?How does law enforcement exposure affect treatment-seeking behavior?
- ?Should substance use assessments be modified for patients with legitimate medical cannabis recommendations?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 76% of medical cannabis patients reported exposure to drug law enforcement
- Evidence Grade:
- Very small single-dispensary survey; preliminary descriptive evidence only.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2013. Washington state has since legalized recreational cannabis, which may have altered the stress landscape for medical users.
- Original Title:
- Distress, coping, and drug law enforcement in a series of patients using medical cannabis.
- Published In:
- The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 201(4), 292-303 (2013)
- Authors:
- Aggarwal, Sunil Kumar, Carter, Gregory, Sullivan, Mark, Morrill, Richard, Zumbrunnen, Craig, Mayer, Jonathan
- Database ID:
- RTHC-00642
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why do medical cannabis patients have elevated distress?
Multiple factors likely contribute: the underlying medical conditions that led to cannabis use, the stress of using a federally illegal substance for medicine, encounters with law enforcement, and social stigma. This study could not determine which factor contributes most.
How did law enforcement affect these patients?
Over three-quarters of participants reported previous exposure to drug law enforcement tactics, totaling 119 separate incidents across the group. These experiences contributed to moderate stress related to marijuana criminality and likely affected how patients accessed and used their medicine.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-00642APA
Aggarwal, Sunil Kumar; Carter, Gregory; Sullivan, Mark; Morrill, Richard; Zumbrunnen, Craig; Mayer, Jonathan. (2013). Distress, coping, and drug law enforcement in a series of patients using medical cannabis.. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 201(4), 292-303. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e318288d333
MLA
Aggarwal, Sunil Kumar, et al. "Distress, coping, and drug law enforcement in a series of patients using medical cannabis.." The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e318288d333
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Distress, coping, and drug law enforcement in a series of pa..." RTHC-00642. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/aggarwal-2013-distress-coping-and-drug
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.