Healthcare providers are generally positive about medical cannabis for older patients but face significant barriers | Research

The takeaway

Rural Australian healthcare providers expressed generally positive attitudes toward medical cannabis for older patients but identified stigma, regulation, access difficulties, and driving laws as major barriers.

Healthcare providers, medical cannabis policy researchers, geriatric medicine professionals

Stigma, regulation, and driving laws are top barriers to prescribing for seniors

What the researchers found

Providers were generally positive about medical cannabis for older patients but identified multiple barriers: stigma from patients and colleagues, complex regulatory pathways (Special Access Scheme), limited access in rural areas, restrictive driving laws, and insufficient education and evidence.

Why it matters

As the aging population grows and cannabis-based medicines become available, understanding provider attitudes and barriers is essential for ensuring older patients can access these treatments when appropriate.

The numbers in context

11 healthcare providers interviewed; rural NSW, Australia; barriers include stigma, regulation, access, driving laws; Special Access Scheme identified as difficult

How the study worked

Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 healthcare providers in rural New South Wales, Australia, analyzed using thematic analysis and an ecological framework.

What this study cannot tell us

Small qualitative sample (11 providers), single rural region in Australia, may not generalize to urban settings or other countries, provider self-selection may bias toward those interested in cannabis.

How to read the evidence

Small qualitative study with 11 providers from a single rural region

When this study was published

Published in 2021 from rural Australia. Medical cannabis regulatory barriers continue to evolve.

The bigger picture

Provider attitudes are a critical bottleneck in medical cannabis access. Even when providers are supportive, systemic barriers at personal, organizational, and regulatory levels can prevent patients from receiving treatment.

Questions still open

Would simplified regulatory pathways increase prescribing for older patients? What education programs would most effectively reduce provider hesitancy? How do driving restrictions affect medical cannabis uptake in rural areas where driving is essential?

Common questions

Are doctors willing to prescribe medical cannabis for older patients?

This study found generally positive attitudes, but providers face significant barriers including stigma, complex regulation, and concerns about drug interactions and driving restrictions for older patients.

What stops doctors from prescribing medical cannabis?

Key barriers include the complex Special Access Scheme regulatory pathway, social stigma from patients and colleagues, limited access in rural areas, driving restrictions that affect patient mobility, and insufficient education and evidence.

Read the original research

Cannabis and its therapeutic value in the ageing population: Attitudes of health-care providers.

Australasian journal on ageing, 40(3), 261-274

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Chandiok, Karan; Marathe, Shreeya; Rooney, Miranda; Stocker, Jess; Tellis, Bianca; Pit, Sabrina. (2021). Cannabis and its therapeutic value in the ageing population: Attitudes of health-care providers.. Australasian journal on ageing, 40(3), 261-274. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12846