Mental health professionals who use cannabis recognized its risks but continued use

Mental health professionals who use cannabis identified multiple risks from both personal and clinical experience: anxiety, relational challenges, impaired driving, psychosis, cognitive impairment, educational/employment dysfunction, and addiction in some users. However, they may underestimate physical health risks, suggesting a gap in their knowledge base.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis of qualitative interviews with social workers, nurses, and psychotherapists who use cannabis and work with cannabis-consuming clients. Examined how they make sense of cannabis-related harm in both personal and professional contexts.

Mental health professionals who use cannabis occupy a unique dual perspective: they see cannabis effects in their clients and experience them personally. Understanding their risk perceptions can reveal blind spots that affect both personal use and clinical guidance.

As cannabis normalizes, understanding how healthcare professionals who use it perceive risks is important for professional regulation, clinical practice, and training. Their risk awareness may influence how they counsel clients.

Qualitative study with small sample and no specific sample size reported. Self-selected participants willing to disclose use. Cannot generalize findings to all mental health professionals. Social desirability bias may understate risky use patterns.