Israeli patients describe complex coping strategies around both the benefits and stigma of medical cannabis | Research

The takeaway

Medical cannabis patients with chronic pain or PTSD developed elaborate coping mechanisms for both the drug's adverse effects and the social stigma of use, including concealment, justification, and rejection of "pothead" identity.

Healthcare providers prescribing medical cannabis, patient advocacy groups, and researchers studying stigma in medical treatment.

What the researchers found

Two main themes emerged: (1) Coping with adverse effects through concealment, justification, protective behavioral strategies, and rejection of stigmatized identity; and (2) Utilizing positive effects including using cannabis to forget/disconnect, cope with helplessness, and build camaraderie with other patients against perceived institutional barriers.

Why it matters

Medical cannabis is typically studied through clinical outcomes, but this qualitative work reveals the psychological and social complexity of long-term therapeutic use. Patients are not passive recipients but actively manage both the benefits and costs of their treatment.

The numbers in context

25 participants, predominantly male. Two main themes with seven sub-themes. Patients used MC for chronic pain or PTSD.

How the study worked

In-depth semi-structured interviews with 25 Israeli medicinal cannabis patients (predominantly men) prescribed MC for chronic pain or PTSD. Thematic analysis characterized narratives around long-term MC use.

What this study cannot tell us

Predominantly male sample in Israel, limiting generalizability. Self-selected participants willing to discuss their experiences. No comparison with other stigmatized medications. Cultural context may differ from other countries.

How to read the evidence

Rich qualitative data from in-depth interviews, but small predominantly male sample in one country limits generalizability.

When this study was published

2025 publication.

The bigger picture

The tension between therapeutic benefit and social stigma creates a unique patient experience in medical cannabis. Patients essentially develop dual identities, as legitimate patients and as people who must hide or justify their treatment.

Questions still open

How does stigma around medical cannabis affect treatment adherence and outcomes?
Would normalization of medical cannabis reduce the psychological burden these patients describe?

Common questions

Why do medical cannabis patients feel stigmatized?

Despite legal prescriptions, medical cannabis carries associations with recreational drug use. Patients described having to justify their treatment to family, employers, and even other healthcare providers who viewed their use skeptically.

How do patients cope with cannabis side effects?

Patients developed practical strategies including timing use around responsibilities, titrating doses carefully, and planning activities around expected impairment. Many used these strategies without clinical guidance, developing their own protocols through trial and error.

Read the original research

A Qualitative Investigation Into the Experiences of Medicinal Cannabis Use Among Chronic Pain and PTSD Patients in Israel.

Qualitative health research, 10497323251361328

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Gliksberg, Or; Hulaihel, Amany; Sznitman, Sharon R; Brill, Silviu; Amit, Ben H; Lev-Ran, Shaul; Kushnir, Talma; Feingold, Daniel. (2025). A Qualitative Investigation Into the Experiences of Medicinal Cannabis Use Among Chronic Pain and PTSD Patients in Israel.. Qualitative health research, 10497323251361328. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323251361328