Chronic Pain Patients Had Unanswered Questions About Medical Cannabis Effectiveness, Safety, and Cost

Across 28 participants in focus groups, seven key themes emerged: efficacy, safety, stigma, cost, convenience, government/legal considerations, and interactions with healthcare providers. Themes were similar whether participants had or had not used medical cannabis, though emphasis varied. A major finding was that even current users had significant unanswered questions.

Qualitative focus-group study with three participant groups: chronic pain patients who had used medical cannabis, chronic pain patients who had not, and people without chronic pain who used cannabis for other conditions. Used semi-structured facilitator questionnaire with thematic analysis via NVivo 12.

Despite growing medical cannabis use for chronic pain, this study reveals that patients on both sides of the decision feel they lack adequate information to make informed choices, highlighting a gap between policy expansion and patient education.

As medical cannabis programs expand, the gap between access and evidence-based guidance remains a central challenge. Patients are making treatment decisions without the information they need, and their healthcare providers often cannot fill those gaps.

Small sample size (28 participants). Qualitative design provides depth but not generalizability. Convenience sampling may not capture the full range of patient perspectives.