Cannabis Clinic Websites Promote 20 Medical Uses but Cite Low-Quality Evidence and Rarely Mention Harms | Research

The takeaway

A review of 29 Ontario cannabis clinic websites found they promoted cannabis for 20 medical conditions but 15% of cited studies were at the lowest evidence level, and only 4 clinics mentioned any harms.

Patients researching medical cannabis, physicians, health regulators, medical cannabis advocates.

Only 4 of 29 cannabis clinics mentioned any harms on their websites

What the researchers found

Twenty-nine cannabis clinics in Ontario promoted cannabis for 20 different medical indications including migraines, insomnia, and fibromyalgia. They cited 235 unique studies, but 15.3% (36/235) were at the lowest level of evidence (level 5 on the Oxford rubric). Only 4 clinic websites included any mention of harms associated with cannabis use.

Why it matters

Patients often encounter cannabis clinic websites when researching medical cannabis. If these sites present low-quality evidence as fact and omit harm information, patients and physicians may make treatment decisions based on misleading information.

The numbers in context

29 clinics identified. 20 medical indications promoted. 235 unique studies cited. 15.3% at lowest evidence level (level 5). Only 4 of 29 clinics mentioned any harms.

How the study worked

Cross-sectional web search identifying all cannabis clinic websites in Ontario, Canada, with physician involvement. Two independent reviewers identified all promoted medical indications and critically appraised all cited studies using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Levels of Evidence rubric.

What this study cannot tell us

Limited to Ontario, Canada. Websites may have changed since search. Only evaluated publicly available content. Did not assess what clinicians told patients during consultations.

How to read the evidence

Systematic web-based analysis with dual independent review and validated evidence appraisal rubric.

When this study was published

Published 2023.

The bigger picture

The gap between marketing claims and evidence quality is a systemic issue in the medical cannabis industry. Without regulatory standards for health claims on cannabis clinic websites, patients lack the tools to evaluate what they are reading.

Questions still open

Should cannabis clinic websites be held to the same advertising standards as pharmaceutical companies?
Do patients make different decisions when clinic websites include balanced harm information?

Common questions

Are cannabis clinic website claims supported by good evidence?

This study found that 15% of studies cited by Ontario cannabis clinics were at the lowest evidence level, and only 4 of 29 clinics mentioned any risks or harms.

What conditions do cannabis clinics promote it for?

The 29 clinics promoted cannabis for 20 different conditions including migraines, insomnia, fibromyalgia, and many others.

Read the original research

Evaluating the Supporting Evidence of Medical Cannabis Claims Made on Clinic Websites: Cross-Sectional Study.

Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e45550

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

O'Neill, Braden; Ferguson, Jacob; Dalueg, Lauren; Yusuf, Abban; Kirubarajan, Abirami; Lloyd, Taryn; Mollanji, Eisi; Persaud, Navindra. (2023). Evaluating the Supporting Evidence of Medical Cannabis Claims Made on Clinic Websites: Cross-Sectional Study.. Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e45550. https://doi.org/10.2196/45550