Five Distinct Types of Medical Cannabis Patients Identified in Brazil
A survey of 1,335 Brazilian medical cannabis patients identified five patient types, with mental health (36%) and pain relief (24.3%) being the largest groups, and sociodemographic factors significantly shaping use patterns.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Latent class analysis identified five patient typologies: Mental Health Patient (36%), Pain Relief Patient (24.3%), Neurological Patient (17.8%), Prior-Use Multi-Symptom Patient (11.6%), and Recently Initiated Multi-Symptom Patient (10.3%). Gender, religion, and household income were significantly associated with class membership.
Key Numbers
N=1,335. Five classes: Mental Health (36%), Pain Relief (24.3%), Neurological (17.8%), Prior-Use Multi-Symptom (11.6%), Recently Initiated Multi-Symptom (10.3%). Access routes included associations, importation, pharmacy, and court-authorized cultivation. Significant associations with gender, religion, and income.
How They Did This
Anonymous online survey of 1,335 individuals using medically prescribed cannabis in Brazil (March-April 2023). Latent Class Analysis used indicators including symptom categories, access pathways, administration routes, treatment costs, and duration of use. Multinomial logistic regression examined demographic associations.
Why This Research Matters
Brazil's medical cannabis regulations are still evolving, with significant bureaucratic and financial barriers to access. Understanding that patients cluster into distinct groups with different needs can help policymakers design more targeted and equitable access pathways.
The Bigger Picture
The dominance of mental health as the largest patient class (36%) mirrors trends in other countries but contrasts with many regulatory frameworks that prioritize chronic pain or epilepsy. This mismatch between patient needs and regulatory focus may contribute to access barriers.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Online convenience sample recruited through social media and cannabis groups may overrepresent digitally connected, younger patients. Self-reported data without medical verification. Cross-sectional design captures a single point in time. Regulatory context is specific to Brazil.
Questions This Raises
- ?Whether the mental health patient class is adequately served by Brazil's current regulatory framework
- ?How these patient typologies compare to those in countries with more established medical cannabis programs
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Large sample with sophisticated statistical approach (LCA), but convenience sampling and self-reported data limit representativeness.
- Study Age:
- Published 2025, survey conducted March-April 2023.
- Original Title:
- Patterns of cannabis use for medical reasons in Brazil: An exploratory latent class analysis study.
- Published In:
- The International journal on drug policy, 143, 104906 (2025)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07586
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
How do people access medical cannabis in Brazil?
Brazilian patients can access medical cannabis through patient associations, importing products, pharmacies, or court-authorized home cultivation. Each route has different costs and bureaucratic requirements, creating significant access inequality.
Why were mental health patients the largest group?
Anxiety and depression are among the most common reasons people seek medical cannabis globally. In Brazil, limited access to mental health care may push some patients toward cannabis as an alternative treatment option.
Read More on RethinkTHC
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07586APA
Scattone, Heloísa; Gauer, Luís Eduardo; Pezzini, Julia Valle; Tófoli, Luís Fernando. (2025). Patterns of cannabis use for medical reasons in Brazil: An exploratory latent class analysis study.. The International journal on drug policy, 143, 104906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104906
MLA
Scattone, Heloísa, et al. "Patterns of cannabis use for medical reasons in Brazil: An exploratory latent class analysis study.." The International journal on drug policy, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104906
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Patterns of cannabis use for medical reasons in Brazil: An e..." RTHC-07586. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/scattone-2025-patterns-of-cannabis-use
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.