Dutch Medical Cannabis Users Avoid Prescriptions Due to Cost, Stigma, and Product Limitations
Qualitative interviews with 33 Dutch people using non-prescribed cannabis medicinally revealed barriers including high cost, limited product variety, physician unfamiliarity, and stigma from the prescribed cannabis system.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Despite over two decades of legal prescribed cannabis, most Dutch medical users obtain it from unregulated sources. Barriers to prescribed access included cost, limited product selection, physician lack of knowledge/willingness to prescribe, stigma associated with requesting cannabis, and restrictive program design. Participants felt the prescribed system did not meet their therapeutic needs.
Key Numbers
33 qualitative interviews. Over 20 years of legal medical cannabis in Netherlands. Most medical users still use non-prescribed sources. Key barriers: cost, product limitations, physician barriers, stigma.
How They Did This
Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 33 people using non-prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes in the Netherlands.
Why This Research Matters
The Netherlands has one of the world's oldest medical cannabis programs, making it a valuable case study for why patients may not use formal channels even when they exist. These barriers likely affect medical cannabis programs worldwide.
The Bigger Picture
The Dutch experience demonstrates that legalizing medical cannabis is necessary but not sufficient for access. Program design, cost, product variety, and healthcare provider engagement all determine whether patients actually use formal channels.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Qualitative study with self-selected participants. Cannot determine prevalence of specific barriers. May overrepresent those with negative experiences. Dutch-specific regulatory context. Small sample.
Questions This Raises
- ?Which barrier, if addressed, would most increase prescribed cannabis uptake?
- ?Do other countries' medical cannabis programs face the same barriers?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Evidence Grade:
- Detailed qualitative analysis from a unique regulatory context, though small self-selected sample limits to moderate.
- Study Age:
- Recent qualitative study from the Netherlands.
- Original Title:
- Barriers to accessing prescribed medical cannabis: qualitative insights from people using non-prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes in the Netherlands.
- Published In:
- Harm reduction journal, 23(1), 13 (2025)
- Authors:
- Strada, Lisa(2), van Gelder, Nadine, Martinelli, Thomas, Fraser, Alex, Hipple Walters, Bethany
- Database ID:
- RTHC-07732
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't Dutch patients use prescribed cannabis?
High cost, limited product variety, doctors unfamiliar or unwilling to prescribe, and stigma associated with requesting cannabis were the main barriers identified.
Does this mean medical cannabis programs don't work?
It means that having a program is not enough. The program must be affordable, offer appropriate products, have physician buy-in, and be designed to reduce rather than create stigma.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-07732APA
Strada, Lisa; van Gelder, Nadine; Martinelli, Thomas; Fraser, Alex; Hipple Walters, Bethany. (2025). Barriers to accessing prescribed medical cannabis: qualitative insights from people using non-prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes in the Netherlands.. Harm reduction journal, 23(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-025-01369-8
MLA
Strada, Lisa, et al. "Barriers to accessing prescribed medical cannabis: qualitative insights from people using non-prescribed cannabis for medicinal purposes in the Netherlands.." Harm reduction journal, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-025-01369-8
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Barriers to accessing prescribed medical cannabis: qualitati..." RTHC-07732. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/strada-2025-barriers-to-accessing-prescribed
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.