Canadians using cannabis for medical purposes often don't get it from medical sources

Significant numbers of Canadians using cannabis for medical purposes get it from recreational markets rather than through the medical system. According to the Medical Cannabis Access Survey (MCAS), in September 2020 there were 377,024 people with medical authorizations, but the number dropped to 247,548 by March 2022. Yet is it estimated that 13% of Canadians aged 16 years and over use cannabis to treat a health condition. This means many Canadians likely use cannabis for therapeutic purposes but don’t get medical authorization. MCAS was conducted to help understand why fewer people obtain medical authorization. Non-medical cannabis was legalized in October 2018. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of people who used medical cannabis either currently or in the past, and consisted of 90 items which addressed various aspects of medical cannabis use, medical authorization, and more. A total of 5,744 respondents completed the survey. Of these, 5,433 were currently taking medical cannabis. Respondents were aged 16 to 89 years, 62% were female, and 81.2% reported they were White. About 30% reported an annual household income of less than $35,000, consistent with the socioeconomic status of people living with severe disability. The most common health conditions reported were anxiety (55.7%), chronic pain (53.1%), depression (47.8%), arthritis (37.6%), and sleep disorders (34.2%). Of those taking medical cannabis, 2,941 (54.1%) said they had medical authorization compared to 2,492 (45.9%) with no authorization. Most, 83.3%, used medical cannabis daily. Most reported they took cannabis to treat a health condition or symptom (81.5%), as an adjuvant to other medication (57.5%), to reduce their consumption of other medications (49.7%), and as part of a general health and wellness routine (37.7%). Many said they didn’t bother with authorization because they thought it was unnecessary with a legal recreational cannabis market. Over half 59.4%, sourced their cannabis from legal recreational cannabis stores; from a legal licenced sellers of medical cannabis via mail order (42.9%); or online from legal recreational cannabis stores (31.0%). A total of 25.2% grew their own, and 22% turned to family or friends. Many used multiple sources. Of those with authorization, 78.0% reported they got their cannabis from a licensed seller, while 23.5% grew their own. Half of these individuals reported they got some of their medical cannabis from recreational sources. People with authorization were significantly more likely to use legal, regulated sources, including medical and non-medical sources, while those without authorization were more likely to use illicit sources such as dealers, online unregulated sellers, and family and friends. Over half of those (52.1%) without medical authorization reported they got cannabis from unregulated sources compared to only a quarter of people with authorization.

Canadians using cannabis for medical purposes often don't get it from medical sources

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