How older Canadians access medical cannabis and information about it: A descriptive survey

To understand older adults’ perceptions regarding access to medical cannabis and information related to it. We employed cross-sectional survey design to recruit Canadians (≥60 years) who consume cannabis for health purpose(s). Recruitment flyers were circulated to potential sites (e.g. CanAge). Interested participants self-selected to participate by contacting the researcher and completed the online survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and conventional content analysis. A total of 107 older adults participated in the study. Most sought information from healthcare professionals (HCP) (49.5%) or cannabis retail stores (40.2%) and accessed cannabis via retail stores (56.1%). High cost, judgement from others, and HCP reluctance to prescribe were reported as the common barriers to access. Participants most often sought information related to benefits, safety, and dosage of medical cannabis. Many older adults relied on medically unauthorized sources such as retail stores to access medical cannabis and information related to it. At the policy level, initiatives are needed to help older adults for whom medical cannabis may be appropriate to learn about and access medical cannabis via authorized sources. To ensure safe and effective medical cannabis use, knowledge products about medical cannabis are necessary for older adults.