Veterans Speak Out: The Hidden World of Medical Cannabis Use

With increased legalization and access, many Veterans are using cannabis for medical purposes, yet little is known about Veterans' motives for and experiences of using cannabis, how they make decisions about cannabis use, and if and how clinicians are involved in this decision-making. To better understand and highlight Veterans' experiences using cannabis, including their perspectives, information needs, and interactions with clinicians. Qualitative interview study. Twenty-three mostly rural Veterans with past 30-day medical cannabis use living in Connecticut, Michigan, or Oregon-where cannabis is legal. In-depth, semi-structured interviews via Webex. We used a qualitative inductive thematic approach, developing an initial codebook then refining as new themes and subthemes emerged. Many Veterans viewed cannabis as an important tool to cope with or alleviate symptoms from a variety of health conditions. They primarily relied on the experiences of trusted peers, recommendations from dispensaries, or their own trial-and-error process to gain information about cannabis. Many Veterans perceived few or no harms from cannabis use, and those who did felt that the benefits outweighed the potential risks. Participants described several reasons they were reluctant to engage with VA clinicians about their cannabis use but identified several strategies VA providers could employ to improve engagement including increasing their knowledge of cannabis and engaging patients in unbiased discussions about their use including seeking to understand patients' motivations for use. Veterans use cannabis for a variety of health conditions. Veterans who use cannabis obtain information about it from sources other than healthcare professionals and may be reluctant to discuss their cannabis use with clinicians despite its relevance to their care. Clinicians can better support their patients who use cannabis by obtaining information and training on the health effects of cannabis and engaging with patients about their use non-judgmentally.