A current examine of UK medical hashish sufferers has highlighted the prevalence of stigma dealing with these receiving the remedy – regardless of it being authorized since 2018.
Data collected from over 400 patients prescribed hashish at Sapphire Medical Clinics, reveals that 84 per cent consider they’re topic to stigma from society.
Nonetheless, regardless of this many members remained snug talking about their prescription.
Over 80 per cent reported feeling very snug or snug telling buddies, 77 per cent telling household, and 61 per cent telling medical professionals.
The questionnaire, which was despatched out to over 2,000 sufferers, was developed by a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and lecturers from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and scientific drugs and was knowledgeable by the present literature on this space.
Current knowledge
A 2013 examine from Canada, found that, whereas sufferers have usually been discovered to face stigma due to their situation, medical hashish is among the few remedies the place sufferers are immediately stigmatised as a result of their drugs.
In addition they famous that the stigmatisation of their remedy may have potential unfavourable results on their bodily and psychological wellbeing, in addition to the impression on healthcare interventions.
Nonetheless a lot of the earlier research have targeted on jurisdictions the place the medical hashish sector exists alongside authorized leisure markets.
Perceived stigma from society
Even if no leisure market exists within the UK, the authors of the present examine word that their knowledge mirror an analogous sample of perceived stigma by these handled with cannabis-based medicines.
Nearly all of this perceived stigma comes from society on the whole, versus household and buddies.
Members largely reported that they discovered family and friends to be very approving or considerably approving of the medical hashish remedy.
In distinction, members felt that solely 38 per cent of healthcare professionals and 33 per cent of society, on the whole, had been very approving or considerably approving of their remedy.
Members had been additionally requested about their perceived stigmatisation from the police or felony justice system, and different authorities companies.
It was reported that 40 per cent of members had been involved about how they is likely to be perceived by healthcare professionals, simply over half had been involved concerning the police or felony justice system, and different authorities companies, respectively.
Methods to scale back stigma
The researchers state: “This examine highlights that sufferers handled with CBMPs expertise a excessive prevalence of perceived stigma from many corners of society. Future work ought to be undertaken to discover methods to scale back perceived stigma at a person and neighborhood degree to keep away from discrimination of sufferers, doubtless growing acceptable entry.”
They conclude {that a} discount in perceived stigma would doubtless result in a rise in acceptable entry to medical hashish within the UK and world wide, and that this could additionally doubtless improve the security of medical hashish merchandise “with sufferers being empowered to share their full treatment historical past with healthcare professionals.”