Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute- ADAI, University of Washington , Seattle, WA, USA.
J Psychoactive Drugs. 2020 Nov-Dec;52(5):393-400. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2020.1763522. Epub 2020 Jun 5.
US state-level policy often divides legal cannabis use into medical and recreational categories. However, research suggests medical and non-medical cannabis consumption often overlaps and consumers' relationship with cannabis may change. This study aimed to understand cannabis consumption from the perspective of consumers. Focus group participants shared their perspectives on motivations, settings, and contexts for consumption. A three-category taxonomy of cannabis consumption emerged from the data - Casual, intentional, and therapeutic. Within each category, there is potential for high- and low-risk behaviors. In the casual group, participants rarely purchased cannabis and only partook if it was freely available. Participants in the intentional group were knowledgeable about the effects produced by different strains, THC levels, and product types, and were frequently self-aware. In the therapeutic group, participants consumed cannabis for physical or mental health conditions. Our findings suggest the medical/non-medical dichotomy used in policy development, clinical care, and research may not reflect how regular consumers perceive the function of cannabis in their lives. Our findings suggest more research is needed to identify cannabis' role in improving quality of life, when it increases behavioral risk, and the intersection of cannabis and disability.
美国州级政策通常将合法大麻使用分为医疗和娱乐两类。然而，研究表明，医疗和非医疗用途的大麻消费经常重叠，消费者与大麻的关系可能会发生变化。本研究旨在从消费者的角度理解大麻消费。焦点小组参与者分享了他们对消费动机、环境和背景的看法。从数据中出现了大麻消费的三种类别分类 - 随意、有意和治疗性。在每个类别中，都有可能存在高风险和低风险行为。在随意组中，参与者很少购买大麻，只有在免费获得时才会使用。有意组的参与者对不同品种、THC 水平和产品类型产生的效果有一定了解，并且经常自我意识。在治疗组中，参与者因身体或心理健康状况而消费大麻。我们的研究结果表明，政策制定、临床护理和研究中使用的医疗/非医疗二分法可能无法反映普通消费者如何看待大麻在他们生活中的作用。我们的研究结果表明，需要进一步研究以确定大麻在改善生活质量、增加行为风险以及大麻与残疾的交叉点方面的作用。
