Health Perceptions of Cannabis: A Qualitative Analysis
Abstract
Perceptions of cannabis use health effects can be a double-edged sword: misinformation about the health claims of cannabis may abound, however anecdotal evidence also can broaden the understanding of a complex phenomenon. To acquire comprehensive understanding of perceptions of cannabis health benefits/risks, Magnan and colleagues (2019) surveyed 408 participants (72% lifetime users) from a psychology subject pool consisting of 21 true-or-false questions of potential positive/negative health effects. Most endorsed positive consequences included pain relief (95.3%) and stress management (84.8%); negative consequences included impaired decision-making (88%) and driving (87.5%). The current investigation is an extension of this work based on an open-ended query to identify additional cannabis health effects not included in the pre-established list of outcomes. Of 1765 items provided by participants, roughly half (f = 880) were categorized as similar items already on the inventory; remaining responses were parsed into items reflecting novel content. Additional content areas emerged related to perceived cannabis health effects, suggesting a cannabis effect-belief relationship varying across individuals. The most frequent effect reported was that cannabis can be used to increase appetite/weight gain (f = 122); other common effects included relaxation (f = 97) and paranoia (f = 43). Endorsement of any of these perceived consequences did not differ significantly based on lifetime or past-month use status. Further examination, and replication of these data among different samples to help understand cannabis health perceptions, will inform future lines of empirical inquiry and health messaging efforts apprising the positive/negative effects of cannabis.
About the Presenter
Mitchell C. Myers
My name is Mitch Myers and I am currently a senior student at Washington State University Vancouver. I am studying Psychology and am minoring in Addiction Sciences. I currently work as a research assistant for Dr. Benjamin O. Ladd and have been a research assistant for almost a year now. My academic interests are in the field of addictions; specifically, behavioral addictions (i.e. gambling, pornography, etc.). My interests outside of the classroom include reading; mountaineering; skateboarding; and playing piano, which I have been playing for about 15 years now. I look to become a therapist in the future.