Cannabis, Consciousness, and Healing
Contemporary Justice Review December 1, 2007 DOI: 10.1080/10282580701677550 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Seriously and terminally ill medical marijuana patients affiliated with the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana in northern California |
| Intervention | medical marijuana |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Consciousness Alliance Drug Nausea Creatures Law Anesthesia |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | The consciousness-altering effects of cannabis may play a significant role in the therapeutic value reported by seriously and terminally ill medical marijuana patients. |
Abstract
Federal drug policy defines marijuana as a prohibited Schedule 1 substance—a dangerous drug carrying a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. This classification is largely due to the drug's well‐known psychoactive effects (‘the high’). Because of this, even medical marijuana advocates have tended to downplay the consciousness‐altering properties of cannabis when arguing for the medicinal utility of the drug. Advocates instead focus largely on the therapeutic potential of marijuana to relieve physical symptoms such as nausea, weight loss, or elevated ocular pressure. But interviews with more than three dozen seriously and terminally ill medical marijuana patients affiliated with one northern California cooperative, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, suggest that the consciousness‐altering effects of cannabis may play a significant role in what many patients report to be the therapeutic value of the drug.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychoactive substances as a last resort—a qualitative study of self-treatment of migraine and cluster headaches Users of online forums discussing cluster headache and migraine treatments | 2017 | Qualitative thematic analysis | |
| Psychoactive drug or mystical incense? Overview of the online available information on Spice products Web pages related to Spice products | 2009 | Qualitative study | n = 200 |
| Patterns, Trends, and Meanings of Drug Use by Dance-drug Users in Edinburgh, Scotland Clubbers in clubs and pre-club bars | 2004 | Cross-sectional survey with focus groups | n = 124 |
| Fascination and Social Togetherness-Discussions about Spice Smoking on a Swedish Internet Forum. Swedish internet forum users who posted reports about Spice intoxication | 2013 | Qualitative study | n = 40 |
| Cannabis as entheogen: survey and interview data on the spiritual use of cannabis. Participants recruited from seven online communities, median age 33, 81% male | 2020 | Mixed methods (qualitative interviews and quantitative survey) | n = 319 |