Exploring New Use of Cannabis among Older Adults
Exploring New Use of Cannabis among Older Adults
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DOI：
10.1080/07317115.2020.1746720
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发表时间：
2020-03-30
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Yip, Isabel Sloan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Baumbusch, Jennifer;Yip, Isabel Sloan
在加拿大，大麻禁令于2018年10月结束。老年人是大麻使用者中增长最快的群体，并且作为新使用者的速度超过了其他群体。临床证据表明，大麻可能对这一人群的某些医疗目的有所帮助。然而，关于老年人在晚年开始使用大麻的经历的研究有限。这项研究的目的是开始解决这一差距。方法：本研究采用定性描述。一个便利的样本是加拿大社区居住的老年人，他们是大麻的新用户。数据收集采用半结构化访谈。数据分析是归纳性和主题性的。结果：12名年龄在71至85岁之间的老年人参与了研究。所有参与者都出于医疗原因使用大麻，然而，只有一个人有处方。使用的主要原因是：疼痛管理，替代处方或非处方药物，以及睡眠辅助。大多数参与者从无牌商店购买大麻。11人与他们的家庭医生讨论过大麻的使用，然而，没有人从他们那里得到处方。主要的信息来源是朋友、大麻店工作人员和媒体。结论：开始使用大麻的老年人可能出于他们认为是出于医疗目的的一系列问题而使用大麻。然而，他们从家庭医生那里得到的指导很少，而是从非临床医生那里获得信息。
Objectives: In Canada, cannabis prohibition ended in October 2018. Older adults are the fastest growing group of cannabis users and are out-pacing other groups as new users. Clinical evidence indicates that cannabis may be helpful for select medicinal purposes in this population. Yet there is limited research about older adults experiences of starting to use cannabis in later life. The purpose of this study was to begin to address this gap. Methods: This study employed qualitative description. A convenience sample of Canadian community-dwelling older adults who were new users of cannabis were recruited. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was inductive and thematic. Results: Twelve older adults between the ages of 71 and 85 participated. All of the participants used cannabis for medicinal reasons, however, only one had a prescription. The main reasons for using were: pain management, alternative to prescription or over-the-counter medication, and sleep aide. Most participants obtained cannabis from non-licensed stores. Eleven discussed cannabis use with their family physicians, however, none received prescriptions from them. The main sources of information were friends, cannabis store staff, and the media. Conclusions: Older adults who begin using cannabis are likely using for what they perceive to be medicinal purposes for a range of issues. However, they receive minimal guidance from their family physicians and instead obtain information from non-clinician sources.