Toward a Patient Registry for Cannabis Use: An Exploratory Study of Patient Use in an Outpatient Health-Care Clinic in Oregon

Movement toward legalization of cannabis grows in the United States yet little is known about long-term use effects. This study was an initial step in the instrument development of a patient registry questionnaire of cannabis users who will be followed over time. Cannabis-using patients (12 females, 10 males) aged 20–64, were sampled from a Portland, Oregon primary care health center. Respondents completed semi­structured qualitative interviews describing methods of cannabis use, motivations for use, and perceptions of risks and benefits. Qualitative analysis used a content analysis approach to assess and extract salient themes. Patients smoked, inhaled, ingested, and applied a wide variety of cannabis products. All participants but one reported using cannabis for perceived physiological or psychological pain and several used cannabis to alleviate cravings for opioid medications. Other motivations included relief from suicidal thoughts and depression, anxiety, migraines, and neuropathic pain. Relatively few perceived risks as compared to benefits were reported. This study provides relevant insight into how and why these primary care patients use cannabis. Results will be used to construct a quantitative questionnaire for a patient registry that can provide critical information about long-term use effects.