Knowledge, Attitudes and Use of Cannabis among Oncologic Patients in Thammasat University Hospital
Keywords:
cannabis, cancer, knowledge, attitudes, prevalenceAbstract
Background and Objectives: Cannabis became a public interest in Thailand after its legalization in February 2019. Cannabis can alleviate pain, neuropathic conditions, and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate knowledge and attitudes toward cannabis, as well as the prevalence and factors associated with cannabis use among cancer patients receiving treatment at Thammasat University Hospital.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 385 oncologic patients visiting the hospital between November 2020 and February 2021. The data were collected by newly developed questionnaires. The content validation of the questionnaires was carried out, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the parts measuring the knowledge and attitudes were 0.70 and 0.85, respectively.
Results: Most patients had a low level of knowledge (63.11%) and neutral attitudes (73.25%) about cannabis. They would be glad if their doctors offer it as a choice of treatment. The prevalence of use was 27.53%. Of all patients, there were 11.42% currently using and 16.10% already quit. The purposes of use were to improve sleeping (64.15%) and cure cancer (50.94%). Most users used cannabis in the form of syrup or oil (72.64%) and got the products from relatives or friends (57.55%). The factors associated with cannabis use were positive attitudes about cannabis (odds ratio 4.54, 95% Confidence Interval 1.41-3.95) and metastatic stage of cancers (OR 2.36, 95% CI 2.60-7.93).
Conclusions: Two out of three cancer patients have suboptimal knowledge about cannabis, while three out of four have neutral attitudes toward it. One in four of all has used cannabis, and factors associated with use include having a positive attitude toward it and having advanced-stage cancer. Most patients obtain cannabis from informal sources, highlighting the need for a regulated system to increase access to appropriate cannabis use.
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