Perceptions and prevalence of marijuana use among cancer patients managed at an outpatient department in Zimbabwe: A brief report

Abstract

Background Globally, marijuana is becoming an acceptable complementary medicine for symptom management in cancer. At the time that the study was conducted, Zimbabwean laws only allowed for the cultivation of marijuana for medical and scientific use. As of 18 July 2022, the national medicines regulator released a circular allowing the licensing, distribution, and use of cannabidiol-based products. Anecdotes indicate there is medical marijuana use among Zimbabwean patients with cancer. We sought to determine the prevalence, patterns of use and perceptions of medical marijuana among patients with cancer. Methods A cross-sectional survey was used to determine patterns and perceptions of marijuana use among outpatient patients with cancer. The study included adults attending the outpatient oncology clinic at Parirenyatwa Hospital Radiotherapy Treatment Center. Results Fifty participants with a median age of 50.5 years (IQR: 41–58) completed the questionnaire, and 28.0% of them were male. The prevalence of marijuana use in the sample was 24.0% (95% CI 13.9–38.2). Most marijuana users were male (83.3%, p < 0.001). The rate of medical marijuana use among users was 66.7%. Participants were generally neutral concerning the benefits of marijuana and how it should be regulated. Just under 50% indicated that they would be open to using it if it were legal. Conclusions and recommendations The prevalence of marijuana use in the sample was comparable to other jurisdictions. Perceptions toward medical marijuana were generally neutral. Consequently, for medical marijuana and/or cannabidiol-based products to become acceptable in the Zimbabwean context, there is need for the dissemination of evidence-based information on their benefits.

Patients’ perceptions of the efficacy, safety, and quality of the evidence of medicinal cannabis: a survey of Australian cancer patients.

“…The demographics statistically associated with use; i.e. male gender and tobacco smoking, are also in line with previous conclusions [15]. Regarding the reasons for use (Fig.…”

“…Our study cohort (Table 1) indicates that 19% of cancer patients are using MC. This demand for MC is consistent with previous cannabis studies in cancer-patient populations both in Australia (8, 17,19) and internationally (9,15). The demographics statistically associated with use; i.e.…”

“…2 show some fascinating trends. In line with previous Australian data, but in a noncancer population [19]; and in non-Australian cancer patients [14,15,16,22], most users felt that MC is highly bene cial for symptom control, and low risk, despite the general consensus from clinicians that there is a lack of evidence to support this claim [10]. Users are more sceptical on the bene ts on cancer progression; but concerningly 40% believed it was highly bene cial for this indication (Fig.…”

“…(iii) Patient perceptions and the sources of information used to shape these beliefs Although research has been undertaken to explore medical professionals' perceptions of MC in general [10], and speci cally in a cancer setting [12,13], to our knowledge there is minimal research exploring patients' perceptions; particularly in an Australian cancer setting [14,15,16,17].…”

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Purpose: Despite the increased demand [8], and accessibility [5], to medical cannabis (MC) there is a general consensus among physicians that evidence on its e cacy [10,12,13], and safety [4,11], is lacking. Although research has explored medical professionals' perceptions of MC [10,12,13], to our knowledge there is minimal research exploring patients' perceptions; particularly in an Australian cancer setting [14,15,16,17]. We therefore aimed to explore patients' perceptions of the e cacy, safety, and evidence for MC.Methods: A prospective cross-sectional questionnaire of Australian cancer patients attending adult oncology outpatient clinics in the Hunter New England Local Health District.

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