I first began researching and writing about medical cannabis nearly a decade ago. Back then, Americans dealing with conditions like chronic pain and PTSD had to think long and hard about using medical cannabis because of the social stigma attached to it. But is that stigma still alive today? And if so, is it still as strong as it was a decade ago?
Given that 88% of U.S. adults think cannabis should be legal in some form – whether medical, recreational, or both – I think it’s fair to say that the stigma patients faced years ago is nonexistent now or considerably less intense. But things are different elsewhere.
Still Relatively New in the UK
Medical cannabis is still relatively new in the UK. While legal, it is only available by way of a private prescription. In order to get a prescription, a patient must demonstrate they have a qualifying condition and that no other treatments offer sufficient relief.
Without a private prescription, possessing and using cannabis in the UK remains illegal. And with that criminality comes a certain stigma that has patients living in fear.
I just finished reading a story about a South Wales man who uses medical cannabis for anxiety. He never told his employer because he was worried about what coworkers would think. When he finally did come clean, the overwhelming support surprised him.
Another patient whose story was told in the same article talked about how she puts pillows at the base of her front door to prevent the smell of cannabis from escaping. She began doing so after a neighbor complained about the smell of cannabis emanating from her home. She said she now fears that one of her neighbors will call the police on her.
A Problem Early On
The stigma associated with cannabis was a problem early on in the U.S. I remember writing stories about medical cannabis users in Utah and how they feared telling family members and friends they were using. More than one patient advocate shared with me stories of patients who did not want to apply for medical cannabis cards because of their fears.
I do not think stigma is much of a problem anymore. In Utah, the operators of the Beehive Farmacy location in Brigham City say patient numbers have now exceeded 150,000. The medical cannabis pharmacy serves its fair share of those patients.
Such high numbers in a state with a total population of just 3.5 million are pretty impressive. I would say any perceived stigma in the Beehive State is an individual thing rather than a widespread problem.
Not Everyone Is Okay With It
Where any stigma still exists, it is rooted in the fact that not everybody is okay with cannabis legalization. There are some people who believe cannabis should not be legal under any circumstances. They have every right to that opinion. It is not any less valid than someone who believes in cannabis legalization.
If a perceived stigma is keeping patients away from medical cannabis, it is unfortunate. The way around such stigma is education. Advocacy groups and individual proponents have worked hard on the education aspect of it. Now it’s time for the medical community to step up and follow suit.
Medical cannabis is here to stay. There is no turning the clock back now. So to the extent that any stigma remains, eliminating it as much as possible is a noble endeavor. Will we ever get rid of it entirely? Probably not. But it is not as big a problem as it used to be.