Cannabis Concerns & Fears 2019

Recently, we did a simple one question survey to identify some of the fears and concerns about medical cannabis use. ( Note: All cannabis is considered medical for our purpose of understanding).

One Simple Survey Question: WHAT ARE YOUR FEARS/CONCERNS ABOUT MEDICAL CANNABIS?

The question was posted in various social media groups related to special needs children and adults. There was a great response of 200+ comments within an hour from two ADHD related groups; however, the posted question was removed by the group administrators and/or Facebook shortly after noticing the numerous responses on the posting. We were granted permission by other social media groups related to disabled adults, special needs support groups for families, and Mom's of ADHD, Anxiety, ASD, ODD. There were a total of 19,807 members within the specific groups that allowed the question. There were 543 Total Responses in 72 hours = 73% Female / 27% Male.

Survey answers are ranked by the number of responses to the specific question.

What Are Your Fears/Concerns About Medical Cannabis?

#1 -Legal Use Issues/Regulations or Lack of Regulations

#2 -Cost of Products/Supply

#3 -MisInformation/Unreliable Information Sources

#4 -Increased Anxiety/Depression Symptoms

#5 -Impact on Child's Developing Brain

#6 -Products Too Strong/Weak

#7 -Medication Conflicts/Allergies

#8 -Impairments to Cognitive/Physical Abilities.

#9 -Gateway Drug to Other Addictive Substances

#10 -Not Having Right Cultivar/Dosage

#11 -Products Too Easily Child Accessible

#12 -Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome

Other Legal/Personal: Hardship issues related to involvement by Child Protective Services, Loss of Disability Benefits/Employment, and Theft of Products were also mentioned. Further market research into each of the response areas will help us learn more about these specific consumer-related concerns. It is clear to notice that regulations and legal issues are the primary concerns of both consumers and the cannabis industry as a whole.

SURVERY IMPRESSIONS:

Whereas, there appeared to be a majority of acceptance to the use of medical cannabis, there appeared to be a great confusion as to the proper terminologies and applications of use. There was mention of CBD being produced in yeast as opposed to cannabis as an alternative. There was also a suggestion on how to create a "homebaked" version of CBD oil using parchment paper in the oven. This brings concern as consumers may share these homemade versions with others. There was an immediate trend of consumer to consumer suggestions for treatment of various serious health conditions (stage 4 cancer/seizures/etc.) which is also alarming. Statements beginning with "My child takes..." or "I give him/her..." were common. There were three separate consumer recommendations for giving five (5) drops of CBD oil under the tongue to children with multiple conditions. It appears more individuals feel comfortable accepting suggestions from other consumers than they do physicians or even well-known product manufactures. In essence, consumers are learning from each other; not the industry itself. The confidence in the industry being viewed as "responsible" and "healthy" is still highly questionable. Other suggestions of health care treatments included an alternative KETO Diet and Copaiba Oil. There was also a very ambitious sale representative for a major CBD oil business that started to post her vendor website link on several individual's responses; until I asked her to stop the solicitations. Indeed, there are several companies that offer sales commission positions to anyone who will pay for the product start-up kits regardless of their knowledge of medical cannabis. This mass sales/representative approach within the industry has been a primary factor to the confusing and conflicting information consumers have expressed. Also, these sales representative are often viewed as the source of these cannabis-based products; not the actual businesses producing them. Unfortunately, consumers are trusting their sales representatives not the medical cannabis companies. Confidence is gained by the sale representatives; not the business. This type of mass sales approach adds no creditability to improving the image of responsible medical cannabis use. I also observed when mentioning an area of concern such as valid lab testing, individuals who previously stated they had "no concerns" about medical cannabis products would then expressed concern. This may indicate that supporters of medical cannabis use can be influenced otherwised when presented with opposing data. One example is initial supporters of CBD oils expressed "quality concerns" when there was a post about someone receiving rancid olive oil instead of an actual CBD oil product.

CHILDHOOD IMPACTS:

Interestingly, a question was posted shortly after I posted mine in another group about the age that individuals began to use (smoke) cannabis. After reviewing the responses, I noticed the age of initial childhood exposure socially appeared to start between 8-12; with several other people stating between the ages of 14-17. This reflects that children have been or may be exposed to the use of cannabis by a younger age than previously understood or accepted; therefore, education about the proper use of medical cannabis should also begin early in life. In fact, two students mentioned that they had used the topic of medical cannabis in an academic paper for their Science classes. I strongly believe that children want to learn about the subject of cannabis use, but like everyone else, they question where to locate real factual information. We must learn to talk with our children about medical cannabis. Avoiding the topic will not prevent these possible early social exposures. We need to instruct children about safety awareness, education, and open communication. This helps protect them with knowledge and understanding; and assist them as we can not rely on local/government laws for assurance of their safety. There is certainly evidence that early childhood education produces a better understanding. I believe "open communication" about medical cannabis is a winning approach to this very important topic.

HEALTH CONDITIONS/MEDICATIONS:

Use of medical cannabis was stated for many health conditions. The primary stated reasons for medical cannabis use were:

#1 -Cancer

#2- Seizures

#3 -Chronic Pain

#4 -ADHD/Anxiety

#5 -Depression

Specific cannabis medications mentioned: Epidiolex & Charlotte's Web. (Also, one major brand that had a sales representative aggresively solicitate the posted responses)

SUMMARY:

I hope this survey information helps us look at the industry we are in. Witholding education about medical cannabis to others, regardless of age, only harms us all. Being aware of cannabis-related products and uses helps protect our children with fact based knowledge. We need to find a way to empower our children and citizens to make wise, healthy choices for their own individual needs and to accept one another regardless of the use of medical cannabis. We should not have division within the medical cannabis industry if we intend for it to truly be benefical to humanity.

If you disagree, you are welcome to complete your own survey and share it with us. Always open to learning more.

Survey date 5/30/2019 By Alissa Lee. Cannabis For Children Inc.   www.cannabisforchildren.org   1-937-941-7567 USA EST