Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37920683›Full record

ArticleIntegrative medicine reports2023

Medical Cannabis Use Among Canadian Veterans and Non-Veterans: A National Survey.

Gunel Valikhanova, Yuka Kato, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Mark Ware, Deborah Da Costa, Ilka Lowensteyn, Ho Sum Cheung, Steven Grover

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Integrative medicine reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Gunel ValikhanovaDepartment of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4002-3522
Yuka KatoDepartment of Mathematics & Statistics, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
Mary-Ann FitzcharlesDepartment of Rheumatology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Mark WareDepartment of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Deborah Da CostaDivision of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Ilka LowensteynMcGill Comprehensive Health Improvement Program, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Ho Sum CheungMcGill Comprehensive Health Improvement Program, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Steven GroverDepartment of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
McGill University · CAMcGill University Health Centre · CAConcordia University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Medical cannabis (MC) is used by Canadian Veterans to manage a wide range of health issues. However, there is little information comparing the reasons for MC use and its perceived effectiveness between Veterans and non-Veterans. Objects: We compared MC use among a convenience sample of Canadian Veterans and with non-Veteran controls, including demographics, reasons and patterns of use, and perceived effectiveness. Methods: Between November and December 2021, Canadian Veterans using cannabis were invited to participate in a survey using a national press release, social media, and announcements on online platform dedicated to promoting health among Canadian Veterans and non-Veterans during the pandemic (www.MissionVav.com). The survey was also mentioned in a monthly newsletter from Veteran Affairs Canada. Self-reported effectiveness was evaluated using a 0 to 10 visual analogue scale (0 being not all effective, 10 being the most effective). Results: The survey was completed by 157 people, including 108 (69%) males and 49 (31%) females. The mean age was 57 years (range 19 to 84). Among responders, 90 (63%) identified as Veterans. The most common reasons for MC use among Veterans included: insomnia (80%), anxiety (73%), and depression (52%). Veterans reported medical conditions such as chronic pain (88%) and arthritis (51%). Compared with non-Veterans, Veterans were significantly more likely to be male (83% vs. 49%), have a higher BMI (35.2 vs. 30.9), to report problems with sleep, anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and to use cannabis in edible form (51% vs. 22%). Self-reported mean effectiveness scores for MC were highest for PTSD (8.4), insomnia (8.2), anxiety (8.1), depression (8.0), and chronic pain (7.6). Conclusions: We found important differences in user characteristics and cannabis use patterns between Canadian Veterans and non-Veterans. Further controlled studies are required to validate these findings, but these data suggest that orally administered cannabis products may be worth further study.

Indexed as

chronic painmedical cannabismental health problemsVeterans

Identifiers

PMID37920683
PMCPMC10619467
OpenAlexW4387568271

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.