People with lower socio-economic status (SES) are more likely to suffer from poor health including chronic pain and have higher usage of pain medication and anti-depressants than high-SES groups. We know that some people choose to self-medicate with cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD), but there has been little or no research on their experiences.
I talked to men and women in the North of England who used either cannabis or CBD or both to manage physical pain. I asked about the pain they experienced and what other pain relief they had used including over the counter, alternative and prescription medication. I asked them about their reasons for trying cannabis or CBD and whether or not it helped them. I also talked to retailers in the same areas who sold CBD about their products and customer profile.
I am currently analysing study data and project findings will be reported in due course.
Funder(s): | Wellcome Trust/Centre for Future Health, University of York |
Start date: | June 2020 |
End date: | November 2020 |