Reasonable access: important characteristics and perceived quality of legal and illegal sources of cannabis for medical purposes in Canada.

Background: Throughout the past two decades of legal medical cannabis in Canada, individuals have experienced challenges related to accessing legal sources of cannabis for medical purposes. The objective of our study was to examine the sources of cannabis accessed by individuals authorized to use medical cannabis and to identify possible reasons for their use of illegal sources.

Methods: Individuals who participated in the Cannabis Access Regulations Study (CANARY), a national cross-sectional survey launched in 2014, and indicated they were currently authorized to use cannabis for medical purposes in Canada were included in this study.

Ayahuasca-assisted therapy for addiction: results from a preliminary observational study in Canada.

Introduction: This paper reports results from a preliminary observational study of ayahuasca-assisted treatment for problematic substance use and stress delivered in a rural First Nations community in British Columbia, Canada.

Methods: The "Working with Addiction and Stress" retreats combined four days of group counselling with two expert-led ayahuasca ceremonies. This study collected pre-treatment and six months follow-up data from 12 participants on several psychological and behavioral factors related to problematic substance use, and qualitative data assessing the personal experiences of the participants six months after the retreat.

Perceptions of cannabis as a stigmatized medicine: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Despite its increasing prevalence and acceptance among the general public, cannabis use continues to be viewed as an aberrant activity in many contexts. However, little is known about how stigma associated with cannabis use affects individuals who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes (CTP) and what strategies these individuals employ to manage associated stigma. The aim of this Canadian study was to describe users' perceptions of and responses to the stigma attached to using CTP.

Health effects of using cannabis for therapeutic purposes: a gender analysis of users' perspectives.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how individuals who self-report therapeutic use of cannabis perceive its health effects. Data from 23 individual interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Understandings of gendered roles and identities were used to explore the data and interpret differences in perceptions.