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Survey of Patients/Public on Medical Cannabis

The Arthritis Society is working to develop information and materials to help Canadians living with arthritis who may have questions about medical cannabis. In order to make sure we develop resources that are the most useful for you, we would like to ask for five minutes of your time to understand your current level of knowledge of medical cannabis, and what more you’d like to learn.

Privacy: There is no identifiable information collected in this survey; individual respondent privacy is guaranteed.

Thanks for your help!
1.How much do you know about the following topics? [scale: 1 = no knowledge; 5 = well informed]
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Medical cannabis generally
Potential pain relieving effects of medical cannabis
How medical cannabis is regulated in Canada
2.How important are each of the following questions/ topics to you? *About medical cannabis [scale:1 = not important; 5 = very important]
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What is medical cannabis, and does it differ from marijuana?
The history of medical cannabis in Canada.
What are the main ingredients of medical cannabis and what do they do?
Research into how safe and effective medical cannabis is.
Research into what doses and delivery mechanisms are best for what conditions?
What are "strains" of medical cannabis, how they are different, and what does that mean for me?
3.How important are each of the following questions/ topics to you? *Regulations about accessing medical cannabis [scale:1 = not important; 5 = very important]
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How do I access medical cannabis as a medical treatment in Canada?
What are the illnesses and medical conditions for which Health Canada has approved use of medical cannabis?
What is my health care provider's role?
What are "licensed producers" and what are their roles?
How do I select a licensed producer?
How do I ensure a licensed producer is approved by Health Canada?
What is that approval process? How are they regulated?
How are licensed producers checked for quality?
4.How important are each of the following questions/ topics to you? *Speaking to your healthcare provider about medical cannabis [scale:1 = not important; 5 = very important]
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How do I approach my health care provider to discuss whether medical cannabis is a suitable treatment option for me?
What questions should I ask my health care provider about medical cannabis?
Who is eligible for medical cannabis?
How do I get a prescription for medical cannabis, and how long is it valid for?
What should I be looking for from a strain of medical cannabis to address my particular symptoms?
What should I do if my healthcare provider is not supportive of exploring medical cannabis as a treatment option?
5.How important are each of the following questions/ topics to you? *Accessing medical cannabis [scale:1 = not important; 5 = very important]
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Where and how can I purchase medical cannabis?
How much can you purchase at one time?
How much does it cost, in general?
Is medical cannabis covered by public drug plans? By private insurers?
How do I find out if I am covered?
Are there other options to pay for it?
6.How important are each of the following questions/ topics to you? *Using medical cannabis [scale:1 = not important; 5 = very important]
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How do I take medical cannabis?
What are the side effects?
How often should I take it, and how much should I take?
How might taking medical cannabis affect my daily life? (ex. ability to work, travel, etc.)?
7.How important are each of the following questions/ topics to you? *Where we should invest time in research [scale:1 = not important; 5 = very important]
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How does medical cannabis work/ affect a person?
How does medical cannabis impact pain?
Is medical cannabis safe? What are its potential side effects or interactions with other medications?
Does taking medical cannabis in different forms (e.g. smoke, vapour, pill, ingested) affect how it works, and its safety?
What combinations and concentrations of active ingredients are most effective?
For what conditions, diseases or symptoms is it most and least effective?
Can you build up a tolerance or resistance to medical cannabis?
Is medical cannabis addictive?
8.Is there any other topic related to medical cannabis not mentioned here that you would like to learn more about? Please let us know what is important to you.