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Legal and Health Challenges Among Medical Cannabis Patients Traveling Abroad: A Qualitative Study
Thu, September 4, 1:00 to 2:15pm, Communications Building (CN), CN 3106Abstract
Despite the global rise in medical cannabis use for health purposes, patients with medical cannabis licenses face significant challenges when traveling abroad due to legal and health risks. The aim of the current study was to understand how medical cannabis patients experience these challenges from their perspectives.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Israeli medical cannabis license holders, ages 25-60, among them 10 women and five men. Additionally, online observations were conducted in two major online Facebook groups of medical cannabis from Israel.
Three main themes emerged: 1) Vague and cumbersome international regulations for medical cannabis patients who travel abroad. Patients described international regulations as vague and burdensome, with authorities failing to treat medical cannabis like other prescription medications for tourists. They reported that the process of obtaining approval for a medical cannabis license abroad is overly complex and criticized the lack of clear, formal information and guidelines from global and local authorities for patients traveling with medical cannabis; 2) Legal and health traveling concerns among medical cannabis patients. Patients expressed fears related to breaking the law in their destination country and the difficulties of spending extended periods at airports and during flights without their medication.; 3) Diverse legal, semi-legal, and illegal solutions adopted by patients due to traveling abroad. In response to these challenges, patients have adopted various strategies, such as avoiding travel, selecting cannabis-friendly destinations, planning in advance to obtain cannabis through legal or illegal means, and finding alternative self-medication options.
This study emphasizes the need for clear international regulations and suggests developing a global medicalization of cannabis regulation standardization scale for medical cannabis travelers patients. Also, we suggest increased awareness among medical professionals and policymakers, advocating for patient support and harm reduction strategies to address these challenges.