Trust in healthcare providers for information about cannabis

Background: Despite cannabis being legal for medical and/or recreational use in nearly every state in the United States (U.S.), cannabis is still illegal at the U.S. federal level, hampering cohesive regulation and slowing medical research. As trust in science and government declines globally, consumers and patients are turning to different sources for information about emerging cannabis products and medical applications.
Methods: We conducted an online survey in June 2024 with n=100 U.S. adults who used cannabis in the past month. Participants were asked to report their recent cannabis use behaviors and motivations, including whether they used for medical, non-medical reasons, or both, as well as percentage of their use that was medical. Participants were also asked to select who they would trust the most for information about using cannabis for medical purposes. Differences in trust in healthcare providers vs. other sources by age, percent medical use, and sex were examined with t- and chi-squared tests.
Results: The sample was mostly female (61%) with an average age of 34 (SD: 11). Most participants (57%) reported using cannabis for both medical and non-medical reasons, with the average reported percent medical use overall at 36% (SD: 32%). When asked who they would trust the most for using cannabis for medical purposes, healthcare providers were selected most often (61%), followed by dispensary staff (14%), government agencies (8%), friends (5%), and people on social media (5%). Participants who most trusted healthcare providers were significantly more likely to be younger (mean age 32 vs. 37, p = .03) but similarly likely to be male vs. female (p = .93). Interestingly, participants who most trusted healthcare providers reported a lower percentage of their use as medical (30% vs. 45%, p = .03). 
Conclusions: Findings indicate that those who use cannabis medicinally may be less likely to trust healthcare providers for medical cannabis information, which has implications for tailored public health, medical, and point-of-sale communication about risks and benefits of different cannabis products and medical indications.