Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jan-Mar;47(1):10-7.
doi: 10.1080/02791072.2014.991858.

Stigma among California's Medical Marijuana Patients

Travis D Satterlund  1 , Juliet P Lee, Roland S Moore
Affiliations

Stigma among California's Medical Marijuana Patients

Travis D Satterlund et al. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2015 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

The enactment of California's Proposition 215 stipulates that patients may use marijuana for medical reasons, provided that it is recommended by a physician. Yet, medical marijuana patients risk being stigmatized for this practice. This article examines the way in which medical marijuana patients perceive and process stigma, and how it affects their interactions and experiences with others. Eighteen semi-structured interviews of medical marijuana patients were carried out using a semi-structured interview guide. Most patients circumvented their own physicians in obtaining a recommendation to use medicinal marijuana, and also used a host of strategies in order to justify their medical marijuana use to family, friends, and colleagues in order to stave off potential stigma. The stigmatization of medical marijuana thus has a profound effect on how patients seek treatment, and whether they seek medical marijuana treatment at all.

Keywords: California; medical marijuana; patients; policy; qualitative; stigma.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Ahern J, Stuber J, Galea S. Stigma, discrimination and the health of illicit drug users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2007;88(2):188–196. - PubMed
    1. Bolton J. How can we reduce the stigma of mental illness? BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 2003;326(7386):S57. - PubMed
    1. Campbell C, Foulis CA, Maimane S, Sibiya Z. “I have an evil child at my house”: Stigma and HIV/AIDS management in a South African community. American Journal of Public Health. 2005;95(5):808. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Corbin J, Strauss A. Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage; Thousand Oaks: 2008.
    1. Corrigan P. How stigma interferes with mental health care. American Psychologist. 2004;59(7):614–625. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources