Objective: To identify themes in cannabis use among people with Parkinson’s disease to inform medical recommendations and the design of future clinical trials.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder, largely affecting the aging population. Symptomatic management of PD is complex and many symptoms, especially non-motor symptoms, are not effectively addressed with current medications. In the US, cannabis has become more widely available for medical and recreational use, permitting those in the PD community to try an alternative means of symptom control. However, little is known about the attitudes towards and experiences with cannabis use among those living with PD nor is it known what are the perceived effects of cannabis on PD symptomology.

Method: An anonymous, 24-question survey was built using REDCap and received IRB approval. 7,607 people with Parkinson’s disease were contacted through email and invited to complete the electronic survey. The survey remained open for three weeks. 1,073 completed responses were analyzed using frequency statistics, chi-square analysis, t-tests and thematic analysis of open ended text.

Results: 24.4% of survey respondents (n = 262) reported using cannabis in the past six months. Cannabis users (avg 69 yo) were 3 yrs younger than non-users (p < 0.001). Cannabis was primarily used to address PD (63.4%) vs. other diseases and was most often used to treat anxiety (34.7%) and pain (33.6%). Users commonly reported cannabis use in the evening (25.2%) or at bedtime (26.3%). When asked about the type of cannabis used, most respondents did not know (22.1%). Users reported most often learning about cannabis from the internet (28.6%) and friends or other people with PD (24.4%). Of the cannabis users, 20.6% stopped using cannabis in the past six months (n = 61), primarily due to a lack of symptom improvement (n = 28). Among non-users (n = 811), the primary identified reason against cannabis use was a lack of scientific evidence supporting efficacy (59.8%). Non-users were more likely than users to report higher satisfaction with prescription medications treating their non-motor symptoms (p = 0.02).

Conclusion: Understanding what the PD community thinks of and how they use cannabis to treat their PD can help identify areas of potential symptom benefit, inform medical recommendations, and aid in the design of future clinical trials exploring cannabis as a treatment for PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/weeding-through-the-haze-a-survey-on-cannabis-use-among-people-with-parkinsons-disease/