#62 Notable Clinical Interest
Emerging findings or policy developments worth monitoring closely.
Patients using medical cannabis should know that a formal diagnosis or physician recommendation does not eliminate the risk of developing Cannabis Use Disorder, and open communication with your prescribing doctor about frequency and dosage is essential for long-term safety.
Cannabis Use Disorder is a clinically recognized condition characterized by continued use despite negative consequences, with estimated prevalence rates ranging from roughly 9% of all users to as high as 33% among daily users. The medicalization of cannabis has created a complex dynamic where legitimate therapeutic access may, in some patients, lower the perceived risk of the substance and contribute to problematic use patterns. Physicians prescribing medical cannabis carry a responsibility to screen for dependency risk, monitor use patterns over time, and recognize that a therapeutic agent and a potentially habit-forming substance are not mutually exclusive categories.
“Calling out medical cannabis prescribers without equally examining the screening gaps and follow-up failures in the systems around them misses the structural problem entirely.”
🦴 The emerging data on Cannabis Use Disorder in medical cannabis patients deserves serious clinical attention. While cannabis has demonstrated efficacy for specific conditions like chronic pain and chemotherapy-induced nausea, we cannot ignore that a subset of patients develop problematic use patterns requiring intervention. Physicians prescribing cannabis must implement robust screening protocols for addiction risk factors and establish clear monitoring strategies, including regular reassessment of therapeutic benefit versus dependence indicators. The gap between therapeutic use and disorder development highlights the need for more rigorous dosing guidelines and patient education about tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Moving forward, integrating addiction medicine principles into cannabis prescribing practices will better protect patient safety and outcomes.
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