“I Feel Validated”: Participation in a Medical Cannabis Program in the Context of Legalized Recreational Use

• Author: Saranya Khurana,Ekaterina V. Fedorova,Harjot Kaur,Allison Mitchell,Sari Kosdon,Janna Ataiants,Bridgid Conn,Carolyn F. Wong,Stephen E. Lankenau
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00220426221097924
• Published date: 01 October 2022
• Date: 01 October 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Journal of Drug Issues

2022, Vol. 52(4) 601–615

© The Author(s) 2022

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sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00220426221097924

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“I Feel Validated”: Participation

in a Medical Cannabis Program

in the Context of Legalized

Recreational Use

Saranya Khurana

1,2

, Ekaterina V. Fedorova

1

, Harjot Kaur

1

,

Allison Mitchell

1

, Sari Kosdon

3

, Janna Ataiants

1

, Bridgid Conn

3,4

,

Carolyn F. Wong

3,4,5

and Stephen E. Lankenau

1

Abstract

We examined the effects of California’s 2016 law legalizing cannabis for recreational use among

young adult medical cannabis patients (MCP) and non-patient users (NPU). Three groups of young

adult cannabis users (n= 30) were qualitatively interviewed in Los Angeles between 2020-21:

current MCP (n= 3), who always had a medical cannabis recommendation, NPU (n= 6), who

never had a recommendation, and MCP-to-NPU (n= 21), who had a recommendation in the past.

MCP remained MCP due to greater acceptance of cannabis and lower prices afforded to MCP.

MCP-to-NPU and NPU remained NPU due to increased acceptance of cannabis use within their

community, greater legal security, and no compelling need for a medical cannabis recommen-

dation. Price increases drove many to purchasing cannabis from unregulated black-market dis-

pensaries. The legalization of cannabis for recreational use led to decisions to transition out of

MCP status, destigmatization of cannabis use, increased prices of cannabis, and increased sourcing

of cannabis from the black-market.

Keywords

cannabis, medical cannabis, qualitative research, legalization, young adults

1

Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Prevention, Philadelphia, PA,

USA

2

Drexel University, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Philadelphia, PA, USA

3

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA

4

University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Los Angeles, CA, USA

5

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Research on Children, Youth, & Families, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Saranya Khurana, Drexel University, Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and

Prevention, 3215 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Email: ssk64@drexel.edu