Cannabis Therapy from the Perception and Adoption of the People: Case Studies from Village Health Volunteers in U Thong District, Suphan Buri Province

Abstract

This is a mixed method study aiming to examine (1) perception and adoption of the use of cannabis therapy and (2) correlation between the perception and acceptance of cannabis therapy. The study involved a sample of 370 village health volunteers (VHVs) in U Thong district, Suphan Buri province. Data were collected using a questionnaire and interview, and then analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. The results showed that the level of perception of cannabis therapy was low (mean = 2.30, SD = 0.58) and the levels of adoption and use of cannabis therapy were moderate (mean and SD = 2.69, 0.66; 2.86, 0.81, respectively). The correlations between the perception, acceptance of cannabis therapy, and the use of cannabis therapy were moderately positive (r = 0.525 and 0.509, respectively). Therefore, to encourage the public to access information and to take advantage of medical cannabis appropriately and extensively, the knowledge and benefits of cannabis therapy should be promoted by spreading comprehensive information through a variety of channels, and cannabis research should be further carried out on various aspects to gain new knowledge that is truly beneficial for the people.