Cannabis for Healing in a Native Community Clinic: Development and Results from an Informatics Research Tool

ABSTRACT

This paper describes how the Puyallup Tribe created a clinic specializing in cannabis-based treatments and partnered with a university research team to assess the impacts of cannabis on patient outcomes. Clinic leaders and research team co-developed an informatics research tool that included survey questions about patient demographics, cannabis use, and measures of pain, depression, anxiety, other substance use, and trauma. Over the first 2.5 years of operations, 69 patients completed a survey. Participants were an average age of 50 years old (SD = 16.7), female (77.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (61.5%) with more than 12 years of education (66.7%). Over 77% of the participants used either cannabidiol-dominant (CBD) alone or both CBD and Tetrahydrocannabinol-dominant (THC) products, nearly 23% used neither CBD nor THC products. Most came to the clinic for a pain relief appointment (70.3%). Compared to the general population, participants experienced more pain-related comorbidities, such as anxiety, fatigue, sleep, and pain, and fewer physical functioning capabilities. Over half reported symptoms consistent with depressive or post-traumatic stress disorder. The informatics research tool was successfully integrated into a unique Tribally owned medical clinic.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• American Indian and Alaska native adults
• Pain
• Mental health
• CBD
• Marijuana

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participants that made this study possible.

Disclosure statement

The Puyallup Tribe provided funding for this study through the Qwibil: A Natural Healing Consultation & Research Center. Authors Dr Shelton, Ms Matheson, and Dr Iiams-Hauser are employees of Qwibil and Dr McDonell and Mr Lyons received financial compensation in the form of a grant from the Puyallup Tribe and Qwibil: A Natural Healing Consultation & Research Center. Dr McDonell, Mr Lyons, and Mr Kordas conducted all data analysis and led interpretation of data. Other authors were not involved in the data analysis. All authors contributed to interpretation of study data and writing of the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians provided funding for this research. Employees and funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.