The Medicalization of Marijuana: Understanding Patient Experiences and Societal Implications

By Michelle Newhart, William Dolphin

Winner of the Donald W. Light Award for the Applied or Public Practice of Medical Sociology

Medical marijuana laws have been increasingly adopted across the United States, with only a few states remaining outside this trend. However, the 80-year history of social stigma and federal prohibition surrounding marijuana creates unique dilemmas for patients participating in these state programs. The Medicalization of Marijuana offers the first comprehensive examination of how patients navigate this incomplete medicalization process and what their experiences reveal about our evolving relationship with this controversial plant as it becomes integrated into biomedicine.

Is cannabis being used similarly to other medicines? Drawing on interviews with midlife patients in Colorado, a state at the forefront of medical cannabis implementation, this book delves into the practical decisions individuals face regarding medical use, including whether cannabis will be effective for them; the risks associated with registering in a state program; and how to manage questions of supply, dosage, and routines of use.

Individual stories capture how patients redefine and reclaim cannabis use as legitimate—both individually and collectively—and grapple with an inherently political identity. These experiences help illustrate how stigma, prejudice, and social change operate. By positioning cannabis use within sociological models of medical behavior, Newhart and Dolphin provide a wide-reaching, theoretically informed analysis of the issue that expands established concepts and offers new insights on medical cannabis and how state programs function.

Product Details

Publisher: Routledge; 1st edition (September 4, 2018)

Language: English

Pages: 280

ISBN-10: 1138320889

ISBN-13: 978-1138320888