Themes and subthemes from interviews
| Theme | Subtheme | Direct quotations that convey themes |
|---|---|---|
| Child and family context, and cannabis as a last resort | Children’s condition and severity | “Cannabis is the lesser of two evils.” (M9) |
| “[We were] desperate to try and help our child … there is no cure for what he has.” (M5) | ||
| “As a parent of a child with a terminal illness, we are more focused on the quality of life. … Sometimes I felt like our daughter was going to die if we didn’t do something about the seizure stuff.” (M8) | ||
| Social acceptance v. stigma | “Outside opinions and voices don’t really influence my decision … we are going to do it whether it is legal or not, whether they like it or not.” (F5) | |
| “I wouldn’t tell [my daughter’s] grandma, because Grandma would say these are ‘bad drugs!’ … If this drug can help, why not [use it].” (M2) | ||
| “Even though my daughter is only 5 years old, I want to empower her. I know there is nothing wrong with [using medical cannabis] … I am really open about it.” (M1) | ||
| Parental love and responsibility | “I am going to do whatever I have to do to make sure that my child is living a happy life.” (M6) | |
| “What do we have to lose? … We can only get better.” (M7) | ||
| Varied information sources informed decision-making | Suppliers and advocates | “All of the information I get from my friends, from Facebook sometimes.” (M2) |
| “I told [dispensary owner] what the problem was and he said what we should do and [my child’s] starting dose. He wrote it all down like a prescription so I would be clear on it because it can be a little overwhelming.” (M3) | ||
| Communication with health care providers | “I know the doctor doesn’t like us to give it to our daughter.” (M2) | |
| “[Our doctor] can’t really describe cannabis right now because of the situation with the government, but he is very open minded … he has been monitoring her and I always let him know that this is what I am doing.” (M4) | ||
| Lack of reliable information | “If your doctor is not open to talk about it, then your next line of research is the Internet. … Being able to decipher biased and unbiased opinions running through parent forums … is really hard.” (M7) | |
| “If doctors could say, ‘okay, go to this link’ and they have accurate or resourceful information for you to read about cannabis, that would be helpful for parents.” (M1) | ||
| Practicalities and parent expertise | “[The product] is 97% CBD and 3% THC.” (M10) | |
| “We administer it via G-tube and we have … a really fatty substance that we can flush it with. Apparently the CBD oil needs fat in order to work best.” (M6) | ||
| Need for research | “I was trying to figure out a dosage and I was being told mixed messages. … I think I am giving her enough, but I don’t know. … It would be nice if they could actually do some sort of research where they can see that her body is changing by using it.” (M4) | |
| “It all really comes down to the lack of research that there is. If you have actual proper research done, then a reasonable doctor can be convinced that [authorizing cannabis use] is okay.” (M7) | ||
| Cannabis as an ambiguous medicine | “It’s not even a medication! It’s like oil! It’s like getting omega-3. … Just like any other drug, it can work for some … it should be one of the medications that [doctors] recommend.” (M10) | |
| “Cannabis is just more natural.” (M1) | ||
| “Our son is very complex. … He needs real drugs [referring to cannabis].” (F5) | ||
| Perceived effects | “We were having 50–80 [seizures] a day, and on the cannabis we were … down to 1 a week.” (M6) | |
| “His mood has greatly improved when I give oil to him. His appetite is improved; his nausea is better.” (M3) | ||
| “My son is already high on all this pharmaceutical shit he has been on, so for me, [adverse effects of cannabis] don’t really make a difference.” (M10) | ||
| Legal and financial challenges | Uncertain regulations | “[My child’s cannabis use] is legal-ish, I think. [Doctors] weren’t supposed to give [cannabis authorization] to us, but they did anyways.” (M8) |
| I guess the good thing is we can get the product legally, right? … I guess the next step is … somebody has to advocate for getting it covered [by insurance].” (M9) | ||
| Costs | “I am a single mom and it’s a huge bill at the end of the month, but I do it because it’s saving my kid’s life. … Maybe if it was regulated like a pharmaceutical, I would be able to get it covered and it would take a huge stress off of me.” (M4) | |
| “It is costing us $318 a month … we would really like to double the dose but that would be about $650.” (M9) |
Note: CBD = cannabidiol, G-tube = gastrostomy tube, THC = delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.