Upselling or educating consumers? – What can a poor cannabis company do?

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute recently completed a study on pharmacy staff commitment to cannabis user education. According to the study, while there is an apparent commitment on the part of pharmacy staff to educate cannabis users about its medicinal uses, pharmacies typically prioritize sales over education. In fact, the level and degree of on-the-job training in pharmacies is particularly unequal.

The study authors reiterated that a larger, quantitative study to support the findings will compel the medical community to ensure patients have authentic and reliable sources of medical cannabis education. Researchers said patients diagnosed with cancer often use cannabis for medical reasons, but oncology teams offer little to no education about cannabis use.

About the study

The journal JCO Oncology Practice published the latest study online, based on factual interviews with 26 cannabis dispensary employees in 13 states across the United States. The researchers behind the study conducted telephone interviews in which they discussed consumer experiences and leadership positions at their respective pharmacies.

Ilana Braun, a physician at Dana-Farber and Brigham Women’s Hospital and first author of the study, paved the way for discussing the responsibilities of physicians in educating users about medicinal cannabis use. dr Braun reiterated that when it comes to educating patients about the use of medical cannabis, physicians cannot delegate all of the tasks to pharmacies. She added that there was a need to address the situation quickly as the results showed the need for a healthy dedication to her field of work. In addition, the study revealed a low and inconsistent level of on-the-job training for pharmacy employees.

dr Braun added that the pharmacy staff surveyed are dedicated and passionate about cannabis education and try their best to provide factual medical cannabis education. She explained that workers also work extra hard outside of work hours, paying out of their pockets to learn a new course and pushing various boundaries.

However, based on research, it has been found that pharmacies are primarily hiring more staff based on their sales skills rather than their in-depth knowledge of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. Most workers agreed that workplace training on medicinal cannabis use was weak and non-standard. However, Manan Nayak, PhD, a co-author of the study, claimed that patients prefer this information about medicinal cannabis from their oncology team.

Nayak added that while the patients’ request is legitimate, the current system is designed so that both pharmacists and oncologists work together to educate patients. Now the responsibility lies with the patient to know how to handle the situation. Patients need to figure out where to go, try different products, get accurate information from pharmacy staff, and maybe go back to their oncologist to do the A’s and cross the T’s. Responsibility for communicating with pharmacy staff usually rests with the patient. As things stand, a quick fix must be found to bridge the gap between pharmacy staff and oncologists, making life easier for patients.

The key: cannabis education

Braun and some of her colleagues conducted an earlier study that showed that although 80% of oncologists surveyed agreed that they discussed medicinal cannabis with patients, about half of them clinically advised cannabis use. In fact, less than 30% of oncologists considered themselves well trained to advise on this topic.

According to the study, in the absence of factual medical cannabis education from an oncologist, pharmacy workers are becoming a surrogate source of information about medical cannabis. After interviewing several cancer patients, Braun’s team wrote in a 2020 article that almost all respondents had received advice about medicinal cannabis from non-medical sources, mostly pharmacy staff.

Respondents learned about various topics ranging from the properties of different cannabis strains to dosage requirements. Brian concluded that it is important to know the type of people who work there, how they are recruited, what type of training they have and what guidance they provide to patients when referring patients to pharmacies.

Cannabis Dispensary Hiring Priorities

Many attendees in frontline and managerial roles spoke about the requirements process associated with hiring pharmacy staff. The key quality that many pharmacies look for is “customer service” which includes sales skills, retail/hospitality experience, as well as excellence, empathy and friendliness. Dispensaries have different meanings associated with these qualities ranging from knowledge of the medical benefits of cannabis to personal cannabis use to experience in the cannabis industry.

Several participants noted that medical cannabis dispensaries valued experience in the cannabis industry and knowledge of the medicinal benefits of cannabis. Meanwhile, adult-use dispensaries took more into account personal cannabis use. However, one manager was more inclined to hire applicants with little experience, believing they had better sales skills. Frontline employees believed that there were no qualifications for hiring. Meanwhile, several executives pointed out that knowledge of cannabis therapeutics is very important.

path to pharmacy work

During the interviews, more participants agreed that pharmacy employees are passionate about cannabis as a medicine, including the pharmacy work itself. In addition, pharmacy employees described their experience with cannabis as great and helped accelerate their career path.

A dozen participants have used cannabis medicinally, while only a few have a state license. Although no specific question was asked about the oncological use of cannabis, some staff are motivated by the cancer-related landmark experiences. Four employees have experience using cannabis to treat pain; others have experience using cannabis to treat mood disorders and inflammatory bowel disease.

Some people who have used medicinal cannabis to treat pain and achieve remission in patients with an opioid use disorder have credited the botanical. For example, one person took prescription opioids as a teenager and felt cheated by doctors and drug companies. This person credits medicinal cannabis with saving them from the opioid drug cycle. About a third of the positive experiences with cannabis influenced their professional career.

Conclusion

It will be difficult to question the attitude and motivation of pharmacy staff in educating patients about medicinal cannabis. However, as Nayak has indicated, the gap between pharmacy staff and oncologists needs to be bridged to make life easier for patients

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