April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: CBD Treatment Options for Pain: A Framing Analysis of US Newspapers
Background: Chronic pain is among the most prevalent US health conditions with major concerns related to disability and quality of life. Prescription opioid medications have become the standard care for chronic pain management, however its abuse potential and the emergence of the US opioid epidemic has prompted researchers to explore alternative options. Certain treatments under Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs) have a developing body of research to support their effectiveness, but additional research is still needed to establish efficacy, safety, and potential interactive effects. This has made CAMs and their adoption a controversial topic. Cannabidiol (CBD) is one such option that has gained popularity among medical, research, political, and media circles. The way issues are framed in newspaper reporting can influence public perception as well as individual decision-making, in turn influencing funding and interest in research. This study seeks to explore how CBD treatments for pain management are framed in leading United States newspaper articles, how these are framed in relation to other pain treatment options, as well as how those frames might relate to each other. Method: We reviewed 264 articles published between 2006-2021. In 2006, an Investigational New Drug application was first approved studying a cannabis-containing product (Biospace, 2006), sparking the discussion and popularity of CBD and medical marijuana. Articles were collected from the Proquest US Major Dailies News database which is a collection of the five highest readership national newspapers including the LA Times, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Articles were screened for specific discussion of CBD treatment options in relation to pain management. Articles which focused solely on medical marijuana or recreational uses of marijuana were excluded, as this was beyond the scope of the study. A qualitative framing analysis was conducted to identify emergent frames. Results: We identified seven emergent themes related to CBD as a pain treatment option: CBD pain treatment as part of a discussion of the legalization of marijuana, CBD as under-researched, CBD treatments are “natural” and are less risky/safer than conventional treatment options, CBD treatments lack regulation and a central supervising body, CBD framed as a miracle cure or last resort, and CBD treatments framed as either a complementary treatment or an alternative treatment option. Discussion: The analysis of the relationships between these emergent frames is still underway, but an early relationship found surrounds the lack of research on CBD treatments and its attribution to the illicit status of cannabis. Another relationship suggests that articles which frame CBD treatment options as a miracle cure tended to rely on the presentation of emotionally engaging patient narratives rather than scientific sources. These “miracle cure” frames also tended to present CBD treatments as an alternative option to replace conventional treatments that had previously “failed” patients. The investigation of these intersecting frames is important as a step towards understanding how media might be influencing public perceptions of CBD as a pain treatment option, as its legality and the future of research funding depends in part on public perception.