Prevalence, reasons, perceived effects, and correlates of medical marijuana use: A review

Park, Jiyeun; Wu, Li‐Tzy

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.03.009

Cited by 137 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 58 publications

(151 reference statements)

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“…In general, pain or chronic pain seems to be the major reason for patients to use medicinal cannabis. The abovementioned review revealed that 30-87% of patients in different patient populations claiming to use cannabis for medicinal purposes report pain or chronic pain relief as the reason for medicinal cannabis use; 15 the results were based on nine articles from the United States, Israel, and the UK. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Based on these nine heterogeneous studies, plus one additional study using data from a dispensary in California, 25 we empirically estimate a median of 78% (95% CI: 31-82.6) of patients reporting pain as a reason for cannabis use among these diverse populations.…”

Section: Modern Pharmacy Paradox Of Cannabis and Pharmaceutical Cannamentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis for Chronic Pain: Challenges and Considerations

et al. 2018

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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has found substantial evidence that cannabis (plant) is effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults, and moderate evidence that oromucosal cannabinoids (extracts, especially nabiximols) improve short-term sleep disturbances in chronic pain. The paradoxical superiority of the cannabis plant over cannabinoid molecules represents a challenge for the medical community and the established processes that define modern pharmacy. The expanding and variable legalization of cannabis in multiple states nationwide represents an additional challenge for patients and the medical community because recreational and medicinal cannabis are irresponsibly overlapped. Cannabis designed for recreational use (containing high levels of active ingredients) is increasingly available to patients with chronic pain who do not find relief with current pharmacologic entities, which exposes patients to potential harm. This article analyzes the available scientific evidence to address controversial questions that the current state of cannabis poses for health care professionals and chronic pain patients and sets the basis for a more open discussion about the role of cannabis in modern medicine for pain management. A critical discussion on these points, the legal status of cannabis, and considerations for health care providers is presented.

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Section: Modern Pharmacy Paradox Of Cannabis and Pharmaceutical Cannamentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis for Chronic Pain: Challenges and Considerations

et al. 2018

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“…Prior findings revealed that medical marijuana users tended to have more anxiety disorder, but less alcohol use disorder than recreational marijuana users (Compton et al, 2017; Park and Wu, 2017). However, differences in patterns of other SUDs and treatment seeking have not been systematically examined in a large representative sample.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in behavioral health disorders and unmet treatment needs between medical marijuana users and recreational marijuana users: Results from a national adult sample

Park

2017

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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Background Available data suggest that medical marijuana users may have more mental health problems than recreational marijuana users. There is limited information about differences in behavioral health disorders and unmet treatment needs between medical and recreational marijuana users. Methods We compared past-year prevalence of behavioral health disorders and unmet treatment needs across three marijuana subgroups (recreational use only, medical use only, and both). Sex-stratified logistic regression was performed to determine their associations with marijuana use status. We analyzed data from adults (≥18 years) who used marijuana in the past year (N=15,440) from 2013-2014 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Results Among 15,440 past-year marijuana users, 90.2% used recreational marijuana only, 6.2% used medical marijuana only, and 3.6% used both. Both users had the highest prevalence of behavioral health disorders and unmet treatment needs overall, with no significant sex differences. In the sex-specific logistic regression analysis, medical only users and both users showed somewhat different patterns of associations (reference group=recreational only users). Medical only users had decreased odds of alcohol or drug use disorders, and unmet need for alcohol or drug treatment among males and females. Additionally, female medical only users had decreased odds of opioid use disorder. Both users had increased odds of major depressive episode, hallucinogen use disorder, and unmet need for mental health services among males, and cocaine use disorder among females. Conclusions Different approaches tailored to individuals' sex and motives for marijuana use is needed for the prevention and treatment of behavioral health problems.

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“…The original 25-item questionnaire includes five subscales: social (e.g., “to celebrate a special occasion with friends”), coping (e.g., “because it helps me when I'm depressed or nervous”), enhancement (e.g., “because it gives me a pleasant feeling”), conformity (e.g., “to fit in with a group I like”), and expansion (e.g., “to understand things differently”). In this study, 6 new items were added to create a subscale assessing medical motivations for use: “to relieve symptoms of HIV or other chronic illness,” “to aid relaxation,” “to relieve pain,” “to obtain energy,” “to decrease nausea,” and “to increase appetite.” These items were selected based on prior research showing that these are common medical benefits of marijuana use reported in HIV+ samples [18,25-27] and non-HIV samples [28-30]. The items we selected share some overlap with a new health subscale created for an adolescent sample, though this study was not published until after data collection for our project was completed [31].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Motivations for Marijuana Use in HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Adults

et al. 2018

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While medicinal marijuana use is common among persons with HIV, it is not known whether persons with HIV are more motivated to use marijuana medically compared to HIV-negative counterparts. This study examined motivations for marijuana use in a sample of 94 HIV+ and HIV- adults. Participants used marijuana 21.27 days in the last 30 days on average. HIV+ participants reported using marijuana for medical reasons more often than HIV- participants, but HIV+ and HIV- participants did not differ in other domains. Problematic marijuana use was associated with motives, regardless of HIV status. Motives were associated with mental and physical health functioning, but there were no interactions between motivations and HIV status. Overall this study found that motivations were similar for HIV+ and HIV- participants. Future research including qualitative work to further understand motivations would benefit the field, as would research examining the effectiveness of marijuana in treating physical symptoms.

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Prevalence, reasons, perceived effects, and correlates of medical marijuana use: A review

Cited by 137 publications

References 58 publications

Cannabis for Chronic Pain: Challenges and Considerations

Cannabis for Chronic Pain: Challenges and Considerations

Differences in behavioral health disorders and unmet treatment needs between medical marijuana users and recreational marijuana users: Results from a national adult sample

A Comparison of Motivations for Marijuana Use in HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Adults

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