Abstract
Introduction
Cannabis use for medical purposes is legalized across 39 states and the District of
Columbia in the US. The objective of this study was to evaluate temporal trends and
correlates of cannabis use for medical purposes in the US.
Methods
Data from 2013-2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were used. Since
2013, medical cannabis use has been assessed using a dichotomous question asking whether
any medical cannabis use was recommended by a doctor among those who used cannabis
in the past 12 months. A modified Poisson model was used to estimate the average annual
percent change (AAPC) of medical cannabis use from 2013 to 2020. The analyses were
repeated for key socio-demographic and clinical subgroups. Data were analyzed from
September to November, 2022.
Results
The prevalence of US residents using cannabis for medical purposes increased significantly
from 1.2% in 2013-2014 to 2.5% in 2019-2020, with an AAPC of 12.9% (95% confidence
interval [CI], 10.4-15.5%), and many of socio-demographic and clinical subgroups showed
similar significant increases in cannabis use for medical purposes. In the multivariable-adjusted
model, living in a state that legalized medical cannabis remained significantly associated
with medical cannabis use (adjusted odds ratio, 4.10; 95% CI, 3.68-4.56).
Conclusions
The study documents a continued nationwide increase in use of cannabis for diverse
medical purposes between 2013 and 2020, two decades after the first state passed legalizing
legislation.
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Copyright
© 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
