Young Adults Feared Opioids After Surgery and Turned to Cannabis Instead

Key themes included a "fear of opioids" and "fear messaging from parents" that led young adults to take opioids less than prescribed and endure pain instead. Many used cannabis after surgery for pain and anxiety management. Participants were intentional about cannabis use around the surgical period, adjusting timing and amounts.

Qualitative descriptive study with 13 young adults (ages 19-25) who were prescribed opioids post-surgery. Semi-structured interviews conducted 2-12 weeks after surgery explored patterns and motivations for opioid and cannabis use.

Understanding that young adults are self-managing postoperative pain with cannabis due to opioid fears suggests that surgical teams need to address both the fear narrative and the reality of cannabis use in perioperative planning.

The opioid crisis has made young adults wary of prescription painkillers, sometimes to the point of under-treating their pain. Cannabis is filling a gap, but surgical teams may not know their patients are using it, creating potential safety concerns.

Very small sample (n=13). Qualitative design provides depth but not generalizability. Participants were from one geographic area. Self-selected population may over-represent cannabis users.