Medical cannabis patients increased their use of alcohol, sleep aids, and other substances during COVID-19
Over half of medical cannabis users surveyed during COVID-19 started or increased use of other medications or substances, most commonly alcohol and sleep aids, with 40% citing changed cannabis access as a factor.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Over half of 353 medical cannabis users either started or increased use of other medications/substances during COVID-19, most commonly alcohol and sleep aids. About 40% who increased non-cannabis substance use attributed it to changed medical cannabis access.
Key Numbers
353 participants; over 50% started or increased other substance use; over a third increased cannabis use; 25% decreased cannabis use; 40% of increasers cited changed cannabis access
How They Did This
Cross-sectional survey of 353 medical cannabis users recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk in April-May 2020, assessing pandemic effects on medication, substance, and cannabis use patterns.
Why This Research Matters
If disrupted cannabis access drives people to increase alcohol and other substance use, it highlights the importance of maintaining medical cannabis availability during public health emergencies.
The Bigger Picture
This suggests medical cannabis functions as a harm-reduction tool for some users, and when access is disrupted, they may turn to potentially more harmful alternatives like alcohol.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Amazon Mechanical Turk sample may not represent typical medical cannabis patients, self-reported data, cross-sectional design during an unusual period, small sample size.
Questions This Raises
- ?Did substance use patterns normalize as cannabis access stabilized?
- ?Are there specific medical conditions where cannabis access disruption is most likely to trigger compensatory substance use?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 40% of those who increased other substance use cited changed cannabis access
- Evidence Grade:
- Small cross-sectional survey using Amazon Mechanical Turk during an atypical period
- Study Age:
- Published in 2021 using April-May 2020 data from the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Original Title:
- Medication and substance use increases among people using cannabis medically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Published In:
- The International journal on drug policy, 92, 103053 (2021)
- Authors:
- Boehnke, Kevin F(22), McAfee, Jenna(3), Ackerman, Joshua M, Kruger, Daniel J
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03013
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Did COVID-19 affect medical cannabis use?
Over a third of surveyed medical cannabis users increased cannabis use during the pandemic, while 25% decreased use. The changes were linked to both access disruptions and increased symptoms.
What happened when cannabis access was disrupted?
About 40% of participants who started or increased use of other substances said they did so because of changed access to medical cannabis, suggesting some people substitute other substances when cannabis is unavailable.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03013APA
Boehnke, Kevin F; McAfee, Jenna; Ackerman, Joshua M; Kruger, Daniel J. (2021). Medication and substance use increases among people using cannabis medically during the COVID-19 pandemic.. The International journal on drug policy, 92, 103053. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103053
MLA
Boehnke, Kevin F, et al. "Medication and substance use increases among people using cannabis medically during the COVID-19 pandemic.." The International journal on drug policy, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103053
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Medication and substance use increases among people using ca..." RTHC-03013. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/boehnke-2021-medication-and-substance-use
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.