Medical cannabis patients increased their use of alcohol, sleep aids, and other substances during COVID-19 | Research

The takeaway

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.

Medical cannabis patients, healthcare policymakers, harm reduction advocates

40% of those who increased other substance use cited changed cannabis access

What the researchers 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.

Why it 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 numbers in context

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 the study worked

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.

What this study cannot 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.

How to read the evidence

Small cross-sectional survey using Amazon Mechanical Turk during an atypical period

When this study was published

Published in 2021 using April-May 2020 data from the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

Questions still open

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?

Common 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.

Read the original research

Medication and substance use increases among people using cannabis medically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The International journal on drug policy, 92, 103053

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

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