Medical marijuana patients who used more frequently and for more conditions reported lower general health
A survey of 312 LA dispensary patients found that smoking marijuana, having more medical conditions, and using more times per day were associated with lower general health, though the cross-sectional design cannot determine direction of causation.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Researchers surveyed 312 medical marijuana patients recruited from 16 dispensaries across Los Angeles.
Patients who smoked marijuana (vs. other consumption methods), had more medical conditions for which they received their recommendation, and used marijuana more times per day reported lower levels of general health.
The number of days using marijuana per month was associated with worse health over the past year.
The authors noted that medical marijuana use did not appear to improve overall health status based on these results, but emphasized that the cross-sectional design means the direction of causation is unknown. Sicker patients likely use marijuana more frequently and for more conditions, rather than marijuana use necessarily making them sicker.
Key Numbers
312 patients from 16 dispensaries. Smoking method, more medical conditions, and more daily uses all associated with lower general health. More days per month associated with worse past-year health change.
How They Did This
Cross-sectional survey of 312 patients from 16 medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles. Short intercept survey plus longer patient survey covering health, use behaviors, preferences, and demographics. Hierarchical linear modeling accounted for patients nested within dispensaries.
Why This Research Matters
As medical marijuana use becomes more widespread, understanding the relationship between use patterns and health outcomes matters. This study highlights the challenge of confounding by indication: sicker people use more medical marijuana, making it appear that marijuana is associated with worse health.
The Bigger Picture
This study illustrates a fundamental challenge in medical marijuana research: people who use it most heavily tend to be the sickest, creating an inherent negative association between use and health that does not necessarily reflect the effects of the marijuana itself.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or direction of association. Self-reported health measures are subjective. LA dispensary patients may not represent medical marijuana users elsewhere. No control group of non-users with similar conditions. Specific medical conditions and their severity were not detailed.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would longitudinal tracking of medical marijuana patients show health improvement over time?
- ?Do specific conditions respond better than others to medical marijuana?
- ?How does the route of administration (smoking vs. edibles vs. vaping) affect health outcomes?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Smoking method and more daily uses associated with lower general health
- Evidence Grade:
- Cross-sectional survey design provides preliminary evidence on associations, unable to determine whether marijuana use affects health or health status drives use patterns.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2018 with LA dispensary data. Medical marijuana products and patient populations have evolved significantly.
- Original Title:
- Do characteristics of marijuana use correspond to overall health levels for medical marijuana patients?
- Published In:
- Journal of substance use, 23(3), 307-311 (2018)
- Authors:
- Freisthler, Bridget(6), Cooke, Alexis(2)
- Database ID:
- RTHC-01658
Evidence Hierarchy
A snapshot of a population at one point in time.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does medical marijuana make people healthier?
This study found no evidence of that. Patients who used more had lower health scores. However, the study design cannot tell us the direction: sicker people likely use more marijuana, rather than marijuana making them sicker.
Does how you use marijuana matter?
Yes. Patients who smoked marijuana reported lower general health compared to those using other methods. This may reflect the respiratory effects of smoking or different patient populations who prefer different methods.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-01658APA
Freisthler, Bridget; Cooke, Alexis. (2018). Do characteristics of marijuana use correspond to overall health levels for medical marijuana patients?. Journal of substance use, 23(3), 307-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2017.1394383
MLA
Freisthler, Bridget, et al. "Do characteristics of marijuana use correspond to overall health levels for medical marijuana patients?." Journal of substance use, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2017.1394383
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Do characteristics of marijuana use correspond to overall he..." RTHC-01658. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/freisthler-2018-do-characteristics-of-marijuana
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.