Qualitative Analysis of Cannabis Use Among Older Adults in Colorado

Bobitt, Julie; Qualls, Sara Honn; Schuchman, Melissa; Wickersham, R; Lum, Hillary D.; Arora, Kanika; Milavetz, Gary; Kaskie, Brian

doi:10.1007/s40266-019-00665-w

Cited by 50 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…With medical purposes a priority for new users, and a shared purpose with recreational use for resumed and lifelong users, providers can anticipate questions about dosages, strains of plant, forms of ingestion, and risk factors. This is especially relevant in light of recent findings that older consumers want information about medical cannabis use to come from the health providers with whom they have an ongoing relationship (Bobitt et al, 2019). However, providers acknowledge significant knowledge gaps and report continued need for training on the topic (Carlini et al, 2017;Philpot et al, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Cannabis Users Are Not All Alike: Lifespan Cannabis Use Patterns

et al. 2019

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Although several studies have examined individual-level correlates of cannabis use in later life, there is scant evidence identifying heterogeneity among older users. Using data from Colorado, this study examines variability in lifespan patterns of cannabis use among individuals aged 60 years and older. Sample respondents reported cannabis use in the past year and frequency of use in four periods of adulthood. Analyses used a multi-way contingency table to identify mutually exclusive subgroups of cannabis users based on lifetime reports of use and linear probability models to identify predictors of group identity. Three subgroups of older cannabis users were identified: new users, stop-out or intermittent users, and consistent users. The three groups varied on current use frequency and method of ingestion, as well as social and health characteristics. Screening for past history of cannabis use may help health care providers identify older adults who need health information and monitoring related to cannabis use.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Cannabis Users Are Not All Alike: Lifespan Cannabis Use Patterns

et al. 2019

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“…In particular, since older persons described various patterns of marijuana use, clinicians can recognize the importance of asking about whether their patient uses both medical and recreational marijuana, reason(s) for use, preparation(s) of marijuana, and perceived benefits and side effects. In addition, another study found that older persons often reported a desire to access marijuana through a primary-care physician but that they faced obstacles with physician communication such as physician lack of knowledge or unwillingness to discuss marijuana use (Bobitt et al, 2018). This could be one reason why older persons are choosing to use recreational marijuana in addition to medical marijuana.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Marijuana Use and Health Impact: A Survey Among Older Coloradans

Lum

Arora

Croker

et al. 2019

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

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Access to recreational and medical marijuana is common in the United States, particularly in states with legalized use. Here, we describe patterns of recreational and medical marijuana use and self-reported health among older persons using a geographically sampled survey in Colorado. The in-person or online survey was offered to community-dwelling older persons aged above 60 years. We assessed past-year marijuana use including recreational, medical, or both; methods of use; marijuana source; reasons for use; sociodemographic and health factors; and self-reported health. Of 274 respondents (mean age = 72.5 years, 65% women), 45% reported past-year marijuana use. Of these, 54% reported using marijuana both medically and recreationally. Using more than one marijuana method or preparation was common. Reasons for use included arthritis, chronic back pain, anxiety, and depression. Past-year marijuana users reported improved overall health, quality of life, day-to-day functioning, and improvement in pain. Odds of past-year marijuana use decreased with each additional year of age. The odds were lower among women and those with higher self-reported health status; odds of use were higher with past-year opioid use. Older persons with access to recreational and medical marijuana described concurrent use of medical and recreational marijuana, use of multiple preparations, and overall positive health impacts.

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“…In an individual patient (n = 178) meta-analysis, Andreae et al [20] found that cannabis was effective in treating neuropathic pain associated with conditions such as diabetes, fibromyalgia and spinal trauma. In our previous work, we also found older individuals reported using cannabis primarily for chronic pain and painrelated conditions [21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Respondents could also check that they used cannabis for symptoms of pain ( Figure 1). Construction of the survey instrument is detailed in another paper [22]. While both states allow legal access to medical cannabis, only Colorado has legalised access for recreational use.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Enabling conditions include characteristics of the environment that facilitate action including resources required to attain specific behaviour [28]. Based on our previous research that indicated physicians were likely to be facilitators of cannabis use [22], we measured enabling conditions with the following questions: 'Has your doctor ever talked to you about cannabis?' and 'What is your doctor's attitudes toward cannabis?…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of cannabis and opioids for chronic pain by older adults: Distinguishing clinical and contextual influences

Bobitt

Kang

Croker

et al. 2020

Drug and Alcohol Review

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Introduction and Aims Chronic pain is one of the most common health‐related conditions experienced by Americans over the age of 65. In this study, we examine the intersection between pain, opioids and cannabis use among older adults in Colorado and Illinois and examine how medical needs and other variables associated with a persons' background and attitudes influence choices concerning the use of opioids and cannabis to treat pain. Design and Methods Data were collected via a survey about cannabis and opioids use, and questions related to individual need factors (e.g. pain, quality of life) and contextual factors (e.g. sex, finances, personal attitudes, interaction with physicians) were included in this study. We built a logistic regression model to evaluate factors associated with drug use and a multinomial regression model to understand factors that influence drug choices between cannabis and opioids. Results A total of 436 individuals completed the survey; 62 used opioids only, 71 cannabis only and 72 used both. When comparing drug users to non‐drug users, pain was significantly associated with using cannabis and/or opioids when controlling for other covariates. However, when we compared cannabis users to opioid users, pain was no longer a determining factor. Instead, other contextual factors such as sex, personal beliefs and physician attitudes influenced an individual's choice between cannabis or opioids. Discussion and Conclusions This study showed that contextual factors appear to have more influence on an individual's decision to use cannabis as an alternative to opioids than individual need or characteristics.

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Qualitative Analysis of Cannabis Use Among Older Adults in Colorado

Cited by 50 publications

References 29 publications

Older Cannabis Users Are Not All Alike: Lifespan Cannabis Use Patterns

Older Cannabis Users Are Not All Alike: Lifespan Cannabis Use Patterns

Patterns of Marijuana Use and Health Impact: A Survey Among Older Coloradans

Use of cannabis and opioids for chronic pain by older adults: Distinguishing clinical and contextual influences

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