Thursday, August 7, 2025
Science
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Scienmag
No Result
View All Result
Home Science News Medicine

Cannabis use common among patients, with most using it to manage a symptom or health condition

June 5, 2024
in Medicine
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
67
SHARES
605
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

One in six patients in primary care reported cannabis use, with 35% of those using at levels indicating moderate- to high-risk for cannabis use disorder, new UCLA research finds.

One in six patients in primary care reported cannabis use, with 35% of those using at levels indicating moderate- to high-risk for cannabis use disorder, new UCLA research finds.

The findings, to be published June 5 in JAMA Network Open, suggest that most patients reported using cannabis for symptom management, despite identifying as recreational users, indicating the need for routine cannabis screening.   Currently few healthcare systems offer this screening in primary care settings.

“Patients may not tell their primary care providers about their cannabis use, and their doctors may not ask about it,” said lead author Dr. Lillian Gelberg, professor of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and of health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health  “Not asking patients about their cannabis use results in a missed opportunity for opening up doctor-patient communication regarding use of cannabis generally and for management of their symptoms. “

Thirty-eight states, three US territories and the District of Columbia allow cannabis for medical use, and 24 of these states also permit recreational use. Stigma over cannabis use has fallen likely due to these legal moves. While there has been an increased perception that its use is risk free, cannabis potency has increased.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended in 2020 that primary care physicians screen their adult patients for use of cannabis and other substances. The following year the investigators implemented the UCLA universal electronic health record-based, self-administered survey on cannabis use and medical cannabis use. Patients complete this survey as pre-visit screening prior to their primary care visits as sent to them via the Epic patient portal.

The researchers used patients’ de-identified electronic health records at UCLA collected from January 2021 to May 2023 to determine the prevalence, correlates and reasons for current cannabis use. The UCLA Health system is one of the few to ask patients to voluntarily complete cannabis use surveys during pre-appointment check-ins. The survey used the WHO Alcohol Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) to assess cannabis use.

Nearly 176,000 patients completed surveys. Of those, nearly 30,000 (17%) reported cannabis use among whom 35% had results suggesting moderate- to high-risk for a cannabis use disorder, defined as a score of 8 or higher on the screening survey. Among users, 40% used cannabis once or twice in the previous three months, 17% used monthly, 25% used weekly and 19% used it daily or almost daily.

Other findings included:

  • Cannabis use was lowest among people living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods (14%), yet the risk for disordered use was highest among this group
  • Inhaled modes of cannabis use were as common as ingestion (65.0% and 64.7%), including 29% who vaped
  • 47% used cannabis for medical reasons
  • 76% used it to manage symptoms such as mental health symptoms or stress (56%), sleep (56%), and pain (37%).  Further, most patients who reported using cannabis only for recreational reasons had also used it at some point to manage a symptom.

The study has some limitations. The findings are based on patients’ self-reported use and though cannabis is legal in California, some patients may still have been reluctant to disclose using it. Much of the data were from screenings taken during the COVID-19 lockdown, during which cannabis use may have been higher than it might have been otherwise. In addition, the findings may not be applicable to other health systems, particularly in states where cannabis use is still illegal.

However, “given the high rates of cannabis use and medical cannabis use that we found in this large urban healthcare system, it is essential that healthcare systems implement routine screening of all primary care patients,” the researchers write.  “Integrating screening efforts to include information regarding cannabis use for symptom management could help enhance the identification and documentation of medical cannabis usage, particularly in the healthcare context.” 

Study co-authors are Dana Beck, PhD, MSN; Julia Koerber, MPH; Whitney N. Akabike, PMP, MSPH; Lawrence Dardick, MD; Clara Lin, MD; Steve Shoptaw, PhD; and Marjan Javanbakht, MPH, PhD.

The study was funded by the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (grant #T29IR0277) and the National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) UCLA CTSI (grant #UL1TR001881). 

Article: [citation] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14809



Journal

JAMA Network Open

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.14809

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Cannabis Use Reported by Patients Receiving Primary Care in a Large Health System

Article Publication Date

5-Jun-2024

Share27Tweet17
Previous Post

Prostate cancer: Protein identified to reduce tumor growth

Next Post

Unlocking the world around us for next-gen antibiotics

Related Posts

Medicine

Data-Driven Discovery of Super-Adhesive Hydrogels

August 7, 2025
blank
Medicine

Global Adolescent Smoking Cessation: Prevalence and Factors

August 7, 2025
blank
Medicine

Rewrite Behavioral, Psychological, and Physical Predictors of Adolescent Drug Use in South Korea: Insights Obtained Using Machine Learning as a headline for a science magazine post, using no more than 8 words

August 7, 2025
blank
Medicine

Proteomics Reveals Vital Reactions in Human Ribs

August 7, 2025
blank
Medicine

Stanford Medicine Study Finds Replacing Brain Immune Cells Slows Neurodegeneration in Mice

August 7, 2025
blank
Medicine

RNA N-Glycosylation Drives Immune Evasion, Cleanup

August 7, 2025
Next Post
Luis Pedro Coelho

Unlocking the world around us for next-gen antibiotics

  • Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    Mothers who receive childcare support from maternal grandparents show more parental warmth, finds NTU Singapore study

    27530 shares
    Share 11009 Tweet 6881
  • University of Seville Breaks 120-Year-Old Mystery, Revises a Key Einstein Concept

    942 shares
    Share 377 Tweet 236
  • Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

    641 shares
    Share 256 Tweet 160
  • Researchers record first-ever images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike

    506 shares
    Share 202 Tweet 127
  • Warm seawater speeding up melting of ‘Doomsday Glacier,’ scientists warn

    310 shares
    Share 124 Tweet 78
Science

Embark on a thrilling journey of discovery with Scienmag.com—your ultimate source for cutting-edge breakthroughs. Immerse yourself in a world where curiosity knows no limits and tomorrow’s possibilities become today’s reality!

RECENT NEWS

  • Histone Drugs Target Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Cells
  • Data-Driven Discovery of Super-Adhesive Hydrogels
  • Unified Protocol Trial Targets Emotional Disorders in Youth
  • White Matter Lesions Signal Cerebral Palsy Risk

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Athmospheric
  • Biology
  • Bussines
  • Cancer
  • Chemistry
  • Climate
  • Earth Science
  • Marine
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Pediatry
  • Policy
  • Psychology & Psychiatry
  • Science Education
  • Social Science
  • Space
  • Technology and Engineering

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,859 other subscribers

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • SCIENCE NEWS
  • CONTACT US

© 2025 Scienmag - Science Magazine

Discover more from Science

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading