Medication and substance use increases among people using cannabis medically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Int J Drug Policy
; 92: 103053, 2021 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-965665
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic strains the medical system, limiting access to healthcare services. Many people use cannabis medically for chronic health conditions and as a substitute for other medications. As such, changes in cannabis access associated with COVID-19 may result in increased non-cannabis drug use.METHODS:
We recruited N = 353 individuals through Amazon Mechanical Turk who reported current medical cannabis use in April and May of 2020. We assessed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patterns of medication and substance use, as well as on cannabis use patterns.RESULTS:
Over half of participants either started using or increased use of medications or substances because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most commonly alcohol and sleep aids. Over a third of participants increased cannabis use while 25% decreased cannabis use. Approximately 40% of participants who increased or started use of medications/substances (other than cannabis) reported doing so because of changed access to medical cannabis.CONCLUSION:
The reported increase in drug use among people using medical cannabis is concerning. Because the pandemic will likely continue for months (or even years), having a better understanding of why this is occurring is critical for developing effective harm-reduction strategies in this population.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Cannabis
/
Substance-Related Disorders
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Drug Policy
Journal subject:
Public Health
/
Substance-Related Disorders
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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