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Prevalence of medical marijuana use in C alifornia, 2012
Author(s) -
RyanIbarra Suzanne,
Induni Marta,
Ewing Danielle
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.12207
Subject(s) - population , medicine , hashish , ethnic group , demography , family medicine , environmental health , psychiatry , cannabis , anthropology , sociology
and Aims The US D rug E nforcement A gency classifies marijuana as an illegal substance, yet in 22 states marijuana is legal for medicinal use. In 1996, C alifornia legalised the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, but population‐based data describing medical marijuana users in the state has not been available. Our aim was to examine the demographic differences between users and non‐users of medical marijuana in C alifornia utilising population‐based data. Design and Methods We used data from the C alifornia B ehavioral R isk F actor S urveillance S ystem 2012, an annual, random‐digit‐dial state‐wide telephone survey that collects health data from a representative adult sample ( n = 7525). Age‐adjusted prevalence rates were estimated. Results Five percent of adults in C alifornia reported ever using medical marijuana, and most users believed that medical marijuana helped alleviate symptoms or treat a serious medical condition. Prevalence was similar when compared by gender, education and region. Prevalence of ever using medical marijuana was highest among white adults and younger adults ages 18–24 years, although use was reported by every racial/ethnic and age group examined in our study and ranged from 2% to 9%. Conclusions Our study's results lend support to the idea that medical marijuana is used equally by many groups of people and is not exclusively used by any one specific group. As more states approve marijuana use for medical purposes, it is important to track medical marijuana use as a health‐related behaviour and risk factor. [Ryan‐Ibarra S, Induni M, Ewing D. Prevalence of medical marijuana use in California, 2012. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015;34:141–6]