Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2021 Sep 3;47(5):612-622. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2021.1908318. Epub 2021 Apr 29.
: US epidemiologic data show that nearly one in 10 individuals aged 50+ report past-year cannabis use, and nearly one in five users report medical use. However, research on older cannabis users, especially medical cannabis users, is scant.: We examined medical and nonmedical cannabis users aged 50+ on health-related characteristics, cannabis use patterns, and cannabis sources. Hypotheses were that compared to nonmedical users, medical users are more likely to have physical and mental health problems, use healthcare services, discuss their drug use with a healthcare professional, use cannabis more frequently, and purchase cannabis from a medical dispensary and other sources rather than obtain it as a gift, share someone else's, or use other means.: We used 2018 and 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data (N = 17,685 aged 50+; male = 8,030; female = 9,655). Hypotheses were tested using logistic regression analysis.: The past-year cannabis use rate was 8.9%. Of past-year users, 18.5% reported medical use. Compared to nonmedical use, medical use was associated with lower odds of alcohol use disorder but higher odds of discussing drug use with a healthcare professional (AOR = 4.18, 95% CI = 2.53-6.89), high-frequency use (e.g., AOR = 2.56, 95% CI = 1.35-4.86 for 200-365 days), and purchase at a medical cannabis dispensary (AOR = 4.38, 95% CI = 2.47-7.76).: Medical and nonmedical users did not differ on physical and most behavioral health indicators. Most obtained cannabis from private/informal sources. Some medical users are likely to self-treat without healthcare professional consultation. Healthcare professionals should engage older adults in discussions of cannabis use and behavioral health needs.
美国的流行病学数据显示，年龄在 50 岁以上的人群中，近十分之一的人报告过去一年曾使用过大麻，近五分之一的使用者报告称其使用大麻是出于医疗目的。然而，针对老年大麻使用者（尤其是医疗大麻使用者）的研究却很少。
我们研究了年龄在 50 岁及以上的医疗和非医疗大麻使用者，分析了他们的健康相关特征、大麻使用模式和大麻来源。我们假设，与非医疗使用者相比，医疗使用者更有可能存在身体和心理健康问题，会使用医疗保健服务，与医疗保健专业人员讨论他们的药物使用情况，更频繁地使用大麻，并从医疗大麻药房和其他来源购买大麻，而不是作为礼物获得、与他人分享或使用其他方式获得。
我们使用了 2018 年和 2019 年全国毒品使用与健康调查（N=17685 名年龄在 50 岁及以上的人群；男性 8030 名，女性 9655 名）的数据。使用逻辑回归分析检验了假设。
过去一年大麻使用率为 8.9%。在过去一年的使用者中，18.5%的人报告称其使用大麻是出于医疗目的。与非医疗使用相比，医疗使用与较低的酒精使用障碍几率相关，但与与医疗保健专业人员讨论药物使用情况（优势比[OR] = 4.18，95%置信区间[CI] = 2.53-6.89）、高频使用（例如，200-365 天内使用的 OR = 2.56，95% CI = 1.35-4.86）和在医疗大麻药房购买（OR = 4.38，95% CI = 2.47-7.76）的几率较高相关。
医疗和非医疗使用者在身体和大多数行为健康指标上没有差异。大多数人从私人/非正式渠道获得大麻。一些医疗使用者可能在未经医疗保健专业人员咨询的情况下自行治疗。医疗保健专业人员应与老年患者讨论大麻使用和行为健康需求。
