Highlights
- •Chronic pain is common among young adults who frequently use cannabis.
- •Pain relief was the primary motivation for use in users with chronic pain.
- •Participants with chronic pain endorsed a riskier cannabis use profile.
- •Both groups of users experienced negative consequences owing to use.
Abstract
This study aims to determine the rate of chronic pain in a community sample of young
adult cannabis users, assess the extent to which pain relief is an important motivation
for cannabis use, and explore differences in consumption patterns and problem behaviors
between users with and without chronic pain. The study design was cross-sectional.
Self-selected community-dwelling young adults (ages 18–29 years; n = 143) who regularly
use cannabis completed an online survey. Results revealed that approximately 40% of
the sample met the criteria for chronic pain, and pain relief was their primary motivation
for use. There were no differences between groups with respect to frequency of use
or estimated potency of their preferred strains; however, users with chronic pain
reported using a wider variety of administration methods and a greater quantity of
cannabis with each use. Users with chronic pain also reported more extensive histories
of use, with younger age at initiation and longer duration of regular use. Despite
riskier consumption patterns, there were no between-group differences in negative
consequences owing to use after controlling for gender and educational status. On
average, the total sample reported approximately 8 problems in the past 30 days owing
to use. These findings suggest that chronic pain is commonly experienced among young
adult cannabis users and pain relief is the primary motivation for users with pain.
For some users, clinically significant chronic pain and pain-related interference
persist despite heavy use. Cannabis users with and without chronic pain report experiencing
several negative consequences owing to their use.
Perspective
This article compares motivations for cannabis use and describes differences in consumption
patterns among a community sample of young adult users with and without chronic pain.
This information may be useful for providers who assess and treat pain in young adults,
particularly in settings that have legalized recreational use.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 05, 2019
Accepted:
February 3,
2019
Received in revised form:
January 11,
2019
Received:
August 30,
2018
Footnotes
Supported by a Grand Challenges Seed Grant and Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program funding awarded by Washington State University.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 by the American Pain Society
