An interesting new study of the California medical cannabis user population by Prof. Craig Reinarman et al. appears in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 43(2) Apr-Jun, 2011: “Who Are Medical Marijuana Patients? Population Characteristics from Nine California Assessment Clinics”.
Noteworthy findings:
*Medical cannabis use is higher than average among Blacks and Native Americans, lower among Latinos and Asians.
*73% of patients are male.
*Use is heaviest in the 25-44 year age group.
*Leading indications:
82.6% for pain
70.7% to improve sleep
55% for “relaxation”
41% for muscle spasms
41% for headaches
38% for anxiety
28% for nausea
26% for depression
51% use as a substitute for prescription medication (showing that medical cannabis may offer significant health cost savings)
Medical cannabis users report significantly lower alcohol & cocaine use than the average population, supporting the substitution theory that more cannabis use may lead to less abuse of other drugs.
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