PropertyValue
?: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.
is ?:annotates of
?:creator
?:journal
  • Int_J_Drug_Policy
?:license
  • unk
?:publication_isRelatedTo_Disease
is ?:relation_isRelatedTo_publication of
?:source
  • WHO
?:title
  • Medication and substance use increases among people using cannabis medically during the COVID-19 pandemic
?:type
?:who_covidence_id
  • #965665
?:year
  • 2020

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