大流行期間大麻的使用增加：一項研究

麗莎·奧瑪麗 / 2022 年 11 月 9 日 / Medscape

根據一項新的研究，在大流行期間，在非法的州和醫用大麻合法的州，大麻的使用顯著增加。但根據 JAMA Network Open 的研究，允許娛樂性大麻的州沒有發生重大變化。

作者寫道：「我們觀察到更多使用大麻來放鬆和減輕疼痛，同時減少非醫療使用處方藥和用於興奮的用途，這顯示大麻可能已被用於應對壓力源或彌補獲得處方阿片類藥物的中斷」。在 JAMA 網絡公開平台中。「百分比的有限變化顯示，無論合法性如何，使用大麻的人都會這樣做」。

在大麻非法的州，成人使用量從大流行前的 14.5% 增加到大流行期間的 18.1%。在醫用大麻合法的州也出現了類似的小幅但顯著的增長，從大流行前的 16.3% 增加到大流行期間的 18.9%。

在娛樂用途合法的州，與大麻不合法的州的受訪者相比，報告使用大麻的人數大約是其兩倍。但是在娛樂合法的州，使用行為沒有變化，大約 28% 的成年人報告說他們在大流行之前和期間都使用過大麻。

該研究調查了 178,824 名平均年齡為 51 歲的成年人的數據。受訪者還被問及吸食大麻的原因。

在大流行之前和期間使用大麻的首要原因是「放鬆、減輕壓力或睡眠」。在生活於醫療用途合法的州的人們中，與之前相比，更多的人將放鬆作為在大流行期間使用的原因。給出的另外兩個最重要的原因，按照所有組的流行程度，是「變得興奮」和「減輕疼痛」。

作者總結說，在評估具有不同大麻法律的各州大流行期間大麻的使用情況時，「更嚴格的法律框架可能無法防止在壓力時期使用藥物」。

參考文獻：

JAMA Network Open：「在不同法律框架內評估 COVID-19 大流行期間美國成年人的大麻使用情況」。

Marijuana Use Increased During Pandemic: Study

Lisa O’Mary / November 09, 2022 / Medscape

Marijuana use increased significantly during the pandemic in states where it is illegal and in states where medical marijuana is legal, according to a new study. But states that allow recreational marijuana saw no significant change, according to the study in JAMA Network Open.

“We observed higher cannabis use to relax and reduce pain, concurrent with decreasing nonmedical use of prescription drugs and use to get high, suggesting that cannabis may have been used to cope with stressors or compensate for disrupted access to prescription opioids,” the authors wrote in JAMA Network Open.  “The limited variation in percentages suggests that individuals who use cannabis will do so regardless of legality.”

In states where marijuana is illegal, adult usage increased from 14.5% pre-pandemic to 18.1% during the pandemic. A similarly small but significant increase was seen in states where medical marijuana is legal, from 16.3% pre-pandemic to 18.9% during the pandemic.

About twice as many people reported using marijuana in states where recreational use is legal, compared to respondents in states where it is not legal. But there was no change in usage behavior observed in recreationally legal states, with about 28% of adults reporting that they used marijuana both before and during the pandemic.

The research looked at data from 178,824 adults with an average age of 51. Respondents were also asked their reasons for marijuana use.

The top reason for using marijuana both prior to the pandemic and during it was “to relax, reduce stress, or sleep.” Among people living in states where medical use was legal, significantly more people cited relaxation as a reason for usage during the pandemic versus prior to it. The other top two reasons given, in order of prevalence across all groups, were “to get high” and “to reduce pain.”

In evaluating pandemic usage of marijuana across states with different marijuana laws, “more restrictive legal frameworks may not prevent substance use during times of stress,” the authors concluded.

Source

JAMA Network Open: “Evaluation of Cannabis Use Among US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic Within Different Legal Frameworks.”