Cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs – a cross-sectional study

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of survey respondents during 2016 (n=2,774)

Characteristic	n (%)
Gender
Male	1,529 (55.72)
Female	1,215 (44.28)
Missing	30
Income: last 12 months
<$20,000	548 (20.45)
$20,000–40,000	644 (24.03)
$40,000–60,000	456 (17.01)
$60,000–80,000	298 (11.12)
$80,000–100,000	258 (9.63)
$100,000–150,000	268 (10.00)
>$150,000	208 (7.76)
Missing	94
Highest level of education
Less than eighth grade	9 (0.33)
Grade 9–11	90 (3.28)
High school/GED	771 (28.14)
Technical school	307 (11.20)
Associate	404 (14.74)
Bachelors	793 (28.94)
Masters	234 (8.54)
Doctorate	132 (4.82)
Missing	34
Age (years)
≤21	453 (16.62)
22–35	1,256 (46.09)
36–50	601 (22.06)
51–65	361 (13.25)
>65	54 (1.98)
Missing	49
Current employment
Full time	1,425 (52.10)
Part time	577 (21.10)
Unemployed	372 (13.60)
Retired	116 (4.24)
Disabled	245 (8.96)
Missing	39
Race/ethnicity
Caucasian	2,354 (86.13)
Black/African–American	45 (1.65)
Hispanic	99 (3.62)
Native American	36 (1.32)
Asian/Pacific Islander	43 (1.57)
Other	156 (5.71)
Missing	41
Geography
US	2,234 (83.02)
Canada	110 (4.10)
Europe	266 (9.90)
Other	81 (3.01)
Missing	83
Type of user
Medical	1,659 (59.81)
Non-medical	1,115 (40.19)
Have you ever used cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs?
Yes	1,248 (45.55)
No	1,492 (54.45)
Missing	34

Abbreviation: GED, General Educational Development.

Table 2 Odds of reporting ever having used cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs by sociodemographic characteristics during 2016 (n=2,740)

Characteristic	Yes (n=1,248)	No (n=1,492)	OR (95% CI)
	n (%)	n (%)
Age (years)***
≤21	185 (41.29)	263 (58.71)	1.00 (reference)
22–35	542 (43.29)	710 (56.71)	1.09 (0.87–1.35)
36–50	300 (50.59)	293 (49.41)	1.46 (1.14–1.86)
51–65	190 (53.52)	165 (46.48)	1.64 (1.24–2.17)
>65	16 (31.37)	35 (68.63)	0.65 (0.35–1.21)
Missing	15	60
Gender*
Male	661 (43.63)	854 (56.37)	1.00 (reference)
Female	581 (48.30)	622 (51.70)	1.21 (1.04–1.40)
Missing	6	50
Race/ethnicity
Caucasian	1,064 (45.65)	1,267 (54.35)	1.00 (reference)
Black/AfricanAmerican/Hispanic	64 (44.44)	80 (55.56)	0.95 (0.68–1.34)
Native American/Asian/Pacific	45 (56.96)	34 (43.04)	1.58 (1.00–2.48)
Islander
Other	65 (42.48)	88 (57.52)	0.88 (0.63–1.22)
Missing	10	57
Geography
US	1,002 (45.50)	1,200 (54.50)	1.00 (reference)
Canada	55 (50.00)	55 (50.00)	1.20 (0.82–1.76)
Europe	116 (43.77)	149 (56.23)	0.93 (0.72–1.21)
Other	40 (50.00)	40 (50.00)	1.20 (0.77–1.87)
Missing	35	82
Type of user
Non-medical	269 (24.43)	832 (75.57)	1.00 (reference)
Medical	979 (59.73)	660 (40.27)	4.59 (3.87–5.43)
Missing	0	0

Notes: p-values for the above comparisons were the result of chi-square analyses.

* p<0.05

*** p<0.001.

Abbreviations: OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.

Figure 1 Number of reported prescription drug substitutions, by drug category, during 2016 (n=2,473).

Abbreviations: PPI, proton pump inhibitor; NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Table 3 ORs and 95% CIs of reporting ever having used cannabis as a substitute for prescription drugs by user type, stratified by selected sociodemographic characteristics, during 2016 (n=2,740)

Characteristic	Medical user, OR (95% CI)
Gender
Female	6.09 (4.65–7.80)
Male	3.67 (2.91–4.57)
Age (years)
≤21	4.79 (3.20–7.18)
22–35	3.72 (2.92–4.73)
36–50	5.32 (3.63–7.78)
51–65	16.19 (6.75–38.79)
>65	NA

Notes: Reference, non-medical user. NA, insufficient data in one cell.

Abbreviations: OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; NA, not applicable.

Figure 2 PROMIS Global Health short form: physical and mental health scores (mean [SE]; cannabis substitutors versus non-substitutors, 2016; raw scores [i.e., non-T-score corrected]).

Notes: Maximum score=20 for each domain. High scores reflect better functioning.
Abbreviations: PROMIS, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System; SE, standard error.