Who Are Medical Marijuana Patients? Population Characteristics from Nine California Assessment Clinics

• Published in: Journal of psychoactive drugs Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 128 - 135
• Main Authors: Reinarman, Craig, Nunberg, Helen, Lanthier, Fran, Heddleston, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco, CA Taylor & Francis Group 01-04-2011; Haight Ashbury; Haight Ashbury Publications
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Ambulatory Care Facilities - legislation & jurisprudence; Ambulatory Care Facilities - statistics & numerical data; anxiety; Biological and medical sciences; California; Cannabis; cannabis therapeutics; Clinics; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Drug addiction; Drug use; Ethnic Groups; Female; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Illnesses; insomnia; Male; Marijuana Smoking - epidemiology; Medical marijuana; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; pain; Patients; Physicians; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotropic drugs; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; State laws; Young Adult; California; United States; North America; America; United States > US; Affect affectivity; cannabis therapeutics; Anxiety disorder; medical marijuana; Cannabidaceae; Cannabis; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Population; Anxiety; Drug of abuse; Neurological disorder; Hashish; Human; Evaluation; Drug addiction; Nervous system diseases; pain; Sleep disorder; Patient; Clinic; Medicine; Treatment; Addiction; Characteristics; Insomnia; Marijuana; Spermatophyta; Recreational drug
• ISSN: 0279-1072; 2159-9777
• DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2011.587700

Marijuana is a currently illegal psychoactive drug that many physicians believe has substantial therapeutic uses. The medical literature contains a growing number of studies on cannabinoids as well as case studies and anecdotal reports suggesting therapeutic potential. Fifteen states have passed medical marijuana laws, but little is known about the growing population of patients who use marijuana medicinally. This article reports on a sample of 1,746 patients from a network of nine medical marijuana evaluation clinics in California. Patients completed a standardized medical history form; evaluating physicians completed standardized evaluation forms. From this data we describe patient characteristics, self-reported presenting symptoms, physician evaluations, other treatments tried, other drug use, and medical marijuana use practices. Pain, insomnia, and anxiety were the most common conditions for which evaluating physicians recommended medical marijuana. Shifts in the medical marijuana patient population over time, the need for further research, and the issue of diversion are discussed.