Characteristics of individuals with spinal cord injury who use cannabis for therapeutic purposes

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Study described the characteristics of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) who self-reported use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes (CTP) and examined correlations with health behaviors and health indicators. This was a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study involving community-dwelling individuals with chronic SCI and neurogenic bladder and bowel, at least 5 years post injury. Data were collected via structured interviews. Of the 244 subjects in the sample, 92.2 percent lived in states that, at the time of the study, permitted the use of CTP; 22.5 percent reported using CTP at least monthly to relieve pain and spasticity. Of those 54 participants, 52.7 percent were daily users. While 23.0 percent of non-CTP users reported having prescriptions for at least one opioid-based medication, 38.1 percent of CTP users did so, suggesting that CTP use does not mitigate opioid use. Users were more likely to be single and live alone, report more bladder complications, and perceive their psychosocial functioning as more compromised than non-users. Results suggest that a relatively large percentage of individuals with chronic SCI use CTP on a regular basis and they may be more vulnerable to complications and to risk factors for substance use disorders in SCI, such as social isolation. Although the generalizability of these findings is limited by the sampling strategies and the eligibility criteria of the larger study, CTP use should be assessed and considered when planning health interventions.

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