ArticleAddictive behaviors2017
Cannabis use patterns and motives: A comparison of younger, middle-aged, and older medical cannabis dispensary patients.
Article in Addictive behaviors, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 154 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Mapping Literature Review of Medical Cannabis Clinical Outcomes and Quality of Evidence in Approved Conditions in the USA from 2016 to 2019.Medical cannabis and cannabinoids · 2021Pooled it
- Highway to hell or magic smoke? The dose-dependence of ΔLearning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) · 2018Pooled it
- Bedtime tetrahydrocannabinol ingestion reduces morning orthostatic cardiovascular reactivity in adults: An exploratory study.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- The Cannabis Health Literacy Questionnaire - Assessing Reliability and Known-Groups Validity in a Canadian Adult Sample.Journal of drug education · 2026Article
- Mystery shopper assessments of cannabis retailer practices and regulatory compliance in five U.S. states, 2025.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Article
- Neuroimmune Correlates of HIV and Marijuana Use: Peripheral Biomarkers and Cognitive Function.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2026Article
- Who is at risk? Core mental health symptoms and problematic cannabis use in Germany.Journal of cannabis research · 2026Article
- Distribution patterns of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and new psychoactive substances among reported drug users in china (2014-2026): A systematic review and Meta-Analysis.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Review
- Medical Cannabis Use Across Ages 19-65 Years: U.S. Young and Middle Adults, 2018-2023.American journal of preventive medicine · 2026Article
- Measuring cannabis use and cannabis-related consequences among college students who engage in simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use: Associations by type of cannabis product and mode of use on weekend days with cannabis.Addictive behaviors · 2026Article
- Anxiety sensitivity and cannabis-related problems among Hispanic/Latine adults: The roles of sex and cannabis use motives.Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Navigating dose-effect complexities and challenges in cannabinoid therapy for aging-related neurobiological changes.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Trends in hospitalizations for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome in Canada, 2016-17 to 2024-25.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- A two-factor structure for cannabis use disorder identification test and its associations with demographic factors and cannabis use motives.Advances in drug and alcohol research · 2026Article
- Internalizing symptoms are indirectly associated with simultaneous alcohol and cannabis use through specific motives for simultaneous use: A longitudinal study of young adults.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Article
- Age Differences in Cannabis Consumption Patterns and in Associations Between Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Intake and Cannabis Use Disorders Among Adults with Daily Use.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2025Article
- Development and validation of the Comprehensive Cannabis Motives Questionnaire (CCMQ).Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Working under the influence of cannabis amongst medical cannabis patients with chronic pain.The American journal on addictions · 2025Article
- Patient-provider interactions about cannabis for therapeutic purposes vary as a function of provider type: A pilot study.The American journal on addictions · 2025Article
- Effects of cannabis smoke and oral Δ9THC on cognition in young adult and aged rats.Psychopharmacology · 2025Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionMedical cannabis is increasingly being used for a variety of health conditions as more states implement legislation permitting medical use of cannabis. Little is known about medical cannabis use patterns and motives among adults across the lifespan.
methodsThe present study examined data collected at a medical cannabis dispensary in San Francisco, California. Participants included 217 medical cannabis patients who were grouped into age-defined cohorts (younger: 18-30, middle-aged: 31-50, and older: 51-72). The age groups were compared on several measures of cannabis use, motives and medical conditions using one-way ANOVAs, chi-square tests and linear regression analyses.
resultsAll three age groups had similar frequency of cannabis use over the past month; however, the quantity of cannabis used and rates of problematic cannabis use were higher among younger users relative to middle-aged and older adults. The association between age and problematic cannabis use was moderated by age of regular use initiation such that earlier age of regular cannabis use onset was associated with more problematic use in the younger users, but not among older users. Middle-aged adults were more likely to report using medical cannabis for insomnia, while older adults were more likely to use medical cannabis for chronic medical problems such as cancer, glaucoma and HIV/AIDS. Younger participants reported cannabis use when bored at a greater rate than middle-aged and older adults.
conclusionsFindings suggest that there is an age-related risk for problematic cannabis use among medical cannabis users, such that younger users should be monitored for cannabis use patterns that may lead to deleterious consequences.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.