2017 to 2022 Saw Rise in Cannabis-Related Disorder Encounters in Seniors
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, June 18, 2024 -- From 2017 to 2022, there was an increase in the rates of cannabis-related disorder encounters among U.S. Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older, according to a research letter published online June 18 in JAMA Network Open.
Silvia Perez-Vilar, Ph.D., Pharm.D., from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, and colleagues characterized trends in health care encounters with cannabis-related disorders among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years or older by state or territory cannabis legal status in a cross-sectional study. The eligible population included 55,941,880 unique beneficiaries.
The researchers found that from 2017 through 2022, there was an increase in the rates of health care encounters with cannabis-related disorders, regardless of state or territory cannabis legal status. The greatest rates were seen in states or territories with both adult and medical use legalization, followed by states or territories with medical legalization, and states or territories where cannabis use was illegal (45.4, 41.5, and 27.7 per 10,000 beneficiaries, respectively, in 2022). Across all legalization categories, the greatest increasing trends were seen in nonemergency department outpatient settings.
"Data suggest that increasing rates of health care encounters documenting cannabis-related disorders among older adults might be associated with the type of cannabis legalization," the authors write. "However, differences in cannabis use patterns and perception of risk may influence policy changes and present challenges to causal inference."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted June 2024
Read this next
Survival Improves With Open Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer
FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- For patients with early-stage cervical cancer, disease-free and overall survival are lower for patients undergoing minimally invasive versus open radical...
Precision-Guided Treatment Improves Outcomes for High-Risk Pediatric Cancer
FRIDAY, June 28, 2024 -- Precision-guided treatment improves outcomes for children with high-risk cancer, according to a study published online June 6 in Nature Medicine. Loretta...
Recommendations Issued for Advanced Imaging for Pediatric Patients in ED
THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 -- In a policy statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and published online June 27 in Pediatrics, recommendations are presented for...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.