A recently published study shone a spotlight on the prevalence and reasons for cannabis use among people with disabilities in the USA.
University of Nevada and George Mason University, Fairfax, VA researchers used data relating to 1,119 patients from Wave 5 (2023–2024) of the National Survey on Health and Disability for this exercise. The dataset included adults aged 18+ who self-identify as living with a disability,
The patients had one or more of six self-reported limitations relating to cognitive, hearing, independent living, mobility, self-care and vision.
The study’s findings say prevalence of current cannabis use was 21.9 %, and those with cognitive disabilities reported the highest proportion at 28.7 %. The most prevalent common reasons for use:
- Pain (71.9 %)
- Relax or relieve tension (60.2 %).
The researchers say:
“Analysis of open-ended responses for cannabis use reasons yielded three main themes: medicinal reasons, contextual reasons, and primarily as sensory moderator. Specific medical reasons for using cannabis included assistance with health-related conditions such as migraines, nausea, muscle spasms, seizures, mental health concerns, and sleep disturbances.”
Limitations of the study include the cannabis question not asking specifically why respondents are currently using it, and the sample was majority white, female, college-educated, and affluent
“… therefore, the generalizability of these results to other demographics is unknown,” the researchers stated.
They also concluded that the results highlight the need to monitor cannabis use for pain relief among this population.
The study, funded by funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, has been published in the Disability and Health Journal.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) indicated more than 70 million adults in the U.S. reported having a disability that year; generally falling around 13-14% of the broader population, depending on definitions or datasets used. Unsurprisingly, older adults reported a higher disability prevalence (43.9% of people aged 65 years and older) compared to other age groups.
The widespread impact of disabilities on daily life affecting mobility, cognition, vision, and more underlines the need for more safe and accessible options for managing conditions.
