Quarter Of Cancer Patients Use Marijuana To Treat Symptoms, Study Finds
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- About one-quarter of cancer patients have used marijuana in the past year.
That's according to a new study in the journal Cancer.
Researchers found most patients use marijuana to relieve pain and nausea or to help cope with stress, depression, and insomnia.
The study included more than 900 cancer patients in Seattle, a state with legalized medicinal and recreational marijuana.
Among the active users, researchers found 74-percent reported using marijuana at least once a week, 56-percent reported using the drug at least once a day and 31-percent reported using the drug multiple times a day. Smoking and consuming edibles were the most common ways of using the drug, the researchers found.
Active users also said they were more likely than people who never used the drug to cite legalization as a reason for using marijuana, the researchers found. Active users were also younger than those who didn't use the drug or who had used the drug in the past but quit, according to the study.
The researchers noted that the study had limitations. For example, it's possible that the people who completed the survey were more likely to have an interest in medical marijuana, the researchers said. In addition, because the study was carried out at only one cancer-treatment center and in a state where recreational marijuana use is legal, the findings may not apply to people across the country, the researchers said.
