According to a new study that was published this week in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, many of Colorado’s customers in adult-use marijuana stores are using the product for medical reasons.
“While adult-use laws are frequently called ‘recreational,’ implying that cannabis obtained through the adult use system is only for pleasure or experience-seeking,” wrote the study’s authors. They added that “our findings suggest that many customers use cannabis for symptom relief.”
Marcus Bachhuber of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York led a research team that surveyed 1,000 customers in two Colorado retail stores between August 2016 and October 2016. Customers were asked their age, gender, health status, and their cannabis use.
65% of the respondents said they used cannabis to relieve pain, and 74% reported using cannabis to promote sleep. Many said the drug helped them reduce or stop taking other medications.
“In summary,” Bachhuber and his co-authors remarked, “we found that de facto medical cannabis use is common among adult use customers at a cannabis dispensary.”