Adults in states where medical marijuana is legal were 1.3 times more likely to report medical marijuana use in 2015 than in 2013, and adults in states where it’s not legal were 1.4 times more likely to report such use, according to new research.

Analyzing “147,200 U.S. civilians aged 18 and older who participated in the 2013-2015 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health”, researchers “assessed trends in and correlates of medical marijuana use among U.S. adults.” They did this because “Trends in and correlates of medical marijuana use are important to inform ongoing clinical, research, policy, and programmatic efforts.” Their method included “Descriptive analyses, multivariable logistic regressions, and zero-truncated native binomial regressions”.

“Among U.S. adults, the prevalence of medical marijuana use increased from 1.2% in 2013 to 1.6% in 2015”, the study states. “After adjusting for covariates, adults residing in medical marijuana states (states with legalized medical marijuana use) were 1.3 times more likely to use marijuana medically in 2015 than in 2013 (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.61), and adults in nonmedical marijuana states were 1.4 times more likely to report medical marijuana use in 2015 than in 2013 (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.05-1.90).”

Among adults who used marijuana “exclusively for medical purposes in the past 12 months, trends in 12-month cannabis use disorders, daily or near daily use, and the number of days of marijuana use remained unchanged during 2013-2015.”

In conclusion, researchers state that “We identified how correlates of medical marijuana use among adults in medical marijuana states differed from their counterparts in nonmedical marijuana states.”

To view further information on this study, click here.