And theBEEPintensifies.
Heavy and prolonged use of cannabis is associated with several adverse health, legal and social consequences. Although cannabis use impacts all U.S. racial/ethnic groups, studies have revealed racial/ethnic disparities in the initiation, prevalence, prevention and treatment of cannabis use and Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). This review provides an overview of recent studies on cannabis and CUD by race/ethnicity and a discussion of implications for cannabis researchers.
Findings:
The majority of studies focused on cannabis use and CUD among African American/Black individuals, with the smallest number of studies found among Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders. The limited number of studies highlight unique risk and protective factors for each racial/ethnic group, such as gender, mental health status, polysubstance use and cultural identity.
Summary:
Future cannabis studies should aim to provide a deeper foundational understanding of factors that promote the initiation, maintenance, prevention and treatment of cannabis use and CUD among racial/ethnic groups. Cannabis studies should be unique to each racial/ethnic group and move beyond racial comparisons.
Keywords: Cannabis and race, Marijuana, Trends in cannabis use, Racial minority cannabis use, Cannabis use risk factors, Prevalence of cannabis use
Introduction
In 2019, approximately 48 million people (17.5%) ages 12 and over in the United States reported using cannabis in the past year [1]. Moreover, among past-year cannabis users, 3.5 million reported initiating cannabis use for the first time that year. The heavy and prolonged use of cannabis has been linked to several adverse health effects such as memory impairment, issues with executive functioning, and increased risk for developing a mental illness [2, 3, 4]. Furthermore, the literature posits that 30% of weekly cannabis users will be diagnosed with Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) in their lifetime [5]. Despite the associated health risks, the perceived risk associated with weekly cannabis use has declined among all age groups (i.e., 12 and over) within the past-year, indicating increased likelihood for problematic use [1]. The increased risk of problematic cannabis use highlights the need for more research on prevention, treatment and policy interventions that target cannabis use, especially among understudied and underserved populations who often experience the most detrimental health, social and legal consequences of cannabis use, such as racial/ethnic minorities [6].
Although cannabis use is a significant public health problem for all racial/ethnic groups, several racial/ethnic differences have been observed in the prevalence and consequences of use, as well as in the prevention and treatment of cannabis use. For example, in a recent review of time trends in U.S. prevalence of cannabis use and CUD [7], findings revealed an increase in the prevalence of adult cannabis use for all racial/ethnic groups and other sociodemographic groups (e.g., men, women, all income levels, all education levels) since 2007.However, a marked increase in cannabis use was noted among African American/Black adolescents and adults,representing a significant shift in the historical pattern of African American/Black individuals displaying similar or lower rates of cannabis use and CUD relative to their White counterparts [8]. Moreover, studies highlight the racial disparities observed in the prevalence of emergency department visits [9], referral to cannabis treatment [10] and treatment utilization and outcomes [11, 12]. These studies underscore the importance of contextualizing data by assessing and considering race/ethnicity throughout the entire development, execution and dissemination of research in the cannabis field. The purpose of this review is to describe the prevalence of current cannabis use by race using data from a national surveillance system, provide an overview of current studies (published between 2017–2021) on cannabis use among racial/ethnic minorities and then discuss real world implications for cannabis researchers who seek to decrease cannabis-related disparities among racial/ethnic minorities.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8896813/