PainRelief.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Our main findings were that compared to heterosexuals, people in the bisexual group reported that they used cannabis more frequently, they were more likely to report use of a broader range of products (including cannabis flower, edibles, and concentrates), and they also reported that they use cannabis to cope with mental health concerns. Additionally, people in the bisexual group appear to be at higher risk for cannabis use disorder and other mental health concerns (depression, anxiety, and suicidality).
PainRelief.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: While many people use cannabis to cope with mental health concerns, there are other types of coping mechanisms that carry less risk, such as mindfulness and problem-solving. A therapist can help you work on these skills, and you might even be able to take advantage of telehealth services and/or low cost options through university psychology clinics. If you are seeing a negative impact on your life related to your mental health and/or cannabis use, don’t be afraid to reach out to a therapist to get help and learn some new coping skills.
PainRelief.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: In the future, we would like to see studies that include self-identified sexual orientation (e.g., people identify their own sexual identity). We did not have the data to include this information in the current study and grouped people based on their responses to a question about attraction. Ideally, participants would be able to choose from many sexual identity categories, including pansexual, asexual, etc. Additionally, we did not have enough transgender participants to make meaningful comparisons for gender minorities in the current study. We would like to see this study repeated with transgender folks so that we can learn more about cannabis use patterns and motivations for cannabis use in this population.
We have no disclosures.
Citation:
Kyle Schofield, Carrie Cuttler, Bradley T. Conner, Mark A. Prince, Addictions Research Team (ART), Matthew R. Pearson, Adrian J. Bravo, Craig A. Field, Vivian Gonzalez, James M. Henson, Jon M. Houck, Kevin M. King, Benjamin O. Ladd, Kevin S. Montes, and Maria M. Wong.Pot at the End of the Rainbow: Cannabis Use Among Sexual Minorities.Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.ahead of printhttp://doi.org/10.1089/can.2022.0240
January 3, 2023
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Last Updated on January 27, 2023 by PainRelief.com