Risks and Benefits of Marijuana Use: A National Survey of U.S. Adults
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Published on: September 27, 2019
Salomeh Keyhani1, Stacey Steigerwald2, Julie Ishida1
1University of California, San Francisco, and San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, California (S.K., J.I., B.E.C.).
Background:
Despite insufficient evidence regarding its risks and benefits, marijuana is increasingly available and is aggressively marketed to the public.
Objective:
To understand the public's views on the risks and benefits of marijuana use.
Design:
Probability-based online survey.
Setting:
United States, 2017.
Participants:
16 280 U.S. adults.
Measurements:
Proportion of U.S. adults who agreed with a statement.
Results:
The response rate was 55.3% (n = 9003). Approximately 14.6% of U.S. adults reported using marijuana in the past year. About 81% of U.S. adults believe marijuana has at least 1 benefit, whereas 17% believe it has no benefit. The most common benefit cited was pain management (66%), followed by treatment of diseases, such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis (48%), and relief from anxiety, stress, and depression (47%). About 91% of U.S. adults believe marijuana has at least 1 risk, whereas 9% believe it has no risks. The most common risk identified by the public was legal problems (51.8%), followed by addiction (50%) and impaired memory (42%). Among U.S. adults, 29.2% agree that smoking marijuana prevents health problems. About 18% believe exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke is somewhat or completely safe for adults, whereas 7.6% indicated that it is somewhat or completely safe for children. Of the respondents, 7.3% agree that marijuana use is somewhat or completely safe during pregnancy. About 22.4% of U.S. adults believe that marijuana is not at all addictive.
Limitation:
Wording of the questions may have affected interpretation.
Conclusion:
Americans' view of marijuana use is more favorable than existing evidence supports.
Primary Funding Source:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
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