Prevalence of cannabis and medication use by indices of residential urbanicity and deprivation among Ohio cancer patients.

Purpose: There is increasing interest in the use of cannabis products to alleviate symptom burden among cancer patients. Although data remain limited, some evidence suggests that state legalization of cannabis is associated with reduced opioid use. Indices of area-level social determinants of health may provide insights into the patterns of symptom-managing behaviors in the context of health equity.

Methods: Residential ZIP codes from 854 Ohio residents diagnosed with invasive cancer at an academic cancer center were used to assign rural-urban commuting area (RUCA) codes and social deprivation index (SDI) values. RUCA was categorized as metropolitan and non-metropolitan, and SDI was dichotomized at the median. Participants completed a one-time cannabis-focused questionnaire which included items on medications used to alleviate symptoms.

Results: The prevalence of self-reported cannabis (19% vs. 13%) and opioid use (30% vs. 21%) were higher among patients living in areas of higher social disadvantage vs. lower. No differences were observed for use of benzodiazepines or for any product by residential urbanicity.

Conclusion: Larger, multi-institutional studies with detailed measurement of cannabis and medications and an increased capacity to examine additional social determinants of health are needed to confirm and explain these descriptive findings.