Philadelphia, PA: Subjects with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are more likely to have used cannabis as compared to matched controls, according to an evaluation of population data published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
Investigators at Temple University assessed marijuana use patterns among two million subjects with IBD and a nearly equal number of controls. Subjects with IBD were more likely than controls to have consumed cannabis and were also more likely to have initiated their use at an earlier age. Subjects with IBD also reported using greater quantities of cannabis per day.
Previous surveys have reported that IBD patients commonly use cannabis for symptom relief. In a recent placebo-controlled trial, cannabis inhalation was associated with a significant reduction in Crohn’s disease symptoms in subjects with a treatment-resistant form of the disease.
For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org. Full text of the study, "Patterns of cannabis use in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A population based analysis," appears in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.