Cannabis Use for Medical or Non-Medical Purposes in a Sample of Young Adult Cancer Survivors in the United States

Objective: This study examined cannabis use and motives (i.e., medical, non-medical [‘recreational’]) for first use and current use among young adult cancer survivors (ages 18-39). Method: We analyzed 2024 baseline survey data from 155 young adult cancer survivors (Mage = 32.89 [SD = 4.89], 87.7% female, 81.9% White, M = 1.34 [SD = 1.04] years post-treatment) regarding cannabis use, use motives (i.e., medical, non-medical), use characteristics (e.g., frequency/mode), and quality of life (PROMIS). Analyses characterized participants by lifetime use, past-month use, and first use for medical or non-medical purposes; multivariable binary logistic regression assessed correlates of past-month cannabis use among all participants and among those reporting lifetime use, respectively. Results: Of those reporting lifetime use (n = 68, 43.9%), 48 (70.6%) first used for non-medical purposes and 18 (26.5%) for medical. Among those reporting past-month use (n = 41, 26.5%), 4 (9.8%) used for only medical purposes, 12 (29.3%) primarily medical but some non-medical, 6 (14.6%) equally medical/non-medical, 6 (14.6%) primarily non-medical but some medical, and 4 (9.8%) only non-medical. Common reasons for first and current medical use included pain, insomnia, anxiety, and nausea. Past-month use among all participants was associated with less advanced cancer stage, treatment involving chemotherapy, and greater anxiety symptoms. Among those reporting lifetime use, past-month use was also associated with first using for non-medical purposes. Conclusions: A large proportion of young adult survivors first used cannabis for non-medical purposes but also reported medical use. It is crucial to understand use motives and trajectories over time to identify those who may benefit from medical use or face use-related harms.