Cannabis-related healthcare encounters among U.S. commercially insured adults

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Healthcare Analytics
• Cannabis Research

Background:

• Recent studies indicate rising cannabis-related healthcare encounters among older adults, particularly in states with legalized cannabis.
• Understanding these trends in younger adult populations is crucial given increased cannabis access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess temporal trends in cannabis-related healthcare encounters among commercially insured adults aged 18-64 years in the United States.
• To examine these trends in relation to care setting, age group, and state cannabis legal status.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study utilized administrative claims data from four national health insurers (2017-2022).
• Cannabis-related healthcare encounters were identified using ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes.
• Analyses included annual encounter rates, stratified by care setting, age, and state cannabis legal status.

Main Results:

• Over 5.6 million cannabis-related encounters were identified among nearly 115 million eligible individuals.
• Annual encounter rates increased from 44.0 to 75.1 per 10,000 person-years between 2017 and 2022.
• Increasing trends were observed across all age groups and care settings, with no significant differences noted based on state cannabis legal status.

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest an evolving cannabis landscape characterized by increased use, legalization, product potency, and decreased risk perception.
• The rise in healthcare encounters highlights the need for further research into factors like race, socioeconomic status, and clinical characteristics.
• These trends underscore the importance of monitoring public health impacts associated with changing cannabis policies and use patterns.