Characterizing Medical Cannabis Tincture Users in Florida

Andrew Velarde
University of Florida

Co-authors: Andrew Velarde¹, Juan Guillermo Perez-Carreno¹, Robert Cook¹, Yan Wang¹, Krishna Vaddiparti¹, Catalina Lopez-Quintero^1
1University of Florida

Background: Cannabis tinctures are increasingly used by medical cannabis patients, yet the sociodemographic and cannabis use characteristics of patients who use them remain poorly described in the literature. This study aims to describe medical cannabis tincture users in Florida, including their sociodemographic factors, product and dosing preferences, cannabis use history, and risk for cannabis use disorder (CUD). 

Methods: Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the Medical Marijuana and Me (M³) Study conducted between May and December 2022 among adults receiving medical cannabis in Florida. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling at 10 geographically dispersed medical cannabis clinics. Analyses were restricted to 149 adults reporting cannabis tincture use within the past 30 days. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics, reasons for use, and cannabis use patterns, which include preferred products, self-reported THC dosage, and tincture-specific characteristics. Cannabis Use Disorders Identification Test-Revised (CUDIT-R) scores were also summarized and subsequently categorized using established cutoffs (≥8 hazardous use, ≥12 possible CUD).

Results: Cannabis tincture users had a mean age of 48.7 years and were predominantly female (67.8%), non-Hispanic white (73.8%), and had at least some college education (69.1%). The most reported reasons for medical cannabis use were anxiety (62.4%), chronic pain (53.7%) and insomnia (40.9%). Cannabis use was frequent, with 91.3% reporting weekly and 88.6% reporting daily use. Flower (50.3%) and tinctures (46.3%) were the most preferred methods of cannabis consumption. The most frequently reported THC dose per tincture use session was 10 mg (24.2%); however, 22.8% of participants were unable to report the amount of THC consumed per use. Participants also demonstrated established cannabis use histories, initiating cannabis use at a mean age of 21.6 years. The mean CUDIT-R score for participants was 8.4 ± 4.0, with 51.0% classified as hazardous users and 18.8% screening within the possible CUD range. 

Conclusion: Medical cannabis tincture users in this sample were characterized by predominantly female participation, frequent cannabis use, established cannabis use histories, and variable awareness of cannabinoid composition. These findings provide a descriptive profile of the contemporary medical cannabis tincture user, though the clinic-based Florida sample may not generalize to tincture users in other settings or regions. Clinician-patient discussions regarding cannabinoid composition, cannabis use behaviors, and CUD risk remain important given these patterns.