Karina Villalba
University of Central Florida
Co-authors: Jason Ford1
1University of Central Florida
To our knowledge, there is no research on cannabis use among young adults in Florida. Understanding young adults’ attitudes and patterns of use about cannabis can assist healthcare providers, and the State to determine trends in this population. Thus, the overarching aim of this study is to characterize a typical young cannabis user in Florida.
To archive this, we are proposing the following aims, first to compare attitude and demographic characteristics between CBD-dominant and THC-dominant young adults and second, asses the relationship between CBD-dominant use and patterns of use and mental health.
We used the Florida Young Adult Cannabis Study, which included a total of 415 medical cannabis patients and 485 non-patient cannabis users. Demographic and bivariate association we conducted among the two groups (CBD-dominant and THC-dominant), multivariable logistic regression was used to build three models to identify factors associated with CBD-dominant cannabis use.
Close to 49% of young adults were THC-dominant and 51% were CBD-dominant users. Black young adults (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.11, 2.41) were more likely to be CBD-dominant users than White young adults. College students/graduates (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.24, 2.45), young adults with an income over $75,000 (AOR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.10, 2.57), and medical cannabis patients (AOR = 2.71, 95% CI = 1.99, 3.69) were all more likely to be CBD-dominant users. Young adults who had insurance coverage (AOR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.06, 2.28) were more likely to be CBD-dominant users. While young adults who self-reported fair or poor overall health (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.31, 0.90) were less likely to indicate CBD-dominant use, and f inally, CBD-dominant cannabis use was also more likely among young adults who indicated having a cannabis use disorder (AOR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.18, 2.96).
The current research addresses an important gap in the literature by identifying characteristics associated with CBD-dominant use among a sample of young adult cannabis users. This is important given the possible therapeutic effects associated with CBD use.