# Cannabis Use and Health among VHA Primary Care Patients

> **NIH VA I01** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Background: Although more than 1 million Veterans regularly use cannabis (i.e., have used cannabis within
the past month), only limited research has investigated cannabis use among Veterans Health Administration
(VHA) patients. Furthermore, existing health records do not ascertain use that is below the threshold of a
cannabis use disorder, suggesting that a substantial portion of patients who regularly use cannabis are not
documented or monitored by their VHA providers. This absence of data is concerning given the links between
cannabis use and adverse physical, mental health, and social outcomes. Such consequences may be even
more pronounced among certain population subgroups, including those with psychiatric illnesses, which are
overrepresented in the VHA patient population. Despite potential harms, some patients who use cannabis
report that it is beneficial for the management of chronic pain, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other
illnesses, and 23 States and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of cannabis for individuals with
qualifying medical conditions. Research is needed to characterize and understand patterns of cannabis use
and how they relate to health, functioning, and service utilization among VHA primary care patients.
Objectives: 1) To characterize cannabis use among a representative sample of VHA primary care patients; 2)
To examine the extent to which cannabis use is associated with psychoactive medication use (e.g., opiates
and other psychotropics), substance use, substance use disorder symptoms, mental health symptoms (e.g.,
PTSD), pain, functioning, and treatment utilization among a cross-sectional sample of patients with regular
cannabis and those with no past-year use; 3) To identify cannabis use and cannabis use disorder symptom
trajectories at 6- and 12-months following an initial primary care visit; 4) To longitudinally estimate associations
between cannabis trajectory groups and psychoactive medication use (e.g., opiates and other psychotropics),
substance use, substance use disorder symptoms, mental health symptoms (e.g., PTSD), pain, functioning,
and treatment utilization. A secondary aim is to compare use, trajectories, and outcomes between those with
and without State-issued medical cannabis certification to examine how patients with medical cannabis
certification differ from those without it in the nature and extent of cannabis use and problems.
Methods: To achieve these objectives, the proposed project will screen Veterans receiving primary care at 3
VAMCs in Michigan. Through screening the project will identify a group of 500 patients with regular cannabis
use, defined as at least monthly use during the past year, and an age- and sex-matched comparison group of
500 Veterans without past-year cannabis use. Both groups will complete an in-depth cross-sectional baseline
interview. Following screening and baseline, the 500 patients with regular cannabis use will comprise a cohort
that will be re-a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10186490
- **Project number:** 5I01HX002026-04
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Frederic C Blow
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-05-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10186490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10186490, Cannabis Use and Health among VHA Primary Care Patients (5I01HX002026-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10186490. Licensed CC0.

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