Thomas T. Simopoulos, Mariam Salisu Orhurhu, Vwaire Orhurhu, Sameer A. Hirji, Omar Viswanath, Jatinder S. Gill, Jay Karri, Musa Aner, Akinola Olayinka, Ivan Urits, Chiedozie C. Uwandu, Sebele Ogunsola, Mayowa Olusunmade, and Loretta Akpala
Introduction To date, no study has reported the prevalence of cannabis use in chronic pain patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the trends in cannabis use among chronic pain in-patients from 2011 to 2015 in the USA. Methods Patients were identified from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision, diagnosis codes for chronic pain and cannabis use. Annual estimates and trends were determined for cannabis use, patient characteristics, cannabis use among subgroups of chronic pain conditions, cost, length of stay, and associated discharge diagnosis. Results Between 2011 to 2015, a total of 247,949 chronic pain patients were cannabis users, increasing from 33,189 to 72,115 (P