Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of those authorized for medical cannabis and matched controls (n = 19,380)
| Characteristic | Controls (N = 9690) |
Authorized for medical cannabis (N = 9690) |
p-value | Standardized Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 53.7 (14.5) | 54.4 (13.9) | 0.06 | 0.04815 |
| Female, n (%) | 6147 (63.4%) | 6170 (63.7%) | 0.74 | 0.04815 |
| Rural, n (%) | 1235 (12.8%) | 1251 (12.9%) | 0.75 | 0.00494 |
| Age group | ||||
| < 35 | 1060 (10.9%) | 1040 (10.7%) | 0.66 | −0.00664 |
| 35–50 | 2426 (25.0%) | 2346 (24.2%) | 0.18 | −0.01916 |
| 50–65 | 4046 (41.8%) | 3907 (40.3%) | 0.05 | −0.02916 |
| > 65 | 2158 (22.3%) | 2397 (24.7%) | < 0.01 | 0.05819 |
| Social material deprivation index: | ||||
| 1 | 1889 (19.5%) | 1768 (18.3%) | 0.03 | −0.03192 |
| 2 | 1848 (19.1%) | 1921 (19.8%) | 0.19 | 0.01903 |
| 3 | 1693 (17.5%) | 1788 (18.5%) | 0.08 | 0.02554 |
| 4 | 2033 (21.0%) | 2127 (21.9%) | 0.10 | 0.02363 |
| 5 | 2227 (23.0%) | 2086 (21.5%) | 0.02 | −0.03499 |
| Medications | ||||
| Benzo durations, mean (SD) | 0.82 (0.21) | 0.82 (0.21) | 0.87 | 0.00005 |
| Antiepileptics | 5140 (53.0%) | 5038 (52.0%) | 0.14 | −0.02108 |
| Anti-Parkinson drugs | 387 (4%) | 394 (4.1%) | 0.80 | 0.00367 |
| Psycholeptics | 9153 (94.5%) | 9155 (94.5%) | 0.97 | 0.00090 |
| Psychoanaleptics | 7089 (73.2%) | 6934 (71.6%) | 0.01 | −0.03577 |
| Other nervous system drugs | 1146 (11.8%) | 1086 (11.2%) | 0.18 | −0.01940 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Neoplasms, n (%) | 2104 (21.7%) | 2241 (23.1%) | 0.02 | 0.03391 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 1387 (14.3%) | 1239 (12.8%) | 0.01 | −0.04464 |
| Mental Disorder, n (%) | 8002 (82.6%) | 7910 (81.6%) | 0.08 | −0.02477 |
| Nerve System Disease, n (%) | 2449 (25.3%) | 2704 (27.9%) | < 0.01 | 0.05959 |
| Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, n (%) | 1813 (18.7%) | 1723 (17.8%) | 0.09 | −0.02477 |
| Colitis, n (%) | 197 (2.0%) | 259 (2.7%) | < 0.01 | 0.04222 |
| Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue, n (%) | 6863 (70.8%) | 7221 (74.5%) | < 0.01 | 0.08298 |
| Injury and Poisoning, n (%) | 2789 (28.8%) | 2616 (27.0%) | 0.01 | −0.03982 |
| Healthcare Utilization | ||||
| Patients with at least one inpatient hospitalization, n (%) | 1654 (17.1%) | 1621 (16.7%) | 0.54 | −0.00909 |
| Patients with at least five outpatient visits, n (%) | 3893 (40.2%) | 3824 (39.5%) | 0.32 | −0.01455 |
| Patients with at least five distinct drug class dispensations, n (%) | 9376 (96.8%) | 9331 (96.3%) | 0.08 | −0.02537 |