Table 1. Frequency of opioid and marijuana use, prevalence of substitution of marijuana for opioids, and reasons for substitution among persons reporting marijuana and opioid use in a national survey of US adults conducted in fall 2017.
| Characteristic | Ever Marijuana Users with Opioid Use with the Past 12 Months (n = 486) n (%)* |
|---|---|
| Frequency of Opioid Use | |
| Daily | 197 (43) |
| Weekly | 95 (18) |
| Monthly | 42 (9) |
| Less than monthly | 150 (29) |
| Refused | 2 (0) |
| Frequency of Marijuana Use | |
| Current (within the past 30 days) | 113 (23) |
| Past year (more than 30 days but within the past 12 months) |
80 (15) |
| More than past year | 293 (62) |
| Change in Opioid Requirement due to Marijuana Use | |
| A lot more opioid needed | 14 (4) |
| Slightly more opioid needed | 18 (4) |
| No change in opioid use | 244 (46) |
| Slightly less opioid needed | 31 (8) |
| A lot less opioid needed | 63 (13) |
| Stopped opioid use | 93 (20) |
| Refused | 23 (5) |
| Reasons for Decrease or Cessation of Opioid Use | |
| Better pain management with marijuana |
71 (36) |
| Fewer side effects from marijuana | 63 (32) |
| Fewer withdrawal symptoms with marijuana | 40 (26) |
| Marijuana is easier to obtain | 22 (16) |
| Marijuana is cheaper | 17 (13) |
| More social acceptance from marijuana use |
20 (13) |
| Other | 72 (36) |
| Refused | 4 (4) |
*Numbers are unweighted, and percentages are weighted to approximate the US population. We used weights provided by GfK to approximate the US population based on socio-demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, household income, home ownership, and metropolitan area).