Rising Cannabis Use Among Black & Hispanic Men With Chronic Conditions
Pain, stress, and multiple chronic conditions drive cannabis use—highlighting urgent needs for harm-reduction strategies.
When the Journal of Community Health published new data on July 1, 2025, it added clarity to a topic that has long hovered at the edge of clinical conversations: how and why older Black and Hispanic men with chronic illnesses are turning to cannabis. Drawing from a national sample of 1,982 men age 40 and older—each living with at least one chronic condition—the research offers a statistically detailed yet deeply human portrait of a patient population navigating symptom relief, cultural perceptions, and health risk concerns.
The average participant was 57 years old, with 58% identifying as non-Hispanic Black and 42% as Hispanic. More than one in five reported using cannabis within the past month. These numbers matter because they reflect a meaningful subset of older adults managing conditions like chronic pain (37%), depression or anxiety (32%), arthritis or rheumatic disease (30%), and cancer (14%). For many, cannabis is not merely a recreational diversion but a self-selected tool for symptom management.
Still, the study makes clear that cannabis use in this group is far from straightforward. It’s influenced by physical pain, emotional stress, and the burden of multiple diagnoses, and it raises questions about both the benefits and the potential pitfalls of long-term use.
Understanding the drivers of cannabis use
The statistical associations are telling. Adjusted analyses revealed that for every increase in reported pain, the odds of cannabis use rose by 11%. Higher stress levels and a greater number of chronic conditions also predicted greater use, with odds ratios of 1.06 and 1.23, respectively.
These findings suggest cannabis functions as an adaptive—if unofficial—part of some patients’ care plans. A man living with arthritis and insomnia may find cannabis helps him rest. Someone facing both cancer and anxiety might find it lifts his mood enough to get through treatment. The fact that nearly half of all reported cannabis use was recreational does not diminish the possibility that it also serves medicinal purposes, especially when dual use (both medical and recreational) was linked to more frequent consumption.
However, more frequent use carries its own risks. The study’s authors flagged concerns about cannabis use disorder, an issue that is often overlooked when discussions focus solely on legalization and access.
A bidirectional relationship—and why it matters
One of the most significant takeaways is the study’s proposal of a bidirectional relationship: poor health may drive cannabis use, which in turn could exacerbate physical or mental health challenges.
This echoes concerns many clinicians already hold. For example, using cannabis to blunt pain or anxiety might reduce motivation to seek other treatments, potentially allowing an underlying condition to worsen. On the other hand, unrelieved symptoms can erode quality of life to such an extent that patients feel they have no choice but to turn to any available relief, cannabis included.
For healthcare providers—including those of us working in the Arizona medical marijuana system—this means the conversation can’t just be “Do you use cannabis?” It needs to include “Why do you use cannabis? How often? What else are you trying?” These are the questions that can open pathways to safer, more integrated care.
Cultural and systemic factors at play
The racial and ethnic focus of this study matters because healthcare access is not evenly distributed. Black and Hispanic patients often face longer waits for diagnosis, less access to specialty care, and higher rates of untreated pain. For some, cannabis represents one of the few affordable, accessible, and culturally familiar tools for relief.
Yet systemic barriers can also make cannabis use more complicated. In states without medical marijuana programs—or with restrictive qualifying conditions—patients may turn to the unregulated market, risking inconsistent potency, contaminants, and a lack of professional guidance. Even in states like Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal, patients still encounter stigma in medical settings, insurance barriers, and high costs for certain products.
This makes the study’s call for culturally sensitive harm-reduction strategies especially urgent. Standardized warning labels, targeted community health campaigns, and provider education can help ensure that cannabis use does not exist in a vacuum but within a framework of informed decision-making.
What harm-reduction could look like
The authors recommend a multi-pronged approach:
Community-based interventions designed with direct input from affected populations.
Clear, standardized warning labels that explain both benefits and risks.
Viable alternatives to cannabis for symptom relief, including physical therapy, counseling, and non-opioid pain medications.
Encouraging open, judgment-free conversations between patients and providers.
In Arizona, these ideas align with ongoing efforts to improve patient education at medical marijuana clinics. At The Marijuana Doctor, for example, patient consultations often involve not just evaluating eligibility for a medical card but discussing dosage forms, potential interactions with other medications, and monitoring for signs of overuse. This patient-centered model could serve as a template for national adoption.
The research gaps—and why they matter
While the study is robust in scope, its cross-sectional design means it cannot prove causality. We don’t yet know whether cannabis helps patients maintain function over time or whether its use subtly worsens their health.
Longitudinal research could clarify whether cannabis is more likely to act as a supportive therapy or as a complicating factor. Subgroup analyses might reveal whether certain diagnoses, income levels, or age brackets are more prone to benefit—or to risk harm. Tracking rates of cannabis use disorder over years, not months, could help shape more precise recommendations.
Until then, patients, providers, and policymakers must navigate with incomplete information. That’s all the more reason for open communication and shared decision-making.
Where this leaves patients and providers
The reality is that older Black and Hispanic men with chronic conditions are already using cannabis—often regularly, and often for overlapping recreational and medicinal purposes. Ignoring this fact does not reduce risk; it simply leaves patients to manage on their own.
The most constructive path forward is one that meets people where they are, acknowledges both the relief cannabis can offer and the legitimate concerns about long-term health, and builds trust between patients and the healthcare system.
For those of us in Arizona’s medical cannabis community, this study reinforces what we’ve seen firsthand: education and access are intertwined. A patient who understands both the potential and the limitations of cannabis is in the best position to make safe, informed choices.
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