Do Attitudes Toward Marijuana Differ Between Men and Women With MS?

BARCELONA—Among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), more men than women report current and past use of marijuana, according to the results of a survey presented at the 31st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS).

More men have spoken to their doctor about marijuana use than women, but fewer men thought that marijuana improves symptoms associated with MS.

“Gender differences in [marijuana] use and perceptions about use should be considered in discussions about use,” said Stacey Cofield, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and North American Research Committee on MS (NARCOMS) Coordinating Center Deputy Director. NARCOMS conducted the survey to investigate patients’ perceptions about the effectiveness of marijuana for treating MS symptoms.

NARCOMS is a participant-driven registry with semiannual, self-reported information about MS treatments and symptomatic therapies, financial status, insurance status, and MS disease status.

Participants in NARCOMS are invited to take part in additional research separate from the semiannual updates.

In August 2014, Dr. Cofield and colleagues invited 12,260 active participants in NARCOMS to complete an anonymous online questionnaire about current behaviors and attitudes toward marijuana use and legality. For the purpose of the survey, “marijuana” referred to smoked and ingested forms of the drug, as well as any controlled substance derived from marijuana or synthetic marijuana. Questions included whether participants had used marijuana before their MS diagnosis, whether they used or considered using marijuana to treat MS symptoms, and whether they had discussed marijuana with their doctor. In addition, participants were asked what symptoms they thought marijuana might improve in MS and whether they had any of those symptoms.

A total of 5,665 participants responded to the survey, and 78.3% of respondents were women. Men were older than women at the time of the survey, but the researchers found no difference in age at diagnosis between genders. A higher proportion of men than women described their MS status as progressive without a history of relapse.

More men than women reported having used marijuana before their MS diagnosis. When examining data for marijuana users, the researchers saw no difference between genders in the number of days of marijuana use in the previous 30 days. The median number of days of use was 20 for both genders. Similarly, the researchers found no gender difference in the proportion of respondents who thought that marijuana should be legal. Overall, 91.5% of respondents supported the drug’s legality.

A higher proportion of men than women reported having muscle spasms, cramps, and spasticity, but a lower proportion of men thought that marijuana was effective for treating these symptoms. Similarly, a higher proportion of men than women reported tremor, but the researchers found no difference between genders in the perceived improvement of tremor with marijuana treatment. Also, more men than women (9.5% vs 5.9%) thought that marijuana did not improve any symptoms.

A higher proportion of women than men reported having migraines or headaches, anxiety, and nausea or gastrointestinal issues and thought that marijuana improved these symptoms. Gender differences persisted when the investigators adjusted the data for type of MS, age, duration of disease, and current marijuana usage.