The grass is not always greener: a multi-institutional pilot study of marijuana use and acute pain management following traumatic injury

Table 1 Characteristics and outcomes, by marijuana status

Characteristic (%, n)	Marijuana user n = 54	Non-user n = 207	p value	Chronic marijuana user n = 15	Episodic marijuana use n = 38	p value
Male sex	61% (33)	61% (126)	0.97	63% (10)	61% (23)	0.89
Age, years^a	28 (23–39)	46 (26–65)	< 0.001	23 (22–43)	29 (23–38)	0.37
Cause of injury			0.08			0.43
Motor vehicle	80% (43)	80% (166)		69% (11)	84% (32)
Motorcycle	4% (2)	11% (23)		6% (1)	3% (1)
Pedestrian	17% (9)	9% (18)		25% (4)	13% (5)
Normal Glasgow coma score 15	83% (45)	81% (168)	0.71	75% (12)	87% (33)	0.42
Injury severity score ISS^a	9.5 (4–17)	9 (5–14)	0.74	7 (3.5–15.5)	10 (4–17)	0.37
Intoxicated (BAC ≥ 80 mg/dL)	26% (11)	25% (35)	0.98	31% (4)	23% (7)	0.71
Urine drug screen (UDS) performed	77% (41)	68% (135)	0.17	81% (13)	76% (28)	0.74
Positive UDS for drugs^b	22% (12)	2% (5)	< 0.001	13% (2)	26% (10)	0.47
Drugs user (UDS/self-report)^b	26% (14)	4% (9)	< 0.001	13% (2)	32% (12)	0.19
Clinical outcome
Mortality	0% (0)	2% (5)	0.59	0% (0)	0% (0)	–
LOS, days^a	2 (1–5)	3 (1–6)	0.57	3 (2–6)	2 (1–4)	0.35
ICU LOS, days^a	1.5 (0–4)	2 (0–5)	0.81	1.5 (0–3)	1.5 (0–4.5)	0.89

MJ marijuana, ICU intensive care unit, LOS length of stay
^aData presented as median (IQR)
^bDrugs: amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates
P < 0.05 in italic is clinically significant

ISSN: 1754-9493