Objectives: This study uses a nationally representative sample of adults to investigate racial-ethnic differences in reasons for cannabis use among those reporting past 12-month misuse of prescription opioids for pain relief. Methods: Data from the 2015-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health were used to study 3,093 adults 18 to 49 years old reporting past 12-month pain-related prescription pain reliever (opioid) misuse. Logistic regressions assessed the association between past 12-month cannabis use – (non medical vs. any medical) – and multiple socio-demographic, psycho-social and drug use correlates. NSDUH analysis weights were applied to accommodate for the sampling design. Results: Half of individuals who reported misuse of prescription opioids for pain relief used cannabis in the past 12-months. In this sample of cannabis users, 87.6% (95%CI = 86.1, 88.9) used non-medically, and 12.4 (95%CI = 11.1, 13.9) used for both medical and recreational reasons. Individuals with past 12 months diagnosis of opioid use disorder were 1.8 (95%CI = 1.29, 2.63) times as likely to be medical cannabis users compared to those without a disorder. Conclusions: The findings indicate that medical cannabis might be an alternative for nearly one in eight individuals misusing pain relievers to alleviate their pain, primarily those with an opioid use disorder. Despite increased rates of cannabis use among males and non-Hispanic Whites in the general population, no gender or racial-ethnic differences were found in the selected sample. Future studies should investigate simultaneous use and the analgesic effects of co-use in this sample.
