782 - Disparities in cannabis use among U.S. young adults by disability status, 2020-2021

Objectives: Cannabis is legal in 39 U.S. states for medical purposes and 21 for recreational use, leading to increasing individual and societal effects. While we know cannabis use is more prevalent among disabled adults, cannabis use among youth and young adults with disabilities remains understudied. This study reports the national prevalence of past-month cannabis use among disabled U.S. young adults and examines use by disability type.

Design: Using 2020-2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data, we estimated the prevalence of past-month cannabis use among young adults (ages 18-34) with and without disabilities. Multivariable logistic regression analyses assessed the association between any disability and five disability types (i.e., cognitive, hearing, mobility, self-care, or vision) with past-month cannabis use in 2020 and 2021 while controlling for demographics and psychological distress.

Results: Past-month cannabis use was higher for disabled versus non-disabled young adults in both 2020 (29.4% vs. 18.3%) and 2021 (17.0% vs. 12.3%). Any disability (aOR: 1.54, p< .001), cognitive disability (aOR=1.62, p< .001), and vision disability (aOR=1.57, p< .05) were associated with higher odds of past-month cannabis use in 2020. However, in 2021, only cognitive disability (aOR=1.53, p=.001) was significantly associated with increased odds of cannabis use after controlling for covariates.

Conclusions: Cannabis use is disproportionately high among disabled US young adults, especially among those with cognitive and vision disabilities. Findings have substantial public health and substance use policy implications for this priority population. Further research should investigate disability-driven disparities in cannabis use, which may inform tailored prevention and treatment initiatives.