Experiencing pain may increase the odds that cancer survivors will use cigarettes and cannabis, according to a recent study published by Wiley online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study also found that cigarette smoking and pain are linked to more treatment-related side effects and worse health among cancer survivors.
Pain and use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, alcohol, and cannabis commonly occur together in the general population. To characterize pain in relation to such non-opioid substance use specifically among cancer survivors (who often experience pain), investigators analyzed data from two national samples of individuals with a past diagnosis of cancer in the United States: 1,252 adults from Wave 6 (2021) of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health…