Abstract
<p>Persistent racial ethnic inequities in mental health care and access to cannabis were magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the need to better understand coping behaviors among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) women cannabis consumers. This study aimed to evaluate cannabis use patterns and mental health coping behaviors among BIPOC women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Self-reported data from 1,239 womenwho consumed cannabis in the past year were analyzed from the COVID-19 Cannabis Health Study (cross-sectional electronic survey collected March 2020-2023) using Chi-Square/Fisher's exact tests, Independent sample/Wilcoxon tests, and Multivariable Logistic Regression analysis. Most (72.2%) were Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 27.9% were BIPOC. NHW were younger [35.1 years (SD 12.5)] than BIPOC women [44.3 years (SD 15.8), p < 0.001]. Significant differences were found in the medical/recreational use of cannabis between groups (p < .0001). Majority (91.1%) consumed cannabis to manage a chronic health condition. BIPOC women had a lower prevalence of consuming cannabis to manage PTSD (23.2% vs 30.3%, p = 0.01), Chronic Pain (27.5% vs 48.3%, p < 0.0001), Cancer (1.2% vs 3.5%, p = 0.02), Autoimmune Disease (7.3% vs 15.7%, p < 0.0001), and Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Irritable Bowel Disease (10.1% vs 16.4%, p = 0.005). Significant COVID-19 coping strategies found included: "I am not coping" (p = 0.003), healthier eating habits (p = 0.006), less sleep (p < 0.0001), working more (p = 0.016), and stopped using cannabis (p = 0.029). Conducting research in this area is crucial to advancing equitable mental health support for BIPOC women, and the findings underscore the need for improved interventions, cannabis education, and policies that reduce structural barriers in post-pandemic recovery efforts.</p>