Young Cannabis Users Research Articles

Dependence symptoms in young cannabis users? A prospective epidemiological study

Aim To examine prospectively over a period of 4 years the profile of cannabis dependence and the risk of specific dependence criteria in a community sample of adolescents. Methods A representative community sample of 2446 young adults aged 14–24 years at baseline was followed up over a period of 4 years. Frequency of use measures and of criteria for DSM-IV dependence were assessed by standardized diagnostic interview measures (CIDI). To explore the nature of this association, frequency of use and concomitant use of other psychoactive substances was considered. Results 30% of the sample were cannabis users. Among all users 35% met at least one dependence criterion. Most frequently reported dependence criteria among all users were withdrawal (17%), tolerance (15%), loss of control (14%) and continued use despite a health problem (13%). Even without concomitant use of other illicit drugs, 22% of low frequency users and 81% of high frequency users met at least one dependence criterion. Symptom patterns were similar in high and low frequency users. The occurrence of a dependence syndrome or of specific dependence criteria could not be attributed to the use of other illicit drugs or to comorbid nicotine and alcohol dependence. Conclusions Regular cannabis use in adolescence is associated with the development of a dependence syndrome. This association cannot be explained by the concomitant use of other illicit substances or by comorbid nicotine and alcohol dependence.

Are cannabis users exposed to other drug use opportunities? Investigation of high-risk drug exposure opportunities among young cannabis users in London

In a study of young cannabis users attending further education colleges across London which specifically excluded young heroin users or injecting drug users, 35% were found to have been offered heroin, 36% had been present during heroin smoking, and 12% present at injecting. Factors associated with these exposure opportunities were investigated. The proportion of friends who use drugs other than cannabis was also considered, both as an indicator of risk in its own right and as a possible mechanism for high-risk drug exposure opportunities involving heroin and/or injecting. Alcohol variables and interactional problems perceived by the study subjects to be caused by their own drug use were found to be predictive of the involvement of friends in drug use other than cannabis and of exposure to heroin and injecting drug use. Non-cannabis illicit drug use among friends was also found to be associated with offers of heroin and with having been present during injecting drug use by others. Interpretations of these data are considered and the need for more detailed study with an area of increasing public policy significance is discussed.

Risk of psychosis in young cannabis users clarified.

Cannabis use moderately increases the risk of psychotic symptoms in young people but has a much stronger effect in those with evidence of predisposition to psychosis.

Drug problem – What problems? Concurrent predictors of selected types of drug problems in a london community sample of young people who use drugs

Four variables potentially indicative of different aspects of drug problems have been selected for study in a community sample of young people aged 16–20 who use drugs; Severity of Dependence Score; Whether or not interactional problems caused by own drug use were experienced; Number of college or work days missed specifically as a result of drug use; and 12-item General Health Questionnaire Score. The study population comprised 200 young cannabis users, approximately one-third of whom were also stimulant drug users. Substantial levels of these problems were observed.A range of predictors of these problems were identified in regression models. Lifetime stimulant drug use emerges as a principal indicator of risk. In addition, age, ongoing drug consumption variables and satisfaction with personal drug use emerge are recurrent predictors. An indicator of deprivation is identified as being associated with interactional problems. The need for development of the study of drug problems in the context of the normalisation of recreational drug use within British youth culture is discussed. More elaborate and sophisticated studies of problems will be required to identify significant harms as consequences of teenage patterns of non-opiate drug use.

Early-onset cannabis use and cognitive deficits: what is the nature of the association?

Background: Individuals who initiate cannabis use at an early age, when the brain is still developing, might be more vulnerable to lasting neuropsychological deficits than individuals who begin use later in life. Methods: We analyzed neuropsychological test results from 122 long-term heavy cannabis users and 87 comparison subjects with minimal cannabis exposure, all of whom had undergone a 28-day period of abstinence from cannabis, monitored by daily or every-other-day observed urine samples. We compared early-onset cannabis users with late-onset users and with controls, using linear regression controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and attributes of family of origin. Results: The 69 early-onset users (who began smoking before age 17) differed significantly from both the 53 late-onset users (who began smoking at age 17 or later) and from the 87 controls on several measures, most notably verbal IQ (VIQ). Few differences were found between late-onset users and controls on the test battery. However, when we adjusted for VIQ, virtually all differences between early-onset users and controls on test measures ceased to be significant. Conclusions: Early-onset cannabis users exhibit poorer cognitive performance than late-onset users or control subjects, especially in VIQ, but the cause of this difference cannot be determined from our data. The difference may reflect (1) innate differences between groups in cognitive ability, antedating first cannabis use; (2) an actual neurotoxic effect of cannabis on the developing brain; or (3) poorer learning of conventional cognitive skills by young cannabis users who have eschewed academics and diverged from the mainstream culture.

Attitudes and Experiences of People Who Use Cannabis and Drive: implications for drugs and driving legislation in Victoria, Australia

This paper describes a study that was conducted in Melbourne to examine the attitudes of cannabis users to proposed changes to the drugs and driving legislation in Victoria, Australia. The frequency with which young cannabis users drive while affected by cannabis was also examined. A pilot survey of 67 young cannabis users was conducted in which participants were questioned about their patterns of cannabis and alcohol use and driving, and their attitudes towards driving while intoxicated. A large portion of the sample indicated that they perceived cannabis to be a safe drug for driving. These cannabis users do regularly drive while impaired by cannabis, and around half of the sample reported that their cannabis use and driving patterns would not change when proposed changes to the drugs and driving legislation were introduced. In light of the pending legislative change in Victoria in the area of drugs and driving, such as the introduction of roadside testing procedures, further road safety educative initiatives are required that highlight the potential risks of driving while impaired by cannabis.

Are "traditional" sex differences less conspicuous in young cannabis users than in other young people?

Recent research has revealed conspicuously few distinctions between young males and females who use cannabis. Such findings may reflect the general slackening of the sex-role pattern in the younger generations. Alternatively, they may reflect distinctive characteristics of the cannabis culture. Using data from a nationwide representative sample (n = 1,478) of young Norwegians (21-24 years old), this study explores whether "traditional" sex differences in respect to mental health and alcohol use are less conspicuous among users than among nonusers of cannabis. The respondents' sex-role-related values and preferences were also studied. Results indicate that the sex differences in mental health did not vary between users and nonusers of cannabis; however, female cannabis users were disproportionately young when they experienced their first intoxication by alcohol. Their level of drinking was also disproportionately high. This implied that the sex difference in alcohol use was smaller among users than among nonusers: male users of cannabis consumed 2.8 times more alcohol than their female counterparts, whereas the corresponding male to female ratio was 3:2 in the nonusers. The extensive use of alcohol in female cannabis users did not reflect mental health problems or a rejection of traditional sex-role characteristics. Cannabis-using males were less typically masculine in their values and preferences than other males, but not more feminine. The measures for sex-role-related preferences did not discriminate between female users and female nonusers of cannabis.