Cannabis use disorders are “common” among marijuana users, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Indian Open Network.
The study found that 21% of respondents suffered from a cannabis use disorder, which physicians typically describe as problematic cannabis use that results in a variety of symptoms, including recurring problems and social and professional signs of impairment and discomfort. In the study, 6.5% of users suffered from moderate to severe symptoms.
Cannabis users with more severe addictions are generally recreational users, while less severe but still problematic use has been associated more or less equally with medical and recreational use.The most common symptoms in both groups were increased tolerance, cravings, and an uncontrolled increase in cannabis use.
Background
Cannabis use is increasing across the country as more states legalize it. The new findings are consistent with previous research, which found that around 20% of cannabis users develop a cannabis use disorder. The disease can be managed through detoxification and withdrawal, therapy, and other treatments for addictive behaviors.
The new study used data from nearly 1,500 primary care patients in Washington state, where recreational use is legal, to examine the prevalence of cannabis use disorders among medical and non-medical users.The survey found that 42% of cannabis users identified themselves as only medicinal marijuana users; 25% identified as non-medical users and 32% identified as both recreational and medical users.
What comes next
“These results underscore the importance of assessing patients’ cannabis use and CUD symptoms in the medical context,” the study concludes. This finding is consistent with previous research aimed at understanding the risk of developing cannabis use disorders, particularly “among young people entering school and among regular adolescent users”.
Matt Richtel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning best-selling author and journalist based in San Francisco. He joined The Times in 2000 and his work has focused on science, technology, business and related storytelling.Learn more about Matt Richtel
