Characterizing Symptoms of Cannabis Use Disorder in a Sample of College Students

Abstract

<jats:p> Since the legalization of marijuana in several U.S. states in 2012, there has been concern about increases in the development of cannabis use disorder (CUD). The current study examined rates of CUD in Colorado college students who reported regular marijuana use and assessed a range of factors associated with CUD symptoms, including coping motives, concentrate/dab use, mental health concerns (depression, anxiety), age of regular marijuana use, and alcohol use. College students were recruited from a mid-sized university and completed a baseline assessment that included a marijuana urine screen. Participants reported a median of five CUD symptoms and 90% met criteria for CUD. After adjusting for covariates, the age of regular marijuana use was negatively associated with the number of CUD symptoms, while the average daily alcohol drinks was positively associated with the number of symptoms. Prevention and intervention efforts at the university level should be increased to reduce negative outcomes associated with problem marijuana use. </jats:p>

Cannabis use and dependence among festival attendees: results from the French OCTOPUS survey

“…One reason that could probably explain these high rates is that tolerance and CWS are physiologic responses to chronic use regardless of sociodemographic and environmental determinants [ 57 ]. Regarding social and health consequences, we found that nearly 40% of regular cannabis users reported such consequences, which was higher than those in other previous studies [ 55 , 57 ]. However, these discrepancies are not surprising regarding the heterogeneity in the study design, and a multitude of external factors, such as social environment, personal motivations or underlying diseases, can be associated with the appearance of negative consequences.…”

“…Based on a recent meta-analysis of observational studies, cannabis withdrawal syndrome (CWS) appears to be common and concerns nearly half of regular or dependent cannabis users [ 54 ]. Similarly, “tolerance” was found to be one of the most highly reported criteria [ 55 – 57 ]. One reason that could probably explain these high rates is that tolerance and CWS are physiologic responses to chronic use regardless of sociodemographic and environmental determinants [ 57 ].…”

Measuring Impaired Control over Cannabis Use: Initial Evaluation of the Impaired Control Scale-Cannabis (ICS-C)

“…A few studies suggest that impaired control over cannabis use is a risk factor for frequent and problematic cannabis use. Previous work on the prevalence rates of CUD in young adults found that more than half of the students who met the criteria for a CUD diagnosis endorsed symptoms related to impaired control over cannabis (Pellegrino et al, 2020). A prospective study found that among young adults who did not meet full criteria for DSM-IV cannabis dependence, endorsing symptoms related to impaired control over cannabis was found to be among the strongest predictors of subsequent development of cannabis dependence (van der Pol et al, 2013).…”

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Evolution of Prevalence and Patterns of Cannabis Use among First-Year University Students in Spain—UniHcos Project

“…About the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the large number of social and mobility restrictions imposed in Spain during the lockdown may have influenced cannabis use in the social context [ 23 ]. However, the evolution towards more regular cannabis use and a more intensive use pattern is related to other motivations such as the desire to increase positive feelings, routine, or coping with emotional stress and negative emotions [ 19 , 24 ]. Moreover, regular use increases dependence, which can lead to problematic use or cannabis use disorder ( CUD ) [ 24 , 25 ].…”

“…However, the evolution towards more regular cannabis use and a more intensive use pattern is related to other motivations such as the desire to increase positive feelings, routine, or coping with emotional stress and negative emotions [ 19 , 24 ]. Moreover, regular use increases dependence, which can lead to problematic use or cannabis use disorder ( CUD ) [ 24 , 25 ]. Moreover, among regular users, solitary cannabis use is more frequent, which is also related to coping motives and a higher prevalence of CUD symptoms [ 26 , 27 ].…”