Home > Perspectives on drugs: Characteristics of frequent cannabis users with and without dependence.

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. (2015) Perspectives on drugs: Characteristics of frequent cannabis users with and without dependence. Lisbon: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.

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A small number of studies have looked into the concept of cannabis dependence, comparing frequent (1) or daily cannabis users with and without dependence (Looby and Earleywine, 2007; van der Pol et al., 2013), or populations with self-perceived treatment need to populations without this perception (Copeland et al., 2001). Depending on the population studied, somewhere between 25% and 50% of daily cannabis users will fulfil the criteria for dependence (NIDA, 2012). A general conclusion that can be drawn from these studies is that, while frequent to daily use of cannabis is a strong predictor of cannabis-related problems (Fischer et al., 2011), these accumulate even more in users with (probable) dependence.

Although the above-mentioned studies have found relatively small differences in the frequency or intensity of use or quantity of cannabis used between dependent and non-dependent frequent or daily users, marked differences were identified between dependent and non-dependent users in the levels of cannabis-related problems experienced, use of other substances and mental health problems. Other characteristics more prevalent in dependent users included solitary use and use in order to cope with problems.

Item Type
Report
Publication Type
International, Guideline
Drug Type
Cannabis
Intervention Type
Drug therapy, Treatment method, Harm reduction
Date
May 2015
Pages
5 p.
Publisher
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
Corporate Creators
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
Place of Publication
Lisbon
EndNote
Accession Number
HRB (Electronic Only)

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