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Results for “Marijuana Use”

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PubMed1994

Female adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use: similarities and differences in patterns of use.

Five categories of variables were examined as predictors of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use in a sample of 1,416 girls aged 13 to 17 years in Northwestern Ontario. A similar pattern of unique predictors emerged for the three drugs for three of the categories: the concurrent use of another drug, conventional educational attitudes and behaviors, and rebellious behaviors. A different pattern was found for the social and demographic categories between the inhaled drugs and alcohol. These differences emphasize the need to determine the specific predictors of drug use for each substance before planning regionally based drug prevention programs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Current and former marijuana use: preliminary findings of a longitudinal study of effects on IQ in young adults.

BACKGROUND: Assessing marijuana's impact on intelligence quotient (IQ) has been hampered by a lack of evaluation of subjects before they begin to use this substance. Using data from a group of young people whom we have been following since birth, we examined IQ scores before, during and after cessation of regular marijuana use to determine any impact of the drug on this measure of cognitive function. METHODS: We determined marijuana use for seventy 17- to 20-year-olds through self-reporting and urinalysis. IQ difference scores were calculated by subtracting each person's IQ score at 9-12 years (before initiation of drug use) from his or her score at 17-20 years. We then compared the difference in IQ scores of current heavy users (at least 5 joints per week), current light users (less than 5 joints per week), former users (who had not smoked regularly for at least 3 months) and non-users (who never smoked more than once per week and no smoking in the past two weeks). RESULTS: Current marijuana use was significantly correlated (p < 0.05) in a dose-related fashion with a decline in IQ over the ages studied. The comparison of the IQ difference scores showed an average decrease of 4.1 points in current heavy users (p < 0.05) compared to gains in IQ points for light current users (5.8), former users (3.5) and non-users (2.6). INTERPRETATION: Current marijuana use had a negative effect on global IQ score only in subjects who smoked 5 or more joints per week. A negative effect was not observed among subjects who had previously been heavy users but were no longer using the substance. We conclude that marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence. Whether the absence of a residual marijuana effect would also be evident in more specific cognitive domains such as memory and attention remains to be ascertained.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

High prevalence of substance use disorders among adolescents who use marijuana and inhalants.

BACKGROUND: We examined the association between the use of inhalants, marijuana, and other drugs and recent DSM-IV substance use disorders among adolescents aged 12-17 years. METHODS: Data were drawn from 2000 to 2001 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. Adolescents aged 12-17 years who reported having ever used an illicit drug in their lifetime were categorized into four mutually exclusive groups: inhalant users (16%), marijuana users (53%), inhalant and marijuana users (16%), and other drug users (15%). Logistic regression models were used to estimate associations with recent substance use diagnoses among lifetime adolescent drug users (N=10,180). RESULTS: We found that 31% of lifetime drug users reported having never used marijuana. One half of these atypical drug users were predominantly nonmedical users of pain relievers. Adolescents who used inhalants or other drugs but not marijuana were least likely to report multidrug use. Adolescents who reported using both inhalants and marijuana were most likely to use three or more classes of drugs (73%) and to receive a diagnosis of past year alcohol (35%) and drug (39%) abuse or dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings suggest that among lifetime adolescent drug users, those who use both inhalants and marijuana are at very high risk for alcohol and drug use disorders.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evidence of discrepant data regarding trends in marijuana use and supply, 1985-1988.

Between 1985 and 1988, the estimated number of current marijuana users (i.e., use within the past 30 days) in the United States declined 36%, based on self-report data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. During the same time period, estimated nondomestic production of marijuana available for consumption in the United States increased 58% and domestic production increased 119%, while there was no clear-cut trend in prices. Reports of marijuana use associated with emergency room visits more than doubled in these years. The reasons for these apparent discrepancies in the data regarding the supply and use of marijuana are unknown. The possible causes of change in these and other measures of illicit drug use are examined because they form the basis for assessment of the efficacy of the recently proposed 1989 National Drug Control Strategy.

Cannabis↗

PubMed1993

Alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use among fourth-grade urban schoolchildren in 1988/89 and 1990/91.

A public-school-based epidemiological survey of fourth-grade students in Washington, DC, was performed in 1988/89 (n = 4675) and 1990/91 (n = 4678). Comparisons of data for the two periods revealed that the lifetime prevalence of self-reported alcohol use, alcohol use without parental knowledge, and smoking more than a puff of cigarettes declined; marijuana use and cigarette experimentation did not. Seven variables were associated with use. Declines were observed in perceived peer pressure to use; seeing a family member/friend selling drugs; and being offered alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana by peers. No declines were observed in family use, perceived friends' use, being bothered a lot if best friends use, or seeing someone else selling drugs.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed1987

Long-term outcomes of heavy marijuana use among adolescents.

In order to better understand the long-term outcomes of heavy marijuana use among adolescents, 17 adolescent and 15 adult users were intensively studied over a several-year period. Among both the adolescents and the adults, heavy use of the drug was found to have similar adaptive or defensive functions, fostering a detachment from the painful or unpleasant realities of their lives. This suggests that for a large number of adolescents, both the marijuana behavior and the psychosocial patterns associated with it are brought forward into adulthood.

Achievement↗

PubMed1984

Marijuana use: persistence and urinary elimination.

Marijuana continues to be one of the most widely used illicit drugs in this country. Unlike most other drugs, it is persistent in the body and elimination occurs only gradually. Using the Syva EMIT Cannabinoid Assay test, a readily available semiquantitative immunochemical urine test for marijuana metabolites, a group of ten chronic marijuana users was monitored while hospitalized. The results of the monitoring are presented as are two representative case reports. Implications regarding the interpretation of results and interpretation of "significant" urinary marijuana levels are discussed. Specific implications for use in treatment programs and general primary care settings are also discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Marijuana use from adolescence to young adulthood: multiple developmental trajectories and their associated outcomes.

This study used latent growth mixture modeling to identify discrete developmental patterns of marijuana use from early adolescence (age 13) to young adulthood (age 23) among a sample of 5,833 individuals. After the a priori removal of abstainers, 4 trajectory groups were identified: early high users, who decreased from a relatively high level of use at age 13 to a more moderate level: stable light users, who maintained a low level of use: steady increasers, who consistently increased use; and occasional light users, who began use at age 14 and used at low levels thereafter. Analyses of covariance comparing the trajectory groups on behavioral, socioeconomic, and health outcomes at age 29 revealed that abstainers consistently had the most favorable outcomes, whereas early high users consistently had the least favorable outcomes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Patients' perceptions of chamba (marijuana) use in Malawi.

This study examines the perceptions of the social aspects, triggers, and effects of chamba (marijuana) use among psychiatric patients at Zomba Mental Hospital in Malawi. Focus groups were used to elicit responses from 44 male and 10 female psychiatric patients about their perceptions of chamba use in Malawi. This study provides insight into these patients' perceptions of the triggers and effects of their chamba use, and it has implications for the development of treatment and prevention programs for chamba users in Malawi.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Coronary no-flow and ventricular tachycardia associated with habitual marijuana use.

A 34-year-old man reported heart fluttering and near syncope a few hours after marijuana smoking. In the emergency department, he was found to have a right bundle-branch-type ventricular tachycardia. The patient underwent a successful electric cardioversion. Coronary angiography showed no pericardial artery stenosis yet very slow coronary blood flow. Clinical tachycardia was also inducible in the electrophysiologic laboratory. After verapamil therapy and cessation of marijuana, his coronary flow normalized and ventricular tachycardia was no longer inducible in the electrophysiologic laboratory. Marijuana use might affect coronary microcirculation and cause ventricular tachycardia. Verapamil therapy and cessation of smoking might be curative.

Adult↗

PubMed1982

The effects of marijuana use during pregnancy. I. A preliminary epidemiologic study.

We conducted a prospective study of the effects of marijuana use in 35 pregnancies. Thirty-six age-and parity-matched nonuser pregnancies were selected for comparison. (Users of other illicit drugs were excluded from study.) Users and nonusers were similar with respect to most potentially confounding prenatal risk factors, although users tended to come from lower income and educational backgrounds. Most adverse outcomes of pregnancy were too infrequent to allow reliable comparisons between the groups, but the infants born to users exhibited significantly more meconium staining (57% versus 25% in nonusers). Significant differences in duration of labor were also observed. The findings were not altered by statistical adjustments for various prenatal differences between the groups. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed. We also address the implications of these findings for further research.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1978

Social effects of marijuana use in a recreational setting.

Adult male volunteers with a prior history of either moderate (N = 12) or heavy (N = 14) marijuana use were systematically observed before, during, and after a 21-day period of free access to marijuana cigarettes. Data relevant to social interaction and recreational preferences were collected at hourly intervals. Moderate users consumed an average of 2.6 cigarettes per day and showed both acute and persistent (21-day) decrements in social interaction. Heavy users consumed 5.7 cigarettes per day but indicated fewer social reactions. The results suggested that marijuana inhibits social interaction in moderate users but behavioral tolerance in heavy users may mitigate this effect.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use among pregnant teenagers: 6-year follow-up of offspring growth effects.

This prospective study evaluated the relations between maternal alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use during pregnancy and children's growth at 6 years. In this cohort of pregnant teenagers and their offspring, mothers were recruited from an urban prenatal clinic between 1990 and 1995, and observed from their fourth prenatal month. At the delivery assessment, there were 413 live-born singletons. At the 6-year visit, 345 children and mothers were evaluated. Prenatal alcohol and marijuana exposure were significantly associated with growth deficits, after controlling statistically for other prenatal substance use, current maternal substance use, current environmental tobacco exposure (ETS) and sociodemographic and growth-related covariates. There was a significant negative association between the second and third trimester alcohol exposure and offspring height. Third trimester alcohol exposure predicted reduced skinfold thickness. Exposure to any prenatal marijuana in the second trimester was significantly associated with shorter stature. First trimester tobacco exposure was associated with increased skinfold thickness among the 6-year-olds. The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on growth at birth persisted in older children despite a low level of exposure during gestation. Effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on reduced height were not anticipated and occurred only when use was categorized as any/none. These data are consistent with an emerging body of evidence indicating that, by contrast to the growth deficits associated with smoking during pregnancy, which are evident at birth, the shorter stature associated with prenatal alcohol exposure continues to be evident during childhood.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1977

Dimensions of marijuana use in a midwest Catholic university: subcultural considerations.

Theorists and researchers for over two decades have indicated repeatedly that marijuana use by college students has a subculture base. Crucial here is the impact that the subculture has on its members' identities, values, attitudes, and belief patterns. While it may be true that not all members of a subculture evidence the same commitment to a subculture's attitudinal and normative patterns, nonetheless they share common patterns and the more an individual becomes involved, the more he manifests these subcultural patterns. Explorations of this subculture rationale are conducted utilizing a trichotomy of marijuana type users. The findings lend support more to the theoretical notion of subculture intervention as a threshold variable than a continuum variable.

Achievement↗

PubMed1997

Correlates of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use among Scottish postsecondary helping-profession students.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited information about the prevalence of recreational drug use over the postsecondary experience in Scotland. The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use in postsecondary helping-profession students (medical, nursing, education and psychology) in Scotland in regards to gender, age and course of study. METHOD: The Queensland Alcohol and Drug Study Questionnaire was completed by students enrolled in helping-profession courses from 22 departments at universities and colleges in five Scottish cities. The sample consisted of 717 male and 2,537 female students. RESULTS: A slightly (p < .05) higher percent of women (92.7%) consumed alcohol compared to men (90%), but men consumed significantly (p < .001) more drinks per week (26.7) compared to women (17.3). There was no difference between the two groups when U.K. recommendations of maximum limits for each gender were considered. About 50% of men and women consumed over 21 drinks and 14 drinks per week, respectively. A higher (p < .05) percent of men (42.5%) smoked compared to women (36.9%) and a higher (p < .001) percent of men (40.1%) consumed marijuana compared to women (24.1%). There was no difference in the quantity of tobacco consumed. For both men and women, the prevalence of alcohol and marijuana was highest 2 or 3 years before the maximum use of tobacco (students over 24 years of age). Male and female psychology students consumed the most marijuana. Psychology students, together with nursing students, also consumed the most tobacco. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the increasing prevalence of tobacco over the university experience, especially among nursing and psychology students, and heavier alcohol consumption among younger students, health education programs for Scottish postsecondary helping-profession students should expand from the recently introduced school programs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Do patients use marijuana as an antidepressant?

Several lines of evidence suggest that cannabis may have antidepressant effects. However, methodologic limitations in available studies make the results difficult to interpret. We review this literature and present five cases in which the evidence seems particularly clear that marijuana produced a direct antidepressant effect. If true, these observations argue that many patients may use marijuana to "self-treat" depressive symptoms.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Sensation seeking and symptoms of disruptive disorder: association with nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use in early and mid-adolescence.

This study examined the association of Sensation Seeking and symptoms of Disruptive Disorders and investigated the associations of each with the risk of nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use in 11- to 14-yr.-old boys and girls from psychiatric and pediatric clinics (n = 206). Sensation Seeking and symptoms of Disruptive Disorder were significantly related, and both were associated with drug use. In particular, Sensation Seeking was strongly associated with drug use in early and mid-adolescents seen in a clinical setting. Measurement of Sensation Seeking and symptoms of Disruptive Disorder should help identify and characterize youth who are at increased risk for drug use during early and mid-adolescence-a time when onset of use may be a harbinger of long-term habit.

Alcoholism↗

PubMed1987

The consistency of peer and parent influences on tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among young adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which the use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana by young adolescents can be described using a common theoretical model. Structural models were created in which psychosocial variables hierarchically predicted the use of each substance. The fit of a model in which paths from predictor variables were constrained to be equal was not inferior in any meaningful way to that of a model in which all path coefficients were freely estimated, thus suggesting that use of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana by young adolescents may be considered to be a unitary phenomenon. A simplified model, in which these substances were combined into a single latent variable, showed a good fit. The results of these analyses suggest that it may be beneficial to consider adolescent substance use to be a unitary phenomenon.

Adolescent↗